Mystery in San Francisco (2 page)

“How do the fishermen get on their boats?” Violet asked.

Uncle Andy pointed out the metal ladders leading down to each boat.

“I can see why Charlie had to dock somewhere else,” Benny observed. “This place is filled up.”

Aunt Jane headed toward the car. “Let’s go home,” she said. “It’s time you children were settled in.”

Benny skipped after her. “Is your friend Charlie a fisherman
and
a cook?” he asked.

Uncle Andy opened the car door. “A cook? Charlie? What makes you think that, Benny?”

Benny climbed into the backseat. “He said he had to fry some fish.”

Uncle Andy eased into the driver’s seat. “That’s just an expression,” he said. After everyone was inside the car, Uncle Andy started the engine and soon they were on their way.

“I’ve never heard that expression before,” Violet said. “About frying fish. What does it mean?”

“It means he has some business to take care of,” Uncle Andy explained.

“What kind of business?” Benny asked.

“Fishermen lead busy lives,” Aunt Jane answered. “They’re out on the water before dawn, and when they come back to shore, they have to take care of their catch.”

“I don’t think Charlie was talking about ordinary business, though,” Uncle Andy said. “There’s been trouble on the wharf.”

“Trouble?” Henry repeated. “What kind of trouble?”

Uncle Andy shrugged. “Charlie hasn’t wanted to talk about it, but I know something is bothering him.”

“That explains it,” Benny said.

In the front seat, Aunt Jane turned to look at him. “Explains what, Benny?”

“Well, he wasn’t very friendly.”

“Benny, that’s not polite” Violet said.

“It’s okay, Violet. Benny’s right,” Uncle Andy said.

“That wasn’t like Charlie at all,” Aunt Jane said. “He must be very worried about something.”

They slowed down. “Look to your left,” Aunt Jane told them. “We rent the second house right down there.”

The sign said LOMBARD STREET. Underneath it, the narrow road zigzagged down the hill. Houses and flower gardens were perched on either side. The Aldens were amazed.

“I’ve never seen such a crooked street,” Henry said.

“And I doubt you’ll ever see another one,” Uncle Andy told him. “This block of Lombard Street is said to be the crookedest street in the world.”

He pulled into a garage underneath a white house. Benny hopped out. “Don’t go inside yet,” Benny said. “I want to see something.”

The others followed him. Then they stood watching as Benny dashed down the brick street. He didn’t go far, though, and after a few seconds, he came trudging toward them.

“Eight!” he said. “There are eight sharp turns!” He stopped to catch his breath.

Uncle Andy chuckled. “Much easier going down than coming up. Right, Benny?”

Inside, Aunt Jane showed them to their rooms. The boys had one, the girls another. Each room had a view of the bay below. They unpacked and then met on the deck outside their rooms. The view was thrilling.

Henry dug a guidebook out of his back pocket. He looked at a map. “See that tower?” he said. “It’s called Coit Tower. It was built to look like a fire hose nozzle. It’s a tribute to the firemen who fought the earthquake fires in 1906.”

Benny shivered. “I hope there’s no earthquake while we’re here,” he said.

Jessie said, “I’ve been thinking about Charlie. I wonder what could be bothering him.”

“Maybe he didn’t catch many fish today,” Benny suggested.

“Fishermen are probably used to bad days,” Violet said.

“Uncle Andy mentioned trouble,” Henry said. “I saw a man on the wharf. He was acting strangely. I wonder if he has anything to do with the trouble.”

“The one in the suit?” Jessie asked.

“I saw that man, too,” Violet said.

“He seemed out of place,” Henry said. “He was so dressed up.”

Benny hadn’t noticed the man. “Maybe he was sightseeing like us,” he suggested.

Henry shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“He was staring right at us,” Violet said.

“At Charlie, not us,” Jessie corrected.

“And when Charlie looked at him, he turned away,” Henry said.

Benny smiled. “Great! Another mystery,” he said. “I’m ready!”

By the time they came downstairs, Aunt Jane was preparing supper. “I thought we’d eat here in the kitchen tonight,” she said.

“It looks like home,” Benny said. He was thinking of Grandfather Alden’s big, airy kitchen in Greenfield, where they all lived.

Henry offered to set the table. Aunt Jane showed him where she kept the plates and silverware.

“Is there anything we can help you with?” Jessie asked.

Aunt Jane said, “No, thank you. Everything’s ready. We had such a big lunch, I wasn’t sure what to fix. I decided on a little of this and a little of that.”

She carried a large platter of meats and cheeses to the table. To that, she added a basket of bread, a bowl of fruit, and a pitcher of cold milk.

Benny rubbed his hands together. “I’ll have a little of everything,” he said. They made sandwiches and ate fruit. Benny drank two glasses of milk.

When they had finished eating, Jessie asked, “Do you know that woman — the one who works for Charlie?”

“Kate Kerry,” Uncle Andy said. “We’ve met her. She’s been working for Charlie for a while. But I can’t say we really
know
her.”

“Why do you ask?” said Aunt Jane.

“I just wondered,” Jessie said.

“Has she heard about the trouble Charlie’s having?” Henry asked.

“I can’t say for certain,” Uncle Andy answered. “Charlie doesn’t talk about it much.”

“Charlie’s not one to complain,” Aunt Jane said.

Henry looked at his uncle. “Is Charlie the only one having trouble?”

Uncle Andy shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

When they were finished eating, the children cleared the table. Uncle Andy got out the maps so they could plan their next day.

“Refresh my memory,” Uncle Andy said. “What was it you wanted to see?”

