“Why, thank you, Henry,” Alex said, her green eyes sparkling with pleasure.
Amazed, Benny watched as a flush of crimson crept over Henry’s face.
“Ever play hockey?” Carl asked.
“Wh-what?” Henry stammered, still gazing at Alex.
“Ever play hockey?” Carl repeated.
At last Henry turned to Carl. “Yes. I like hockey.”
“Good. Is there a place we can play outdoors?”
“Down at Burton’s Park,” Benny said. “The city floods it in the winter. All the kids skate there.”
“Sounds good,” Carl said. “How about a game?”
“You name the time,” Henry said. “I know you need to practice.”
“Oh, yes.” Carl glanced at Janet O’Shea. “Boss lady is cracking the whip. The company could go under if our show doesn’t earn more money.” He paused, then grinned. “But we’ll play on Tuesday. How about it?”
“A game with you would be great,” Henry responded. “I’m sure you can teach me the finer points of hockey.”
“Me, too.” Benny rubbed his chin. “First, though, I’m too wobbly. I need to learn how to stand up long enough to hit the puck.”
Carl laughed. “We’ll work on that, Benny.” He thought a second. “What time on Tuesday?”
“Two o’clock, okay?” Henry said.
“You’ve got it,” Carl said.
“Hi!” A young girl on crutches hobbled up to them, her red curls bobbing. “I’m Marcia Westerly,” she said, holding out her hand. “I overheard your names.” She smiled. “I’m new to the company.”
“Were you in a skating troupe before?” Violet asked.
“Yes, the Moonbeams. But I’m sure you’ve never heard of us. You see, I’m from Winnipeg, Canada.”
Jessie knew almost all the famous skating groups, but she’d never heard of the Moonbeams.
“I haven’t had a chance to skate with Carl and Alex,” Marcia said, holding up a crutch. “I’d better start soon, though, or I’ll be too rusty to skate.”
Violet smiled. “I think it’s like riding a bicycle. Once you know how, you can pick it up no matter how long it’s been.”
Marcia winced as she shifted a foot.
“Did you fall on the ice?” Benny questioned, looking at her bandaged ankle.
“Yes, I tried a triple jump and landed in a heap.” She shook her head, apparently reliving her awful fall. She looked sad, but when a maid offered a trayful of tiny tuna sandwiches, Marcia broke into a smile. “I’m starved,” she said.
The maid announced, “The buffet table is ready.”
“Let’s go,” Benny said, heading for the dining room.
Henry laughed. “One mention of food and Benny is off and running.”
But when the others caught up with Benny they were overwhelmed by the lavish display of smoked salmon, baked ham, and roast turkey. Cranberry-and-nut bread, hot biscuits, and relishes were at one end of the long table, and pasta and vegetables at the other. A chef wearing a tall white hat stood behind the table. “What would you like?” he asked.
Benny pointed to the turkey.
The chef carved a slice of turkey and placed it on Benny’s plate.
“And could I have a little ham, please?” Benny asked.
“You may have as much as you like,” the chef said, cutting a generous piece of ham.
Benny waited as the chef drizzled pineapple juice over his ham. Then in a bolder voice he asked, “And some salmon?”
The chef gave a hearty laugh. “I like to see a good appetite.”
Henry, Violet, and Jessie followed Benny. Their heaping plates were just as full as Benny’s.
They sat down at a small table and began to eat. “Did you see the desserts?” Jessie said.
Benny glanced up. “Where?”
“Right behind you,” Violet said, smiling. “I hope you saved room!”
Benny whirled about. He loved desserts. His eyes grew big. A chocolate cake, decorated with strawberries, was surrounded by several pies and many kinds of holiday cookies. “Oh, boy!” Benny said. “I’m having a gingerbread boy and a reindeer and some cake!”
They all laughed.
The party had been lots of fun, and on the way home the children scarcely noticed that it had begun to snow heavily. All they could talk about was the wonderful food, the beautiful mansion, and the ice skaters.
That night, after Violet had gone to bed, she lay awake, thinking about the grand party.
In the morning the surprised children awoke to mounds of flying snow and a howling wind.
