“What in heaven’s name is going on?” Mrs. McGregor demanded.
“They’re trying to steal Meg’s brooch!” Benny said accusingly.
Norah looked from Annette to Bob and back again. “You two know each other?”
Bob struggled to find something to say. “Uh, well … I, er …” Suddenly, he stopped talking. His shoulders slumped and he leaned against the bridge, looking defeated. “Annette Tanning is my cousin.” He could hardly look at Norah.
“What …?” Norah was too shocked to speak.
For a moment, Norah and her assistant just looked at each other. Then Annette suddenly wheeled around to face Bob. “The whole thing was his idea,” she shrieked, pointing a finger of blame.
Norah threw a sharp glance at Bob Ferber. “What do you have to say for yourself, Bob?”
Bob opened his mouth several times as if about to speak, then closed it again. Finally he let out a sigh and said, “All right, it’s true. I was after your great-great-grandmother’s brooch.”
Norah stared at him, open-mouthed.
“The truth is, I happened to come across an old letter,” Bob confessed, “when I was working on your house, Norah. I guess it slipped through a crack in the floorboards a long time ago.”
“Oh?” Norah raised an eyebrow.
“It was a letter from Meg Eton’s grandmother.” Bob hesitated a moment, then plunged in. “The letter made it clear that Meg was planning to find a safe hiding place for her family heirloom—a brooch made from valuable gems.”
“No wonder you knew it was an old mystery,” said Jessie, nodding.
Bob gave a little half-hearted smile. “I guess I gave myself away, didn’t I?” Then he continued with his story. “I figured it was just the answer I was looking for. I knew, somehow or other, I had to get my hands on that brooch. The only problem was—” He stopped talking.
“You couldn’t pull it off alone, right?” Henry said, urging him on.
“Right,” said Bob.
Jessie guessed what was coming next. “You saw Norah’s ad in the paper for a research assistant, didn’t you?”
Bob didn’t deny it. “It started me thinking,” he said. “Annette was in the history program at college. If she got a job here, I’d have someone working on the inside. It all seemed simple enough.”
“I’m shocked at you, Bob.” Norah looked grim. “How could you think of stealing from me?”
“I never meant to hurt you, Norah.” He let out a weary sigh. “I was desperate. I ran out of money and I had bills piling up. My plan was to sell the brooch and make some quick cash. What could I do? My business was about to fold.”
“That doesn’t make it okay to steal,” Mrs. McGregor said sternly.
“I know it was wrong, but I really couldn’t see the harm.” Bob shrugged a little, trying to make light of it. “After all, folks seemed to think the brooch had been stolen anyway. I figured nobody would be the wiser if I—”
“Really did steal it,” finished Violet.
Bob nodded. “Turns out the joke’s on me,” he said with a hard laugh. “It seems the brooch was stolen—probably before Meg had a chance to hide it.”
Norah shook her head sadly. “You’re a bright young man, Bob,” she said in a quiet voice. “Why steal? That’s never the answer.”
Bob didn’t have a reply to that. He just walked away, his arms hanging limp at his sides.
Norah turned to her assistant. “You were really a part of this? I thought you were someone I could trust.” She sounded more hurt than angry. “You tried to convince me the brooch was long gone. And all the time you wanted it for yourself.”
Annette looked around. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on her. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not very proud of,” she said, swallowing hard. “I actually wanted nothing to do with Bob’s plan at first.”
“But then you changed your mind,” put in Jessie.
“I needed the cash. Besides, the research job sounded perfect. I figured I might as well try to find the brooch, too. Bob was going to split the money with me.”
“That’s why you were pumping us for information, wasn’t it?” said Violet.
Annette nodded. “I had a hunch you might have figured out a clue.”
“What about the photograph of Stone Pool?” asked Henry. “Did you take that?”
Annette nodded again. “I was standing out in the hall and I heard you talking about the photo. I couldn’t believe you’d pieced together so much. You’re smarter than I thought,” she added, looking around at them. “I was afraid you’d beat me to the hiding place.”
