Clue in the Corn Maze Read Online Free PDF Page B

to buy me out,” Ken said.
    Kurt and David exchanged a look. “Well, Ken,” Kurt said carefully. “I went to see somebody at the bank about getting a loan.”
    Ken opened his mouth, but no words came out.
    “I think I could swing it,” Kurt went on.
    “No,” Ken said, shaking his head.
    Kurt pulled out a chair next to Ken and sat down. “You don’t have to sell the house. Just sell me the land. Let me farm it.”
    “No!”
    Kurt leaned back in his chair. “You’re being stubborn!” he declared.
    “It’s my land!” Ken exclaimed. “I can be stubborn with my own land if I want to be.”
    “Think of your health, Dad,” David pleaded. “If Kurt wants to buy you out, I think you should at least consider it.”
    “You can still be involved,” Kurt promised. “I’d take your advice. Just let me handle the hard work.”
    “If you keep pestering me, I’ll sell to Peggy Rodman instead of you,” Ken threatened.
    Kurt looked stunned. “You wouldn’t,” he said.
    “Why wouldn’t I?” Ken asked. “She made me an offer a few months ago. A pretty good one, I might add.”
    “B-but,” Kurt stammered, clearly upset. “She’s never liked either one of us. Why would you sell to her instead of to your own flesh and blood?”
    “Because at one time, all this land belonged to her family,” Ken explained. “I bought this farm from her dad, you know. Letting her buy it back might go a long way toward mending fences between us.”
    Kurt was so angry the Aldens could almost see smoke coming out of his ears. “If you sell to her instead of to me, I’ll never forgive you, Ken.”
    “Well, right now, I’m not planning on selling to anybody,” Ken said. “So why don’t we quit talking about this. Let’s cook the corn and eat some supper.”
    “I’m not hungry,” Kurt said, rising to his feet. He stormed out of the house.
    The Aldens sat in silence. They felt bad about having heard the argument between Ken and his brother.
    Ken seemed a little embarrassed about it, too. “I’m sorry you Aldens had to hear our family squabbles,” he said.
    Grandfather waved his hand to let Ken know it didn’t matter. “I know how important it is to you to hang onto this farm,” Grandfather said.
    “I bought this farm with my own money, James,” Ken said. “I didn’t even take out a loan. I paid cash.”
    “I remember,” Grandfather said.
    “Believe it or not, Dad, Uncle Kurt and I really do have your best interests at heart. We’re worried about you,” David said.
    “Well, stop worrying,” Ken said. “What’s best for me is to stay right here and keep farming my land.”
    “I wish I was as sure of that as you are,” David said. He picked up his briefcase and gave his father a hug.
    “I need to get home,” David said. As he was leaving, he noticed the red cap sitting on the counter.
    “Hey, I was wondering what happened to my cap,” he said, picking it up.
    Jessie looked up. “You mean that cap belongs to you?” she asked.
    “Yes. I just got it a couple weeks ago. It’s got a light on it, see?” He flipped the switch and the bulb lit up. “I was really upset when I noticed it was missing this morning.”
    The Aldens all looked at each other. “We found it in the maze this morning,” Henry said.
    “You did?” David sounded surprised. “Gee, I wonder how it got there.” He scratched his head. “Now that I think about it, I remember I borrowed a rake from the shed the other night. I’ll bet I left it in the shed then.”
    “How did it get from the shed to the middle of the maze?” Jessie wondered.
    “That’s a mystery, isn’t it,” David said with a smile. “I just know I didn’t put it there. I haven’t been in the maze for days.”
    “Maybe the person who dumped the manure in the maze went into the shed to get a shovel or something and found it,” Violet suggested.
    “Maybe,” David said. “In fact, maybe they left it in the maze on purpose so you’d think I was the