The Mystery in the Fortune Cookie Read online

  “Is Auntie Two your real name?”

  “Benny!” Jessie gave her little brother a warning look. “That’s not really any of our business.”

  Auntie Two laughed. “That’s okay, Jessie,” she said. Then she turned to the youngest Alden. “The truth is, I’m from a big family, Benny. My nieces and nephews have oodles of aunts. It’s hard for the little ones to remember so many names. It makes it easier if they just call us Auntie One, Auntie Two, Auntie Three, and ... well, it goes all the way up to Auntie Eight!” she told them before she walked away.

  Benny kept his eyes fixed on the little beige cookies in the blue bowl. As they finished eating the main courses, he was quick to ask, “Is it time for fortune cookies yet?”

  “Not quite, Benny.” Martin signaled to Lucy with a wave of his hand. The waitress gave him a smile, then disappeared into the kitchen. “I have a little surprise planned,” he said.

  A moment later Lucy walked into the dining room carrying a big cake. Martin and Aunt Jane started singing “Happy Birthday,” and soon the whole restaurant had joined in. Dottie made a wish and blew out the candles. Then Lucy served chocolate cake to everyone at the table.

  “Tonight we get two desserts,” Benny said, excited. “Cake and fortune cookies!”

  “That’s a dream come true for you, Benny,” Henry teased his little brother. Everyone laughed, including Benny.

  Aunt Jane turned to Dottie. “I’d love to hear more about your hometown,” she said. “What was it like growing up in Keller’s Crossing?”

  Jessie leaned forward, interested. “Did you run a bookstore there, too?”

  For a moment, Dottie said nothing. She just poked at her cake with a fork. When she finally spoke, her voice was strained. “Keller’s Crossing was a fine place to grow up,” she said. “It will always have a special place in my heart. But the past is best forgotten.” Quickly changing the subject, she added, “Now, where are those fortune cookies?”

  Jessie stared at Dottie for a moment, wondering why she hadn’t answered her question.

  Just then, Lucy arrived with one — and only one — fortune cookie on a small plate. She went around to the other side of the table and set the plate down in front of Dottie.

  Benny looked bewildered. Had Auntie Two run out of fortune cookies after all? No, the blue bowl on the side table was still filled with the bow-shaped cookies. What was going on?

  “I’ll get more fortune cookies in a minute,” Lucy promised, noticing Benny’s puzzled frown. “But the birthday girl should open the first one.” Then she turned and quickly walked away.

  Dottie wasn’t having any of this. “You’ve been waiting long enough, Benny,” she said.

  She held the plate out to him. “The first one is for you.”

  Martin put up a hand. “Wait a minute, Dottie. The birthday girl should always open the first — ”

  Dottie shook her head and cut in with, “Nonsense! The first one’s for Benny. And I won’t take no for an answer.”

  “Is it all right, Aunt Jane?” Benny looked over at his aunt expectantly.

  Aunt Jane smiled. “Help yourself, Benny.”

  Benny was grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you very much!” With a few quick motions, he reached for the fortune cookie, broke it in half, and pulled out the fortune.

  “Would you like me to read it?” Violet offered. Benny was just learning to read. As Benny passed the fortune to her, she silently read the words on the little slip of paper. Then her eyes widened and she gasped.

  CHAPTER 3

  The Strange Message

  “What is it Violet?” Jessie asked. “What does it say?” She inched her chair closer to her sister’s.

  “It’s ... it’s the strangest thing,” Violet said in a quiet voice. “I’ve never seen a fortune like this before!”

  Everyone was staring at Violet in surprise. “Read it, okay?” Benny said, jiggling with excitement.

  “All right.” Violet nodded. “Here’s what it says.” Then she read aloud:

  “Where rainbows explode,

  And tigers twist,

  A mystery awaits,

  Just choose from the list.”

  Benny jumped in his chair and clapped his hands. “I knew it! My fortune really does say a mystery’s coming our way!” His big eyes had grown even rounder.

  The others at the table looked at one another. They were too stunned to speak.

  Henry reached for the little slip of paper. “It doesn’t make any sense,” he said after reading it again.

