Seattle Puzzle (4 page)

“Oh!” cried Violet. “How sad.”

“They decided to raise this whole area after the fire so that it wouldn’t flood.” The guide opened a door onto a flight of steps. “If you’ll follow me, you’ll soon find yourself on the original street level. But watch your footing,” he warned them. “The sidewalks can be uneven down below.”

“Are there any rats down there?” a middle-aged woman asked in a quiet voice. She sounded a bit uneasy.

“I’ve been giving tours for a longtime,” the guide answered with a shake of his head, “and I haven’t seen any yet.”

“How about trolls?” Benny piped up, making everyone laugh.

“Haven’t spotted any trolls either.” The young man grinned over at the youngest Alden. “But there’s a first time for everything.”

The children followed the group down the steps into a shadowy underground. They made their way slowly through a maze of dark passageways, where old ground floors had become basements, and old sidewalks had become tunnels.

“It’s kind of spooky down here,” said Benny, staying close to Jessie.

Jessie put a comforting arm around her little brother. “It just feels like that because of the shadows,” she said, as they walked under a brick archway.

“I wonder if any ghosts are wandering around down here,” Benny said in a hushed voice.

“No.” Henry shook his head firmly. “Ghosts don’t exist, Benny.” But Benny didn’t look convinced.

Violet turned to look over her shoulder. She didn’t really believe in ghosts, but she couldn’t help shivering a little.

“It’s like stepping back in time.” Jessie paused to look at an old storefront. “This must have been a bank. See the vault?”

The guide told them about the early sawmills, and how the city had grown during the Klondike Gold Rush when the miners had arrived on their way north. And all the while, the four Alden children kept a lookout for trolls.

“That was a great tour,” Violet said when they stepped out into the sunlight again. “But it looks like we struck out.”

“I’m afraid so,” Henry agreed.

Jessie glanced at her watch. “It’s almost noon. Why don’t we stop somewhere for lunch?” She looked over at her little brother. “How does that sound, Benny?”

But Benny’s jaw had suddenly dropped. He was staring over at the totem pole.

“Benny?” said Violet. “What’s—” Before she could finish her sentence, the youngest Alden was racing full-speed along the sidewalk.

Benny came to a sudden stop at the totem pole. He was looking all around when the other Aldens caught up to him.

“Benny, what’s gotten into you?” Jessie asked him with a frown. “You know the rules.”

“We’re supposed to stay together,” Henry reminded his little brother.

Violet put an arm around him. “It’s a big city, Benny,” she said. “We don’t want anyone getting lost in the crowd.”

“Sorry,” Benny said sheepishly. “It’s just … I thought I saw someone.”

“Was it Reena?” Jessie asked. Who else did they know in Seattle?

Benny shook his head. “No, it wasn’t Reena,” he told them. “It was Mrs. McGregor!”

“Oh, Benny!” Jessie reached out, ruffling her little brother’s hair. “Mrs. McGregor’s back home in Greenfield looking after Watch.”

“But I saw her, Jessie!” Benny insisted. Then he frowned. “Mrs. McGregor hurried away when she saw me. I wonder why.”

Jessie shook her head. “Mrs. McGregor would never try to get away from us.”

“Sometimes strangers can remind us of people we know,” put in Violet. “Remember yesterday? I thought I saw Aunt Jane.”

“It’s just another case of mistaken identity,” said Jessie, as they headed for the restaurant. “Nothing more than that.”

“I suppose,” said Benny. Still, his big eyes kept scanning the crowds.

They stopped to wait for a light to change. “Seattle seems like a city of look-alikes. It’s funny, isn’t it?” said Henry.

Jessie didn’t think it was strange at all. “They say everybody has a double somewhere in the world.”

The youngest Alden was surprised to hear this. “You mean there’s another Benny out there?”

“Well, at least somebody who looks a lot like you,” answered Violet, as they stepped into a small restaurant.

“I’m not so sure,” said Henry, giving his little brother a playful nudge. “I think Benny’s one of a kind.” No one could argue with that.

When the waitress came over, Henry ordered the special—fish and chips and a glass of lemonade. So did the others. While they waited for their food, the children turned their attention to the mystery.

