The Mystery of the Purple Pool Read online

  “Neat!” cried Benny. “But this is hard work!”

  “That’s the point,” Mike said, smiling.

  After he had gotten each of them going on their exercises, Mike headed back out to the front desk. “Yell if you need anything,” he called over his shoulder.

  When Mike was gone, Henry turned to his sisters and brother. “We’ve got to solve this mystery,” he said, panting slightly as he lifted a barbell to his chest and brought it back down.

  “We can add the broken elevator to the list of strange things that have happened here,” Jessie remarked.

  “I can’t believe how many things have gone wrong or gotten mixed up!” Violet said.

  “They could be accidents, couldn’t they? Maybe this is just a bad hotel,” Benny said.

  “Grandfather wouldn’t stay here if it weren’t a good hotel,” Violet pointed out. “And anyway, most of the things that have happened couldn’t have been accidents. Remember the purple pool?”

  “And the sugar and salt mix-up?” added Jessie.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Benny admitted. “But why would someone do all those things?”

  “Could someone not like this hotel?” Jessie asked. “And want it to close down?”

  “But who? And why?” asked Benny.

  Jessie shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “That’s what makes it a mystery,” Henry said.

  “Who are our suspects?” asked Jessie.

  “There’s Lucille, the maid,” Henry said. “Remember how angry she was that the hotel had fired Malcolm? She said she was doing something about it, and he warned her not to get fired. She’d certainly be fired for dyeing the pool purple and turning off the elevator switch. Maybe this is what they were talking about.”

  “And she knows her way around the hotel. In her uniform, she could get into lots of places other people couldn’t,” Jessie added.

  “Remember when we first got here?” Benny asked, pushing back and forth. “The man down the hall complained to her about his room not being cleaned up? She said she was sorry, but maybe she wasn’t. Maybe she didn’t clean it on purpose!”

  “You know who else was listening to that conversation?” Violet asked. “Karen Walsh. She always seems to be around when there are problems.”

  “Karen was in the coffee shop during the salt and sugar mix-up, too,” Jessie recalled. “She was one of the only people who didn’t seem bothered. It was almost as if she expected it.”

  “When I went over to talk to her that morning, she was afraid I’d see what she was writing in her notebook,” Benny reminded them. He had grown tired and had stopped rowing. “I thought that was pretty mysterious.”

  “And she was very curious to hear about the purple pool. A little too curious, I thought,” Jessie said.

  “But why would she want to hurt the hotel?” Benny asked.

  “Maybe she works for another hotel that’s trying to put this one out of business,” Henry suggested, putting his weights back on the rack.

  “I just thought of another suspect,” Jessie said. “Remember we saw one person up here, besides Mike, the day the pool was dyed?”

  “That mysterious man!” said Benny. “I’ll bet you anything it’s him. He always looks as if he’s just done something wrong and doesn’t want anyone to catch him.”

  “And I saw his name on the pool sign-in sheet,” Henry remembered. “John Smith. Doesn’t that sound like a made-up name?”

  “Sure does,” Violet agreed. She had gotten off her bike and gone to get a drink at the water fountain near the door.

  “So we’ve got some suspects. Now what? We have no proof that any of them did anything wrong,” said Jessie.

  The children all sat quietly thinking, tired from their exercising.

  “I think we should follow each one of them,” Benny said. “That’s what a real detective would do. Maybe then we’ll get some proof!”

  “I like that idea, Benny,” said Jessie. “Let’s do it!”

  “Shhhh!” said Violet, who was still standing near the door. In a loud whisper she said, “Look who’s out there talking to Mike!”

  The Aldens crowded around their sister, trying to see. It was Karen Walsh, carrying her notebook as always.

  “Are you sure I’ll be able to use the pool tomorrow?” Karen was asking Mike.

  “Yes, ma’am. We’re working as quickly as we can,” he answered.

  “And how do you know someone won’t dye it orange tomorrow?” Karen asked.

