Spy Game (3 page)

“That’s good detective work, Violet,” praised Jessie.

Violet put up her hand and the others gave her high-fives. “We can check it out in the morning,” she said.

The next day, when the Aldens went back to the Penner house, they were sure they were on the right track to finding the gold. They made a beeline for the grandfather clock and checked it out, top to bottom. But even after searching for secret hiding places, they were still no closer to solving the mystery.

“Uh-oh,” Amanda said as the children came into the kitchen. “I can tell by those long faces that you struck out.” She was sitting at the table going through the mail.

“I’m afraid so,” said Jessie, and the others nodded.

“Listen, you wouldn’t take money for your hard work yesterday,” said Amanda, “so Mrs. Dawson and I came up with an idea to thank you.”

Amanda’s housekeeper held up a wicker basket. “How does a picnic in Fudge Hollow sound?” Mrs. Dawson asked.

“I love picnics!” Benny said.

“We all do,” Violet added.

Just then, Jessie noticed something on the floor by Amanda’s chair. She hurried to pick it up.

“I think you dropped this, Amanda,” she said.

“Oh?” Amanda looked up from sorting the mail. “What is it, Jessie?”

“A business card, I think,” Jessie said, taking a closer look. “For the Greenfield Modeling Agency.”

Amanda suddenly snatched the card from Jessie’s hand. “That’s nothing important,” she said, tearing the card into little pieces. “People keep giving me their business cards whenever I go into town.”

Mrs. Dawson handed the Aldens the picnic basket. “Just go out the back gate,” she told them, “then follow the path across the fields. It’ll take you right to Fudge Hollow.”

“Don’t worry,” Henry said, as they walked out the door. “We won’t get lost.”

Outside, Jessie turned to the others. “Did Amanda seem like she was acting a little strange to you?”

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

“She dropped a business card,” Jessie explained, “and when I handed it to her, she ripped it into little pieces.”

“She said she just gets too many of them,” Henry reminded her. “I’m sure that’s all it is.”

“You’re probably right,” said Jessie. Still, she couldn’t help thinking it seemed a bit odd.

The children were soon walking single file along a path that led through fields of buttercups and daisies. They hadn’t gone very far before Jessie suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“What is it?” Henry asked, almost bumping into her.

Jessie swirled around on her heel. “We’re going to Fudge
Hollow!”
she almost shouted. She was staring wide-eyed at her sister and brothers.

“We know that, Jessie,” Benny reminded her. “It’s just up ahead.”

“It’s not that, Benny,” Jessie said.

“What, then?”

Jessie began to recite the stone riddle, and the others soon joined in.
“The rings of time/ go round and round/ a hollow hides/ what must be found”
They all knew it by heart.

Henry smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Why didn’t I think of that?” he said, suddenly catching on. “I bet the last part of the riddle leads to Fudge Hollow.”

“I think it’s likely,” said Jessie.

“Yippee!” Benny raised both arms in the air as he let out a cheer. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

“Don’t go saying ‘yippee’ just yet, Benny,” Violet warned him. “We might—”

Before she had a chance to finish her sentence, the youngest Alden was off running.

For the next few hours, the Aldens weaved their way through the trees, trudged through brush, and climbed over rocks. They weren’t sure what kind of clue they were looking for, but they kept an eye out for anything unusual. When they came to a creek, Benny pointed to a fallen tree that made a perfect bridge across the water.

“I bet that’s the spot Amanda was talking about,” he said.

Violet looked over. “You mean, where she’d sit with her grandfather?”

Benny nodded. “And they’d dangle their feet in the water.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” said Henry. “Why don’t we have our picnic right here?”

With that, the children pulled off their socks and shoes, then made their way to the middle of the log. As they sat side by side, Jessie passed out the sandwiches, while Henry opened the thermos and poured the lemonade.

“We’ve been all over Fudge Hollow,” Benny said, as he dipped his toes into the cool water. “What’s next?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Jessie admitted.

“Maybe we missed something,” said Violet. She tore a piece of crust from her bread and tossed it in the water for the ducks.

“Maybe,” said Henry. But he didn’t sound as if he believed it.

Nobody said anything for a while. They were each thinking the same thing. Had Steve been right? Was this a mystery they couldn’t solve? Finally, Benny spoke up.

“I wonder how Amanda knew,” he said thoughtfully

Jessie looked over at him. “Knew what, Benny?”

“That this tree was over a hundred years old,” said Benny.

Henry had an answer. “Amanda probably counted the tree rings.”

“Tree rings?” Violet gave her older brother a puzzled look.

“I read somewhere—in school, maybe—that there’s a ring around the trunk for every year a tree’s been alive,” said Henry. “I’ll show you.”

He scrambled off the log with Benny close behind, then pointed to the bottom of the fallen tree where it had been cut down long ago.

Violet hurried over to take a look for herself. So did Jessie.

“See how the rings go round and round?” Henry said. “If you count each ring, you can figure out how much time—” He suddenly drew in his breath, surprised by his own words.

“What’s wrong, Henry?” Benny asked.

“That’s … that’s it!” Henry cried. “‘The rings of time.’”

Violet’s eyes widened. “Then the riddle must mean—”

“A tree!” finished Henry. “We should be looking for a tree in Fudge Hollow!”