“I don’t get it,” said Violet. “The note seemed to be leading us right to the underground city.”

Benny nodded. “That’s where I’d be hiding if I were a troll.”

Jessie tucked her long brown hair behind her ears. “For all we know, we could be on a wild goose chase.”

“What do you mean, Jessie?” Benny wanted to know.

“Maybe these riddles are just somebody’s idea of a joke.”

The corners of Benny’s mouth turned down. “Jessie, are you saying there might not be a mystery at all?” He looked crushed.

“Could be,” said Henry.

Violet bit her lip. “I really don’t know what to think.”

Benny did not seem very happy.

Violet felt her little brother’s disappointment. “I have a hunch there’s more to it than that. Someone went to a lot of trouble leaving those notes.”

Violet had a point. “We can’t be sure it’s just a prank,” Jessie had to admit.

Benny looked more cheerful. “We can’t give up yet!”

“Okay, Benny,” said Henry. “Maybe if we put our heads together, we can figure something out.”

Jessie read the note aloud to refresh everyone’s memory. “Beneath all the traffic / seek out the troll / guarding a message / way down below.”

Benny had a thought. “Maybe we should be looking for goats.”

Henry, Jessie, and Violet stared at him. They looked totally puzzled.

Then Violet snapped her fingers in sudden understanding. “Oh, you’re thinking about The Three Billy Goats Gruff.”

Benny nodded. “In the story, the three billy goats are trying to cross a bridge. But guess what? There’s an ugly troll with one eye and a big nose who lives under the bridge.”

“I remember that story,” said Jessie. “When the smallest goat tries to cross, the troll threatens to gobble him up, but—”

“The goat tells him to wait for his brother who’s much bigger,” Henry broke in. “So the troll lets the first goat cross the bridge.”

“And then the bigger goat comes along,” Benny continued, “and the troll says he’ll gobble
him
up. But the bigger goat tells him to wait for his brother.”

“Who’s much,
much
bigger,” put in Violet.

“Right,” said Benny. “So the troll lets him cross the bridge, too. Then, when the biggest goat comes along, he butts the troll into the water with his big horns!”

“And the goats get away!” finished Henry.

“That’s a good story,” said Jessie. “I’m just not sure we’ll find any goats in a big city.”

“Maybe not,” Violet agreed. “But there
are
plenty of bridges in Seattle.”

“You think the riddle is leading us to a bridge?” Jessie asked.

“We’ll, think about it,” Violet said. “If you’re under a bridge, then you’re—”

“Beneath all the traffic!” cried Benny, finishing his sister’s thought.

Violet nodded. “Exactly.”

“I vote we look under bridges,” said Benny. “I bet that’s where we’ll find a troll.”

Jessie frowned as she studied the map. “The thing is, Seattle has so many bridges.”

“We’ll only be in Seattle for a few more days,” added Henry. “We’ll never have time to check them all out.”

“Looks like we’ll have to narrow it down,” Jessie said, as their food arrived.

“But how?” asked Benny.

The afternoon sun was getting warm by the time the Aldens got back to the hotel. Toby waved to them from behind the front desk.

“Hi, kids!” he said. “Enjoying our beautiful city?”

“We sure are.” Henry returned the desk clerk’s friendly smile. “We’ve been checking out the sights.”

“Any luck?” Toby asked.

The four Aldens exchanged glances. Did Toby know they were trying to track down clues?

Seeing the children’s startled faces, the clerk added, “I, uh … I meant finding your way around. That’s all I meant about—” He stopped suddenly. “By the way, your grandfather just got back. He’s waiting for you upstairs.”

“Thanks, Toby,” Henry called back over his shoulder as they headed for the elevator.

“That was pretty strange, wasn’t it?” remarked Jessie. “Toby was awfully nervous.” She pressed the elevator button.

Henry nodded. He’d picked up on this, too. “He was acting as if he’d said the wrong thing.”

Benny crinkled his brow. “Do you think he knows something about the mystery?”

“Toby just started a new job,” Violet was quick to remind them. “That’s why he was nervous. What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing,” Henry said, as the elevator doors opened. “Not if that’s all it was.”

