The Khipu and the Final Key

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by Gertrude Chandler Warner




  A trip to the salt flats turns into a footrace!

  Henry and Anna raced across the flats while all the visitors watched. The sun glared off the salt, and Henry’s legs began to ache. Anna was running right toward the edge of the flat. He watched her silhouette, hoping that any moment she would start to slow down so he could gain on her. Suddenly, Anna’s form disappeared. Henry frowned and ran onward. Then he tried to skid to a halt—but it was too late. He tripped on a mound of salt, almost invisible in the white daylight, and went tumbling over the other side…

  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN MYSTERIES

  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN

  SURPRISE ISLAND

  THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY RANCH

  MIKE’S MYSTERY

  BLUE BAY MYSTERY

  THE WOODSHED MYSTERY

  THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY

  MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY

  SCHOOLHOUSE MYSTERY

  CABOOSE MYSTERY

  HOUSEBOAT MYSTERY

  SNOWBOUND MYSTERY

  TREE HOUSE MYSTERY

  BICYCLE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY IN THE SAND

  MYSTERY BEHIND THE WALL

  BUS STATION MYSTERY

  BENNY UNCOVERS A MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CABIN MYSTERY

  THE DESERTED LIBRARY MYSTERY

  THE ANIMAL SHELTER MYSTERY

  THE OLD MOTEL MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN PAINTING

  THE AMUSEMENT PARK MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXED-UP ZOO

  THE CAMP-OUT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY GIRL

  THE MYSTERY CRUISE

  THE DISAPPEARING FRIEND MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING GHOST

  THE MYSTERY IN THE SNOW

  THE PIZZA MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY HORSE

  THE MYSTERY AT THE DOG SHOW

  THE CASTLE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST VILLAGE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE ICE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPLE POOL

  THE GHOST SHIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC

  THE CANOE TRIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN BEACH

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CAT

  THE MYSTERY AT SNOWFLAKE INN

  THE MYSTERY ON STAGE

  THE DINOSAUR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MUSIC

  THE MYSTERY AT THE BALL PARK

  THE CHOCOLATE SUNDAE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON

  THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE

  THE PILGRIM VILLAGE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN BOXCAR

  THE MYSTERY IN THE CAVE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE TRAIN

  THE MYSTERY AT THE FAIR

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST MINE

  THE GUIDE DOG MYSTERY

  THE HURRICANE MYSTERY

  THE PET SHOP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET MESSAGE

  THE FIREHOUSE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN SAN FRANCISCO

  THE NIAGARA FALLS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY AT THE ALAMO

  THE OUTER SPACE MYSTERY

  THE SOCCER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE OLD ATTIC

  THE GROWLING BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LAKE MONSTER

  THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL

  THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY

  THE BLACK PEARL MYSTERY

  THE CEREAL BOX MYSTERY

  THE PANTHER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE QUEEN’S JEWELS

  THE STOLEN SWORD MYSTERY

  THE BASKETBALL MYSTERY

  THE MOVIE STAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PIRATE’S MAP

  THE GHOST TOWN MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE BLACK RAVEN

  THE MYSTERY IN THE MALL

  THE MYSTERY IN NEW YORK

  THE GYMNASTICS MYSTERY

  THE POISON FROG MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE EMPTY SAFE

  THE HOME RUN MYSTERY

  THE GREAT BICYCLE RACE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD PONIES

  THE MYSTERY IN THE COMPUTER GAME

  THE HONEYBEE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY AT THE CROOKED HOUSE

  THE HOCKEY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIDNIGHT DOG

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SCREECH OWL

  THE SUMMER CAMP MYSTERY

  THE COPYCAT MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CLOCK TOWER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TIGER’S EYE

  THE DISAPPEARING STAIRCASE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY ON BLIZZARD MOUNTAIN

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIDER’S CLUE

  THE CANDY FACTORY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MUMMY’S CURSE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STAR RUBY

  THE STUFFED BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF ALLIGATOR SWAMP

