The Spy Game Read online

  “How funny is that?” said Violet, who was sitting on the window seat.

  “I’ll tell you what would be funny,” said Henry. “If the next Detective Club mystery has a clue in it about the rings of time.”

  “Oooh!” Violet shivered a little. “Now, that would be weird.”

  “It sure would,” Benny said in the middle of a yawn.

  Jessie had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. “Benny, you look just like the Yawning Tree.”

  “Oh my gosh!” Violet put a hand over her mouth in surprise. “I think we got it wrong.”

  “What do you mean, Violet?” Jessie asked.

  “When you mentioned the Yawning Tree, it suddenly hit me,” she said. “We were looking for a tree in a hollow. But I think we should be looking for a hollow in a tree!” She sounded excited.

  “You think something’s hidden in the hollow of the Yawning Tree?” Henry asked.

  Violet shrugged. “It’s worth checking out, don’t you think?”

  After a moment’s thought, Jessie said, “I think we might be getting warmer.”

  “Let’s just hope Steve doesn’t get there first,” said Benny.

  “I can’t quite reach it,” said Henry, who was standing on his tiptoes. The Aldens were standing under the Yawning Tree the next morning. Henry was straining to reach the hollow in the trunk.

  “You can do it, Henry!” Benny was hopping up and down with excitement. “Just a little higher.”

  “It’s no use,” Henry said, turning around to face his brother and sister. “I’m not tall enough.”

  But Jessie had a solution. Lacing her fingers with Violet’s, they gave their older brother a step up. Henry managed to reach a hand into the hollow and patted around inside.

  “Hurry, Henry,” Violet urged, straining under his weight.

  “Anything there?” Jessie wanted to know.

  Even Benny had stopped bouncing. He was holding his breath.

  “I don’t think so, but … wait!” Henry cried.

  “What is it?” asked Jessie.

  When Henry stepped down, he was holding a tin box, no bigger than the palm of his hand.

  “Open it, okay?” Benny urged, as they sat down at the picnic table.

  Henry lifted the lid from the box. Inside, they found a piece of paper folded to the size of a postage stamp.

  “I wonder if it’s another riddle,” Violet said, her voice scarcely above a whisper.

  “There’s only one way to know for sure,” said Henry.

  He unfolded the paper, then read the words in black ink aloud:

  A gown of white

  young Dora wore

  on her birthday

  number four.

  “Hey, it’s a riddle about Dora!” Benny cried out in surprise.

  Henry nodded. “When she was four years old.”

  “It’s not much to go on,” said Jessie.

  Benny jumped to his feet. “Let’s show it to Amanda,” he said. “She might know what it means.”

  But Jessie didn’t look too sure. “Maybe we should keep this to ourselves for now.”

  Henry thought about this, then nodded. “You’re right, Jessie. Amanda might tell Steve about it.”

  “I forgot about that.” Benny sat down again. “She doesn’t know he’s up to no good.”

  “We can’t be sure what Steve was talking about on the phone,” Violet pointed out.

  “That’s true, Violet,” Jessie said. “But I still think we should try to figure a few things out on our own first.”

  “If you ask me,” said Henry, “we should be looking for a picture of Dora.”

  Benny agreed. “On her birthday number four.”

  “There must be a family album somewhere,” Violet said. “I’m sure Amanda won’t mind if we browse through it.”

  “Let’s ask her!” cried Benny.

  The children found Amanda working at her computer in the den. She swiveled around in her chair as they came into the room.

  “Hi, kids,” she said, flashing a smile. “Any luck with the spy game?”

  Jessie didn’t want to lie, but she also knew it was best not to mention the mystery just yet. “We’re still working on it,” she said truthfully.

  “Oh.” Amanda looked disappointed.

  Henry said, “We were just wondering if we could take a look through your family album.”

  “The family album?” Amanda gave them a questioning look. “There’s one in the living room,” she told them. “And there might be some family photos in Dora’s old hope chest.”

  Before Amanda had a chance to ask any questions, Steve poked his head into the room. When she motioned for him to come in, he opened the door wider.