Jessie couldn’t help laughing. “Finding the right tree around here is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Just then, the children whirled around when they heard a familiar voice. It was coming from the path behind the trees.

“Of course I know what a treasure I’ll be getting,” the voice was saying. It was Steve Kooner. He was talking on a cell phone.

The Aldens didn’t mean to eavesdrop. But from where they were standing, they couldn’t help overhearing bits and pieces of the conversation.

“No, no, no!” Steve was saying on the phone.

“I have to find the ring first.”

“Did you hear that?” Benny whispered.

Jessie nodded. None of them liked the sound of this.

“What?” Steve went on. “Of course, I know there’s a deadline … Don’t worry … I’m telling you, we have it all plotted out.”

As Steve’s voice faded away, the children looked at each other in disbelief.

“Can you believe that?” Violet said, keeping her voice low. “Steve must be looking for the rings of time, too.”

Benny looked around to make sure no one could hear him. Then he whispered, “He’s supposed to be Amanda’s friend!”

Jessie frowned. “Well, he’s not much of a friend if he’s trying to steal her gold.”

“Oh, Jessie!” Violet’s eyes widened. “You don’t really think that’s true, do you?”

Jessie frowned. “I don’t know what to think. But that would explain why Steve was trying to stop us from solving the mystery.”

“He’s afraid we’ll beat him to the gold,” guessed Benny. “Do you think we should warn Amanda?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t be too hasty,” said Henry. “Amanda would never believe her friend was a thief—not unless we had evidence.”

Everyone agreed Henry had a point. It was one thing to suspect someone; it was another thing to have proof.

“Let’s just keep a close eye on him for now,” Henry went on. “If Steve is up to no good, we’ll have to—”

“Solve the mystery,” Benny cut in. “And fast!”

That evening, Jessie read the last chapter of
The Twisted Clue
aloud. When she was finished, Henry, Violet, and Benny clapped their hands.

“I liked the surprise twist at the end,” Henry said. “I didn’t see it coming.”

“Me, either,” said Violet. “Mila Jones and Jake Winston write cool mysteries.”

The Aldens had gathered in the room Jessie and Violet shared. Even Watch was curled up on the end of the bed.

“What’s the next book coming out, Jessie?” Benny wanted to know.

Jessie, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, flipped to the back of the book. She read aloud: “‘Partners in crime Mila Jones and Jake Winston have put together another great plot sure to leave you on the edge of your seats! Don’t miss
THE JIGSAW-PUZZLE MYSTERY
, coming out soon!’”

The children looked at each other in surprise. Then they burst into laughter.

“Can you believe that?” said Jessie. “The next book is about a jigsaw puzzle!”

“And we just found a stone jigsaw puzzle!” Benny’s eyes were huge.

“How funny is that?” said Violet, who was sitting on the window seat.

“I’ll tell you what would be funny,” said Henry. “If the next Detective Club mystery has a clue in it about the rings of time.”

“Oooh!” Violet shivered a little. “Now, that
would
be weird.”

“It sure would,” Benny said in the middle of a yawn.

Jessie had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. “Benny, you look just like the Yawning Tree.”

“Oh my gosh!” Violet put a hand over her mouth in surprise. “I think we got it wrong.”

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

“When you mentioned the Yawning Tree, it suddenly hit me,” she said. “We were looking for a tree in a
hollow.
But I think we should be looking for a hollow in a
tree
!” She sounded excited.

“You think something’s hidden in the hollow of the Yawning Tree?” Henry asked.

Violet shrugged. “It’s worth checking out, don’t you think?”

After a moment’s thought, Jessie said, “I think we might be getting warmer.”

“Let’s just hope Steve doesn’t get there first,” said Benny.

“I can’t quite reach it,” said Henry, who was standing on his tiptoes. The Aldens were standing under the Yawning Tree the next morning. Henry was straining to reach the hollow in the trunk.

“You can do it, Henry!” Benny was hopping up and down with excitement. “Just a little higher.”

“It’s no use,” Henry said, turning around to face his brother and sister. “I’m not tall enough.”

But Jessie had a solution. Lacing her fingers with Violet’s, they gave their older brother a step up. Henry managed to reach a hand into the hollow and patted around inside.

“Hurry, Henry,” Violet urged, straining under his weight.

“Anything there?” Jessie wanted to know.

Even Benny had stopped bouncing. He was holding his breath.

“I don’t think so, but …
wait
!” Henry cried.

“What is it?” asked Jessie.

When Henry stepped down, he was holding a tin box, no bigger than the palm of his hand.

“Open it, okay?” Benny urged, as they sat down at the picnic table.

Henry lifted the lid from the box. Inside, they found a piece of paper folded to the size of a postage stamp.

“I wonder if it’s another riddle,” Violet said, her voice scarcely above a whisper.

“There’s only one way to know for sure,” said Henry.

He unfolded the paper, then read the words in black ink aloud:

A gown of white

young Dora wore

on her birthday

number four.

“Hey, it’s a riddle about Dora!” Benny cried out in surprise.

Henry nodded. “When she was four years old.”

“It’s not much to go on,” said Jessie.

Benny jumped to his feet. “Let’s show it to Amanda,” he said. “She might know what it means.”

But Jessie didn’t look too sure. “Maybe we should keep this to ourselves for now.”

Henry thought about this, then nodded. “You’re right, Jessie. Amanda might tell Steve about it.”