When their waitress had left them, Henry said in a low voice, “I know those people with Mr. Willet. The man is Dr. James English. He runs the museum at Adams College, and the woman is Miss Cox, the librarian. I hope they won’t see me.”
“I bet Freddy is trying to sell them something,” whispered Benny.
Grandfather said, “That’s just what he’s doing. I’m sure of it.”
“How do you know?” whispered Benny.
“I’ve met him,” said Grandfather. “I met him this morning in the store. He tried to buy my watch and the big penny on my watch chain.”
“Oh, you’d never sell those! Mr. Willet picked the wrong man that time,” Benny said. “Nobody could cheat you, Grandfather.”
Mr. Alden laughed quietly. He was watching Mr. Willet out of the corner of his eye. But he didn’t see him give anything to the strangers. Suddenly he said, “Let’s get out of here before Freddy gets through with his dinner. We don’t want his friends to see Henry.”
This was easy. Mr. Willet and his friends had just started on their dinner, and they were eating very slowly. The Aldens just went without dessert. When they left the table, they all stood behind Henry to cover him up. Henry went out at once to the car on the other side of the parking lot, and Mr. Alden waited to pay the bill.
Freddy Willet looked up and saw Mr. Alden.
The Aldens sat in the car for a few minutes. “What do you think Freddy is going to do, Grandfather?” asked Benny.
“That’s what I wanted to find out. He saw me, but he didn’t speak,” said Mr. Alden. “I think he’s making a deal with Adams College. I hope he won’t fool the librarian.”
Henry said, “She’s pretty smart, and she would know what coins are worth.”
He started the car and turned into the road.
The drive of thirty miles seemed longer than ever. As they came near the island, Violet was looking ahead. “Oh, look, Henry! The tide!”
“Oh, dear,” said Jessie. “The tide has turned! Why didn’t we think of that? It’s getting dark, too.”
Henry stopped the car and they all looked ahead. There was no road to the island. It was covered with seawater, which was getting deeper every minute.
“I don’t dare try it, Grandfather,” said Henry, frowning.
“Right, my boy! If we got stuck half way over, it would be no fun, I can tell you.”
Henry said, “I thought it seemed awfully wet when we came over. But I knew you must be following Freddy, and I don’t think he gets caught like this very often.”
“By the way,” cried Benny, “I wonder what Freddy will do? He’ll be caught, too. It will be six hours before it’s low tide again.”
“It will be nearer twelve hours, Ben,” said Henry. “You see the tide hasn’t been coming in long.”
“Let’s see,” said Jessie. “It is about eight o’clock now. The tide will be high at midnight, and low again at six o’clock in the morning!”
“We’re not in any danger, though, are we, Grandfather?” said Violet.
“No, my dear. We will just have to find a place to sleep.”
“Oh, boy!” shouted Benny. “We could sleep in the car! That’s what this station wagon is made for. We could do it, Grandfather!”
“Five people?” asked Grandfather, smiling.
Benny said, “I could take the car blanket and sleep on the top of the car. Oh, please!”
Grandfather laughed. He said, “I don’t think we would get much sleep. But I suppose you young people don’t mind that.”
“I don’t,” said Jessie. “I’d like to wait and see what Freddy will do.”
“Very well,” said Grandfather. “Find a place off the road, Henry, and we’ll try it.”
CHAPTER 9
The Disappearing Stranger
Henry backed the car into the woods a little way. Nobody could see it from the road. The Aldens all got out and took out every car rug that they could find for bedclothes. It was so warm that they didn’t really need any covers.
Henry and Benny let down the seats that made beds for four people. By nine o’clock all was ready. Benny climbed up on top of the car.
“I won’t fall down,” he called. “There’s a railing all around the edge. I’m going to put this blanket under me instead of over me.” He folded the car blanket and lay down. “A very soft bed,” he said.
“I should think Freddy would be along soon—if he’s coming,” said Jessie. “I wonder what he will do.”
