“He must have been working late at night to get this exhibit ready to open,” Henry said, recalling the lights he saw in the middle of the night.
“And the bracelets?” asked Jessie.
“They’re married,” Violet said, “and they’re both interested in spiders. What could be more romantic than wearing matching bracelets with a special symbol?”
“That would explain his unusual job,” said Henry. “But what’s hers?”
Benny frowned. “Secret agent,” he said stubbornly.
“Well, we’re not going to figure it out sitting here,” Jessie pointed out. “Let’s go back to their house.”
The children unlocked their bikes and rode back to their street. They were almost at the Blackwells’ house when they saw Joe and his friend standing on the sidewalk in front of the Blackwells’ gate. The two men held a large piece of paper stretched between them. The children could make out some sort of diagram on the paper. Joe was pointing to the diagram and then pointing to the Blackwells’ house. Deep in conversation, the two men didn’t see the Aldens coming.
Henry motioned to the others to be quiet. He wanted to know what Joe was up to.
The children got off their bikes. They walked forward slowly, trying to catch what the men were talking about.
“This is the perfect place for it,” Joe was saying. “We’ll lay the trap right here and catch her in the web.”
“Sounds good to me,” said the other man. “Let’s just hope the Blackwells make the right choice.”
Joe rolled up the diagram. The two men got in the car with the SPIDER2 license plate and drove off.
“Did you hear what they were saying?” asked Henry. “Setting a trap — catching someone in a web — the perfect place for it?”
“They’re plotting to catch someone and it’s going to happen here, in front of the Blackwells’,” said Jessie.
“I’m worried,” said Violet. “What if Mrs. Blackwell is the one they’re planning to trap?”
The Aldens hurried up the driveway and parked their bikes. For the first time, they actually had to ring the bell before Mrs. Blackwell opened the door.
“Coming!” her voice called from within. A moment later she pulled the door open. “How was the exhibit?” she asked.
“Great!” said Henry, “but —”
“I’m in the middle of something,” Mrs. Blackwell interrupted, a mysterious smile on her face. “You can go upstairs and start unpacking the boxes in the sitting room, if you’d like. I’ll be up in a minute.”
“Okay, but —” Henry began. He found himself talking to empty space. Mrs. Blackwell had already walked away. Henry turned to the others. “It will have to wait.”
The Aldens went upstairs. The sitting room at the top of the stairs was filled with boxes labeled UPSTAIRS SITTING ROOM.
“This will keep us busy for a while,” Jessie remarked, pulling over a box and ripping off the tape on top. The boxes were filled with books, framed pictures, and knickknacks. The Aldens got right to work.
Jessie had finished unpacking her first box when she noticed a box labeled SECOND FLOOR STORAGE. “That doesn’t go in here,” she said to herself. She picked up the box and looked around, trying to remember if Mrs. Blackwell had showed them a storage room.
She turned to the door with the light-bulb above it. The bulb was off now, so there was no red glow. “Maybe that room is a storage room or closet.” Jessie walked over and slowly pushed open the door. Immediately she knew this was not an ordinary closet. This room was very dark and she could smell a strong chemical odor.
Jessie was so surprised, she didn’t stop to think. She took a step into the room. It was larger than a closet but there seemed to be no windows. Jessie put the box down and felt on the wall for a light switch. There were two. When she flicked on the first, nothing happened inside the room, but Jessie noticed a red glow behind her. Poking her head back out, Jessie saw that the lightbulb over the door was on, as it had been that day she’d come upstairs.
Jessie remembered her idea that maybe the light was a warning not to go in the mysterious room. But why?
She flicked the other switch, and the lights inside the room came on. On the far wall was a counter holding several flat trays of fluid. Shelves underneath were filled with large bottles of chemicals. Strung up above was a sort of clothesline. But there was no clothing on this line. Instead there were long curls of film and photographs held up by clothespins.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Jessie stepped forward. She peered at one of the photographs. It showed a large spiderweb with a brownish spider in the center. The next photograph was also of a spider, but this one was yellow and black, like the one that had been on her back. She looked at the next photograph. It was a spider, too, and so was the next, and the next, and the next. All the photos were of spiders, different sizes and colors, taken from different angles. They were beautiful, just like the ones on display at the museum.
