The Mystery of the Purple Pool (5 page)
“You forgot the man who always wears sunglasses,” Henry said.
“Right! And the salt and sugar were mixed up in the coffee shop,” Violet went on.
“And Karen Walsh didn't want me to see what she was writing,” Benny said.
“And we heard Lucille and Malcolm arguing on the street,” Jessie said.
Henry said, “Go slower. I can't write that fast.”
“And last,” Violet said, “all those people in the lobby complaining that things were missing from their rooms.”
“What does it all mean?” Benny asked.
The Aldens were all quiet. “I don't have
any
idea,” Jessie said.
“I don't either,” Henry and Violet said together.
“This is a
really
mysterious mystery,” Benny said.
Just then there was a knock on the door. Benny ran and opened it. Mr. Grant, from next door, and his son, Bobby, were standing there. “I'm sorry to bother you,” Mr. Grant said. “But I wonder if I could use your phone?”
“Of course,” Jessie said. “Is yours out of order?”
“It's
gone
,” Bobby said.
“Gone?” Violet asked.
Mr. Grant shrugged. “Do you believe it? Someone took our phone! I want to call the desk and tell them.”
The children exchanged glances. Just then Mr. Alden came into the room. As Mr. Grant called the desk, the Aldens started telling their grandfather everything that had happened.
They all talked at once, until Grandfather held up his hand. “Wait a minute. One at a time.”
The children took turns until they had told Mr. Alden everything.
“Wow!” Bobby said.
Mr. Alden said, “Well, it all does
seem
strange, but I'm sure it can be explained.”
“Grandfather,” Benny said, sounding disappointed, “don't you think it's a
real
mystery?”
Mr. Alden laughed. “Well, maybe, Benny, but I think the hotel has to solve it. I'll talk to Ms. Ames, if it will make you children happier.”
“Do, Grandfather!” Jessie said.
“Meanwhile,” Grandfather said, “you children are here to enjoy yourselves. What do you have planned for tomorrow?”
“How about the Empire State Building?” Jessie asked.
The others all agreed. Benny said to Mr. Alden, “Can Bobby come, too?”
“I think he has to ask his father,” Mr. Alden replied.
“Can I, Dad? Can I?” Bobby asked eagerly.
“Well, I guess it would be all right. How old are you, Henry?” Mr. Grant asked.
“Fourteen,” Henry replied, standing up tall.
“I guess you can look after Bobby,” Mr. Grant said. “Meanwhile, Bobby, we have to leave the Aldens to themselves.”
As they left, Benny called out to Bobby, “See you tomorrow!”
T
he next day, the Aldens decided to avoid the coffee shop. Instead, they ordered breakfast from room service. Jessie called downstairs and placed their order. Soon a waiter wheeled in a table with their food.
After enjoying juice, milk, and a basketful of warm cranberry and banana muffins and sweet rolls, they were ready to go. Grandfather told the children which bus would take them to the Empire State Building and which bus would bring them back to the hotel.
“I'll meet you here around dinnertime,” Grandfather said, “and you can tell me everything you saw.”
The Aldens stopped at the Grants' room to pick up Bobby.
“Ready?” Henry asked.
“Yes, I am!” cried Bobby.
“All last night he kept talking about how excited he was to be going to the Empire State Building,” said Mr. Grant.
“Me, too!” cried Benny.
“Have fun!” Mrs. Grant called as the children left.
The bus stop was just a block from the hotel, and the children didn't have to wait long before a bus arrived. Grandfather had given them tokens, and they each slipped their tokens into the fare box as they got on the bus. There were three seats together in the middle of the bus, so Benny, Bobby, and Violet sat down, and Jessie and Henry stood, holding on to the metal rail over their heads.
When they reached Thirty-fourth Street, Henry rang the bell, and the bus stopped right in front of the Empire State Building. They got off the bus and then stood on the sidewalk, staring up at one of the tallest and most famous buildings in the world. Standing right below it, they couldn't even see the top.
“I thought a lot of the buildings here in New York were tall,” Benny said, his eyes wide. “But this one is
really
tall.”
“Sure is,” Bobby said. “I can't wait to get to the top!”
“Let's go!” said Benny eagerly.
The older children smiled at the two excited boys. Henry led the way inside.
The lobby was quite large, and the walls and floor were covered with marble. There were lots of elevators and shops, and at first the Aldens weren't sure which way to go.
“ âTo the Ob ⦠observ â¦' ” Benny tried to sound out the sign on the wall, but it was too difficult.
“Good try,” said Jessie. “ âTo the Observation Deck'.”
A short line of people curved back from a ticket booth, and the children went to wait at the end.
The line moved quickly. After they had bought their tickets and picked up some pamphlets with information, the children followed the people ahead of them to an elevator.
Soon they were shooting up to the top of the building. The elevator went so quickly that the lighted sign over the door counted off the floors they passed by tens: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 â¦
“Hey!” Benny said. “My ears are popping like they do in an airplane.”
“That's because we're going up so high so quickly,” Jessie explained.