  “Orange?” Mike said. “Well, I certainly hope that won’t happen — ”

  “Yes, I’ll bet you do,” Karen said. “But you can’t be sure, can you?” And with that, she turned on her heel, and headed for the elevator.

  “This is our chance!” Benny whispered. “We should follow her!”

  “What about the other suspects?” Violet asked.

  “Violet, you come with me,” said Jessie, grabbing her sister’s arm. “Benny and Henry, you two try to find out more about Lucille and the mysterious man.”

  Violet and Jessie waited until Karen had gotten on the elevator and the doors had shut behind her. Then they hurried out and looked up at the panel over the elevator, which showed what floor the elevator was on. It stopped when it got to nine.

  “What’s she doing on the ninth floor?” Violet asked. “Her room’s on the fifth floor, like ours.”

  “I don’t know, but we’re about to find out,” said Jessie. “Come on!” Jessie headed for the door to the stairs. “We’ll walk down. Waiting for the elevator will take too long.”

  “Hey, girls, how’d you like the exercise bikes?” Mike called out just then.

  “They were fun,” Jessie said, turning around to talk to him.

  “Sorry we have to run, but we’re on an important mission,” Violet explained. “Come on, Jessie.”

  “Well, have fun!” Mike said with a grin.

  CHAPTER 9

  The Phone Call

  Reluctantly waving good-bye to Mike, Jessie followed Violet down the stairs to the ninth floor. When they got there, they looked around for Karen, but she was nowhere to be seen.

  “Rats!” Jessie said to her sister. “We’ve lost her.”

  The only person they saw was a maid with a cart full of cleaning supplies and fresh towels. She smiled at the girls as she left room 907 and entered room 908.

  “Look.” Violet pointed. “There’s a door opening.” The door was halfway down the hall. Someone peered out and then left the room hurriedly. It was Karen. Violet pulled her sister behind the maid’s cart where they couldn’t be seen.

  “I wonder whose room she’s coming out of,” Jessie said.

  “I don’t know.” Violet poked her head out to look. “But she’s writing in that notebook again. Uh-oh! Now she’s coming this way! Duck!”

  Just then, the maid came out of room 908. “I always forget something,” she was muttering to herself. Leaving the door to room 908 open, she disappeared down the stairs.

  Karen had been watching the maid. From behind the cart, Violet and Jessie saw her look around, as if to make sure no one was watching her. Then she ducked into room 908.

  “What’s she doing in there?” Jessie whispered.

  The two girls scurried across the hallway as quietly as possible, and flattened themselves against the wall. Violet, who was closer to the open door, peeked into room 908.

  “What’s she doing?” Jessie asked.

  “She’s looking in the closet,” Violet reported. She watched Karen sliding the closet door open and shut.

  “Now what’s she doing?” Jessie asked. It was frustrating not being able to see for herself.

  “She’s looking at the bed — and under the bed,” Violet said.

  The door to the stairs opened, and Benny poked his head out. Jessie saw him just in time and put a finger to her lips, motioning to him to keep quiet.

  “We’re looking for Lucille,” he whispered.

  “She’s not h
ere,” Jessie said. “Now go away before Karen Walsh comes out and sees you!”

  Benny ducked back into the stairwell.

  “What’s she doing?” Jessie prodded her sister.

  “She’s going into the bathroom. I wonder what she’s looking for.”

  “I’ll go check the room she was in before.” Jessie darted down the hallway. She discovered that the room Karen had emerged from didn’t have a number like all the other rooms. Instead, there was a sign on the door which read SUPPLIES. What had Karen been doing in the supply closet?

  When Jessie got back to room 908, Violet quickly pulled her behind the cart. “She’s leaving the room now! Don’t let her see you.”

  Again, the girls were well-hidden behind the cart, and Karen didn’t see them. She walked down the hall and got on the elevator.

  “What was she doing in there?” Jessie asked, coming out from behind the cart.

  “Just poking around — maybe looking for something,” Violet said. “I don’t think she took anything out with her, though.”

