The Shackleton Sabotage

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  Violet told Aunt Jane about their travels so far. Henry, Jessie, and Benny sat with their camera cases on their laps, keeping the precious Reddimus boxes in sight at all times. Even if they had left Emilio and Mr. Ganert back at the airport, their journey to Sydney was probably not a secret by now. Anna Argent, who had been following them all over the world trying to get the Reddimus boxes, could show up when they least expected.

  “The opera house is a very special place, but I’m afraid we didn’t bring any fancy clothes to wear to the show,” Jessie said. “We probably can’t go and see the orchestra in our jeans and T-shirts after traveling all over the world in them.”

  “The opera house doesn’t have a formal dress code, but even if they did, your grandfather took care of that as well. He is always thinking, that brother of mine.”

  They got to the hotel just as the sun began to set. It was a tall building right on the bay, and from their room they could see the lights of the city twinkling off the water. The opera house was lit up with white lights so that it almost glowed.

  Laid out on the hotel beds was a dress for Violet, a blouse and some slacks for Jessie, and trousers and dress shirts for the boys. There was even a necktie for Henry. After they were dressed, they all looked at one another.

  “Henry looks so handsome,” Aunt Jane remarked. “And Benny! Very dapper.”

  Jessie combed her hair and smoothed her blouse. Dressing up was one of the best parts about going to the orchestra. Once they were all ready to go, Aunt Jane called the front desk to order a taxi. While she was on the phone, Benny turned to Henry.

  “What will we do with the Reddimus boxes?” he asked.

  “Look,” Jessie said, pointing to a metal box in the corner. “Our room has a safe. We can store them there while we’re at the opera house.”

  Henry and Jessie read the instructions to open the safe. They placed the Reddimus boxes inside and locked the door. There was no way Anna Argent or the other Argents could get to them now. After a few minutes, Aunt Jane told them it was time to go, and they all went down to the hotel lobby and met their taxi.

  By the time they arrived at the opera house, the sky was dark enough that all the city lights seemed more fantastic than ever. The sail-shaped structures of the opera house soared over their heads. All around them, people admired the building from the outside, taking photos with their cell phones and cameras.

  “The tour is first. Then we’ll get something to eat before we listen to the orchestra,” Aunt Jane said. “There are all kinds of venues inside, not just theaters. They have restaurants too!”

  Benny’s stomach growled.

  “I love the Sydney Opera House!” he declared.

  Riddle behind the Scenes

  The opera house tour was led by an energetic young man with curly black hair. The Aldens walked along with the rest of the tour group. They got to see inside the main concert hall, where the orchestra was preparing for the evening’s performance. They even got to see the greenroom, where the theater staff and performers gathered before and after shows. Their guide answered everyone’s questions with precise detail.

  “How many tiles are there on the roof?” asked one guest.

  “There are one million fifty-six thousand and six sail tiles!” replied the guide with a big grin.

  “He probably gets asked that a lot,” Violet said. She had seen the tiles on the roof from outside and had wondered how many there were too.

  “It would take a long time to count them all,” Benny added. He liked to count, but more than one million tiles would probably make his eyes cross. “How long would it take, Henry?”

  “I’m not sure, Benny. Probably a long, long time.” Henry seemed distracted.

  Benny and the girls paused, letting Aunt Jane and the rest of the tour group move ahead a little way.

  “What’s wrong, Henry?” Jessie asked quietly.

  “I’m just worried because we haven’t gotten another clue yet,” he said. “Remember when that fake message told us to go to Thailand? We got all the way there before we found out we had been tricked.”

  “Don’t worry, Henry,” Violet said. “We are on the right track. Aunt Jane wouldn’t have met us here if we weren’t.”

  “And don’t forget. We’re a step ahead of them now,” Jessie added. “We know that one of the pilots is telling Anna Argent where we are—”

  “But they don’t know that we know!” finished Benny.

  Henry sighed again and nodded, but this time he looked relieved.

  “You’re right. I hope we get the next clue soon. In the meantime, we should also think of a plan to find out which of the pilots is working for the Argents. If we can figure that out, we can ask the other pilot for help.”

  “Returning the items would be much easier if we didn’t have to worry about this,” Jessie agreed. “We will all think. I’m sure that we can come up with a good plan together.”

  The Aldens rejoined their group and the tour guide took them through many areas of the opera house. Jessie saw many people dressed in jeans and T-shirts, but she was still glad they had gotten the chance to dress up. It was a fun change from the sometimes-rugged traveling they had done.

  When the tour ended, the Aldens went with Aunt Jane to their dinner reservation. The restaurant was impressive, with candle-lit tables set under one of the opera house’s swooping arches. They could see the night sky through the windows in the ceiling.

  Their dinner was served in three courses. The first course was a salad of delicious greens. While the others enjoyed their food, a second waiter with a purple bow tie came up to Jessie and tapped her on the shoulder. She was surprised because she hadn’t ordered anything else, but then she noticed his bow tie. Purple was the favorite color of the Reddimus Society.

  “I believe this is for you,” the waiter said. He slipped a little white envelope out of his sleeve and onto the table. “Bon appétit.”

