The Mystery of the Black Raven (8 page)

They all found a place to sit down and take off their packs.

“My pack weighs a ton!” Miss Parker said with a laugh. “I can’t imagine carrying a year’s worth of food for six hundred miles!”

“My feet are killing me.” Edie Pittman kicked off her sandals and rubbed her swollen toes.

“I told you not to wear those shoes,” her husband said as he rummaged in his pack for the bottle of water.

“We have first-aid kits in our packs,” Grandfather said helpfully. “You should cover those blisters with Band-Aids, Mrs. Pittman.”

“I
should
have stayed at the hotel,” was her sour reply.

Gil quickly pointed to the distant mountain pass. “Back in the Gold Rush days, an endless line of men climbed the trail, one after the other, every day.”

“We saw a picture of that,” said Violet. “In one of the museums.”

Next Gil showed them rusted objects along the side of the trail. “Those are things that were dropped or tossed away by the miners. Those items are now artifacts, protected by the Park Service. Please do not touch or take them, but you can take photographs.”

Photograph.
The word reminded Jessie of Uncle Edward’s message on the back of the scrapbook picture. Why did he only write on that photo and none of the others?

Then she unzipped her pack and took out her box lunch and bottle of water.

“Good idea,” said Miss Parker, who sat next to Jessie. She shifted her pack to her lap. “Honestly, it feels like a rock is in here!”

Jessie and Miss Parker stared at each other.

“The raven!” Jessie whispered.

Hurriedly, the teacher unzipped her red pack. “Oh, I certainly hope so! It makes sense—yesterday our mysterious thief returned the scrapbook…”

She pulled out a rounded lump wrapped in newspaper. The Aldens gathered around as Miss Parker tore off the paper.

“A plain old rock!” Benny cried in dismay.

Miss Parker shoved the stone to the ground. “Yes, only a rock.” She looked around at the reunion party. “Is this some kind of joke?”

If it was,
Henry thought,
it wasn’t very funny.

J
ames Alden stood. “Does anybody know anything about this? I’m sure the cook didn’t put in a rock as part of her lunch.”

Monique and Mark both snickered.

Even their father didn’t think it was amusing. “Be quiet,” he told them. “Can’t you see Miss Parker is upset?”

The former teacher was on the verge of tears. “I thought for sure the raven had been returned. Who would do such a mean thing?”

“Yeah? Who?” asked Steve Wilson, gazing around the reunion group.

Jennifer put her arm around Miss Parker’s shoulders. “I think it was just a silly stunt. I’m sure whoever did it is sorry.”

Violet was glad Jennifer was trying to help Miss Parker feel better, but she wondered if the guilty person
was
sorry. Someone had deliberately wrapped up a stone shaped like the raven statue and placed it in Miss Parker’s pack. It wasn’t an accident.

Their guide was confused. “What’s going on?” asked Gil.

Grandfather hastily explained about the Four Rock Miners’ annual reunion and how the scrapbook and raven were passed along each year.

“Yes, we’ve heard about your group,” said Gil, nodding. “The reunions are practically legendary.”

“Well, this year our group will really be legendary,” Grandfather said. “The scrap-book and statue were stolen right after the dinner ceremony. The scrapbook was returned yesterday on the train ride. And now we thought the raven was, too. But apparently this was just a joke.”

No one except the Pittmans had eaten their lunch. Even Benny had only taken one bite from his sandwich.

Jessie urged him to eat more, but Benny shook his head. “I don’t want to eat.”

Jessie noticed the incident didn’t hurt the Pittman family’s appetite. They ate every crumb in the white boxes, leaving their trash on the ground.

Gil began picking up napkins and paper cups from the picnic site. “I hate to shorten your outing,” he said, “but we’d better head back. I’m afraid it might rain.”

“I don’t know if my feet will stand it,” groaned Mrs. Pittman, reluctantly slipping into her sandals.

Miss Parker walked beside Grandfather. Jessie and Henry walked behind them.

“I feel so bad,” they heard Miss Parker tell Grandfather. “I really wanted the statue returned to you.”

“We still have this evening,” Grandfather said consolingly. “We may find it yet.”

“Why don’t we just ask everyone to open their suitcases?” Henry asked his grandfather. “We know someone in our group took those things.”

Grandfather sighed. “Forcing people to open their bags violates their privacy. We’d need everyone to voluntarily cooperate and I doubt the Pittmans would go along with it.”

“That’s because they’re the ones with something to hide,” said Jessie.

“We don’t know that,” Grandfather cautioned. “Remember, Jessie, in this country everyone is innocent until proven guilty.”

Even if they act guilty?
she thought. But she knew Grandfather was right.

Back at the hotel, the desk clerk was surprised to see the reunion party walking dejectedly through the door.

“It hasn’t started to rain yet, has it?” he inquired, his eyebrows raised.

Grandfather reassured the clerk. “We just decided to return a bit sooner.”

With a ring of the desk bell, Howie rushed over with the luggage cart.

“I’ll take your packs,” he said, bending to pile the blue, green, and red backpacks as they were handed to him.

When Henry shrugged the straps off his shoulders and gave Howie his pack, he noticed a faded corner of paper sticking out of the bellhop’s shirt pocket. It looked familiar. Then he realized what it was.

The missing letter!

What was Howie doing with Miss Parker’s letter?

Henry went over to Jessie and Violet. “We need to talk. Where’s Benny?”

“Over by the dining room totem pole,” said Violet.

“He’s probably hungry,” Jessie remarked. “He barely ate any of his lunch.”