  “I was out for a walk,” he said to Amanda. “I remembered how much you like daisies.” He pulled a bouquet out from behind his back.

  “How sweet!” Amanda smiled as she reached out for the flowers.

  Jessie couldn’t help noticing Steve blush a little. She wondered if he had a crush on Amanda. But why would he want to steal from somebody he liked?

  Steve looked over at the Aldens. “Found any gold yet?” he asked, a teasing twinkle in his eye.

  Benny blurted out, “Well, we did find—” Henry poked him. Then Benny remembered they were not supposed to talk about the mystery.

  Steve was instantly curious. “You found something?”

  “The stone riddle,” Jessie said, after some quick thinking.

  “Oh, that,” said Steve. “Yes, it’s a tough one to figure out. I bet you’re going around in circles.”

  Violet spoke up. “Can we put the daisies in water for you, Amanda?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

  “Thank you, Violet.” Amanda held the bouquet out to her. “I think you’ll find a vase in the bottom of the dining-room cabinet.” As the children headed for the door, she added, “Oh, I was wondering about tomorrow night. Why don’t you just stay over? It would give you a break from all that biking back and forth.”

  “That would be wonderful,” said Jessie, and the others nodded. “We’ll have to check with Grandfather. But I’m sure he won’t mind.”

  Amanda seemed pleased to hear this. “Steve’s giving me a lift into town tomorrow to run some errands. But Mrs. Dawson will be here,” she said. “And don’t forget your swimsuits,” she added. “If it gets hot, you can cool off in the creek.”

  The children agreed that it sounded like fun. Then Henry and Violet headed to the living room to find the Penner family album while Jessie and Benny went to look for a vase. In the corner of the dining room was a cabinet with glass doors. As Jessie reached a vase from the bottom shelf, Benny tapped her on the shoulder.

  “What is it, Benny?”

  “Look,” he said, pointing through the glass doors.

  There, on one of the cabinet shelves, was a set of Detective Club books. “Oh!” Jessie said. Her mouth dropped open in surprise.

  Benny stood with his hands on his hips. “Amanda told us she’d never heard of the Detective Club books,” he said.

  “She said they ‘didn’t ring a bell.’” Jessie recalled.

  “Why would she lie to us?” Benny asked.

  Jessie pulled out a book and opened it to the first page. The inscription read: THIS BOOK IS THE PROPERTY OF AMANDA PENNER.

  There was no doubt about it. Amanda really did lie to them. But why?

  Henry and Violet came in and saw the books, too.

  “Maybe she just forgot she owns them,” Henry said.

  But Jessie wasn’t convinced. “Remember when I mentioned the Detective Club authors—Mila Jones and Jake Winston? Amanda changed the subject as fast as she could. Did you notice?”

  The others nodded. They’d noticed, too.

  “But why would she pretend she’d never heard of the Detective Club books?” Violet wondered. “That’s the part I don’t understand.”

  “It does seem odd,” Henry said. “But I think we should concentrate on one mys
tery at a time. “

  The others agreed. “Let’s find that picture of Dora!” said Benny.

  CHAPTER 7

  Pandora’s Box

  As they sat on the living-room couch, the Aldens turned the pages of the Penner family album. They found a photograph of Brandon Penner standing on the front porch. He had a mustache, and his dark hair was parted in the middle. But they didn’t find any photos of Dora.

  “That’s funny,” Violet said, pointing to an empty space where a photograph used to be. “A picture’s missing.”

  Benny’s eyes widened in alarm. “I wonder if Steve stole it. I bet he did!”

  “Oh, Benny!” Jessie exclaimed. “Why would Steve steal one of Amanda’s photos?”

  “Maybe it was a picture of Dora,” Benny guessed, “on her birthday number four.”

  The others had to admit this was possible. After all, they hadn’t found any other photos of Dora.

  “We can’t be sure it’s Dora’s picture that’s missing,” Violet said, as she put the album away. “I think we should look in her hope chest.”