Jessie’s mind raced back to the exhibit. The name below the photos had been Arachnia Borrero. Mrs. Blackwell’s first name was Arachnia. As Henry had pointed out, Arachnia was an unusual name for two people to share. Maybe there weren’t two different people, Jessie realized. Maybe there was just one Arachnia using two different last names.
“She’s a photographer,” Jessie said to herself. She took one more look at all the photos.
Jessie turned around and gasped in surprise. Standing right behind her was Mrs. Blackwell. Violet, Henry, and Benny were beside her.
“You’re a photographer, aren’t you?” asked Jessie. “You took the photos for the exhibit!”
Something in Mrs. Blackwell’s stiff posture and face seemed to soften, as if she were relaxing for the first time. A smile spread slowly across her face. “Yes. Those are my photos.”
“They’re beautiful,” said Violet. “Your work is amazing.”
“But the pictures at the exhibit were taken by Arachnia Borrero,” said Henry, confused.
Mrs. Blackwell nodded. “That’s me.”
Benny grinned. “A secret code name?”
Mrs. Blackwell’s smile grew. “You have a wonderful imagination, Benny. Not a code name, just my maiden name. Before I married I was Borrero, and I still use that name for my work.”
“Why didn’t you tell us that you’re a photographer?” asked Violet.
“Well,” said Mrs. Blackwell, “I have to be careful. Some people just don’t understand.”
“That you’re a photographer?” asked Violet. “But what a wonderful job!”
“Oh, that’s not the part they have a problem with,” Mrs. Blackwell said. “It’s what I choose to photograph that causes problems.” She smiled at the children’s puzzled faces.
“When I tell people I’m a photographer, they ask if I do weddings or sunsets or portraits of children,” Mrs. Blackwell explained. “When I tell them I only photograph spiders, people get upset. They think I should only take pictures of ‘beautiful things.’ Well, to me, spiders are beautiful. Some people think that makes me … strange.”
“I think it’s pretty cool,” said Jessie.
“Yeah,” agreed Henry and Violet.
Mrs. Blackwell looked at Benny, who’d been silently looking at the floor. “What’s the matter, Benny? You look disappointed.”
“Spider pictures are okay,” Benny said. “But I was hoping you were a spy.”
Mrs. Blackwell looked surprised. “A spy?” she repeated. “Why would you think I was a spy?”
“Because you said on the phone you were tracking someone down but you hadn’t caught them yet and time was running out,” Benny said.
Mrs. Blackwell began to laugh, something the Aldens had never seen her do before.
“Were you talking about a spider?” asked Violet. “A special one you wanted to photograph?”
Mrs. Blackwell nodded, still laughing. “You must have heard me talking to my editor. I’ve been trying to photograph a very rare type of spider for a new
book and I’ve had a hard time tracking it down. They want to print the book, so they’ve been pressuring me to get the photo.”
“And you don’t want the spider to know you’re there,” said Violet. “To catch it in the act of spinning its web.”
“This kind of spider hides if it senses people are around,” Mrs. Blackwell explained.
“Do you photograph spiders all around the world?” Jessie asked. “And mark their locations in your atlas?”
“So you saw my atlas,” Mrs. Blackwell said, nodding.
“And to travel around the world you need to know different languages,” Violet said, figuring out the reason for the dictionaries. Suddenly everything was beginning to make sense.
“That diagram in the library … did it show the location of a special spider?” Jessie asked. Mrs. Blackwell frowned for a moment, not sure what Jessie was talking about. “The paper on the desk,” Jessie said.
“Oh!” Mrs. Blackwell said. “You really are detectives. I spotted an unusual web out beyond the tall grass. I drew a diagram so I could go back and check it out later.”
