The Mystery of the Purple Pool (4 page)

People were beginning to grow impatient. They complained loudly as they waited for fresh food to replace their salty cereal and sugary eggs. A number of guests got up, angrily muttering about “being too busy to wait.”

“It's a good thing my meeting isn't until eleven o'clock this morning,” Grandfather said. “I've got plenty of time to wait. But some people don't.”

“Some people are
very
angry,” Violet said.

“Look, there's Karen Walsh,” Benny said. “I thought she said she wasn't hungry.”

Karen Walsh was sitting at a table in the corner. Strangely enough, she seemed to be the only person in the restaurant, besides the Aldens, who looked calm. She was watching all the action with a small smile on her face. There was no food on her table, just a cup of coffee and a notebook, in which she was writing.

A few moments later Don Parker came in, looking very worried. His red hair was a mess, and his shirt and tie were rumpled. It seemed that some of the guests had complained angrily at the front desk. Mr. Parker spoke briefly to the hostess of the coffee shop, and then went from table to table, apologizing and encouraging everyone to be patient. Their breakfasts would be served as soon as possible.

The Aldens overheard one angry woman say, “Are you the manager of this hotel?”

“Well, I'm the assistant manager,” Mr. Parker explained. “I couldn't find the manager anywhere. But don't worry, we'll give you all a free breakfast to make up for this inconvenience.”

“Won't it be expensive for the restaurant to give everyone a free breakfast?” Henry asked Mr. Alden.

“Yes, it will,” Grandfather said. “But when you run a hotel, it's important to keep your guests happy.”

“Isn't that the manager's job?” Violet asked.

“I wonder where Ms. Ames is,” Jessie said.

At last Jane brought food for all the Aldens except Benny. While they were eating, he began to grow restless. “I think I'll go say hello to Karen Walsh.” Benny headed to her table. She was still writing in her notebook, but when Benny came over she slammed the notebook shut and began stuffing it into the large leather bag on the seat beside her. She didn't look at all happy to see Benny.

“Hello,” Benny said.

“What do you want?” Karen asked.

“I just thought I'd come say hi, but if you're busy — ” Benny started.

“Yes, I am,” Karen said. “I've no time to talk. I have work to do.”

Benny returned to the Aldens' table. “She's
still
not very friendly,” he said glumly. “She said she was working.”

“What kind of work?” Jessie asked.

“I don't know — she was writing in that notebook, and she definitely didn't want me to see it,” Benny said. “She hid it away as soon as I got there.”

“What could she be writing that's such a secret?” Violet asked.

They watched as Jane approached Karen's table to refill her coffee cup. Again, Karen hid the notebook in her bag.

“I've been wondering about the salt and sugar mix-up,” Jessie said, changing the subject. “At first I thought it was just an accident. But it looks like they were switched at every table.”

“Then it couldn't have been an accident,” Henry said.

“Why would anyone want to do that?” Violet asked. “I mean, it would take a long time, so you'd have to have a really good reason.”

“It must have taken a long time to dye the pool purple, too,” Jessie pointed out.

“I think it's a mystery!” Benny said excitedly. “It's a good thing we're here to solve it!”

After breakfast, Grandfather left for his meeting, and the children decided to take a walk and see some of the nearby sights. Henry carried the map, and Jessie carried the guidebook, and they all stayed close together on the crowded sidewalks. They walked down Fifth Avenue, amazed at how much there was to look at. Everywhere they turned, there were big buildings, store windows filled with all sorts of things arranged in imaginative displays, and crowds of people walking quickly, dressed in different kinds of clothes.

On one corner, the Aldens stopped to watch two men and a woman singing in perfect harmony. There was a hat on the ground in front of them, and some people walking by stopped to listen and then threw a few coins in the hat.

The Aldens reached St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was the biggest church they'd ever seen. It filled an entire city block, and its tall spires reached up toward the sky. The children walked up the steps and went inside, where it was quiet and peaceful compared to the noise and bustle outside. There were long aisles with rows and rows of pews, and beautiful stained-glass windows.

