The Secret of Dinswood

by Ellen Alexander

  The groans began in earnest at the prospect of a night spent sleeping on the floor. Miss Jennings gave them a sympathetic look but firmly began herding them off the bus and toward the motel.

  “The school is going to pay for your evening meal in the motel dining room. You’ll need to be back here by six,” she told them as they filed past her. “After supper, no one is to leave the motel until it’s time to get back on the buses in the morning. We want to keep everyone together.”

  Sebastian couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “What are we gonna do until it’s time to go to bed?” he complained.

  “We’ll think of something, Sebastian,” Miss Jennings said smiling. “Just leave it to us teachers.”

  Sebastian didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t say any more and dutifully followed Doug off the bus. There was no escaping Clarice and Susie this time, or Reggie for that matter, as he continued to follow Clarice wherever she went. The three of them would stick to Emma and Martha like glue from that point on. Emma knew there’d be no further opportunity to discuss Lord Dinswood that evening.

  It had stopped raining for the time being, so Emma suggested that they explore the town of Windland more fully. Emma was glad to see Doug and Sebastian intended to come along, even though Clarice, Susie, and Reggie were now a part of the group.

  “I’ve already seen all I want to see of this little town,” Clarice complained. “Honestly, the shopping here is terrible.”

  “This isn’t New York, Clarice,” Martha said. “What did you expect? We were just supposed to be getting any personal things we needed, not a new wardrobe. Besides, I saw how many packages you brought on the bus. It looks like you still found plenty to buy.”

  It was true. Clarice had gotten on the bus with a burden of packages that would have made even the most avid shopper proud. Reggie and Susie had been likewise laden down with packages, most of which also belonged to Clarice. When asked what was in all those bags, Clarice had simply said they were things she needed for school. Fortunately, they were not burdened with purchases now, because they had been told they could leave everything on the buses.

  “I didn’t buy all that much,” Clarice said defensively. “Normally, when mom and I go shopping the limo is crammed full of boxes and bags.”

  By unspoken mutual consent, the rest of the group decided to let the issue of Clarice’s excessive shopping habits die. Sebastian changed the subject by asking, “Well, where do you want to go? We’ve got a little over an hour to kill, and I hate to say it, but Clarice is right. There’s not much of this town left to see.”

  “Let’s just start walking and maybe we’ll…” Doug broke off in midsentence to stare at something at the end of the block on the opposite side of the street.

  “What is it, Doug?” Emma asked, looking in the same direction in an effort to see what had caught his attention.

  “I just thought I saw Mr. Hodges come out of that building down there and go down that alley.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Clarice said. “What would Mr. Hodges be doing here?”

  “That’s exactly what I was wondering,” Doug said, still looking down the street.

  Mr. Hodges was the school librarian. He reminded Emma of Count Dracula because he had coal black hair that he combed straight back off his forehead to reveal a prominent widow’s peak. He had a long, pointed nose and dark, almost black eyes. He hardly ever spoke to the students except to chastise them. Emma knew he hadn’t come to Windland on either of the two school buses and could not imagine why he would be here; if it was him Doug had seen.

  “Let’s go see if we can find him,” Sebastian suggested.

  Doug needed no further prompting as he was already headed in the direction he’d seen the man. By the time Sebastian had finished speaking, Doug had broken into a full run. Driven by a sense of urgency he didn’t quite understand, Doug ran as fast as his long legs would carry him to the alley he’d seen the man turn down. Sebastian, unable to keep up with Doug, was left behind. When Doug got to the alley, there was no one in sight. The man couldn’t have gotten far, Doug reasoned. Slowing to a walk, he cautiously made his way down the alley. The alley opened into a smaller side street. Doug could see an insurance office directly across the street from the alley. Moving as quietly as he could, Doug tried to listen for the sounds of someone running, but all was silent, except for the squishing sounds of his own tennis shoes. Reaching the end of the alley, Doug prepared to look around the corner, when suddenly, blinding pain exploded inside his skull, and all went black.

  Anxiously, Emma watched Doug and Sebastian run down the street. Looking at Martha, she said, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. I think we’d better follow them to make sure nothing happens to them.”