“And you did go back!” said Henry. “Last night, to take pictures. Those were the flashes I saw from my bedroom window.”
“But what about all those books about spies?” asked Benny, not wanting to let go of the idea that Mrs. Blackwell was a secret agent.
“Oh, they’re just for fun — I love to read spy thrillers,” Mrs. Blackwell said. “My sister Amy is a mystery writer, and I collect all her books.” She chuckled. “Me, a spy. Wait until my husband hears that.”
“We saw your husband at the museum!” Benny said. “At least we think it was him.”
“You hadn’t met him before? He’s been so busy … Wait here a minute.” Mrs. Blackwell left the room and reappeared a moment later. “Let me introduce my husband.” She turned around as a man several inches shorter than Mrs. Blackwell came in behind her. He was the man from the museum.
“You’re a spider expert, right?” asked Henry. “You study spiders in that room at the back of the house.”
“That is right,” Mr. Blackwell said. “I am a scientist, and that is my laboratory. I’m sorry that I haven’t had the chance to say hello before this but I don’t like to be disturbed when I’m working — and I have been working very hard.”
“Do you work with black widow spiders?” Jessie asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Others as well, but those are my specialty.”
“That’s why your boxes have red hourglasses on them,” Jessie said. “And why you two wear those bracelets.”
Mrs. Blackwell and her husband smiled at each other. “We met while working on an article about black widows,” Mrs. Blackwell explained. “When we got married, we got these matching bracelets. It’s our little symbol. And, yes, we put it on the boxes that contained my husband’s delicate equipment.”
“We really enjoyed the museum exhibit,” said Henry. “We learned a lot!”
Mr. Blackwell sighed and looked at his wife, who smiled back. “Thank you. This is the biggest exhibit of my career and I want it to do well.” Mr. Blackwell said. “If it does, I may get a permanent job at the museum.”
“I think you’re going to get that job,” said Violet. “The woman at the front desk said they had a bigger crowd there today than they’ve had in a long time.”
The Blackwells smiled.
“I still don’t understand why you tried to hide what your jobs are,” said Jessie. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell looked at each other. Then he spoke. “We have had problems with our neighbors in the past. One neighbor became afraid when he learned I had a laboratory in the house where I studied poisonous spiders. The neighbor did not understand that I am very careful. We make sure our house is safe.” Mr. Blackwell looked at his wife grimly. “Our former neighbors made things so difficult for us, we had to move.” He sighed. “This time we decided we would do as the spiders do and hide ourselves away.”
“That’s why you built those big walls in front,” Jessie said.
“Exactly,” said Mrs. Blackwell.
“And do you have secret cameras to see who’s coming?” asked Benny.
The Blackwells looked at each other, confused. “Secret cameras?”
“You always saw us coming before we rang the bell,” Jessie said.
Mrs. Blackwell smiled and motioned to a desk that was in front of a window. “That’s my desk,” she said. “I often sit there to work. Go look.”
The children went over to the desk. From the window they could see the front walk clearly. They smiled sheepishly and turned away from the window.
“You see,” Mrs. Blackwell said. “No secret cameras.”
Suddenly, Benny frowned. “There’s one part of this mystery I still don’t get,” he said, crossing his arms.
“What part is that?” asked Mr. Blackwell.
“Part two,” said Benny. “Joe Toll.”
“Part two …” echoed Violet, her face lighting up with excitement. “Benny, that’s it!”
CHAPTER 10
Movie Stars
Henry, Jessie, and Benny stared blankly at Violet. “That’s what?” Benny asked.
“That’s the answer — that’s what Joe Toll and his friend are doing,” Violet explained.
“You’ve lost us, Violet,” Henry said. “Go back to the beginning.”
“Remember how you figured out that Joe might have a connection to that movie, Beware the Spider’s Bite?” Violet said.
Henry nodded.