After leaving St. Patrick's, the children crossed the street. “Look at that!” cried Benny, running over to a huge bronze statue. It was a man struggling to hold a giant globe on his shoulders.

“That's Atlas,” Henry explained. “He was a character in Greek mythology who held the whole world on his shoulders. That's where the word
atlas
— you know, a book of maps — comes from.”

“According to our guidebook,” Jessie said, “this area is called Rockefeller Center.”

The Aldens walked to a large ice-skating rink set below street level. The rink was surrounded by flagpoles with flags from many different countries flapping in the breeze.

“Wow,” said Violet as the children stood above the rink, looking down at the skaters. On the opposite side of the rink was a large golden statue of Prometheus, another character from Greek mythology, that shone brightly in the sun.

Jessie looked in the guidebook and said, “The book says that at Christmastime they have a huge tree here, over sixty feet tall and covered with lights.”

The children stood watching the skaters. There was a woman in a short pink skirt who was doing jumps and turns in the middle of the ice. “She's wonderful,” Jessie said. “I wish I could skate like that.”

A bunch of teenaged boys skated rapidly around the ice. There were some couples holding hands, and a young girl who couldn't take a step without falling down.

“I wish we had brought our skates,” Violet said.

“I bet we could rent some,” Henry pointed out. “Let's go see.”

There was a place to rent skates, and the children put them on and headed out to the ice. They whizzed around and around to the music.

Jessie was a very good skater, always eager to learn something new. Shyly, she approached the woman in the pink skirt and asked if she would mind showing her how to do some of the turns and jumps. The woman smiled and said, “I'd love to. Just watch me.” In no time, Jessie was able to perform a new jump.

After a little while, the children began to get tired, and of course Benny was hungry. They returned the skates, and Jessie said, “Isn't it wonderful? That woman taught me a new jump. And I thought New Yorkers were supposed to be unfriendly.”

“I guess that's just not true,” said Henry.

It was lunchtime now, and the sidewalks were filled with people leaving their offices and going out to eat or shop. As the Aldens approached their hotel, they found themselves walking in front of a couple who were talking very loudly. Although they didn't mean to eavesdrop, the Aldens couldn't help overhearing what the couple were saying.

“Lucille,” the man said, “I know you're very angry that The Plymouth fired me, and I am, too. But don't worry, I'm handling it. I've already started to do some things — ”

“The Plymouth?” Violet said. “That's our hotel.” She peeked over her shoulder and saw a pretty woman with chin-length dark hair and a man who looked like her but was a little older. Violet quickly nudged her sister. “It's a maid from our hotel,” she whispered. “The one we saw in our hallway last night.”

“
What
are you doing about it, Malcolm?” Lucille demanded.

“I said I was taking care of it,” Malcolm said. “Calm down.”

“They should
never
have fired you,” Lucille insisted. “And I don't care what
you
have in mind — I'm doing something about it myself.”

“Don't, Lucille. I know how
you
handle things. Just be careful,” Malcolm said. “Don't you get fired, too.”

By now the Aldens were very curious. They strained to hear what Lucille and Malcolm were saying. But at the next corner, the couple turned and disappeared into the crowd.

“They certainly sounded angry,” Violet said.

“I wonder what he meant when he said he was taking care of it,” Jessie said.

“And I wonder what
she
meant by ‘I'm doing something about it,' ” Henry said.

“What do you think she'd do that might get her fired?” Violet asked.

Jessie said, “This hotel is getting more and more mysterious.”

“That's just the way I like it!” said Benny.

CHAPTER 5

The Angry Guests

“W
here are we going to eat?” Benny asked.

“Good question,” Henry replied.

“I know,” Violet said. “Let's buy some food and fix lunch in our kitchenette.”

“That would be fun,” Jessie agreed.