  “I think you’re right. There’s something odd going on here,” Martha replied.

  As Emma and Martha headed down the street in a jog, they could hear Clarice commenting on how undignified it was to race down a city street and how it almost certainly would cause excessive perspiration on the part of the runner. It was obvious from her comments that Clarice did not intend to follow them. This was verified when half way down the street Emma looked back and saw Clarice, Susie, and Reggie still standing where they had left them. Emma’s heart almost stopped when they got to the alley. At the end of the alley, she could see Doug lying on the ground, unmoving, with Sebastian leaning over him anxiously calling his name. Fearing the worst, Emma broke into a full run with Martha close behind her. In a few short seconds, they were standing beside Sebastian and Doug. Doug was pale, but to Emma’s immense relief, she could see his chest moving as he breathed. Panting from exertion, Emma knelt beside Doug and without looking up, asked Sebastian what had happened.

  “I don’t know,” Sebastian answered worriedly. “I got here just before you did.”

  Just then Doug let out a moan and opened his eyes, his right hand automatically going to the large bump on the back of his head. He looked around and was gradually able to focus on the worried faces of his friends. Still gingerly touching the back of his head, Doug started to get up.

  “Whoa there, buddy,” Sebastian said as he put a restraining hand on Doug. “You’d better stay put until we’re sure you’re okay.”

  “Can you tell us what happened?” Martha asked, her concern evident.

  “I was just coming around the corner of the alley when someone hit me on the back of the head,” Doug said, wincing in pain.

  “Did you see who it was?” Emma asked.

  “No, I didn’t get a look at him. The last thing I remember is coming to the end of the alley.”

  “We’d better get you to a doctor and call the police,” Emma said.

  “You kids need some help?” asked a voice behind them. They had been so concerned about Doug that they had been oblivious to their surroundings. Startled, they quickly glanced around to see the old man from the bookstore standing in the alley. Doug would have declined any help. After all, they didn’t know whom to trust, but before he could say anything, Martha had blurted out, “He got hit on the back of the head.”

  The old man considered them all for a moment and then knelt down saying, “Well then, let’s see how bad the damage is.” Before Doug could do anything to prevent it, the old man was gently probing the back of Doug’s skull with his fingers. His touch was surprisingly gentle, and Doug felt himself relaxing a little under the old man’s examination. “You’ve got a pretty good goose egg back there. Are you experiencing any vision problems or nausea?” When Doug shook his head no, the old man bent closer to look at the pupils of Doug’s eyes. “Follow my finger with your eyes.” Doug did as he was instructed. “Your pupils are normal, and you don’t seem to have any signs of a concussion,” the old man said, satisfied with the results of his brief exam.

  “Shouldn’t he see a doctor?” Martha asked.

  “We don’t have a doctor in town,” the old man replied. “We have to go down to Benton if we need medical treatment. I would recommend y
ou see the nurse when you get back to school.”

  “But we won’t be going back to school until tomorrow morning,” Martha said.

  The old man considered that for a moment and then said, “Well, I’ve had some experience with this kind of thing, and I can tell you that other than a pretty good headache, your friend’s gonna be okay.” Looking around at their worried faces, the old man could see they still weren’t convinced. “Why don’t you come back to the store with me and I’ll fix you all some hot chocolate; that way I can keep an eye on your friend a while longer.”

  They all looked around at each other. Not knowing what else to do, they nodded in agreement. With Sebastian and Emma each taking an arm, they helped Doug to his feet and followed the old man back to the bookstore. Emma fretted all the way there. Were they doing the right thing? Could they trust this creepy old man? There was something odd about him—the way he looked at them all the time with that expression like he was weighing them in his mind; testing them almost. Surely, he wouldn’t try anything with the four of them together. What about going to the police; were there any police in this town? Emma hadn’t seen any police cars or a police station. Doug was right. At this point, they couldn’t trust anyone. If Mr. Hodges was the one who attacked Doug, there could be other teachers involved. But involved in what? The questions were endless. Emma began to get a headache herself.