Mr. Alden greeted his grandchildren at breakfast. “Today I’ll be working in my office. I have a number of calls to make.”
“You’re not going out?” Benny asked.
“Not today. Because of the blizzard, most roads are blocked and highways closed.”
“A blizzard!” Henry said, looking out the window at the sea of white.
“Yes,” Mr. Alden said. “I’m afraid it’s bad out.” He hesitated. “I have more bad news.”
Jessie looked at Grandfather expectantly.
“What’s the bad news?” asked Benny.
“I just got a call from William. The Murrays were burglarized last night. After everyone left the party and the Murrays went to bed, someone broke in and stole Sara’s jewelry. She discovered the theft this morning.”
“Oh, no!” Violet dropped into a chair. “Not Mrs. Murray’s beautiful jewels!”
Grandfather nodded. “All her diamonds and a ruby bracelet were stolen. She had left them in her dressing room. She said she had forgotten to lock the drawer she kept them in. Of course, the Murrays called the police.”
Grandfather slipped on his sweater. “I’ll be working late, but if you need me, don’t be afraid to interrupt me.” He turned and went back upstairs, saying, “Take care, children. Let’s be sure our doors are locked.”
Benny checked the front and back doors. “Now no one can get in here!”
After Grandfather left, the children sat silently at the breakfast table. At last Jessie said, “Who would rob the Murrays?”
“I don’t know,” Henry said. “It’s hard to understand.” He bit his lip, remembering Grandfather’s warning about locking their own doors. Did a thief actually skulk about in quiet Greenfield?
“Let’s see if we can hear the weather forecast,” Violet said, jumping up to turn the dial on the kitchen radio. An announcer was saying, “All highways going in and out of Greenfield are impassable. The airport is closed until further notice. Do not travel today unless it’s an emergency. The storm is expected to last another three to four hours.”
“Will we be all right?” Benny asked in a worried voice.
Jessie smiled. “We’ll be warm and cozy. The storm won’t last forever.” She glanced outside at the weather. At least the robber couldn’t escape from Greenfield. But who could it be? She hoped it wasn’t one of the ice skaters. Could it have been one of the guests?
CHAPTER 4
Blizzard
While the wind howled and the snow blew, Violet cleared the table. Henry washed the breakfast dishes, Jessie dried, and Benny placed plates in the cupboard.
“I wonder who stole Mrs. Murray’s jewels?” Jessie asked, drying a pink cup and handing it to Benny.
“Someone very mean!” Benny said, carefully putting his precious cup on the shelf. Even though it was cracked and old, that pink cup had been with him ever since his boxcar days.
“Maybe one of the ice skaters stole Mrs. Murray’s diamonds, or it could have been Miss O’Shea, or just a robber from Greenfield,” Benny said.
“Hmmm,” Henry speculated. “It could be the maid or even the Murrays themselves.”
“The Murrays!” Benny looked startled. “Why would they steal their very own diamonds?”
“Insurance money,” Henry said simply. “After all, we don’t know if William Murray needs money or not.” He noticed Benny’s downcast face. “Although I
doubt it. It’s a pretty farfetched idea, but we need to think of all the angles. That’s what a detective does.”
“Maybe Carl is the thief,” Violet said. But she hated the thought that such a friendly young man would steal from his hosts.
“We’ve got to suspect everyone. Even Alex might have stolen Mrs. Murray’s gems,” Jessie said in a doubtful voice.
A plate slipped out of Henry’s hands back into the soapsuds. “No, no, she’s too delicate.”
Jessie gave a teasing laugh. “You don’t have to be a weight lifter to carry away a bag of diamonds and rubies.”
“I’ll bet Janet O’Shea is the guilty one!” Benny said. “She never smiles!”
“Shhh!” Violet said, placing a finger to her lips. “Listen!”
The Aldens stood still, trying to catch every word of the radio announcer:
“Last night while the storm raged and the citizens of Greenfield slept, a burglary happened on White Oak Lane. The thief broke through a downstairs window, climbed in, and escaped with over $150,000 worth of jewels from an upstairs dressing room. As of now, the police have no suspects.”