  Jessie looked at the envelope. It was plain except for the Reddimus logo on one side, an R in a circle made of swirls. A drawing of a smart-looking owl sat on top of the R. The Aldens had grown to love seeing the Reddimus owl, and it was a good sign to see it printed on the envelope. After the waiter left, Jessie showed the envelope to Henry with a smile. It had to be the clue they were waiting for.

  “See? We’re on the right track after all,” she said.

  “I’m glad,” said Henry.

  “Open it up!” Benny exclaimed. “Let’s see what it says!”

  Jessie unfolded the note and gave it to Violet, who read it quietly to the others:

  I am known throughout the world.

  I have sails, but I do not sail the sea.

  I am filled with song, though I do not sing.

  When was my music first heard?

  “Sails?” Benny repeated. “Maybe we’re looking for some kind of ship or boat.”

  “That’s a good guess, Benny,” Violet agreed. “Australia is an island, and there are lots of ships around. But the riddle said I do not sail the sea. What kind of boat stays on land?”

  Jessie had an idea. She remembered what the opera house looked like when they had seen it from the outside. “Do you remember what the tour guide said about the tiles on the roof?” she asked. “He said they were called sail tiles.”

  “The opera house does look like it has sails,” Violet said.

  “I think it looks more like a seashell,” Benny said. “But I guess it could look like sails on a boat too. It’s big and white and sort of triangle shaped. And I don’t think it can go out to sea.”

  “I am filled with song, though I do not sing,” Henry repeated from the riddle, thinking. “There are all sorts of musical performances that happen here. Like the orchestra and the opera.”

  “So the riddle is talking about the opera house itself!” Jessie exclaimed. “In that case, all we need to do is find out when the opera house’s music was first heard.”

  “I’m sure somebody here can tell us,” Henry said.<
br />
  “Should we go find someone right now?” asked Violet, remembering how Henry had been worried during the tour.

  Henry shook his head.

  “No,” he said. “I’m sure now that we’re on the right track. I feel better about sightseeing. Let’s find the tour guide and ask him our question after we enjoy the concert.”

  They finished their delicious dinner, and then Aunt Jane gave the children their tickets for the concert hall. One at a time, they handed their tickets to the usher standing at the door. Then the usher showed them all to their seats. The hall was large and tall, colored in golds and reds. They had a grand view of the stage, where the Sydney Symphony Orchestra players were just taking their seats. All of the musicians were dressed in fancy black-and-white tuxedos and gowns.

  “Here is something interesting to know about the orchestra,” Aunt Jane said as the musicians tuned their instruments. “When you go to an energetic rock-and-roll concert, you often applaud after each song to show that you’re having a good time. But at the symphony, sometimes a piece of music has a quiet ending. If it’s quiet, it’s okay to not clap right away, or at all. The orchestra wants you to feel the music.”

  Benny wasn’t sure what Aunt Jane was talking about until the music started. Then he understood. Sometimes one of the orchestra’s pieces would end with a very exciting, loud ending, and everyone in the hall would applaud. But other pieces would end very quietly and slowly, and the hall would be filled with a lovely silence afterward. Either way, the music was wonderfully performed, and the children felt all kinds of emotions while they listened. At the end, everyone stood up and applauded and cheered happily.

  “What a performance!” Aunt Jane said once they were outside of the hall. The main lobby where they stood was full of people talking about the concert. “Did you all enjoy it?” she asked.

  “Every moment!” said Violet.

  “Do you think someone here will know when the opera house was built?” Benny asked. He had enjoyed the concert too, but he was also eager to solve the riddle. “It might be hard to find our tour guide from before with all these people,” Jessie said. “Maybe we can find someone else who knows the opera house well.”

  “How about that young woman?” Aunt Jane suggested, pointing. There was an usher standing near one of the hall doors, but because the concert was over, she was not helping people find their seats. “Ushers must learn all sorts of things about the places where they work. It’s part of their job to help visitors when they have questions. I’ll bet she knows a lot about the opera house.”

  “Yes, let’s ask her,” Jessie said.

  “In the meantime, I’ll go to the front desk and see if I can get in touch with any of the tour guides,” Aunt Jane said. “I’ll let you know what I find. Don’t go too far, or I’ll never find you in this crowd!”

  Aunt Jane waved and went to do as she had said. The usher looked pleased to have someone to talk to when they approached. She was just a little older than Henry, dressed in a crisp usher’s uniform.

  “Hello!” she said. “Did you all enjoy the concert?”

  “Very much,” said Henry.

  “Can you tell us when the opera house was built?” Benny asked.

  The usher tapped her chin.

  “Hmm,” she said. “If I remember correctly, it was built between the years 1959 and 1973. It takes a long time to construct something so big and complex.”

  This wasn’t the answer Benny had been hoping for. The code for the box had to be four digits. While they thought about the puzzle, a man who had been looking at some of the art hanging in the lobby wandered closer. He seemed very interested in looking at a painting close to where Benny was standing.

  “It probably took so long to build because of all those sail tiles,” Benny said quietly. “But we can only use four numbers for the code. Do we use 1959 or 1973?”