60, 70, 80 â¦
At last the elevator doors opened, and they were on the 86th floor. Benny and Bobby were the first out onto the observation deck, which ran all the way around the building.
“This is great!” Benny said. It was a clear, sunny day, and they could see for miles in every direction. The city lay spread out before them: rows of small buildings looked like toys, and tiny buses and cars moved along the streets. People were so small, the children could hardly see them.
“We're facing north,” Jessie said. “See, there's Central Park. I think I can see our hotel.”
“What's that building over there?” Benny asked, pointing to a tall, beautiful building.
“That's the Chrysler building,” Henry said, checking his pamphlet.
Off to the west, the children could see the Hudson River, alongside which they had driven into New York, with New Jersey stretching out on the other side. On the east they could see another river, the East River, with several bridges stretching across it.
“That's Brooklyn over there,” Jessie said. “And look! There's a plane taking off at the airport!” Beyond Brooklyn they could see the ocean.
To the south, they could see the tip of the island of Manhattan and lots of skyscrapers in an area Henry said was called Wall Street. “Those two really tall buildings are the World Trade Center â the Twin Towers. They're even taller than the Empire State Building.”
“Wow!” Benny said. He could hardly believe it.
Jessie pointed out the Statue of Liberty, in the harbor beyond the Twin Towers. It looked very tiny.
The children walked around the observation deck, looking out at the city from all sides. There were even telescopes that you could look through for a quarter, and each of the children took a quick peek.
When they had seen all they wanted to, the children went inside and took another elevator up to the very top â the 102nd floor. Emerging from the elevator, they found themselves in a tiny room. There was no outside deck here, but they peered out the windows at the city below, now even tinier.
When they returned to the 86th floor, Benny said, “May we get a souvenir?”
“Sure,” said Jessie. The Aldens selected a small model of the Empire State Building and a postcard to send to Mrs. McGregor. Bobby bought a pencil sharpener and eraser shaped like the tall, pointed building.
“Should we take a bus back?” Jessie asked when they were back down in the lobby.
“Let's walk for a little while and look around,” Violet suggested. “When we get tired, we can get on the bus.”
“Good idea,” Henry said.
“What about if we get hungry?” Bobby asked.
“I think you and Benny are going to be good friends,” Jessie said with a laugh.
“I'm hungry already,” said Benny.
“How about a hot dog?” Henry suggested. “There's a vendor on the corner.”
The man selling hot dogs was wearing a bright blue apron. He stood behind a metal cart topped by a blue-and-yellow striped umbrella. His cart held a steaming pile of large, soft pretzels covered with salt. There was also a pan of roasted chestnuts, which the man stirred with a long spoon, turning over the nuts as they browned. Hot dogs were cooking on a small barbecue. Bobby and Benny decided to share a hot dog with lots of mustard and ketchup. Henry got a hot pretzel with mustard, and Jessie and Violet each had a packet of roasted chestnuts. They walked as they ate, enjoying their snacks.
“Be careful not to drip mustard on your clothes,” Henry told Benny and Bobby. But the boys were having too much fun eating and talking to listen.
B
ack at the hotel, Jessie suggested that they go for a swim.
“You want to see Mike, don't you?” Henry teased.
“
No,
” Jessie insisted. “I just thought it might be fun.”
“I wonder if the pool has been cleaned yet,” Violet said.
“There's only one way to find out,” said Benny.
“Yeah, let's go see!” Ever since Bobby had heard about the purple pool up on the roof, he couldn't wait to see it for himself.
In the elevator, Jessie pushed P for pool. The doors closed, and the children felt the elevator start to rise.
“Look,” Benny said to Bobby, pointing up to the mirror on the ceiling. He made a funny face at Bobby, who made a funny face back. The two boys were laughing when suddenly the elevator stopped. It sat perfectly still for several seconds, but the doors didn't open.
The children looked at each other, curiously. Two lights were lit up on the dial over the door â 8 and 9.
“What's happening?” Violet asked nervously.
“It looks like we've stopped between the eighth and ninth floors,” Henry said. “I'm sure we'll be moving again in no time.”
“Yes,” Jessie said, trying to sound more sure than she felt. “This probably happens a lot in elevators.”
“I live in a really tall building in Chicago,” Bobby said. “And once the elevator just got stuck.”
“Got
stuck
?” Benny echoed, his eyes wide.
“What do you mean, âgot stuck'?” Violet asked in a small voice.
The silence in the elevator was beginning to make them all feel a little uncomfortable.
“I don't really know for sure,” Bobby said slowly. “I think something had gone wrong with the way the elevator works.”
“What happened?” asked Jessie. She was trying to stay calm so the others wouldn't be scared.
“The people in the elevator called the superintendent, and he fixed it,” Bobby explained.
“But we don't have a telephone,” Benny said, his voice trembling a little.
“Sure we do,” Bobby said with a reassuring smile. He walked over to a small door built into the panel of buttons. Bobby opened it and pulled out a telephone that had been hidden inside. “It's for emergencies,” he explained. “The elevator at home is just like this, and my parents showed me how to call for help.”
“I'm glad you're here!” Benny said, looking very relieved.