  THE MYSTERY AT SKELETON POINT

  THE TATTLETALE MYSTERY

  THE COMIC BOOK MYSTERY

  THE GREAT SHARK MYSTERY

  THE ICE CREAM MYSTERY

  THE MIDNIGHT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE FORTUNE COOKIE

  THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER MYSTERY

  THE RADIO MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE RUNAWAY GHOST

  THE FINDERS KEEPERS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED BOXCAR

  THE CLUE IN THE CORN MAZE

  THE GHOST OF THE CHATTERING BONES

  THE SWORD OF THE SILVER KNIGHT

  THE GAME STORE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE ORPHAN TRAIN

  THE VANISHING PASSENGER

  THE GIANT YO-YO MYSTERY

  THE CREATURE IN OGOPOGO LAKE

  THE ROCK ’N’ ROLL MYSTERY

  THE SECRET OF THE MASK

  THE SEATTLE PUZZLE

  THE GHOST IN THE FIRST ROW

  THE BOX THAT WATCH FOUND

  A HORSE NAMED DRAGON

  THE GREAT DETECTIVE RACE

  THE GHOST AT THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TRAVELING TOMATOES

  THE SPY GAME

  THE DOG-GONE MYSTERY

  THE VAMPIRE MYSTERY

  SUPERSTAR WATCH

  THE SPY IN THE BLEACHERS

  THE AMAZING MYSTERY SHOW

  THE PUMPKIN HEAD MYSTERY

  THE CUPCAKE CAPER

  THE CLUE IN THE RECYCLING BIN

  MONKEY TROUBLE

  THE ZOMBIE PROJECT

  THE GREAT TURKEY HEIST

  THE GARDEN THIEF

  THE BOARDWALK MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE FALLEN TREASURE

  THE RETURN OF THE GRAVEYARD GHOST

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN SNOWBOARD

  THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD WEST BANDIT

  THE MYSTERY OF THE GRINNING GARGOYLE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SOCCER SNITCH

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING POP IDOL

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN DINOSAUR BONES

  THE MYSTERY AT THE CALGARY STAMPEDE

  THE SLEEPY HOLLOW MYSTERY

  THE LEGEND OF THE IRISH CASTLE

  THE CELEBRITY CAT CAPER

  HIDDEN IN THE HAUNTED SCHOOL

  THE ELECTION DAY DILEMMA

  JOURNEY ON A RUNAWAY TRAIN

  THE CLUE IN THE PAPYRUS SCROLL

  THE DETOUR OF THE ELEPHANTS

  THE SHACKLETON SABOTAGE

  THE KHIPU AND THE FINAL KEY

  Copyright © 2017 by Albert Whitman & Company

  Published in 2017 by Albert Whitman & Company

  ISBN 978-0-8075-0681-3 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-0-8075-0682-0 (paperback)

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprod
uced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN® is a registered

  trademark of Albert Whitman & Company.

  Printed in the United States of America

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 LB 22 21 20 19 18 17

  Illustrations by Anthony VanArsdale

  Visit the Boxcar Children online at www.boxcarchildren.com.

  For more information about Albert Whitman & Company,

  visit our website at www.albertwhitman.com.

  Contents

  1. The City of Fair Winds

  2. An Unexpected Arrival

  3. The Great Salt Plain

  4. A Clue and a Coordinate

  5. The Orange Orchid

  6. A Knotty Puzzle

  7. Into the Andes

  8. At Aguas Calientes

  9. The Other Silverton

  10. We Return

  The City of Fair Winds

  Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny sat in their hotel room and stared at a small glass jar. The label on the jar read dulce de leche, and the syrupy substance inside had the thickness and color of caramel. The hotel clock read almost midnight where they were in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was very late for the four of them, especially six-year-old Benny, who let out a big yawn. Normally they would all be in bed, but a recent discovery kept them all awake.

  “I can’t believe Mr. Ganert is a spy,” said Violet, who was eight years old. “Just think. Our pilot! He’s traveled to every stop with us and has been telling the Argents our every move. No wonder Anna Argent was able to find us.”