In about an hour they heard a car coming. It did not make much noise, but everyone was awake. Benny sat up and looked through the trees. “Yes, it’s a car,” he whispered.
But the car stopped. Everyone was watching it now. Mr. Freddy must have seen that the tide was in, because he quietly turned his car around and went back.
“Now what?” Benny whispered down. “I don’t think he is going to give up like that. He would just love to be on the island when we are away. He knows we are watching him, I bet.”
They all lay down again. But nobody went to sleep. It was not too long before they heard another very soft sound. It sounded like water, and it was ahead of them. They all looked hard through the darkness.
“He’s got a boat!” whispered Henry. They all watched. Then they all saw it. It was a rowboat with Mr. Willet’s head showing against the dark sky.
“Come down now, Benny,” whispered Grandfather. “We’ll get a boat, too!”
“Oh, can we really?” whispered Benny. “Where can we get a boat?”
“Where Mr. Willet got his, I think,” said Grandfather.
They all sat up in the car, and Henry drove back over the road very carefully.
“There’s a light!” said Violet. “It’s in a fisherman’s hut.”
Henry stopped the car in front of the house.
“Somebody is awake,” said Jessie. “And do I see the end of that red car sticking out behind the house?”
“You do,” said Mr. Alden. “I do, anyway. I think this is the place where Freddy got his boat. You do the talking, Henry.”
Henry went to the door and knocked. At once a fisherman came to the door. He wore an old coat.
“I’m sorry to come so late,” began Henry, “but we need a boat. It’s high tide, and we’re stuck.”
“Yep, I know that,” said the man. “Seems as if everybody is stuck tonight on the wrong side.”
“Can we rent a boat from you?” asked Henry.
“Sure! I’ve got three. I just rented two.”
“Two!” said Henry in surprise.
“Yep, two. One man came, and then another man came. You can have the last one.”
“Where is it?” asked Henry.
“It’s tied down near the road, when there is a road. You’ll see it on the bank on the left, tied to a post. Can’t miss it.”
“How much will it be?” asked Henry. He couldn’t help wondering about two men. He had been thinking only of Freddy Willet.
“A dollar,” said the man. “Be sure and tie her up on the island side. My boys can row ’em back tomorrow. It ain’t far.”
Henry quickly gave the man a dollar and thanked him. Then he went back to the family. He said, “Do you suppose five of us can get into one boat?”
“We’ll see,” said Grandfather. “I think so.”
Benny had heard about the two men. He could hardly wait to speak. “Who do you suppose that other man was? A mystery, for sure.”
Mr. Alden was thinking, too. “I wonder,” he said.
Henry drove back to the water. Sure enough, a boat was tied up on the bank.
“Good! It’s a big one,” said Grandfather. “I wonder why we didn’t see it. Back the car off the road again, Henry. I guess this night’s sleep is over.”
Everybody got out of the car and went carefully down to the boat. When Henry came, they all pushed the boat into the water. Henry helped Violet and Jessie into the front of the boat, and Benny stepped into the other end. When Grandfather was sitting
down on the middle seat, Henry pushed off. He and his grandfather began to row.
“We’ll tie up just below the schoolhouse,” said Henry. “I suppose we will see the other two boats there.”
It was not very far to the island, but it was dark, and the tide was very high. They could see a little through the darkness. But there were no boats to be seen!
“What do you know!” said Benny. “Where would Freddy go? Do you think he has a partner, Grandfather?”
“Well,” said Mr. Alden, “I don’t know. If the man is a partner of Willet’s, why would he come by himself?”
“That’s so,” Jessie said.
Benny added, “But I’m almost sure the first man must have crossed over to the island before we came. We were watching and listening all the time.”
Henry ran the boat up on the beach. He tied it to a tree.
Suddenly Violet looked around and asked, “Where do you suppose Freddy has gone?” She shivered a little.
“Not to the hotel,” Jessie said. “And I don’t think he would stay with any of the island people.”