  “Maybe not this time,” Jessie said. “But she still might be the one who took all those things from people’s rooms.”

  “Do you think she’s the guilty one?” Violet asked her sister.

  “We still can’t say for sure,” Jessie said. “Maybe Henry and Benny have discovered something more definite.”

  Henry and Benny weren’t having any more luck than their sisters. They had walked down the stairs, too, stopping on each floor to see if they could find Lucille. At last, they located her on the third floor. She was carrying a stack of fresh towels into one of the rooms.

  The two boys watched Lucille for several minutes, hoping to see her do something that might be a clue. But nothing she did looked at all out of the ordinary. She went from one room to the next, vacuuming the floors, making the beds, dusting the furniture, and replacing the used towels with clean ones.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Benny said at last. “This is boring.”

  “It sure is,” said Henry. “And we haven’t discovered anything to help us solve the mystery.”

  But just then, something did happen.

  Lucille had just come out of the last room in the hallway. She looked quickly from side to side, as if she sensed that she was being watched. Then she went back into the room.

  “Look!” Henry said. “I think she’s up to something.”

  They saw her sit down on the bed and pick up the phone.

  “Who do you think she’s calling?” Benny asked.

  “I don’t know,” Henry said. “We’ll have to listen.”

  “That’s not polite,” Benny said.

  “I think in this case it’s all right,” Henry said.

  Outside the open door, they could hear Lucille’s voice, even though she was obviously trying to keep it low.

  “Malcolm, I’m going ahead with my plan,” she said, sounding tense. “I can’t help it; I’m still angry. I think it’s worth a try. Don’t worry — I know what I’m doing. I just wish it didn’t make me so nervous.”

  Henry and Benny looked at each other, their eyes wide. It certainly sounded like Lucille might be the culprit.

  “After I’ve done it, I’ll tell you what happened and what their reaction was,” Lucille said. “How about if we meet in the lobby tomorrow after my morning shift?”

  They could tell she was about to hang up, so the boys hurried back down the hallway and up the stairs to their room.

  “Wait until Violet and Jessie hear about this!” Benny said.

  The children met in the suite to compare notes on their suspects. First they made four cups of hot chocolate. Then, sitting on the beds and sipping from the steaming mugs, the girls told how suspicious Karen’s behavior had been. But no one could decide what it meant.

  “What till you hear what we heard,” Benny said. Then he and Henry repeated Lucille’s phone conversation.

  “It certainly sounds like she’s plotting something for tonight or tomorrow. We’ll have to keep an eye out,” Jessie agreed.

  “Do you think we should tell someone?” Violet asked.

  All the children thought for a moment.

  “No,” Henry said at last. “We don’t have any real, hard evidence, and anyway, all of the other pranks have been harmless. I’m sure Lucille — or whoever is doing this — isn’t going to hurt anyone.”

  “I just hope she doesn’t stop the elevator again,” Violet said. “Especially with us in it!”

  Grandfather came back shortly after that, and the Aldens had dinner at a wonderful restaurant in Chinatown. The children were amazed to see that all the signs in the neighborhood were in Chinese and the telephone booths were decorated to look like little pagodas.

  “I feel like I’m in another country!” Benny said, wide-eyed.

  “Welcome to the big city!” Grandfather said with a chuckle.

  When they returned to the hotel that night, it seemed that everything was calm, and there had been no more pranks. But the Aldens all wondered what the next day would bring.

  CHAPTER 10

  The Letter

  The next morning after breakfast, the children sat in the lobby. They hoped they’d see Lucille and Malcolm and maybe find out what was going on.

  While they waited, they enjoyed themselves just watching the people going in and out.

  “I’ll never get over all the different kinds of people in this hotel,” Violet said.

  “Me, too,” Benny agreed. “Look, there’s Mr. Parker. He’s sure in a big hurry.” Benny pointed to Don Parker, who was rushing toward the elevators carrying a pile of papers.