“What you don’t know,” said Jessie, “is that Norah had already made copies of the photograph.”
Annette looked surprised. “Well, I guess our plan wasn’t really—”
Violet jumped in. “Foolproof?”
“Oh, you heard me on the phone, did you?” Annette sighed.
“Your plan almost worked,” said Benny.
“Yes,” said Annette. “Things were going nicely until you kids arrived. You don’t give up, do you?”
“No,” said Henry. “Not until we fit all the pieces of the puzzle together.”
Jessie had a question. “There’s one part of this mystery I still don’t get,” she said. “How did you make it sound like the Chattering Bones was flowing under the bridge?”
Annette stared at Jessie, a blank look on her face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Norah had heard enough. “I won’t be needing your services anymore, Annette,” she told her. “Please pack your bags.”
“I’m sorry I betrayed your trust, Norah,” Annette said quietly. Then she hung her head and walked away.
CHAPTER 10
The Secret Hiding Place
“I just can’t believe Bob and Annette would do such a thing,” Norah was saying, as they sat around the kitchen table having a late-night snack.
“Some people!” exclaimed Mrs. McGregor, who was pouring milk for everyone.
Pam came over with a plate of cookies. She set them down on the table. As it turned out, she had alerted her great-aunt after hearing noises outside.
“I have a question,” said Violet. “If it wasn’t Spence who was trying to scare us
… and it wasn’t Annette … then who was it?”
“It was me,” Pam said in a small voice.
All eyes turned to her.
“You tried to scare us?” Violet asked in surprise.
“You’re the one we were chasing the other night?” Jessie said at the same time.
Nodding, Pam sank down into a chair. “I … I’m really sorry.”
“What on earth is this all about?” Norah looked at Pam in bewilderment.
Pam buried her head in her hands. “I thought my parents would come and get me if they heard about a ghost,” she said, sniffling. Jessie quietly handed her some tissues.
“But how could …” Benny’s eyebrows furrowed.
Pam lifted her head and looked at the youngest Alden. “You’re wondering how I did it?”
Benny nodded. “It sounded just like water rushing over rocks.”
“Wait a minute!” Henry snapped his fingers in sudden understanding. “You recorded the sound of the stream in the woods, didn’t you? That’s why we found your headband by the water.”
Pam glanced sheepishly at her great-aunt. “I know it was wrong to take your tape recorder, Aunt Norah.” Her voice wavered. “I’m really sorry.”
Norah was too stunned to speak.
“You went outside in the middle of the night, didn’t you?” Henry went on, watching Pam closely. “Then you played the tape back.”
Pam didn’t deny it. “I had it all planned before you got here.” She could hardly look the Aldens in the eye. “But I hadn’t counted on you being so nice.”
“We were hoping we could be friends,” Violet said quietly.
“You might not believe this,” Pam said, looking sad, “but I’d already d
ecided not to try to scare you anymore.”
Norah hadn’t said a word for a while. Now she spoke up. “I knew you were unhappy, Pam, but I had no idea why.” She paused and sighed. “I still don’t.”
Pam twisted her hands in her lap. “I love spending time with you, Aunt Norah, but … I miss my parents.” Her face crumbled. “I just wish they wouldn’t go away all summer.”
“Have you ever told them how you feel?” Jessie asked.
Pam lowered her eyes, then shook her head.
“Maybe it’s time you did.” Norah put a hand gently on Pam’s arm. “They’re not mind-readers, you know. Why don’t we give them a call first thing in the morning?”
“I like that idea,” said Pam, giving her great-aunt a watery smile.
“I’m sure you’re always in their thoughts,” Mrs. McGregor added kindly. “And in their hearts.”
Suddenly Violet’s mouth dropped open and she almost spilled her milk. A wild idea was flitting through her head. “We have to go back!” she cried.
“Back … where?” asked Henry.
“Back to the bridge!” Violet was on her feet in a flash. She grabbed the flashlight and headed for the door.