“I wonder,” said Henry. “I just wonder—”
“I know,” said Benny. “The schoolhouse!”
Benny would have run to peek in the windows, but Grandfather said, “How do you know that Freddy isn’t going back to the other side after getting something? The best thing we can do now is to get some sleep.”
“And there’s school tomorrow,” said Violet.
CHAPTER 10
A Discovery
At breakfast they talked about the two boats and the two men.
“It’s time to ring the bell,” said Benny. “I have to go.”
But Benny really had something else in mind. He wanted to look around the schoolhouse. He wanted to see where the hole went in George Washington’s coat button.
Benny unlocked the schoolroom door and went at once into the back hall. The wood for the winter was there, piled high. There was the back door, a window, and the big chimney. He rattled the window. It was unlocked. The lock was very old and looked as if it hadn’t been locked for a long time. Benny tried it. The lock was broken. It certainly had been broken for years.
Benny looked at the floor under the window and saw some flakes of dry white paint just exactly like the dry paint on the windowsill.
“I bet someone came through this window last night,” he thought. “But why? I like to do things by myself, but this time I wish I could tell John Carter who works for Grandfather. After all, he used to be an F.B.I. man.”
Benny looked around again. Only the big chimney was left, and the broom closet next to it. He opened the small door. Just a broom closet. There was a broom in it.
At recess Benny got word to his family to wait after the children had gone home at noon. When they were alone in the school yard, Jessie said, “Well, Benny, what’s all this?”
“The back hall,” said Benny. “Come and see.”
The four Aldens all went into the tiny back hall.
“See that old dry paint on the floor?” said Benny.
“Yes, old man,” said Henry. He bent over to look. “You are clever! This hasn’t been here long. Somebody must have come in through the window. Maybe this is where Freddy slept last night.”
“This broom closet is just a broom closet,” said Benny. He opened the door beside the huge chimney. “See, there’s a broom in it.”
“Wait!” said Henry. “See those wood planks this closet is made of? If we could only pry them off—”
Henry opened his knife and pried away at one board. It was loose and came off easily. And there was a little brick room in the chimney!
“I thought this chimney was awfully big,” said Henry. “And it has a queer shape. This is the reason, of course. Somebody wanted to make a place to hide in.”
“Who?” asked Benny.
“Well, I don’t know. It was made that way when the schoolhouse was built, and that was a long time ago. I do know that a lot of New England people built their houses with a hiding place in the chimney. I’m sure this is one of them. A perfect place!”
“It is a perfect place for us, too,” said Benny, “if we want to watch what is going on in the schoolroom.”
“What’s the idea, Benny?” asked Violet. “Why would we ever want to watch the children?”
“Not the children, Violet!” said Benny. “Not in the daytime, either. At night! We can watch Freddy Willet if he ever comes in here, and I think he does.”
“I think so, too, Ben,” said Henry. “He must have some place to hide his things.”
They put the planks back, locked the front door, and went home to lunch. They told Mr. Alden all about the room in the chimney. After lunch, Grandfather said, “I know something you don’t know!”
The children laughed. “What is it?” asked Violet.
Then Mr. Alden told them about the Gray Library and the old books. When Benny heard it, he pushed back his bench. “That’s where I’m going,” he said. “Maybe I can find some pictures for my class.”
“I don’t think you will, Benny,” said Mr. Alden. “Mr. Fenton said the books were all old.”
“Well, maybe there’s an old picture of George Washington,” said Benny. “Anyway I want to see the library.”
Benny took a notebook, and off he went. Sure enough, the door of the library was not locked. Benny gave it a push and went right in. He found himself in a room just the size of the building. There were bookcases all around the room and one tall one down the middle.
“Well, here goes!” said Benny out loud. He began to whistle. He went to the first bookcase. He looked at the dusty books on the top shelves. Then he dropped to his knees to look at the books near the floor. All at once he had a queer feeling that someone was in the room. He listened, but he didn’t hear a sound.