  “We’ll figure it out,” chirped Benny. “We’re good detectives.”

  Violet didn’t look so sure. “We’ve never had a mystery like this before.”

  Jessie giggled. She couldn’t help it — it all seemed so funny. “One thing’s for sure,” she said. “A mystery in a fortune cookie beats everything!”

  Everyone laughed — except Martin, who was strangely quiet.

  “Hang on a minute!” Henry said as something caught his eye. “There’s a message on the other side of this fortune.”

  “What does it say?” asked Benny.

  “Is it another poem?” Violet questioned at the same time.

  Henry read it to them. “No need to go far.” He looked up. “That’s all it says.”

  “It must be a clue,” Benny guessed.

  Henry passed the fortune back to his little brother. “Could be.”

  Martin suddenly spoke up. “I bet it’s just somebody’s idea of a joke.” He sounded annoyed. “What I mean is, a worker in one of those fortune cookie factories was probably just having a bit of fun. That’s all.”

  “I’m not so sure,” said Dottie as Lucy arrived with more fortune cookies. “There’s something very strange about this.”

  Hearing the remark, Lucy said, “Is everything all right?”

  Martin frowned. “Well, I hope you brought some better fortunes this time. Benny’s was a real dud.”

  “What ... ?” Lucy’s jaw dropped. “What are you talking about?” She sounded upset.

  “I found a mystery in my fortune cookie!” Benny told her, glowing with excitement.

  A strange look passed over Lucy’s face. As she set the plate of fortune cookies on the table, she almost knocked over Benny’s glass of water. Luckily, Violet grabbed it in time and set it back in its place.

  Lucy stood twisting her hands. “I ... I ... ” She shut her mouth.

  Jessie glanced at Henry. Why was the waitress so upset? She could tell by the look in Henry’s eye that he was wondering the same thing.

  Turning to Benny, Lucy said, “I guess there’s only one thing to do. You can trade that fortune in for a better one. Would you like that?”

  “I wouldn’t like that one little bit!” Benny closed his hand over the little slip of paper. “Thanks anyway.”

  “No, none of us would like that,” added Jessie.

  Aunt Jane explained, “There’s nothing these children enjoy more than a mystery.”

  At this, the waitress walked off with a troubled look in her eye.

  Jessie turned her attention to the plate of fortune cookies. “I wonder...”

  “What is it?” Henry asked.

  “I was just thinking — maybe we’ll find more clues inside the other cookies.”

  Henry said, “Let’s check it out.” He reached for a fortune cookie. So did everyone else.

  A moment later, Jessie was shaking her head. “No clue in mine,” she told them. Then she read aloud: “Your patience will be rewarded.”

  Henry took a look at his fortune. “Save your money for a rainy day.” He shrugged. “Nothing mysterious about that, either.”

  It was Violet’s turn next. “Keep an open mind.” She looked on the other side of the little slip of paper. “That’s all it says.”

  Nobody else got any mysterious fortunes, either. Aunt Jane’s said, “Do not rush things this week.” Dottie got, “Now is the time to move forward.” And Martin’s was, “Actions speak
louder than words.” They weren’t really sure what kind of clue they were looking for, but they didn’t find anything helpful.

  “I’ve never heard of exploding rainbows,” said Jessie, taking another look at Benny’s fortune.

  “Or twisting tigers,” put in Violet.

  “It’s a mystery,” said Henry. “That’s for sure!”

  That night, the four Aldens had a meeting in the bedroom that Jessie and Violet shared. “Who in the world would put such a strange message in a fortune cookie?” Violet asked with a frown.

  “And why?” demanded Benny.

  “We may never know,” said Jessie, who was sitting on the bed next to Benny.

  “Auntie Two buys her fortune cookies ready-made,” Henry reminded them. “Martin might be right. This could be a factory worker’s idea of a joke.”

  Benny shook his head. “My fortune didn’t come from a factory.”

  “How can you be so sure?” asked Violet.

  The youngest Alden raced out of the room. When he returned, he was swinging an old sock in the air. He gave the sock a good shake over the bed, and little slips of paper fluttered down. “The fortune I got tonight is different from all the others,” he told them.