  With that, the four children made their way up the carpeted stairs. At the end of the hall, they found a second flight of stairs. They soon found themselves in a dusty attic with a sloping ceiling. It was full of boxes, old furniture, stacks of magazines, and broken toys.

  “Dora’s hope chest must be up here somewhere,” Violet said, glancing around.

  Benny was the first to spot a wooden chest tucked away behind a rocking horse. Taped to the chest was a tag that read: Dora’s Hope Chest.

  “This is definitely it,” Henry said. As he lifted the lid, the smell of mothballs filled the air.

  The children set to work searching the chest. They found clothes yellowed with age, packets of letters tied with ribbons, and an old game of checkers. But not a single photo.

  “Well, that didn’t pan out,” Jessie said as they headed downstairs again.

  “You mean, it didn’t Pandora out,” Henry joked. They all laughed.

  Once again, the children stopped in the hallway to look at Dora’s picture. “There must be another photograph of her around here somewhere,” said Jessie.

  Benny shook his head. “Steve stole it, remember?” He was sure of it.

  “Benny!” Violet exclaimed. “We shouldn’t suspect people until we’re certain it was actually stolen.”

  “Dora’s wearing a gown of white in this photo,” Henry said thoughtfully, “but—”

  “It isn’t her birthday number four,” finished Benny.

  Jessie was staring hard at the photograph on the wall.

  “Thinking about something, Jessie?” Violet asked.

  Jessie nodded her head slowly. “I knew there was something odd about this,” she said. “I just didn’t realize what it was—until now.”

  “What are you saying, Jessie?” Henry asked her.

  “Somebody made a mistake,” Jessie said. “Did you notice?”

  “What kind of mistake?” Benny said, his eyebrows furrowed.

  “Listen to this.” Jessie read the words on the bottom of the photo aloud. “‘Pandora on her wedding day, February 29, 1904.’”

  What’s wrong with that, Jessie?” Violet wondered. “It’s just the date of Pandora’s wedding.”

  “February 29,” Jessie repeated. “Doesn’t that seem a bit odd to you?”

  Henry looked puzzled, but only for a moment. “Oh, now that you mention it …”

  “The date’s wrong!” Violet cried at the same time. “February only has twenty-eight days. Not twenty-nine. I guess somebody goofed.”

  “Not if 1904 was a leap year,” said Henry.

  “A leap year?” Benny asked.

  “Every four years, February has twenty-nine days in it,” Henry explained. “It’s called a leap year when that happens.”

  “Then … 1904 was a leap year?” Violet asked.

  Henry nodded. “I think it’s possible. We can look it up.”

  “Well, that’s one mystery solved,” said Violet. Then she let out a sigh. “Too bad the spy game wasn’t as easy to figure out.”

  Benny looked at his brother and sisters. “What do we do now?”

  “Chores,” answered Henry. “We promised Mrs. McGregor, remember?”

  The four Aldens were eager to work on the mystery, but they didn’t want to break a promise. As they rode their bikes home, Benny looked over at Jessie.

  “We will find the gold,” he said. “Won’t we?”

  “Yes, I’m sure we will.” Jessie sounded positive. Inside, though, she wasn’t sure they’d ever figure out the spy game.

  “Dora wasn’t very lucky,” Benny said as they pulled weeds from their vegetable garden.

  Henry, who was turning over the dirt with a hoe, looked up. “What makes you say that, Benny?”

  “Well, she kind of got robbed,” Benny said.

  “I think I know what Benny means,” Violet added. “Dora only had a birthday once every four years, so—”

  “She lost out on birthday presents!” Benny broke in, making everyone laugh.

  “Wait a minute,” said Jessie. “If a leap year only comes once every four years, then how many birthdays did she have by the time she was sixteen?”

  Violet began to figure it out. “Well, Dora had a birthday when she turned four … a birthday when she turned eight, a birthday when she turned twelve, and a birthday when she turned sixteen.” She held up four fingers.

  “That means,” Henry said, “when Dora got married, it was only her birthday number four!”

