“Give me that!” shouted Winn. “It’s mine!”
Mr. Tanaka ignored the shouts. He opened the envelope and pulled out what was inside.
“Money,” said Mr. Tanaka. “One-hundred dollar bills.” He counted the bills. “Ten of them!” Mr. Tanaka glared at Winn. “What is this money for?” he demanded.
“The money is from Carlos Garcia,” said Winn. “Carlos wanted me to steal the signs and give them to Cody Howard. I refused.”
“That’s not true,” said Benny.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” growled Winn.
Henry spoke up. “The writing on the envelope isn’t Carlos’s handwriting.”
“Yes, it is!” Winn insisted. “Carlos is the sign stealer.”
“Mr. Tanaka,” said Benny, “we can prove that isn’t Carlos’s handwriting.” Benny reached into his pocket and pulled out a clean napkin. “Today I asked Carlos for his autograph. I watched him sign this napkin. This is his handwriting.”
Mr. Tanaka held the envelope in one hand and the napkin in the other. “Carlos Garcia’s handwriting does not match the handwriting on the envelope,” he said.
Jessie spoke. “I also got an autograph today,” she said, handing Mr. Tanaka a score card. “I asked Cody Howard to sign my scorecard,” she said. “And he did.”
Mr. Tanaka held the scorecard in one hand and the envelope in the other. “The handwriting is the same,” he said.
“Okay, okay,” said Winn Winchell. “So I was taking money from Cody. He wanted to win the batting title, and he was willing to pay me to help him.”
“What you have done is dishonorable,” said Mr. Tanaka. “You are fired,” he added.
Mr. Tanaka opened the door. Four ballpark security guards stood in the hallway.
“Take Winn Winchell out of Cogwheel Stadium,” said Mr. Tanaka. “Never let him come here again.”
The guards escorted Winn Winchell out of the owner’s box.
Mr. Tanaka waited until they were out of sight. Then he turned toward Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny. “Thank you so much for discovering who the spy was,” he said. “And thank you also for all the other help you have given the Cogs and me.”
“You’re welcome,” said Jessie. “We like to help.”
“And we play fair,” said Benny.
Mr. Tanaka smiled. “Tomorrow is the last game of the season,” he said. “If the Hatters win, they will win the pennant. If the Cogs win, they will win the pennant. The game will be a fair game, with no sign stealing, thanks to the four of you.”
“Do we get to watch the game?” asked Grandfather. “Or will we be in your office working on seating plans?” he teased his old friend.
“We will be sitting right here, in the owner’s box,” said Jim Tanaka. “And Jessie, Violet, and Benny will be with us.”
Everybody looked at Henry.
“I know where I’ll be,” said Henry.
The last game of the season was a night game. Grandfather couldn’t park the car in his usual space because the stadium parking lot was so full.
“Are you adding more parking spaces for next year?” Violet asked him.
“Yes,” said Grandfather. “And if the Cogs win the pennant tonight, I’ll bet I have to add even more seats and parking spaces.”
“I hope they win!” said Benny. He was wearing his autographed Wheelie T-shirt.
Henry went to Wheelie’s dressing room. Jessie, Violet, and Benny hurried to the owner’s box with their grandfather.
The owner’s box was above the ground seats of Cogwheel Stadium. It was just to one side of home plate.
“This is a great view,” said Jessie, looking out at the ballpark through the open windows.
“Did we miss Henry?” asked Benny.
“Henry did a wonderful job as Wheelie,” said Mr. Tanaka. “He gave away more T-shirts and water bottles than ever. Now he’s on his way to the bleachers.”
“Did he jump up and down and pump his arms?” asked Violet.
“Oh, yes,” said Grandfather with a chuckle. “And the fans loved it.”
“I think the players loved it, too,” said Mr. Tanaka. “They think Wheelie brought them luck yesterday, so they’re glad he’s doing the same thing today.”
A vendor came into the owner’s box and set a large tray of hot dogs on a table.
“Please help yourselves,” said Mr. Tanaka.
Then the game began.
“You can see the whole ballpark from here,” said Jessie.
“Yes, the owner’s box has an excellent view,” said Mr. Tanaka.
“You can see the whole stadium from the bleachers, too,” said Benny.
Mr. Tanaka and Grandfather laughed. “Yes,” admitted Mr. Tanaka, “you can.”
Benny looked toward the bleachers and spotted Carlos Garcia. Benny waved, even though Carlos couldn’t see him. Benny saw Wheelie sitting in his special chair on the platform. Benny waved. Wheelie waved back.
“There are so many interesting people in the bleachers,” said Violet. She was looking at Emma Larke, who was wearing the same Cogs uniform she wore yesterday.
“Look!” said Violet. “That’s Simon Brock sitting next to Emma Larke.”
“It was very good of you children to introduce her to Mr. Brock,” said Mr. Tanaka.
Violet watched Emma and Simon Brock.
They were talking to one another, and Mr. Brock was writing something in his notebook.
In the bottom of the second inning, Reese Dawkins hit a home run. The fans rose to their feet and clapped loudly. Wheelie turned five cartwheels in one direction, then five more in the opposite direction.
“Good,” said Mr. Tanaka. “If Reese gets one more hit and Cody doesn’t get any, Reese will win the batting title. And the car!”
Before he stepped into the dugout, Reese Dawkins waved toward the bleachers. Carlos Garcia waved back. So did Emma Larke. And so did Wheelie. The Cogs were leading, 1-0.
Even though Cody Howard didn’t get a hit, the Hatters tied the score in the top of the ninth, 1-1.
In the bottom half of the ninth, the Cogs loaded the bases. There were two outs, and Reese Dawkins came to the plate.
Wheelie jumped up and down on his platform and pumped his arms. The fans jumped up and down and pumped their arms.
Reese Dawkins blasted the ball out of the stadium—a grand slam home run! The Cogs won the ball game, 5-1.
The Cogs won the pennant!
This time Wheelie did not turn cartwheels. This time, Wheelie did three backflips!
The players rushed out onto the field to celebrate. They lifted their caps toward the bleachers.
“Hmmm,” said Mr. Tanaka. “I would be honored if you children would visit Cogwheel Stadium next year, too.”
“I would love to see the Cogs play next year,” said Jessie.
“I would love to catch another baseball,” said Violet.
“And I would love to help Wheelie throw T-shirts and water bottles!” said Benny. |