“This is nonsense,” he thought. “Mr. Fenton says nobody ever comes here.”
Then he heard a very, very soft noise. “What is that?” he thought. “Somebody is certainly in here!” But he did not get up or turn around. He listened. Then he heard the noise again. It was behind the middle bookcase. Benny knew that he couldn’t see over it if he did turn around. Then there was a soft thud and then another. Benny rushed around the bookcase just in time to see the fingers of a hand disappear from the sill of the open window.
“Well, well, Mr. Willet!” said Benny out loud. He rushed to the window and looked out. Nobody was in sight.
“Freddy is hiding, that’s sure,” said Benny to himself. “He hasn’t had time to get anywhere. But I know what I’m going to do.” He ran up the cliff walk to the mansion!
Benny smiled as he rang the bell because he saw Eva peeking at him. In a minute Miss Gray herself opened the door.
“Sorry, Miss Gray,” said Benny, very fast, “I think someone just stole some books out of the library. I thought I ought to tell you first. Maybe those books are valuable.”
Eva’s eyes grew big and round as Miss Gray said, “Thank you, Benny. I’ll look myself. Nobody else knows the books. You come, too, Eva.”
The three people went quickly down the cliff. Miss Gray went into the library and straight over to the last rows of books. There was the empty space exactly where she thought it would be. She knew which were the most valuable books, and so did Mr. Willet.
“There are four books gone here,” she said. “They were a set. I never had an idea they would be stolen. And over here! Yes, some more are missing. Mr. Willet must have been here before.”
She went around the room and found empty spaces everywhere. “Oh, dear!” said Miss Gray. “He has taken the very best books! He can sell them for a lot of money.”
“But look here, Miss Gray,” said Benny. “See this sign? It says you can borrow anything you want and sign your name. And here is Freddy Willet’s name!”
“I don’t think he will bring them back,” said Miss Gray. “How foolish I was not to lock the door!”
“I don’t think so,” said Benny.
“Freddy would have climbed in the window. Windows and doors don’t stop our Freddy. That’s why I think he is a thief. Don’t worry too much, Miss Gray. My grandfather has Freddy on his mind. And my grandfather doesn’t slip up very often.”
CHAPTER 11
Who Is the Englishman?
Benny went slowly back to the hotel. He looked on every side as he walked, but Mr. Willet had disappeared.
Benny did some hard thinking on that walk. He had been sure that Freddy Willet was going to do more trading. But as far as Benny could tell, the Aldens and Miss Gray were the only people who knew Freddy was on the island today. After all, he hadn’t come in his red sports car. He had come secretly in the middle of the night. Why?
One idea came to Benny. Freddy had planned to get the library books on this day while the Aldens were still busy with their school. It was just bad luck for Freddy that Benny had gone to the library to hunt for pictures.
When he reached home, Benny told the family about his adventures. Henry said, “Ben, you certainly have made a friend of Miss Gray. I thought you could. Why, you have even made her come out of her house.”
Jessie said, “We’ve been here in the yard, but we haven’t seen Mr. Willet or anyone new.”
Mr. Alden said, “It’s a mystery how two men can keep themselves out of sight. This is such a small place.”
Nothing else happened that day. Everything seemed peaceful—too peaceful, the Aldens thought.
The next day was Saturday. The first thing the Aldens saw in the morning was children fishing. The island children sat on the edge of the wharf with long fishlines. They did not need poles.
Grandfather said, “Let’s go fishing!”
“Fine,” said Jessie. “We can watch the whole island from the wharf.”
In a short time the whole family was sitting on the edge of the wharf with the children. Mr. Alden gave Hal a dollar for five fishlines. Eddie said, “I’ll show you how to fish, Mr. Alden. You let the line way down. Then pull it up just a little and let it down again. Keep the hook wiggling.”
The Boxcar Children Mysteries Box Set Page 62