Henry said, “We need to think about anyone who noticed Mrs. Murray’s diamonds.”
“Who wouldn’t notice her diamonds?” Benny said. “She looked like a bright neon sign!”
Violet smiled. Benny always went right to the point.
“One hundred fifty thousand dollars!” Benny whistled. “That’s a lot of money!”
“It certainly is!” Jessie agreed. “I hope we can help find Mrs. Murray’s jewels. She’s such a nice person.”
When the dishes were finished, the children went into the living room. They watched the snow whirl about the house and listened to the wind tear at the trees.
“What should we do today?” Benny asked, sinking into the rocker. “I don’t want to fit together any more jigsaw puzzles.”
“I know,” Violet said. “Let’s look up Korea in the encyclopedia.”
“That’s a good idea,” Jessie said. “I wanted to go to the library, but today’s not the day!” She left the room to gather a few books from the den.
“I wonder where Joe and Alice are now,” Henry said. “Just think — they’re halfway around the world.”
“Have they adopted Soo Lee yet?” Benny asked, proud of himself for using the new word he’d learned.
“Not yet,” Violet said. “I imagine they’ll be busy locating Soo Lee, signing papers, and packing Soo Lee’s belongings.”
Benny nodded. “I wonder if she wears clothes like ours.”
“Let’s find out,” Jessie said, re-entering the room. Under her arm she carried a fat encyclopedia and an atlas.
They spent the morning reading about Korea’s crops, food, houses, and government. Next they pored over a map of Asia.
“Korea is northeast of China.” With her finger, Jessie traced the outline of Korea. “See, the Korean Peninsula is surrounded by water on three sides: the Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan, and the East China Sea.”
“Korea isn’t very far from Japan,” Henry said. “It’s only separated by a narrow strait of water.”
“Joe and Alice flew here,” Violet said, pointing to a city called Seoul. “Seoul is the capital of Korea.”
“What’s that line in the center of the country?” Benny asked.
“Korea is divided into North Korea and South Korea, Joe and Alice are in South Korea,” Violet explained.
“Wow!” Benny said. “They’re so far away!”
“They’ll be home before you know it, Benny!” Henry said with a chuckle. “That’s the advantage of flying.”
“Soo Lee must be a puzzled little girl,” Violet said thoughtfully.
“Or an excited one!” Jessie added.
“I’d be excited about coming to America,” Benny said.
“I would, too!” Henry said, placing a hand on Benny’s shoulder. Benny grinned at his big brother.
“The wind has died down,” Jessie said, cocking her head and listening.
Violet leaped up and looked out the window. “And it’s not snowing so hard.”
Henry went to get his sheepskin jacket and lined boots. “Let’s shovel the walk,” he said.
“Yea!” Benny cheered, dashing to the closet for his down jacket and pants.
Dressed in their warmest clothes, they all hurried outside with Watch prancing at their side.
“Look at me!” Benny shouted, wading into the deep snow. He lay on his back atop a drift and moved his arms and feet in a wide arc. “There!” he said, getting up carefully. “See my angel!”
“Very nice,” Jessie said, lightly tossing a snowball at her little brother.
Soon the children were flinging snowballs at one another in a rousing fight. Watch dashed from one to the other, leaping in the air. His muzzle was white with snow.
Then the Aldens took turns shoveling a pathway on the walk.
“Let’s go to the Civic Center and watch the ice skaters,” Jessie said.
“How are we going to get there?” Benny asked, staring at the snow surrounding them. Branches and telephone wires, heavy with snow, sagged to the breaking point. No cars were traveling on the road past their house.
“We’ll wade through the snow over to Main Street,” Jessie said. “The snowplow will have cleared important streets so buses can run. We can catch a bus and get off at the Civic Center. And let’s take our skates.”
The children flung their skates over their shoulders and hurried to catch the bus.
When they arrived at the Civic Center, Violet was delighted to see Carl and Alex, hand in hand, gliding over the ice. The two graceful skaters moved in time to a waltz.
At one point Carl lifted Alex overhead. With her arms outstretched, Alex looked like a ballet dancer.
