Haunted Clock Tower Mystery (7 page)

“Thanks,” Andi said, a smile filling her face. But then she grew serious again. “I just wanted to ask you, um …”

“Yes?” Violet asked.

“Well, nothing really, just …” She twirled a piece of hair. “Please don’t say anything to Ezra about what I said yesterday, okay?”

“Sure,” said Jessie. After a moment she asked, “But what did you say?”

Andi laughed briefly. “Never mind,” she said, picking up her bag of groceries. “I’ll see you around.”

The Aldens paid for their groceries and left the store. Their arms were loaded down with grocery bags.

“What do you think Andi meant when she asked us not to say anything to Ezra?” Violet asked as they walked.

“I was wondering that, too,” said Jessie. “Was it that she told us she came in a lot to practice?”

“I thought it was about losing her glasses,” said Benny.

“And losing the new music she bought,”

Henry added. “Remember she said Ezra probably wouldn’t have liked it?”

“I wonder why she always seems so nervous,” Violet said. “She’s so nice and so talented. She should be happier.”

When they got back to their suite, Jessie began shaping the ground beef into round patties. Henry and Violet washed and tore the lettuce and cut up carrots and tomatoes for the salad. Benny husked the corn and put a large pot of water on the stove. They would wait until dinnertime, when Grandfather came home, to boil the corn and fry the burgers. After the food was prepared, the children set the table and placed some flowers in the center.

“That looks nice,” Violet said.

As they waited for Grandfather to arrive, the children got out a deck of cards and began to play.

“I can’t stop thinking about the buried treasure,” Jessie said as she shuffled the cards.

“Me neither!” said Benny, his eyes aglow.

“Do you think that someone we know is the person who’s after it?” asked Henry.

“Like who?” said Violet.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Henry said. “But some of the people we’ve met here have acted, well, strangely. Like Ezra.”

Jessie began to deal the cards. “You think he’s the one who found the letter and started looking in the tower?”

“Could be,” Henry said. “Maybe that’s why he got so angry when we asked him if anyone goes up there at night—because
he’s
going up there, and he doesn’t want anyone to know.”

“But he didn’t seem to know about the treasure at all,” said Violet. “In fact, he was surprised that we actually found something in the clock.”

“Hmmm, that’s true,” Jessie said. “But he could have been pretending.”

Henry agreed. “He helped us out—but maybe that was so he could find out for himself where the key was hidden.”

“I’ve been wondering about Andi,” said Violet, picking up her cards. “Ezra said everything was okay until she started working there. Maybe she took the job in the tower so she could look for the treasure.”

“Go on,” Jessie said thoughtfully.

Violet continued, “Remember that day she was searching for something and she said it was her glasses? Maybe it was really that letter that she’d misplaced, and then we found it not long afterward.”

“And today in the grocery store she was certainly worried about something,” said Jessie. “She seems to be keeping something secret from Ezra.”

“And Ezra seems to be hiding something from us,” said Benny. “Something about going up in the tower at night.”

“But remember, whoever went up there broke the carillon,” said Henry. “Why would Ezra do that?”

“That’s true,” said Benny.

“Don’t forget the muddy footprint,” Henry said. “Neither Ezra nor Andi seem to wear sneakers.”

The children stopped talking and concentrated on their game of cards for a moment. After Jessie had taken her turn, she said, “Don Dixon has also been acting strangely. He got so upset about that old book, and we were being really careful with it. He still seemed upset about it today when we saw him on the Quad. Maybe he was afraid we’d read something about the treasure in there. And then on the tour he asked so many questions about the clock tower. I bet it’s because he was trying to figure out where the treasure is hidden.”

“But Don is Joel’s son and Joel is Grandfather’s good friend,” Violet pointed out. “Do you really think he’d act so sneaky?”

Jessie shrugged. “I don’t know. I really don’t.”

“Well, I do know one thing,” Benny said, laying down his cards to show the others. “I won!”

A short while later, Grandfather returned from the concert. As he came in the door, he was humming lightly under his breath.

“How was the concert?” Violet asked.

“It was wonderful,” Grandfather said. “It was a choral group, and they sang some lovely songs from when I was young. Reminded me of your grandmother.” He smiled fondly at the memory. “At the end, they sang the school’s fight song and anthem.”