  “At least it was Mr. Ganert and not Emilio,” said Benny, thinking of the second of their two pilots. “I like Emilio’s jokes. If he was the spy, we wouldn’t get to hear any more of them.”

  Henry, who was fourteen years old and the oldest, agreed.

  “We should call Trudy,” he said. “Jessie, will you get your laptop and see if you can reach her on Skype? Do you think she’s awake?”

  Jessie nodded and unzipped her backpack. She was twelve years old, and she was the best among her siblings at using the laptop. Her skills had come in handy many times during their recent worldwide travels.

  “Hmm, let’s see,” Jessie said. “If it’s midnight here, it’ll be six o’clock in the morning in Connecticut. We might wake her up, but I think this is important.”

  Jessie opened Skype and clicked on Trudy Silverton’s name. She crossed her fingers and clicked the green button to start the call.

  “Let’s just hope Trudy has some good advice,” Jessie said. “We only have one artifact left, and we’re not going to let Mr. Ganert get in the way of returning it.”

  Violet glanced at the hotel dresser. Sitting on top was a small, plastic box. It was safely locked, just like the other five had been. If the previous boxes were any clue, the last box would hold a precious artifact that had been lost. The Aldens had been sent by Trudy Silverton to return the boxes. She worked for a secret organization called the Reddimus Society—which made sense, because reddimus was Latin for “we return.” So far, the Aldens had successfully returned six other artifacts. They had only one left, and the Aldens were determined to finish their task, even if one of their pilots was a spy.

  “Hello, Jessie! Hello, Henry, Violet, and Benny!” Trudy’s cheerful voice was a welcome sound. The Aldens gathered around Jessie’s laptop so they could all see her and wave hello. It was very early in the morning where Trudy was, and her purple hair was a little disheveled. She was still in her pajamas.

  “Good morning!” Jessie said. “We’re so glad you’re awake. We have something important to tell you.”

  Even though Trudy looked tired, she seemed to be lively and alert.

  “Do you?” she asked. “Very interesting. I wonder if it’s related to the important thing I have to tell all of you. Why don’t you go first.”

  Henry lowered his voice even though Mr. Ganert wasn’t anywhere nearby.

  “You remember back in Thailand when we found out one of our pilots was telling the Argents about our travels?” Henry asked.

  “Yes, you were all very clever!” replied Trudy.

  “We were clever again,” Jessie said. “We found out which one of the pilots is the spy. Henry came up with a great plan while we were flying back to New Zealand from Antarctica. We—”

  “It’s Mr. Ganert!” Benny blurted. “Mr. Ganert’s the spy!”

  “I guess the explanation will have to be a story for another day.” Henry chuckled.

  “That’s great!” Trudy said. Then she tilted her head. “Well, it’s not great that he’s a spy, but it’s great that you figured it out. Now we know he can’t be trusted.”

  “And it helps Tricia too, right?” Jessie asked. The children had recently learned that there was an investigation going on into thefts around the world. Because Tricia had been seen in the areas of thefts in Kenya, Italy, and Japan, the investigators thought she might be secretly working with the Argents. But now the Aldens could prove otherwise.

  “Yes, I will let Agent Carter know,” Trudy said. “We now have evidence showing it’s Mr. Ganert who is working for the Argents, not Tricia. Tricia will be so relieved to hear the news, if I can ever get ahold of her.”

  “What are we going to do about Mr. Ganert?” Jessie asked. “Can you send another pilot to take his place? If he stays as our pilot, he could make trouble for us when we try to return the last box.”

  Trudy shook her head.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t. That brings me to the thing I have to tell all of you. I received a message last night about the final artifact. According to the message, it’s important that the seventh artifact is delivered quickly and to the right place. Even if he is a spy, Mr. Ganert is the best pilot Reddimus has. That’s why we sent him with you…So unfortunately, we don’t have time to find another pilot as skilled as he is.”

  “Can we fly with one pilot?” Jessie asked.