  Just then some pieces of paper fell from the pile in Don Parker’s hands and drifted to the floor.

  The Aldens ran after him. “Mr. Parker, wait!” Jessie called out.

  Benny bent down and picked up the papers. “Wait, Mr. Parker,” he shouted, too. But Don Parker was already in the elevator and didn’t hear them. As Violet ran toward him, the doors closed and the elevator started its trip up.

  “What should we do with these papers?” Benny asked.

  “We don’t know what floor Mr. Parker is going to, and there were a lot of people in the elevator, so I guess we should take the papers to his office,” Henry said.

  As usual, Benny practiced his reading. He looked down at the papers in his hand and read slowly, out loud, “Our plan is work … working. Soon I’ll be … running the hotel …”

  At the same time, Violet, Jessie, and Henry all said, “What?”

  “Did I read it wrong?” Benny asked with concern.

  Violet said firmly. “We really shouldn’t be reading Mr. Parker’s papers. It isn’t right.”

  Jessie said, “Let’s go sit in that corner and talk about this.”

  The children went to a quiet part of the lobby and sat down on some leather chairs. Henry said slowly, “I think what Benny read is very suspicious.”

  “I agree,” Jessie said, “and I think, since so many strange things have been happening here, we have a right to read the rest of what’s on that paper.”

  “We do?” Benny asked.

  Jessie took the papers from Benny’s hands and looked at them. “Benny was reading from a letter,” she said. “It’s written on the hotel letterhead. And this is what it says:

  Dear Nancy:

  Things are going very well. Our plan is working. Soon I’ll be running the hotel. Then we can get married as we have wanted. Just as we decided, I have done many things to make Joan Ames look as if she can’t manage a big hotel like The Plymouth. I’ve messed up guests’ rooms; switched the sugar and salt; pulled a switch to stop the elevators; and many other things. My favorite was dyeing the pool purple — my favorite color! All in all, it makes Ms. Ames look like she isn’t doing her job. You know what that means. The owners will fire her, and I’ll get her job.

  “There’s more,” Jessie said, “but I’ve read the most important part.”

  “I can’t believe it!” Viol
et said. “Mr. Parker was doing all that deliberately, to get Ms. Ames fired.”

  “He really is a mean man,” Benny said.

  “What should we do?” Violet asked.

  Henry said, “Well, Grandfather is probably still in the coffee shop having his second cup of coffee. I think we should take the letter to him. He’ll know what to do.”

  The Aldens all walked to the coffee shop and looked around. When they saw Grandfather, they hurried to his table. He looked surprised to see them. “I thought you were going to sit in the lobby.”

  “We were, Grandfather, but we found something you should see,” Violet said.

  Jessie handed him Don Parker’s letter. Mr. Alden looked at it. “But this is something Mr. Parker wrote. How did you children get it?”

  “He dropped it in the lobby,” Benny said. “We ran after him but he went up in the elevator before we could stop him. Then I started reading it, just to practice and …” Benny stopped, out of breath.

  “Grandfather, please read the letter,” Henry said. “It’s important.”

  Mr. Alden read silently and then looked at his grandchildren. “I can’t believe it,” he said.

  “Neither could we,” Jessie said, “but Mr. Parker did write it.”

  Mr. Alden sighed. “I think we have to take this to Ms. Ames right away.”

  In her office, Joan Ames read the letter carefully. Then she put it down and shook her head. “It’s Don’s handwriting. No doubt about it. I have to admit, I suspected that he was up to something, but I didn’t want to believe it. He always seemed so pleased when it looked as if I had made a mistake.”

  Just then Mr. Parker walked into his own office, which was right next to Joan’s. As he went by, she called out, “Don, would you come in here for a minute?”

  “Yes?” he asked, coming in.

  Joan stood up and said sadly, “Of course, you know that a lot of things have been going wrong here.”

  “That’s been quite obvious,” Mr. Parker answered.

  “Well,” Joan Ames said, “there are going to have to be some changes in management.”