Baffled, the others followed outside. When they reached the middle of the bridge, Violet swept the flashlight beam back and forth. It finally came to rest on the stone with the shape of a heart in it.
“What’s going on?” Henry asked, curiously.
Violet didn’t answer right away. With a finger, she traced the name inside the heart—the name MEG.
“I don’t get it,” said Benny.
“When Mrs. McGregor said Pam was always in her parents’ hearts, it suddenly hit me.” Violet’s eyes were shining. “Look at the name inside this heart.”
Henry scratched behind his neck. “I’m not following you, Violet.”
“Remember the first two lines of Meg’s verse?” she said.
Everybody recited at the same time, “When last goes first, and first goes last.”
Henry suddenly drew in his breath, catching on. “If you switch the letters around, then—”
“MEG becomes GEM!!” finished Jessie, her eyes wide.
“Oh, my!” said Norah. “Meg’s brooch was made from precious gems.”
Henry said, “I think we just found the final clue.”
“Wait right here,” said Norah, heading for the house. She returned a moment later holding a screwdriver. “This is all I could find. But it should do the trick.”
With that, Henry set to work. The mortar crumbled easily as he jabbed away at it. When the stone was finally loose, he put his hands on either side, then he wiggled and pulled with all his might. Slowly the stone came out, revealing a gaping hole.
When Violet shone the flashlight’s beam into the opening, Benny couldn’t stand the suspense. “Do you see anything, Violet?” he wanted to know.
“I’m afraid I can’t—wait!” Violet said.
Everyone gasped when Violet removed a small rotted leather pouch from the hole. For a moment they all remained still, staring at the pouch. Then Violet held it out to Norah.
Untying the drawstring, Norah gently pulled out a small cloth bundle. Her eyes widened as she unrolled the cloth to reveal a dazzling brooch. “Oh!” A broad smile spread across her face.
The Aldens let out a cheer. So did Pam.
“I’ve never seen anything like it!” exclaimed Mrs. McGregor.
“No wonder Meg wanted to keep it safe,” Henry said.
Norah nodded. “But she didn’t want it hidden away forever. So she left clues for her descendants to follow.”
But something was still bothering Benny. “What about the Chattering Bones?” he said, puzzled. “Does it haunt the bridge? Or doesn’t it?”
Norah put an arm around the youngest Alden. “Some questions can never be answered, Benny,” she said. “There will always be mysteries.”
“Well, guess what, Norah?” Benny said with a grin. “Mysteries just happen to be our—”
“Specialty!” everyone said together.
The Creature in Ogopogo Lake
Created by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Illustrated by Robert Papp
ALBERT WHITMAN & Company, Chicago
Contents
CHAPTER
Chapter 1 A Monster Lurks
Chapter 2 Hidden Treasure
Chapter 3 A Sighting
Chapter 4 Ogopogo Hunting
Chapter 5 Strike One
Chapter 6 Who Goes There?
Chapter 7 Meow!
Chapter 8 A Purr-fect Solution
Chapter 9 Getting Warmer
Chapter 10 Case Closed
CHAPTER 1
A Monster Lurks
“Do you think it’s true?” asked six-year-old Benny. The youngest Alden had his nose pressed up against the window of their rental car. “Is there really a monster in Ogopogo Lake?” His eyes were huge.
“You mean, Okanagan Lake,” corrected twelve-year-old Jessie, who often acted like a mother to her younger brother and sister. “Ogopogo is the name of the famous Canadian monster that lives in Okanagan Lake.”
“I like Ogopogo Lake better,” insisted Benny. “After all, it’s the monster’s home.”
Henry, who was sitting up front beside Grandfather, smiled back at his little brother. “There’s no real proof the monster exists, Benny.” Henry was fourteen. He was the oldest of the Aldens.
Grandfather slowed down for a curve in the road. “They’ve even used underwater cameras to search for the creature,” he said, “but nothing’s turned up. Of course, that doesn’t stop folks from keeping their eyes peeled. Everybody hopes to catch a glimpse of Ogopogo.”