When the music stopped, Carl gently set Alex down. For a moment they smiled at each other. “Oh, Carl and Alex are so in love,” Violet said softly.
Benny rolled his eyes. “That’s mushy stuff, Violet,” he said in a disgusted voice.
Carl and Alex skated over to the bench where the children were lacing up their skates.
“Your routine was beautiful,” Jessie said. “I wish I knew how to spin like that.”
Alex laughed, holding out her hand. “I’ll teach you.” She turned to Violet. “You come, too,” she urged.
“You go ahead. I broke a shoelace,” Violet said.
Jessie skimmed over the ice to warm up.
Alex clapped. “You have a fine skating form, Jessie. Would you like some lessons?”
“Oh, yes!” Jessie exclaimed. To be taught by a professional skater was a dream come true.
While Alex and Jessie practiced spins at one end of the rink, Carl, Henry, and Benny tried different hockey strokes at the other end.
In another part of the rink, Ollie, the clown, was skating backward. His trousers were too short, and his yellow-and-red shirt flopped about his long arms. He stumbled, waving his arms to stay upright. He swayed back and forth and staggered forward, slipping and sliding to keep his balance. Benny laughed. He laughed even harder when the clown tumbled to the ice, then bounced back up. Everyone laughed and clapped. Ollie lifted his round hat in appreciation, then skittered and tottered all the way to the dressing room.
Violet tied a knot in her broken lace, then skated back and forth in front of the stands. When she stopped to rest, holding onto the railing, she saw Janet O’Shea talking to a man in the top row of seats. The man wore a black topcoat and a big-brimmed black hat pulled down so far that it hid his face. He kept looking around nervously as if he didn’t want to be seen.
How strange, Violet thought. She’d never seen the man before, and Janet O’Shea’s worried frown puzzled her. Could the mystery man have anything to do with the Murrays’ robbery?
CHAPTER 5
The Mystery Man
After skating at the Civic Center, the Aldens joined Carl and Alex for hot chocolate in the coffee shop next door. Marcia, who
sat alone drinking coffee, limped over on her crutches.
“May I sit with you?” she asked.
“Sure, Marcia.” Jessie moved over. “There’s plenty of room.”
Violet sipped her chocolate. “I saw a man in black talking to Janet O’Shea,” she said in a soft voice. “I couldn’t see his face, but Janet looked worried.”
“That man wearing a black cowboy hat?” Carl said. “I’ve seen him around, too. I can’t figure out why he’s always watching us.”
“Maybe he stole the diamonds!” Benny piped up.
Carl gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t know about that, Benny.”
Henry glanced at Carl. Why did he seem nervous at the mention of diamonds? He hoped Carl wasn’t the thief. He liked him. And, being a former hockey player, Carl was a terrific ice skater. He could dodge and race around the rink better than anyone Henry had ever seen.
Marcia agreed with Benny. “I think that mystery man may be the guilty one, too. He acts like a thief.”
Alex pushed her cup aside. “Just because someone looks different doesn’t mean he’s a criminal. Anyway, the police will find the guilty man.”
“Or woman,” Jessie suggested.
“Or woman,” Alex agreed. Then changing the subject, she said, “I need to stitch rhinestones on my costume before our Friday night performance.”
“What color is your outfit?” Violet asked.
“As red as Marcia’s hair,” Alex said with a light laugh.
Marcia ran her fingers through her red bangs. “I hate this color. I always wanted to be blonde like you, Alex.”
“One thing for sure, your red hair would clash with my crimson costume,” Alex added.
“Yes,” Marcia admitted. “My green one is the right color for me.” She sighed. “Too bad I won’t have a chance to wear it.”
“That’s a shame, Marcia. Your costume is beautiful,” Alex said.
Violet said, “Oh, I’d love to see it!”
“I knew you would,” Jessie said, smiling. “Violet is an artist and loves to paint.”
“Violet helped me pick out my T-shirt,” Benny said, beaming. “I like blue.”
Alex’s eyes sparkled. “We could use some help backstage, Violet. Would you like to see the costumes and maybe do a little repair work?”
Mystery on the Ice Page 2