"Was that Mrs. Sweet?" Jackson raced down the alley.
Henry and Maggie followed.
The alley was between the Sweet Shop and another store.
At the back was a small shed.
Mrs. Sweet stood there facing Miss Bishop, who owned the jewelry store across the street.
"Oh my, Laura!" Miss Bishop fanned her face with one hand.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack sneaking up on me like that!"
"I wasn't sneaking, Jane," Mrs. Sweet retorted.
"I was just walking to my shed. What were you doing back here anyway?
Trying to get a peek at my float, hmm?"
"Of course not!" Just then Miss Bishop noticed Henry and the others.
"Oh, hello."
"Is everything all right, ladies?" Jackson asked. "We heard a scream."
"That was me." Miss Bishop smiled. "Mrs. Sweet startled me."
Henry traded an amused look with Maggie.
They both knew that Miss Bishop was a very dramatic person.
"I see," Jackson said. "Mrs. Sweet, can I talk to you?"
"Of course." Mrs. Sweet shot Miss Bishop a suspicious look.
"Just let me lock my shed first.
I wouldn't want anyone wandering in and getting a look at my float."
Miss Bishop rolled her eyes. "Why would anyone want to do that?"
Soon Miss Bishop returned to her shop.
Henry, Maggie, Jackson, and Mrs. Sweet headed into the Sweet Shop.
"I heard you had some trouble last night," Jackson said to Mrs. Sweet.
He pulled out a notebook and pen. "Someone broke into your shed?"
"Yes." Mrs. Sweet shook her head. "It was a terrible shock."
"What happened?" Maggie blurted out. "Did someone sabotage your float?"
"I'm not sure." Mrs. Sweet looked troubled.
"I left the shed unlocked last night so Mr. Newman could stop by on his way home from work.
I needed him to fix the taillight on my tractor."
"Mr. Newman from the auto repair shop?" Henry asked.
"Yes, that's right," Mrs. Sweet said.
"He's a good mechanic, isn't he?
In any case, I went to check the float this morning.
The taillight was fixed, but a whole case of candy was missing!"
"Candy?" Jackson looked confused.
"Yes." Mrs. Sweet leaned forward.
"I was going to use it to decorate my float," she whispered.
Henry covered his mouth to hide his smile.
Mrs. Sweet was whispering, acting as if everything was top secret.
But she decorated her float with candy every single year!
"There have been some problems with raccoons around town lately," Jackson said.
"Or perhaps a stray dog."
"I don't think it was an animal." Mrs. Sweet said, frowning.
"The shed door wasn't locked, but it was shut tightly.
The latch can only be opened by a person."
"I see." Jackson jotted a few notes, and then tucked his notebook away.
"Well, give me a call if you think of anything else."
Henry and Maggie followed the reporter outside.
"Is that it?" Maggie asked. "Aren't you going to examine the crime scene?"
Jackson looked surprised. "That's a job for the police, not for me."
"But we thought you'd want to get to the bottom of the story," Henry said.
"Why don't you go interview Mr. Newman?"
Jackson shrugged. "I suppose I could.
The auto repair shop is on my way back to the office."
Soon the three of them were at Newman's Auto Shop.
Henry had known Mr. Newman all his life.
Henry's parents said the people of Belltown were lucky to have such an honest and hardworking mechanic in town.
Mr. Newman listened to why Jackson was there.
"What do you want to know?" he asked in his usual gruff way.
"Did you stop by to fix Mrs. Sweet's taillight last night?" Jackson asked.
Mr. Newman nodded. "Fixed the light and then went home."
"Did you see a case of candy near the float?" Maggie asked.
"Didn't notice. I was there to fix the light, not to sightsee."
Mr. Newman checked his watch. "Is there anything else? I have work to do."
"No, there's nothing else. Thanks for your time," Jackson said.
"Wait," Maggie said as Jackson turned to leave.
"Mr. Newman, are you making a float for the parade?"
Mr. Newman looked surprised. "Of course not.
I don't have time for that sort of silliness." He hurried off.
"Sorry, kids," Jackson said. "It looks like there's no mystery here."
"What about the missing candy?" Maggie asked.
"And that threat?" Henry added.
"Threat? What threat?" Jackson asked.
Henry realized they'd never told the reporter about the comment on the website.
He quickly filled Jackson in.
Jackson pulled out his smartphone and opened the website.
"I don't see any threatening comments."
"I'll show you." Henry took the phone and scrolled through the comments.
The ones from Mrs. Sweet and Miss Bishop were there, along with several others.
But the threatening comment was gone!