“Good thing I brought along my binoculars.” Benny grinned.
“And I packed my camera,” put in Violet, who was ten. Photography was one of Violet’s hobbies. She almost always brought her camera along when they went on vacations.
James Alden and his four grandchildren—Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny—had just arrived for a holiday in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. They were on their way to the Ogopogo Resort in Peachland. Grandfather was renting a cabin from his good friend Abby Harmon.
“Should I check the map, Grandfather?” asked Jessie, who was the best map-reader in the family.
“That’s okay, Jessie. I haven’t forgotten how to get to Peachland.”
“Oh, that’s right,” said Jessie. “You used to come here all the time. Didn’t you, Grandfather?”
“We came every summer when I was growing up. My parents always rented a cabin from the Harmon family. Abby was about my age, and we soon became great friends.”
“And you never lost touch,” said Violet. “Right, Grandfather?”
“No, we didn’t.” Grandfather smiled at his youngest granddaughter through the rear view mirror. “We’ve been pen pals ever since. After Abby’s father died,” he went on, “she inherited the Ogopogo Resort. She still rents out cabins and runs a small gift shop.”
“Sounds like fun,” said Henry.
“Abby does enjoy it,” said Grandfather. “But …”
“But what?” asked Violet.
“The place is getting old,” Grandfather answered. “From what I hear, it’s badly in need of repair. I’m afraid, with all the new resorts springing up everywhere, people aren’t coming to stay at Abby’s cabins.”
Henry looked puzzled. “Why doesn’t she just spruce the place up a bit?”
“Abby doesn’t have the money for repairs, Henry. In fact, she’s even been thinking of selling the resort.”
“How sad!” Violet sighed.
“Abby hasn’t made her mind up yet, Violet,” Grandfather told her. “But someone said he would buy it. She’s trying to decide what to do.”
“That must be hard for Abby,” Jessie said. “To make a decision like that, I mean.”
Grandfather nodded. “The Ogopogo Resort is the only home she’s ever known.”
“We kept our old home,” Benny said. “Thanks to you, Grandfather.”
After their parents died, the four Alden children had run away. When they discovered an abandoned boxcar in the woods, they made it their home. Then their grandfather found them and brought them to live with him in his big white house in Greenfield. He even surprised his grandchildren by giving the boxcar a special place in the backyard. The Aldens often used the boxcar as a clubhouse.
They were all enjoying the car ride as they looked out the windows and saw the beautiful green orchards and vineyards. In the distance, dry brown hills were scattered with tall trees. Benny was the first to break the silence.
“I was just wondering,” he said, sounding a bit uneasy. “What exactly does it look like?”
Grandfather seemed puzzled, but only for a moment. “Oh, you mean Ogopogo. Well, it’s supposed to be a long, snakelike creature with a head like a sheep. Some people say it’s a plesiosaur.”
Benny made a face. “A what?”
“A plesiosaur,” said Grandfather. “A creature left over from the dinosaur era, Benny. It was thought to be extinct for more than one million years.”
“Has Abby ever seen the leftover dinosaur?” Violet asked.
“Not that I know of,” answered Grandfather. Then he chuckled. “Back when we were kids, we thought we’d spotted Ogopogo swimming in the lake. Turned out to be logs floating in the water.”
“Ogopogo is a funny name for a monster,” Jessie noted.
Henry nodded. “Not exactly a scary name, that’s for sure.”
“Ogopogo is supposed to be quite harmless,” Grandfather informed them. “If there is a monster in the lake, it seems to keep pretty much to itself.”
Benny looked relieved to hear this.
“I bet Ogopogo doesn’t like being around strangers,” guessed Violet. She was shy, and meeting new people often made her nervous.
As Grandfather slowed to a stop beside a fruit and vegetable market, Benny clapped his hands. “You read my mind, Grandfather!” he chirped. “I was just getting hungry.”
“Benny, you’re always hungry!” Henry teased. The youngest Alden was known for his appetite. They all got out and stretched their legs.
Boxcar Children Spooky Special Page 6