  Violet could hardly believe it. “So the photograph we were looking for was—”

  “Hanging in Amanda’s front hall,” Henry finished.

  “And Dora is wearing a gown of white in the picture—” Benny said.

  “Then the next clue must be somewhere in the photograph,” Henry concluded.

  “But where?” Jessie was having second thoughts. “It’s just a picture of Dora in her wedding dress.”

  “There must be something special about it,” argued Violet.

  “There is something,” said Henry. “It’s the only place where Dora’s name is written in full—Pandora.”

  Jessie nodded. “I’d forgotten about that.”

  “You think ‘Pandora’ is a clue?” Benny wanted to know.

  “I’m not sure,” said Jessie. “But I remember reading a story once about a Pandora. It was called ‘Pandora’s Box.’”

  “What kind of story?” Violet asked.

  “Well, Pandora gets a box on her wedding day,” Jessie began, “that she isn’t supposed to open. Only, her curiosity gets the better of her.”

  Benny’s eyes were big. “And she opens the box?”

  Jessie was thinking hard. “She does open it, but … I can’t remember what happens next.”

  “Maybe we should find out what happens next,” Violet suggested. “It might be a clue. We can go to the library in the morning.”

  “That’s a great idea,” said Henry.

  “I just hope we’re on the right track this time,” Benny said with a sigh.

  “We all hope that, Benny,” said Jessie.

  CHAPTER 8

  Don’t I Know You?

  The next morning, the four Alden children made their way to the Greenfield Public Library. After propping their bikes against a tree, they hurried up the steps. Jessie suddenly stopped with a hand on the doorknob.

  “What is it, Jessie?” Violet asked.

  Jessie nodded towards a bronze plaque above the door. “I never really noticed the words on that plaque before.”

  “What does it say, Jessie?” Benny asked.

  Jessie read the words aloud. ‘“The Greenfield Public Library is dedicated to Abigail Penner.’”

  Henry frowned. “That’s weird.”

  “What’s weird about that, Henry?” asked Benny. “The Penner family gave the town money to build the library. At least, that’s what Grandfather told us last night.”
>
  “Grandfather said something else, too,” Henry added in a puzzled voice. “He thought Brandon Penner had married somebody named Abigail. Remember?”

  “I guess Grandfather got it wrong,” said Violet, as they stepped inside the library. “Maybe Abigail was Brandon’s sister.” With that, they made their way to a long table with a row of computers on it.

  “Let’s look up ‘Pandora,’” Henry said.

  “Good idea,” said Jessie.

  It wasn’t long before the children found five books. As they made their way to an empty table, Jessie looked over her shoulder uneasily.

  “What is it, Jessie?” Henry whispered. He could see that something was troubling her.

  “I’m not sure,” Jessie said, keeping her voice low. “I just have the strangest feeling we’re being watched.”

  Henry took a quick glance around the room. “I don’t see anyone suspicious.”

  “It’s probably nothing,” Jessie said. Still, something didn’t seem quite right.

  As they looked over the titles, Violet remarked, “These books are all about Greek myths.”

  “What’s a myth?” Benny wanted to know.

  Jessie smiled at her little brother. “A myth is a kind of story from a long time ago,” she explained. “It isn’t true. It’s just made up.”

  With their heads bent over their books, the Aldens searched for information about Pandora and her box. Henry came across a story about a winged horse named Pegasus. Then Benny and Violet found one about a girl named Echo, who could only repeat what other people said. Finally, Jessie hit the jackpot.

  “I found it!” she said in a loud whisper.

  The others leaned closer while Jessie read them the story of Pandora’s Box. It was about a girl who received a box on her wedding day. The box came with a warning—it must never be opened. But Pandora, who was a very curious girl, couldn’t resist. One day, she opened the lid and peeked inside. All sorts of troubles flew out into the world. When Pandora closed the lid, there was only one thing left inside the box—hope.

  As Jessie finished reading, the Aldens looked at each other in bewilderment.

  “That was a good story,” Benny said. “But how does it fit into the mystery?”