  “Maybe we’ve misunderstood the riddle,” Jessie suggested. She took it out of her pocket and read it again.

  I am known throughout the world.

  I have sails, but I do not sail the sea.

  I am filled with song, though I do not sing.

  When was my music first heard?

  “Oh!” the usher exclaimed after she read the riddle. “Although construction took almost fifteen years, music wasn’t heard here until the opera house officially opened in 1973,” she said loudly. She was having a good time helping them.

  “1973,” Henry repeated to himself so that he would remember. “Thank you very much!”

  Aunt Jane came back and found the children sitting on a bench in the lobby.

  “I didn’t find much. All the tour guides are on tours. Can you imagine that?” said Aunt Jane.

  “That’s fine,” said Jessie. “We found out the year from the usher!”

  Aunt Jane’s face brightened with a smile. “Oh? Good! By the way, who was that man?”

  Henry looked over his shoulder, back toward where they had been talking with the usher.

  “What man?” he asked.

  Benny tugged Henry’s sleeve. “There was a man standing by me. He was looking at the paintings, but I think he was trying to hear us too. He moved closer when Jessie read the riddle.” Benny looked toward where the man had been standing, but he was gone.

  “Hmm, that sounds suspicious,” Aunt Jane said. “The Reddimus boxes are back at the hotel, aren’t they?”

  “Yes,” Jessie said. “But if the man was listening and heard us figure out the year the opera house opened, he knows the code to the Reddimus box.”

  “This could be bad,” Henry said, standing up. “We should get back to the hotel right away!”

  The Coin in the Box

  When they returned to their hotel room, Aunt Jane helped the children make sure nothing in the room had been touched since they left. Everything seemed to be in its rightful place. The safe was closed, and nothing looked like it had been moved. If Anna or one of the other Argents had been in the room looking for the Reddimus boxes, they had not left any trace.

  “Even still, I’ll go down to the front desk and see if the staff has noticed anything strange going on,” Aunt Jane said. “You four stay in the room, and I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  “Thank you!” said Jessie.

  After Aunt Jane left, Henry opened the safe. The three Reddimus boxes were waiting inside. Each one had a different pattern of dots. The dots represented the order the boxes were supposed to be delivered in. They took out the one marked with five dots.

  “I’m glad it’s still here,” said Henry. “Let’s open it up and figure out where we’re supposed to take it.”

  Jessie nodded in agreement. “If the Argents know the code, the sooner we return it, the better.”

  Henry set the wooden box on one of the hotel beds and unlatched it. Inside was another case with a ten-digit keypad on it. Everyone gathered around.

  “1973,” Benny reminded Henry. He was excited to see inside.

  Henry typed in the code, and the box clicked open. Inside was a silver coin, about an inch and a half in diameter. Instead of being solid like other big coins they had seen, this one had a hole in the center. It looked as though the middle had been punched out.

  “It looks like a coin, but it’s not like any I’ve ever seen,” Violet said.

  Benny added, “I wonder if it’s worth a lot of money!”

  “It may be,” Henry said. He was interested in collecting things, like coins and stamps. “Coins can be worth money because of the materials they are made of, like silver or gold. They can also be valuable if there aren’t many of them.”

  “It looks like there’s writing on it,” Violet said. “What does it say?”

  Henry handed the coin to Violet, who squinted at the small words on the coin. “Dei Gratia Carolus III,” she read. “And there’s a date: 1773.”

  “That would be the year it was minted,” Henry said. “It is really strange, though. I think I’ve seen those words on a different coi
n before, but I’ve never seen a coin this big with a hole in it.”

  Jessie took her laptop out of her backpack. “Let’s look it up!” she said as she typed out the words from the coin. The others gathered around to look. The words Dei Gratia Carolus III brought up many pictures of silver coins. The coins on the Internet looked like the one in the box, but none of the coins they could find online had holes in the middle.

  “It says these are Spanish silver dollars,” Jessie said. “They are also called pieces of eight because they were worth eight reales. A real is another kind of Spanish coin…But either way, I don’t see any with holes.”

  “The hole must be what makes it important,” Violet suggested. “Maybe we’ll have to wait for the next clue before we learn more about the coin.”

  They all agreed and returned the coin to its box and locked it. Henry put all three boxes back in the safe.

  “It’s getting late. I’ll call Emilio and Mr. Ganert and let them know we’re spending the night here,” he said. “Tomorrow maybe we’ll have a clue for where we’re going next.”

  While Henry called Emilio, Aunt Jane returned. Jessie and Benny got up to help her and hold the door because Aunt Jane’s arms were full with a wrapped package.

  “The front desk said there were two people here asking about four children, a young man and a blond woman with a ponytail,” Aunt Jane said. “It’s against the hotel’s policy to share room numbers of guests, so the two went away.”

  “That sounds like Anna Argent and the man eavesdropping on us at the opera house,” Jessie said.

  “So Anna is here in Sydney after all!” Violet exclaimed. “What will we do?”

  Henry stayed calm. “Same thing as we have been doing: return the artifacts and keep them out of the Argent’s hands,” he said. “Now that we know Anna has followed us here, we just have to be as careful and alert as ever.”