  They all gathered around to take a look at Benny’s collection. Sure enough, the other fortunes were all neatly typed in red ink. But the latest fortune had been printed by hand — in blue ink.

  “You’re right, Benny,” Jessie said as she compared the fortunes. “That’s good detective work,” she added, smiling at her little brother.

  Benny grinned. “Thanks.”

  “I just noticed something else.” Violet was looking over Jessie’s shoulder. “The i’s on Benny’s fortune are dotted with little hearts.” Violet wasn’t sure, but she thought it might be some kind of clue.

  “Still, we can’t be sure a factory worker didn’t do it,” Henry insisted.

  “No, we can’t be sure,” agreed Jessie.

  “But it’s also possible someone in Elmford dropped their own fortune cookie into Auntie Two’s blue bowl.”

  Violet agreed. “She keeps the bowl right out in the open — on the side table.”

  Benny nodded. “Auntie Two said it’s simple to make fortune cookies. I bet anybody could do it.”

  “It did sound easy enough,” admitted Henry, backing down a little. “I guess anybody in Elmford could have written that message.”

  “But ... who?” Violet wondered.

  Henry shrugged. “Beats me!”

  “I don’t really know, either,” said Jessie. “But Lucy did seem very nervous tonight. Did you notice?”

  “She got our drinks mixed up,” Benny recalled. “And she almost spilled my water.”

  “Lucy just started a new job,” Violet was quick to point out. “That’s why she was nervous. I don’t see anything wrong with that, do you?”

  Henry shook his head. “Not if that’s all it was.”

  “Just acting nervous doesn’t make her suspicious,” Violet insisted. Violet was shy, and being around a lot of people made her nervous, too.

  “You’re right,” Jessie said quietly. “But we have to consider every possibility.”

  This made sense. But Violet didn’t like to be suspicious just because someone was nervous.

  “I wonder why Martin was acting so weird,” said Henry. “It wasn’t like him to get so upset at the bookstore.”

  “That customer said something about a mysterious disappearance,” Benny reminded them in a worried voice. “What did he mean?”

  “I don’t know,” Jessie said. “But I think we should concentrate on one mystery at a time.”

  Benny grinned. “Let’s solve the mystery in the fortune cookie first.”

  “But where will we find exploding rainbows and twisting tigers?” Jessie wondered.

  Violet had an answer. “Near the Kowloon Restaurant,” she said. “The fortune said, No need to go far.”

  “Good thinking, Violet!” said Benny, his grin getting bigger.

  Jessie and Henry weren’t sure about this. Still, it couldn’t hurt to take a look around town in the morning.

  CHAPTER 4

  Who is Drum Keller?

  The Aldens got up early the next morning to surprise Aunt Jane with a special breakfast. They discussed the mystery while they worked.

  “I still can’t believe it,” Jessie was saying as she scrambled eggs in a large bowl. “Imagine finding a mystery in a fortune cookie!”

  “I keep wondering where we should look first,” said Violet, who was washing strawberries under the tap. “When we get to town, I mean.”

  Henry looked up. “Unless I miss my guess, the Rainbow’s End Jewelry Store might be a good place to start.”

  The others stared at Henry. Slowly they understood his meaning.

  “Oh!” cried Violet. “If a rainbow explodes, then — ”

  “That’s the end of it!” finished Benny.

  Henry nodded. “Exactly.”

  Benny let out a cheer. It was always fun figuring out clues.

  “And the jewelry store is right beside The Underground,” added Jessie.

  Violet nodded. “And that means it’s not far from the Kowloon Restaurant.”

  “Something sure smells good,” Aunt Jane said, walking into the kitchen.

  “We made breakfast,” Jessie told her. “Come and have some.”

  Aunt Jane pulled up a chair. “You certainly are the early birds today.”

  “Well, the early bird catches the worm,” Henry said with a grin. He set a platter of crispy bacon on the table.

  Smiling, Aunt Jane said, “I have a hunch you won’t be looking for worms today.”