  When they arrived at the bookstore, the old man took out a set of keys to unlock the door. “You kids were lucky I happened along. I generally close the store at five this time of year. I was just on my way home and happened to look down that alley. Do you have any idea who hit you?” he asked, looking at Doug.

  “I didn’t see anyone. Before I could look around the corner, the lights went out,” Doug explained.

  “Shouldn’t we call the police?” Martha asked.

  “Don’t have any police in town. There’s never been a need. The town’s small and generally pretty quiet. Hasn’t been a crime around here in as long as I can remember. Most folks around here leave their keys in their cars and wouldn’t think of locking their doors at night. I could call the county sheriff if you want me to.”

  “No, that won’t be necessary,” Doug said hastily, giving the others a look that said not to argue. None of them did, but Emma would have liked to. They were getting into something dangerous here.

  “Well, there’s probably not much the sheriff could do anyway. After all, you didn’t get a look at the guy,” the old man said as he stepped behind the counter. “I’ll have you all some hot chocolate in a jiffy. I got a little fridge and a stove in the back room here, so I can fix something to eat without having to leave the store. I’m not a big coffee drinker, so when I crave something hot to drink, I fix me up a cup of hot chocolate. Make yourselves at home, and I’ll be back in a jiffy.” The old man waved a hand indicating a small wooden table with four chairs that sat in the corner by the large front window. Before he disappeared through the door behind the counter, he turned to say, “By the way, my name’s Cal Thrabek.”

  They could hear Cal rummaging around in the back room for the next few minutes. With nothing else to do, they decided to accept his invitation to make themselves at home and sat down at the little round table. True to his word, within minutes Cal came out carrying a tray loaded with five steaming mugs and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. At their surprised expressions he explained, “Don’t get too excited; these cookies aren’t homemade. I’ve got a sweet tooth, so I always keep goodies on hand.” After handing them their mugs and placing the plate of cookies on the table, Cal grabbed his stool from behind the counter and brought it over to where they were sitting. When he saw that they had yet to sample the hot chocolate he said, “Drink up! I make a pretty good cup of cocoa if I say so myself.” Then he took a sip from his own cup and grabbed a cookie off the plate.

  Sebastian needed no further encouragement and helped himself to a cookie. The others only hesitated a moment longer and then began to sip from their mugs. Cal was right; the hot chocolate was delicious. After they’d enjoyed the treats for a few minutes, Cal cleared his throat and asked the question they’d all been dreading. “Now you kids want to tell me who’d be trying to hurt you and why?”

  They were all silent for a minute as they looked at one another trying to decide just how much to tell Cal and whether or not he could be trusted. Doug finally broke the silence. “We don’t really know. I thought I saw someone I knew go down that alley, so I tried to follow him. You know the rest.”

  Cal considered them for a moment, and seeing that he would get no more from them on that particular subject, he decided to let it go for the moment. It was obvious they were frightened and didn’t know whom to trust. He was, after all, a virtual stranger to them. Well, at least I can rectify that, he thought to himself. “You kids go to Dinswood Academy, right?” When they nodded in the affirmative, he asked, “How do you like it?”

  It was as if a dam had broken as they all started talking at once. This was a topic they felt comfortable discussing, and one thing was very clear—these kids really liked Dinswood. As he listened, Cal noticed that none of the comments were negative, and he sensed that these kids would defend their school against any threat. Considering the academy’s strictness, high standards, and somewhat unusual approach, it was surprising. Cal knew that the majority of the students at Dinswood came from rich families, but these kids did not appear to be haughty or spoiled.

  As they talked with Cal, Emma began to relax. He seemed like a nice man, despite the creepy impression he had given them earlier. She noticed that he was keeping a close eye on Doug, and even asked him from time to time if he was doing okay. Other than a slight headache, Doug said he was doing okay. They talked for a while longer about Dinswood Academy, and then Cal asked them why they were still in Windland. When they explained about the low-water bridge, he nodded his head and said, “Yeah, I should have figured, what with all this rain and more on the way.”