“Well, I think you’re right,” Violet continued. “I think Joe Toll made that movie. And I think he’s planning to make another one — Spider Two, like it says on the license plate.”
“That makes sense,” Jessie said. “But why have they been hanging around the Blackwells’ house?”
“They haven’t,” said Violet. “They’ve been hanging around the Blackwells’ gate. My guess is that they want to use the gate in their spider movie — that they want to film a scene here.” Violet looked at Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell. The Blackwells looked impressed.
Before Violet could continue, Benny jumped in. “So when Joe was talking about setting a trap and catching someone in a web, he was describing what will happen in the movie,” he said.
Henry looked at the Blackwells. “But you don’t want them to film here,” he guessed. “You told Joe and his friend you weren’t interested.”
The Blackwells looked at each other. Henry couldn’t read their expressions. Mr. Blackwell turned back to the Aldens. “We told them we would think about it,” he said, “that we’ll consider their offer. But—”
Just then, the doorbell rang. Mrs. Blackwell lifted an eyebrow. “That’s probably them now,” she said. She walked downstairs to open the door. The Aldens and Mr. Blackwell followed.
Sure enough, there were Joe Toll and his friend standing on the doorstep. Joe was carrying a briefcase and a large piece of posterboard. Both men were wearing Beware the Spider’s Bite jackets.
“Come in,” Mrs. Blackwell said, leading them into the living room. “Please sit down.” She motioned for the children to join them also. “I understand you have already met the Aldens,” she said.
“Well, hello,” Joe said to the children. “Nice to see you again. This is my brother Vince.”
Vince nodded hello.
“We’ve seen you before,” Benny said to Vince, “when you were checking out the Blackwells’ gate.”
Vince smiled. “That gate is exactly what we’re here to talk about,” he said.
“When Vince drove by and saw that spider gate, he told me this was the perfect place to film our next movie,” said Joe. “I agree. We’d like to film Beware the Spider’s Bite II right here in Greenfield — and the most important scene in the movie would take place in front of that gate.”
“So that’s why you asked us all those questions about the neighborhood,” Jessie guessed. “You were trying to find out if this wo
uld be a good place to film, weren’t you?”
Joe nodded. “We want to film in a friendly neighborhood. It’s more pleasant to work someplace when the people who live there are nice about having you around.”
“It would be exciting to have a movie filmed on our street,” said Henry, glancing at the Blackwells.
“I’ve brought a diagram to show how great the gates would look at the climax of the movie,” Joe said hurriedly, before the Blackwells could reply. He held up the posterboard, which was adorned with photos of the front of the house.
“We saw Vince taking those pictures,” said Violet.
“You see, we’d zoom in on the spider design,” Joe continued. “The bad guys would have a trap set up right there.”
“Wow!” said Benny. “That would be exciting!”
“I think it would be,” Joe agreed. “But it all depends on the Blackwells.” He turned to Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell. “You don’t look convinced.”
“I am a scientist,” said Mr. Blackwell. “I deal in facts, not fantasy. I don’t appreciate the way movies can make innocent spiders look like monsters.”
Joe nodded. “As we discussed before, the movie is a thriller, so we want it to be exciting. But we’re hoping you can help us make it as accurate as possible.”
“Give me a copy of the script,” said Mrs. Blackwell. “If my husband and I like it, we’ll consider letting you film here.”
“Great!” said Joe. He opened his briefcase and pulled out a bound set of papers, which he handed to Mrs. Blackwell.
When Joe and Vince had left, Mrs. Blackwell turned to the others. “Imagine, our home in a movie. That would be kind of thrilling! Well … I think it’s time for some refreshments.” Mrs. Blackwell went into the kitchen and came out a moment later with a plate of cupcakes, which she set down on the coffee table.
“Look at those!” cried Benny. The cupcakes were iced with white frosting and swirling black spiderwebs.
“For my wonderful helpers,” said Mrs. Blackwell. “I was just taking these out of the oven when you arrived.”
The Black Widow Spider Mystery Page 6