  “You’re right, Aunt Jane.” Benny’s eyes were shining. “We’ll be looking for clues!”

  “We thought we’d ride into town after breakfast,” Jessie said as she dished up the scrambled eggs.

  “If you don’t mind, Aunt Jane,” Violet was quick to add.

  Aunt Jane didn’t mind at all. She knew the Aldens were never happier than when they were tracking clues. “Just beware of exploding rainbows and twisting tigers!” she said. She sounded serious, but there was a teasing twinkle in her eye.

  After breakfast, when the dishes had been washed and put away, the Aldens set off on the bikes their aunt kept for them. As they pedaled along the dirt roads, Violet looked over at Jessie, who was riding beside her.

  “Don’t you just love the sweet country air?” she asked.

  Jessie took a deep breath and nodded. “I can smell dried grass and wildflowers.”

  When the Aldens arrived in town, they put their bikes in a bike rack. Then they walked the short distance from the parking lot to Elmford’s Main Street. The children had visited Aunt Jane so many times, they knew their way around the little town very well.

  Henry’s gaze took in the tidy little shops that lined both sides of the street. “Let’s check out the Rainbow’s End Jewelry Store.”

  “Rainbows can’t really explode,” said Benny as he fell into step beside Henry. Then he frowned a little. “Can they?”

  Henry shook his head. “I’ve never heard of it.”

  “Rainbows just fade away,” said Violet.

  Benny was still busy thinking. “And there’s no such thing as twisting tigers, right?”

  “Right,” said Jessie. “Somebody just has a good imagination.”

  Violet had a thought. “Maybe the jewelry store has a brooch or a necklace with a twisting tiger or a colorful rainbow on it.”

  “Could be,” said Henry.

  As the Aldens neared the jewelry store, a voice behind them said, “Well, look who’s here!”

  The children turned around and saw Dottie coming up the stone steps from The Underground. She looked at the Aldens curiously. “What brings you into town again so soon?”

  Benny ran over to her, bursting with news. “We’ll be solving the fortune cookie mystery in no time, Dottie!” he said. “Henry figured out one of the clu
es already.”

  Raising her eyebrows, Dottie said, “Well, imagine that!” She seemed delighted.

  “We’re not really sure we’re on the right track,” Henry was quick to add. “But we think Benny’s fortune might be leading us to the Rainbow’s End Jewelry Store.”

  “Would you mind if I tag along?” Dottie asked. “Maybe I can sniff out a clue or two.”

  “We’d love to have you join us,” Violet told her, speaking for them all.

  As they stepped inside the jewelry store, Benny suddenly spotted another familiar face. Martin Howard was staring through the glass countertop at the sparkling array of rings and watches. He seemed to be lost in thought.

  “Hi, Martin!” Benny called out to him.

  Suddenly Martin jerked his head around. “Oh!” He looked startled to see the Aldens. Then he caught sight of his business partner and his face turned bright red.

  Dottie gave him a puzzled smile. “What are you doing here, Martin?”

  The question seemed to catch him off guard. “What ... ?”

  “I didn’t know you took an interest in jewelry.”

  “I ... I was just looking at, um ... watches,” Martin stammered.

  “Watches?” echoed Dottie. “But ... you already have two beautiful watches, Martin.”

  “A person can have three watches, can’t he?” Martin cut in a little gruffly.

  Jessie looked at Henry, but she didn’t say anything. She thought Martin seemed very nervous.

  Just then, a woman in a blue business suit came out from the back room. She was carrying a tiny velvet box in her hand. “You’re going to love this, Martin,” she said. “It’s the most stunning — ”

  Martin held up a hand. “No! No, I don’t want to see it right now!” His voice sounded tense. “I don’t have time to stand around looking at watches all day.”

  The salesclerk gave Martin a peculiar look. “Watches? But I thought — ”

  Martin’s forehead was beading with perspiration. “I, uh, I have to leave. Right now. I just remembered that I forgot something.” With that, he turned on his heel and rushed out.

  The woman behind the counter let out a sigh. “For the life of me, I’ll never understand people!” Then she disappeared into the back again.