“None of us did,” said Henry. “But the totem pole is a good place to talk, away from the others.”

When Benny saw them coming, he asked, “What’s up?” He knew the look on Henry’s face had to do with the mystery.

“I saw something in Howie’s pocket,” Henry reported. “A corner of an envelope—”

“Miss Parker’s letter!” Benny guessed.

“It looked like it,” said Henry. “But I can’t figure out why Howie would have it. It should be Mark.”

“Or Monique,” Jessie put in. “Those two are our most likely suspects.”

Violet shook her head. “I’m not so sure. Haven’t you seen the way Howie’s always around whenever we’re making plans? I think he listens to everything that’s going on.”

“And maybe,” Henry stated, “he listens at doors!”

Benny was trying to remember something. The first night in the hotel … he could picture Grandfather getting their room keys from the guy at the hotel desk. But the Pittmans had trouble. Later, when he was in bed, he heard Howie leading Steve and Jennifer Wilson down the hall. Jennifer was asking about the totem pole decorations.

“They’re hollow!” Benny exclaimed.

The others stared at him.

“What’s hollow?” asked Violet.

“These!” Benny thumped the totem pole. “I heard Howie talking to Steve and Jennifer in the hall the first night we were here. Jennifer asked him about the totem poles. Howie said real totem poles are made of solid wood. But these are hollow!”

He thumped it again. Sure enough, the wood echoed hollowly.

“And this one,” Benny said, “has a raven carved on it.”

Jessie nodded. “Now things are starting to make sense. The raven is important to the Native Americans who live in Alaska. They carve ravens on totem poles and make little statues like the one the Four Rock Miners bought.”

“And Mark was doodling ravens on his napkin the other night,” Violet reminded them. “Maybe he
is
mixed up in this.”

Henry waggled his finger to make a point. “And who have we seen hiding behind this totem pole, eavesdropping on us?”

“Howie!” Jessie replied.

They tipped their necks back. The raven was just over Henry’s head, carved between a bear and a seal.

“I know where Grandfather’s raven is,” said Benny confidently. “But I can’t reach.”

“I can.” Standing tall, Henry rapped the raven carving. “It’s hollow, all right.”

Jessie held her breath as Henry poked and pulled at the carving. Suddenly the raven section swung outward. “Is anything in there?” she asked anxiously.

“Yes.” On his tiptoes, Henry lifted out a round object wrapped in newspaper. He gave the package to Benny. “You figured it out, so you should open it.”

Sinking to the carpet, Benny yanked at the wrappings. He knew this time it wouldn’t be an ordinary rock. The Four Rock Miners’ soapstone raven lay on his knees.

“Grandfather’s raven,” he said triumphantly.

A shadow fell across Benny’s small figure.

He looked up to see Mark Pittman.

“So,” jeered Mark, “looks like you found that ugly bird statue.”

Henry stepped forward. He was about to ask if Mark had put the statue in the hiding place when Monique and the Wilsons walked over.

“You found it!” Jennifer cried. “How wonderful! Look, everybody! The Aldens found the missing statue!”

Grandfather, Miss Parker, and the older Pittmans rushed over.

“Oh, I’m so glad!” said Miss Parker. “Wherever did you find it?”

“In one of the totem poles,” Benny explained. “It’s hollow. Behind the part with the raven on it is a secret hiding place.”

Miss Parker turned to Grandfather. “James, you were absolutely right! Your grandchildren are excellent detectives!”

Gil came over to see what the excitement was about.

“So this is the famous Four Rock Miners’ soapstone statue,” he said. “It’s amazing to see such an early carving. May I examine it?”

Benny glanced at Grandfather. His grandfather nodded. Benny figured the raven couldn’t be stolen again, not with everyone watching.

“Hmmm.” Gil turned the statue over in his hands, then hefted it, as if checking its weight.

“Is something wrong?” asked Miss Parker.

“This is the same statue that has been passed down from generation to generation?” Gil inquired.

Miss Parker looked confused. “Why, yes. I mean, it’s the one I received from my aunt. She used to attend the reunions but is unable to make the trip anymore, so she gave the scrapbook and raven to me.”

Grandfather added, “I’ve seen this raven many times over the years. It’s the same one. Something about this statue is obviously bothering you.”

“Yes,” replied Gil. “Since you are all present, would you mind if I performed a little experiment?”

“You’re not going to hurt the statue, are you?” asked Miss Parker.

Edie Pittman flapped a hand. “Who could hurt anything that ugly?”

“I just want to nick the bottom,” said Gil. “It won’t show, I promise.” From one of the many pockets of his cargo pants he took out a penknife. Turning the statue bottom side up, he carefully scraped. Black coating came off on the knife blade.

“What is it?” asked Henry.

“Just as I thought,” said Gil. “Although this raven can’t really talk, it spoke to me in its own way. The statue is too heavy to be soapstone. It’s only covered with a substance that
looks
like soapstone.”

“Well, if the raven isn’t made of soapstone, then what is it carved from?” asked Violet.

Gil smiled slowly, holding up the scratched statue for them all to see the yellow gleam.

“Gold.”

A
t first everyone was too stunned to speak.

Then Benny said, “Gold!”

“Yes,” said Gil, scratching away the imitation soapstone covering to reveal more of the yellow metal beneath. “The Four Rock Miners apparently found an enormous nugget, then had a Native American artist carve it into a raven and cover it with this blackish substance.”

“But why would they do that?” asked Jessie. “Gold is beautiful. Why coat it with that dull black stuff?”