  “I’m afraid you’ll need two pilots to make a trip of any real distance.”

  Henry sighed in frustration. “In order to return the box, we have to fly with a pilot who’s trying to steal it! This won’t be easy.”

  “No, it won’t,” Trudy agreed. “But you have outsmarted Mr. Ganert and Anna Argent up until now, and you didn’t even know there was a spy traveling with you. I know you will be able to outsmart him one last time.”

  “He might be extra grumpy because this will be his last chance to steal a Reddimus artifact,” Henry said. “What if he tries something desperate?”

  “Desperate people make more mistakes than patient ones,” Trudy said. “Remember that and focus on yourselves. Take your time making good decisions. If you do, I’m sure you will have the last artifact returned in no time, and then we will deal with Mr. Ganert.”

  They said their good-byes, and Jessie closed the laptop with a big yawn.

  “We had better get some rest,” she said.

  “Yes,” said Henry. “Tomorrow will be another big day.”

  “I hope we find out our next destination soon,” Violet added. Jessie’s sleepiness was contagious, and Violet yawned too.

  Benny would have agreed, but he had already fallen asleep.

  The next morning, the Aldens got ready for a day of travel. They had been traveling for so long that it had become habit to expect a plane ride on the Reddimus jet.

  Benny was ready first, and he inspected the jar of dulce de leche while he waited for his brother and sisters. The liquid in the jar was thick like honey. It reminded Benny of the topping on Mrs. McGregor’s caramel apple pie. His stomach growled.

  “Jessie, can I please try some of the dulce de leche?” he asked. “The jar wasn’t in the Reddimus box, so it’s not the artifact we have to return. It should be okay to taste just a little bit, right?”

  Jessie laughed. “You’re r
ight. The jar is probably a treat for us to try. But I don’t want you to eat too much. It will spoil your appetite.”

  The lid was on tight, so Jessie helped Benny open it. They didn’t have any spoons in the hotel room, so Benny just used his finger. The topping inside was thick enough to spread, but drippy enough that Benny had to put his finger in his mouth quickly to keep from making a mess. The dulce de leche was sweet and sticky, with a flavor like caramel and butterscotch.

  “You know, this jar is probably our next clue,” Jessie remarked. Henry and Violet were ready to go now too, and all four of them took turns tasting the delicious topping. “Aside from the tag that says ‘Fair Winds,’ we don’t know anything else about it.”

  “Since it’s a food, maybe we should ask a chef,” Violet suggested. “Someone who knows a lot about food might be able to tell us something that will help us.”

  Henry thumbed his chin and nodded. “The hotel restaurant was pretty nice. I’ll bet the chefs there know about this sort of thing. Let’s start there. We could use some breakfast anyway!”

  The Aldens left their room and went down to the hotel restaurant. The night before, the restaurant was where they had figured out which of their pilots was the spy. Now the restaurant had a more relaxed feel, with bright windows and quiet hotel visitors having their morning coffee. The Aldens got a table and ordered the New Zealander’s breakfast that was pictured on the menu.

  “Cereal and toast with juice!” Benny said. “Just like breakfast back home. We should let Mrs. McGregor and Grandfather know we’ve been eating like people from New Zealand this whole time!”

  After breakfast, Henry asked the waiter if they could speak with a chef, and soon someone came out of the kitchen. He was a lean man with dark hair and a well-groomed mustache.

  “Good morning! Is there a problem?” The man spoke with a Spanish accent.

  “Oh no, not at all. The food is very good,” Henry assured him. “We were just wondering if we could ask you some questions. We’re trying to solve a riddle. Can you tell us anything about dulce de leche?”

  Benny, who had been holding the jar, showed it to the chef. The chef looked over the jar with a twinkle in his eye.

  “There is a lot to tell about dulce de leche,” he said. “I’m not sure where to start. It’s a dessert topping first used in my home country, Argentina. The name means ‘candy of milk.’ It’s very popular! In fact, I’m using it for a dessert on our menu right now.”

  “Argentina?” asked Jessie.

  “Dessert?” added Benny.

 

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