The Aldens all spoke at once. Aunt Jane held up her hands. “One at a time,” she said.

“I have an idea,” Uncle Andy said. He opened a drawer and took out paper and pencil. “Each of you write down what you most want to see.”

Uncle Andy got his baseball cap from a hook near the back door. “Now, put the papers in my hat.”

Each Alden dropped a folded piece of paper into the cap. “Now what?” Benny asked.

“Nothing yet,” Uncle Andy answered. “We’ll just leave this here.” He put the cap on the counter near the phone. “Let everything sit till morning. Then I’ll pick a paper. Where we go will be a surprise.”

Aunt Jane smiled at her husband. “Andy Bean, you are full of good ideas.”

The Aldens weren’t so sure this was a good idea. They were so excited they didn’t know if they could wait until morning to find out where they would go first.

“We’d better get to bed early,” Andy suggested. “We want to be rested for whatever comes.”

That did seem like a good idea. The sooner they went to sleep, the sooner morning would come. Upstairs, Benny said, “I’m too excited to sleep. I’ll probably lie awake all night trying to figure out which place well see first.”

The other Aldens smiled at one another. They knew Benny would soon be sound asleep.

F
irst thing in the morning, Aunt Jane said, “Andy, here’s your cap.” She handed him the baseball cap containing the four slips of paper.

“Hurry, Uncle Andy!” Benny said.

The Aldens watched as Uncle Andy reached into the hat. He drew out a piece of paper and looked at it.

“What does it say?” Violet asked.

Uncle Andy smiled. “I think I’ll keep it a surprise,” he said, and put the paper in his pocket.

At first the Aldens were disappointed. They didn’t want to wait another minute to find out where they were going.

Then Jessie said, “That’s a good idea, Uncle Andy.”

Henry agreed. “The longer the wait, the better the surprise.”

“Let’s get going!” Benny urged. “We can wait on the way.”

Violet laughed. “What about breakfast, Benny?”

“Oh,” Benny said. “I forgot.”

They all laughed. It wasn’t like Benny to forget about a meal.

“We’ll eat breakfast out,” Aunt Jane said. “I know the perfect place.”

And off they went.

Clang! Clang!
went the cable car as it came down the hill toward them. When it stopped, Uncle Andy said, “Hop on!”

“Watch your step!” the friendly conductor called out.

Benny was the first one aboard. Riding a cable car was what he most wanted to do. He led the way to the front section, where the sides were open and the long benches faced out.

Uncle Andy said, “So what do you think, Benny? Is this what you expected?”

“Better!” Benny answered. He had seen pictures of the cable cars. But looking at pictures was not the same as actually riding in one. It was a thrill to rumble and creak up one hill and down another.

“Benny’s lucky,” Violet said. “He got his wish first.”

Andy said, “I didn’t pick Benny’s paper out of my hat. But he
is
lucky. We can take cable cars to many of the places we’ll go.”

Benny smiled. He was happy to know this was not his last ride.

The cable car stopped in a park. “End of the line!” the conductor called. The Aldens clambered down the steps.

When everyone had left the cable car, it moved onto a big turntable. The motormen gripped the side rails on the wooden circle and pushed the cable car completely around. Now it was ready for its return trip.

“Wow!” Benny said. “They don’t have anything like that in Greenfield!”

Aunt Jane put her arm around his shoulders. “San Francisco is a unique place, all right,” she said.

“Let’s eat,” Uncle Andy said.

Benny smiled. “Aunt Jane’s right, Uncle Andy. You are full of good ideas.”

They crossed the street to the Buena Vista Cafe. They sat at a table beside the window and watched people line up for the cable cars. As soon as a car left, another line formed. Along the street, craftsmen sold their wares and musicians played. Beyond, the bay glimmered in the morning light.

“
Buena Vista
means ‘beautiful view,’ ” Aunt Jane, told them.

“That’s a perfect name,” Violet said.

The Aldens and the Beans ate hearty breakfasts of bacon, eggs, toast, and pancakes.

Afterward, they boarded a cable car heading south.

Before long, Uncle Andy said, “This is our stop.” They hopped off the car and followed Andy to Grant Street. There they stopped before a tall arch with a green tile roof. Colorful dragon figures decorated the top.

“Henry I think you’ll recognize this,” Aunt Jane said.

Henry nodded. “It’s the Chinatown Gate.”

They passed under the arch into a different world. The narrow streets were crowded with traffic. Colorful signs written in Chinese characters lined the way.

They wandered in and out of shops filled with unusual things. It was hard to resist the hand-carved animals and beautiful clothing. After they had finished shopping, the happy group went down another street into a park. They sat on a bench to rest.

Just then, Violet noticed a young woman across the street. She was coming out of a restaurant. “Isn’t that Kate Kerry, the woman who works for Charlie?” she asked.

The other Aldens saw the young woman. She was wearing a yellow slicker with a hood.

“It looks like her,” Jessie said, “but I can’t tell. She’s too far away.”

Benny stood up. Waving, he jumped up and down. “Hello! Kate!” he called.

“Benny don’t do that,” Jessie said, laughing.

The woman looked toward them. When she did, the hood fell to her shoulders. Her red hair glistened in the sunlight.

“It’s her, all right,” Benny said. He kept waving.

The woman did not return Benny’s greeting. Instead, she hurried around the corner and disappeared.

“That’s strange,” Benny said. “She didn’t even wave.”

“I don’t think it’s strange at all,” Jessie said. “She doesn’t know us.”

Charlie had not introduced them. Benny had forgotten that.

“But she knows
us
,” Uncle Andy said.