“That sounds great,” Jessie commented.

“How did your treasure hunt go?” Mr. Alden asked.

“We didn’t get very far,” Violet said. “We went to ask Professor Meyer for help, but she was busy.”

“So we invited her for dinner tonight,” Henry said. “I hope that’s all right with you.”

“Sure it is,” Grandfather said. “I was just noticing how nicely you set the table. I was wondering if that was just for me.”

“We went into town and bought some burgers and corn,” Jessie said.

“She should be here soon,” Violet added. “Did you see her at the concert? She said she was going.”

“She was at the concert?” Grandfather thought for a moment. “I must have missed her. I’m surprised, though, because it wasn’t a very large room.”

“Hmmmm,” said Henry, pulling Violet aside. “I wonder if she really was going to the concert, or if she just made that up when we told her Grandfather would be there. She didn’t seem to know much about it.”

“But why would she make it up?” asked Violet.

“I don’t know. It might have something to do with her ‘special project,’ ” said Henry.

Just then there was a knock at the door.

“That must be Professor Meyer now,” Grandfather said, going to greet her.

“Hello,” he said as he opened the door.

“Nice to see you, Jimmy,” Professor Meyer said as she came into the suite. “Hello, children,” she called. “How pretty the table looks!”

“Come sit down,” Jessie said. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”

“Did you enjoy the concert?” Violet asked.

“The concert?” Professor Meyer looked puzzled.

Henry shot a look at the others as if to say,
See? She didn’t even go to the concert.

But after a moment the professor said, “Oh, the concert! It was lovely.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Grandfather agreed.

With help from Grandfather, the children fried the burgers, boiled the corn, and tossed the salad. Soon everything was ready.

“This all looks so good!” Professor Meyer said, sitting down to eat.

The food was delicious, and the conversation lively. Professor Meyer told them lots of good stories about the old days at Goldwin. It wasn’t until they had finished eating that the children decided to bring up Joshua Chambers’s letters.

As soon as the table was cleared, Henry said, “Professor Meyer, we wanted to ask you about a couple of old letters and a key we found.”

“Oh, yes, you did have a question for me,” she recalled.

Violet handed the letters to the professor. “Oh, how interesting,” she said, carefully unfolding the yellowed papers. “Wherever did you find these?”

“Up in the clock tower,” Benny said.

Professor Meyer had put the letters down on the table and was feeling around in her pockets for something. “Now, where did I …” she muttered to herself.

“Are you looking for something?” Henry asked.

“My glasses,” she said.

“They’re on top of your head,” Benny said, trying to keep from laughing.

“They are?” she said. She put her hand up and touched them. “Oh, goodness, you’re right!” She laughed heartily, and the others joined her. “Silly me!”

“I think those are the same glasses as Mrs. McGregor’s—our housekeeper,” said Benny.

“They are?” Grandfather asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Benny said. “They look so familiar.”

“Let’s see these letters,” Professor Meyer said. She read the first letter quickly, and then turned to the second, and studied it as well. “So that’s what happened to it,” she said softly to herself.

“What did you say?” Benny asked.

“Oh, um, nothing,” Professor Meyer said quickly.

The Aldens explained how they had found the first letter, and the research they had done in the library. “That was some good thinking,” Professor Meyer said to Jessie. “The library is a wonderful resource. Maybe you’ll be a professor one day. We spend a lot of time in the library looking things up.”

Jessie blushed with pride.

“Then we went back to the tower and found the second note and the key,” Benny explained. “Can you help us figure out where the treasure is buried?”

“I don’t know,” said Professor Meyer. “It’s very mysterious, isn’t it? I remember a long time ago …” She went off on a long story about the old days. When she’d finished, she looked at her watch. “Oh, my, look what time it is. Well, I’ve imposed on your hospitality long enough.” She pushed her chair back from the table and stood up.

The family walked Professor Meyer to the door. “So you don’t have any more ideas about how we can find this treasure?” Benny asked, disappointed.

“No, I really don’t,” she said.

“Okay,” Benny said, looking sad.