  Just then Emma happened to glance down at her watch. “Gosh, it’s almost six. We’d better be heading back to the motel,” she said with genuine disappointment.

  As they were getting up to leave, Cal said, “Well it’s been a pleasure visiting with you kids. Keep an eye on your friend here tonight. It might be a good idea to wake him up once or twice just in case.” Then looking at Doug, he said, “If you notice any other symptoms, you be sure and tell your teachers.”

  Doug said that he would. Then they all thanked Cal for his help and for the hot chocolate and cookies. They were just making their way out the door when Cal called after them. “You kids be careful,” and as the door closed behind them, he said, “You may not be the only ones seeking.”

  They stood on the sidewalk just outside the bookstore and looked at each other in surprise. “Just exactly what did he mean by that?” Sebastian asked. “Do you think he knows about the treasure?”

  “We don’t even know about the treasure,” Martha said emphasizing the “we.”

  “After what happened to Doug, I don’t know what to think. We won’t be able to get any answers until we can see what’s in the school library,” Emma said frowning.

  A rumble of thunder reminded them that they should be heading back to the motel. The sky looked dark and threatening once again. “We’d better hurry up, or we’re going to get wet,” Martha said, picking up her pace.

  “Wet again, you mean,” Sebastian added as he, too, began to pick up his pace.

  Emma cast a worried glance at Doug, but he didn’t seem to be having any problems. He happened to see her look and gave her a reassuring smile. They made it to the motel just before the heavens opened up and it began to pour.

  “I wish it would stop raining,” Sebastian complained. “I wanna get back to school so we can search the school library. What are we gonna do here until bedtime anyway? It’s gonna be so boring!”

  “Miss Jennings said that she and the Palmers would have something for us to do,” Emma said, starting
to get tired of Sebastian’s complaining.

  When they entered the motel, most of their classmates were already seated in the dining area. Clarice, Susie, and Reggie were motioning for Martha and Emma to come sit at their table. As there were only two chairs left at the table, it was obvious that the invitation did not include Doug or Sebastian.

  Seeing Emma’s look of indecision, Doug said, “It’s okay. You and Martha go sit with Clarice. Phil and Tom, the guys we room with, have saved us a spot. Besides, I don’t think I could stand listening to Clarice through an entire meal.”

  Emma watched for a moment as Doug and Sebastian made their way to a table on the other side of the dining room, and then followed Martha to Clarice’s table. Clarice was just full of questions about what had happened to them after Doug had run off. Martha and Emma were careful not to mention Doug’s bump on the head or their subsequent rescue by Cal. They merely told her that they hadn’t been able to find the man after he’d gone down the alley. As to whether or not it had actually been Mr. Hodges, they couldn’t say for sure one way or the other. Clarice seemed to be satisfied with their answers, but Reggie didn’t look convinced. Although he never questioned them directly, Emma was sure he would share his suspicions with Clarice later when she and Martha weren’t around.

  The motel served them a delicious meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, hot rolls, and apple cobbler for dessert. Emma discovered she was hungry even after the hot chocolate and cookies Cal had given them and dug into her food with gusto. It had been quite an eventful day, and it wasn’t over yet. After the meal, Miss Jennings and Rev. and Mrs. Palmer divided those who wanted to play into two groups, and a hilarious game of charades ensued. After charades, the students were once again divided into teams for a game similar to Jeopardy. Miss Jennings and Mrs. Palmer had spent some time before dinner coming up with challenging questions on a variety of topics. At the end of the game, Emma’s team was tied with Doug’s team. Emma had answered most of the questions for her team, and Doug had done the same for his. The teachers decided to ask one last tiebreaker question. It turned out to be a question about a famous painting. Art was definitely not Emma’s best subject. Hopefully one of her teammates knew something about art, but when Emma looked around, they all just shrugged their shoulders. Martha, however, was on Doug’s team, and art was her favorite subject. She was bound to know the answer. Sure enough, Martha answered the question correctly and Doug’s team won. A bit of good-natured bragging and ribbing followed. Emma knew Doug and Martha wouldn’t let her live her team’s defeat down anytime soon.