“Just acting nervous doesn’t make him suspicious,” Violet insisted. Violet was shy, and being around a lot of people made her nervous, too.

“You’re right,” said Jessie. “Still, it wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye on him.”

As they stepped inside the hotel suite, they heard Grandfather talking on the phone in the other room.

“We have to hope for the best,” he was saying. “Yes, yes, I know… everything depends on finding Rachel.”

The four Alden children didn’t like the sound of this. Who was Rachel? And why was she missing?

A surprised look crossed Grandfather’s face as he came into the room. “Oh!” he said. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Is everything all right, Grandfather?” asked Violet.

James Alden gave his youngest granddaughter a warm smile. “What could be wrong, Violet? It’s a beautiful afternoon and the ferry awaits!”

Jessie and Henry exchanged glances.

Whatever was going on, it was clear Grandfather didn’t want to talk about it. But why? And who in the world was Rachel?

“This was a wonderful idea, Grandfather!” said Jessie.

They were standing on the deck, enjoying the warm sun on their faces and the sea breeze in their hair. They had traveled all the way to Bainbridge Island, and now they were heading back.

Grandfather looked pleased. “It’s always nice to get out on the water.”

“I took so many great pictures,” said Violet. “I just hope they all turn out.”

It wasn’t long before they were following a long line of people off the ferry and onto the dock. Violet turned around to take one last picture.

“I want to get the ferry in this shot,” she said.

“No problem,” said Grandfather. “That’ll be a nice photo to put in our—
wait!”

“What is it, Grandfather?” asked Jessie.

James Alden hurried them along. “I’m afraid we don’t have time for any more pictures.”

“But—” Violet began.

“Sorry, Violet,” Grandfather cut in. “But I still have a … a business call to make. I, uh … left my cell phone back at the hotel.”

Jessie glanced at Henry. This was strange. She could tell by the look on his face that he was thinking the same thing she was. It wasn’t like Grandfather to be forgetful.

As soon as they were back at the hotel,

Grandfather went upstairs to make his phone call. Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny decided to head down the street to the one-hour photo shop. While Violet was waiting in line to get her film developed, Jessie caught sight of Reena Evans through the store window. But Finn’s daughter wasn’t alone. Walking beside her was a young woman with curly red hair. It was Gwen—the waitress from the Hungry Heart Diner!

“Things are getting weirder and weirder,” said Benny, who was perched on the bed. The four Alden children were having a late-night meeting in the room that Jessie and Violet were sharing.

“You can say that again!” said Jessie. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, the street map opened in front of her.

“I don’t get it.” Henry was shaking his head in disbelief. “Reena made a big point of looking at the name on the waitress’s uniform,” he recalled. “Why would she pretend she didn’t know Gwen?”

Violet was standing by the window looking out at the city lights. “Reena’s been so nice. Why would she want to fool us?”

“We all like her, Violet,” said Henry. “But it
is
suspicious.”

Jessie nodded. “It’s beginning to look like Reena and Gwen are up to something.”

“Like what, Jessie?” Violet wondered.

At this, Jessie shrugged. “I’m not sure,” she said. “But what if these riddles are just a way of distracting us.”

“What do you mean, Jessie?” asked Benny.

Jessie quickly told her sister and brothers about the conversation she’d overheard between Reena and Toby. “Reena was saying, ‘If they find out something fishy is going on, it’ll ruin everything.’ ”

“You really think something fishy is going on?” Violet asked. She looked at Jessie, then over at Benny and Henry. She could see they believed it was possible.

“I bet it has something to do with Rachel,” said Benny. “Whoever that is.”

“We’ll, whoever it is,” put in Jessie, “she seems to be missing.”

Henry nodded. “And Grandfather said everything depends on finding her.”

“Wecan’t be sure Reena has anything to do with Rachel,” insisted Violet. “Or the notes.” She still had a hunch Aunt Jane’s look-alike was behind everything.

“You’re right, Violet,” Henry agreed. “We shouldn’t jump to any conclusions until we have more evidence.”

“So what
should
we do?” Benny wanted to know.