Benny was doubtful. “Where are we going to buy food? I haven't seen a grocery store anywhere.”

“He's right,” Jessie said.

“There must be some place around here,” Violet said.

The Aldens walked a few blocks and then Benny exclaimed, “Look! Over there!”

“It's a deli,” Henry said.

“That's food,” Benny pointed out.

The children ran into the delicatessen and bought ham, cheese, bread, fruit, cookies, and hot chocolate mix.

When the Aldens got back to The Plymouth with their bag of food, Jessie looked around the lobby, her eyes wide. “There are an awful lot of people here,” she said.

Henry laughed. “It's New York City, Jessie. There
are
‘an awful lot of people here.' ”

“It seems more than usual,” Jessie said, thoughtfully.

Benny grabbed Jessie's hand. “Come on! Let's go upstairs and eat. Never mind the people.”

“Benny's right, as usual,” Henry said.

They went up to their rooms. They took dishes out of a little cupboard in the kitchenette and made ham-and-cheese sandwiches. They put the sandwiches and fruit on plates. Henry put water up to boil on the tiny stove. When it was bubbling, he put the hot chocolate mix into four cups and poured the water over it. Benny carefully stirred the mixture and licked the spoon.

They took their plates over to a table next to a window and ate contentedly.

“We forgot mustard,” Benny said.

“We'll just have to rough it,” Jessie said, smiling.

They all laughed and finished their lunch.

“What are we going to do this afternoon?” Benny asked.

“Before
we
do anything,” Jessie said, “I know what
I
want to do.”

“What?” Violet asked.

“I don't care what you said, Henry. I think there were a
lot
of people in the lobby. I want to see why,” Jessie said.

“Let's go,” Benny said. “It's another mystery.”

“We'll go,” Henry answered, “but I'll bet there's no mystery.”

In the lobby, there was a crowd of people around Joan Ames, all calling out different things.

“There are no towels in my bathroom.”

“The hangers are gone from my closet, and all my clothes are on the bed.”

“I have no shower curtain.”

“My pillows have disappeared.”

“You see!” Jessie said. “I was right!”

Ms. Ames, looking very upset, said in a firm voice, “Please calm down! Everything will be taken care of.”

“I'm
never
coming to this hotel again,” an angry man said.

“Me, either,” said someone else.

Suddenly Don Parker came running over. “What's happening, Joan? Can I help you?”

“You can certainly help our guests,” she answered.

She called out, “Please! This is Mr. Parker, our assistant manager. He will take care of each one of you. Just tell him your problem.”

Joan whispered to Mr. Parker, “I'm going to try to find out how this happened.” Then she ran off.

“Don't worry — I'll take care of everything,” he called after her.

“Do you suppose we could help Mr. Parker?” Violet asked her sister and brothers.

“I don't know how,” Henry answered.

“We can ask him,” Benny said.

“Right! Let's go!” Jessie added.

The Aldens ran over to Mr. Parker, who was surrounded by guests. “Can we help in any way?” Jessie asked him.

Mr. Parker sighed. “I wish Ms. Ames had stayed here.” Then he said, “I guess you could just tell the guests I'll talk to each one personally and take care of their problems.”

The children circulated around the lobby and spoke to each guest who was upset. When things were quieter Jessie said, “I think we should go back to our rooms and try to figure out
what
is going on here.”

“I said right away there was a mystery,” Benny said, proudly.

Back in the suite, Henry got some paper and a pencil. “I'll write down everything that's been strange since we got here.”

Jessie began, “Well, first of all our reservation had been cancelled. And there were no bellhops.”

“And then, before we went into our rooms, a man was complaining to the maid, Lucille. He said she hadn't cleaned his room. But
she
said she had,” Violet noted.

“And then, that Karen Walsh poked her head out of her door and listened,” Benny added.

“And the pool was dyed purple,” Jessie said.

“And you liked Mike,” Violet said, grinning.

“I
didn't,
and that is
not
part of the mystery,” Jessie replied.