Professor Meyer thought for a moment. “There is one thing,” she said slowly. “Let me see the second letter again.”

Violet handed it to her.

The professor studied the letter. “No, I can’t be sure,” she said to herself. “But it could be …”

“What?” Benny asked excitedly.

Professor Meyer pointed to the letter. “See here where he talks about North and South?”

The children nodded.

“Morrill Hall and McGraw Hall used to be called North Building and South Building because of where they’re located on the Quad,” she said. “Maybe that’s what he means by North and South.” Professor Meyer looked around at the children. “Who knows?”

A moment later, she was gone.

“That was a lovely dinner you children made,” Grandfather said. “And I certainly enjoyed having the chance to talk to Professor Meyer some more.”

“I wonder if she’s right about North and South meaning Morrill and McGraw,” said Benny.

“In the letter, Chambers says, ‘Set yourself between North and South,’ ” Violet said. “It sounds as if he’s telling his son to stand between those two buildings.”

“That’s where the treasure is?” Benny asked.

“I guess so,” said Henry.

“Come on, let’s go!” Benny cried.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” Henry said. “The letter says to stand there when the clock strikes six in the morning.”

“But why does it matter?” Benny asked.

“I don’t know,” said Henry. “But that’s what the letter says.”

“It looks like we’re getting up early tomorrow!” said Jessie.

“Jessie, Violet, wake up,” said Benny.

Violet opened her eyes and sat up. “What time is it?”

“Five-thirty,” said Benny.

“Ugh,” said Violet, falling back onto her pillow.

Benny had set his little alarm clock for five-thirty to give them time to get dressed and get to the Quad by six. He and Henry had already put on their clothes.

Jessie sprang out of bed. “Come on, Violet! Let’s go find the treasure!”

The children reached the Quad a few minutes before six. They walked past the building under construction, with its wooden frame and piles of dirt. When they had reached the lawn in between McGraw and Morrill Halls, they stopped and looked around.

“I feel as if we should be looking for something,” Violet said, “but I’m not sure what.”

“I know what you mean,” Jessie agreed.

Then they heard the clock strike.
Ding, ding, ding,
it began. The children looked around.
Ding, ding,
it continued.
Ding.
The last chime hung in the air.

“Well?” Benny asked. “The clock has struck six. Now what?”

“I don’t know,” said Henry.

“Let’s look at the letter again,” suggested Violet.

“I’m hot,” said Benny. It was an unusually hot day and he had run straight up the hill to the Quad because he was so excited. “Let’s sit down in the shade while we read it.” He walked over and sat down in the shadow of the tower, which cut across the Quad in a long line.

As they all sat down, Violet pulled out the letter. “It says, ‘The tower will point the way.’ What does that mean?”

Suddenly Jessie said, “That’s it! Look at the tower’s shadow!”

The shadow was a long thin rectangle, with a point at the top because of the pointed roof.

“Oh, my goodness!” Violet exclaimed. “It looks like a giant arrow.”

“It really is pointing the way!” Benny said.

“It looks like it’s pointing to a spot right here,” Henry said, marking the ground with his foot.

“That must be where it’s buried!” said Jessie.

“And that would explain why we had to be here at six on a summer morning—the tower’s shadow would be different at different times of the year and different times of the day,” Henry pointed out.

The children looked at one another, their faces glowing with excitement.

“What are we waiting for?” Benny cried. “Let’s start digging!”

“I don’t think we can just start digging up the middle of the Quad,” Violet said uncertainly.

“No, I don’t think so, either,” said Henry.

“But we can’t just do nothing!” Benny said. “There’s a treasure down there.”

“There
might
be a treasure,” Jessie reminded him. “Someone might already have found it.”

“We need to ask someone if it’s okay to dig,” Henry said.

“Look at that truck.” Violet pointed off to the side of the Quad, where some men in green jumpsuits were trimming bushes. “It says ‘Goldwin University Grounds Crew’ on the side. They might be good people to ask.”

The children ran over to where the men were working. Jessie noticed that one of the men had a walkie-talkie and a clipboard. He seemed to be in charge. When she got closer she saw his jumpsuit had the words HEAD GROUNDSKEEPER embroidered over the left breast pocket.