Mystery at the Crooked House (5 page)

As Henry lifted the head onto the snowman’s body, Jessie said, “Oh, dear! Our snowman is leaning over to one side!”

Henry stood back to take a look. “He sure is! Just like the chimney.”

“We made a crooked man to go with the Crooked House!” Benny cried out with delight.

The idea made them all laugh. “He does seem to fit right in!” said Henry.

“Hmmm,” said Violet thoughtfully. “I think our crooked snowman still needs a little something.”

Henry looked around until he found a broken branch on the ground. A few minutes later, Benny came running out of the house with a funny-shaped carrot. Soon their snowman had a crooked walking stick and a crooked nose!

Nick and Clarissa were walking out to their car. They came over to see what all the excitement was about.

“Oh, look!” cried Clarissa. “A crooked snowman!”

Nick threw his head back and laughed. “Now all you need is a crooked cat!”

Benny nodded. “I remember that nursery rhyme! The crooked man bought a crooked cat who caught a crooked mouse.”

“And they all lived together in a little crooked house!” everybody sang out at the same time.

“Our snowman leans to the right,” Benny told Mrs. McGregor over a lunch of chicken noodle soup and toasted tomato sandwiches. “That means he’s a very friendly snowman, doesn’t it, Jessie?”

Jessie reached over and ruffled her younger brother’s hair. “That’s just for handwriting, Benny!”

“Oh, are you children interested in handwriting?” Madeline’s eyebrows shot up. “Nick’s been studying it for years. Did you know that he can look at someone’s handwriting and tell you exactly what sort of person they are? It’s really quite amazing.”

“Is Nick an expert in handwriting analysis?” Nola sounded surprised.

Jessie and Henry exchanged glances. Why was Nola suddenly so interested in their conversation?

“It’s just a hobby of his,” said Madeline. “But he’s really quite good at it.”

“Jessie’s good at it, too,” Benny put in. “She could tell that Henry was a hard worker and that Violet was helpful just by looking at their handwriting. And Jessie was right! It was Violet’s idea to decorate a tree with food for the birds. That was
very
helpful.”

Madeline nodded approvingly. “If you’d like to help the birds of Riddle Lake, feel free to use whatever you can find in the kitchen.”

“Thank you,” said Violet shyly. “We’ll make some decorations when we get back from tobogganing.”

As they made their way up the snowy slope, Henry said, “Just one more ride down, then we’d better start back.”

They had been tobogganing all afternoon. Clarissa had come along, too, and the sun was just starting to set as they piled on for one last ride. Benny was in front, with Clarissa, Violet, and Jessie behind him. “Hold on tight!” hollered Henry. He gave the toboggan a push, then hopped onto the back.

Zooming down the hill, they all shouted and squealed as the snow sprayed back into their faces. About halfway down, the toboggan went off course. Before they knew what was happening, they were heading straight for a tree!

“Look out!” cried Clarissa.

But it was too late. Everybody tumbled into the snow when the toboggan collided into the tree with a great
thunk!

“Is everyone okay?” asked Henry, shaking the snow from his hat.

For a moment, they were all laughing too hard to speak. Finally, Benny held up an icicle. “Look! We knocked out the tree’s tooth.”

Everyone laughed at Benny’s joke. Then Violet began to stare wide-eyed at the tree.

“What’s the matter?” Jessie asked her in alarm.

Scrambling to her feet, Violet rushed over and snapped another icicle from a branch. “It really
does
look like a tooth,” she said. “A dragon’s tooth!”

When Violet started to recite the riddle aloud, the other Aldens chimed in. By now, they knew it by heart. When they were finished, Benny cried out, “Wait a minute! A tree loses its teeth when the icicles melt!”

Jessie’s eyes were sparkling. “And it gets new teeth when the winter comes around again. Just not the kind of teeth that bite.”

“Of course!” agreed Henry. “A tree
does
have bark, so its—”

“Bark is worse than its bite!” finished Violet. “The answer to the riddle is a
tree!
”

The Aldens let out a cheer. Putting together clues was always fun.

“I’m glad you found the answer to the riddle,” Clarissa told them as they headed home. “Even if it did take longer than just a second!”

Jessie looked confused. How did Clarissa know about the P.S. at the end of the Mystery Lady’s note?

When they were back at the Crooked House, they waved good-bye to Clarissa. As soon as she was out of earshot, Jessie said, “Nobody told Clarissa that it was supposed to take a second to find the treasure. How did she know?”

“Maybe Madeline told her about it,” suggested Henry.

“I doubt it,” said Jessie as they went around to the back of the house. “Madeline doesn’t even believe there
is
a treasure.”

Violet thought about this. “Clarissa might have overheard us talking yesterday. Don’t forget, she was standing right behind us when we were taking a break from playing hockey.”

“I guess that’s possible,” admitted Jessie. But she wasn’t so sure.

Henry put the toboggan away in the shed, then fastened the lock on the door. “Well, at least we found the answer to the riddle!”

Benny seemed worried. “But we still don’t know where the treasure is hidden. Do we?”

“I think I know where to look!” Violet said, her voice excited.

When their boots were lined up neatly by the door and their knitted hats were all hanging on the hat tree, the Aldens raced up the crooked stairs behind Violet. Dashing into the room with the cornflower-blue wallpaper, Violet pointed to the Mystery Lady’s painting on the wall.

Everybody stared at it for a moment. Then Jessie said thoughtfully, “There
are
icicles on the trees in that picture. But I doubt the painting’s worth very much, Violet. Mrs. McGregor told us that the Mystery Lady was just a beginner.”

“That’s true,” said Violet. “But what if there’s something hidden in the back of the frame?”

That was possible. They decided to check. Henry lifted the painting down from the wall. And sure enough, Violet was right! They found a note just under the backing.

“It’s another riddle,” Henry told them. Then he snapped his fingers. “That’s what the Mystery Lady meant! She wasn’t talking about time when she said it would take a
second
to find the treasure.”

“I don’t get it,” responded Benny.

“I think I do,” said Jessie. “She meant it would take a second
riddle!
”

Henry nodded.

“Well, what does it say, Henry?” Benny asked.

Henry read the riddle out loud:

“‘Look around and you will see,

A thing that hangs upon a tree;

If you’re partial to the shade,

Just keep this thing with you all day!

What is it?’”

“What does
partial
mean?” asked Benny.

“It means, if you prefer the shade to the sun,” explained Violet.

Jessie sighed. “The second riddle is certainly a mystery, too!”

“I just hope it’s a mystery we can solve,” replied Henry.

After hanging the Mystery Lady’s painting on the wall again, the children hurried downstairs to prepare their dinner of sweet-and-sour meatballs, mashed potatoes, green beans, and fruit salad. The Aldens were on their own tonight. Mrs. McGregor and Madeline were dining with an old friend, and Nola wouldn’t be back from town until later. Jessie carefully read the recipe that Madeline had left for them, so she could help instruct her brothers and sister with the meal.

While they worked in the kitchen, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny discussed the second riddle.

Benny was shaping the meat into little balls. “I bet the answer is an umbrella!” he said.

“That’s a good guess, Benny,” said Jessie, stirring the sweet-and-sour sauce at the stove. “An umbrella
does
give shade, but—”

“It doesn’t hang on a tree,” finished Benny with a sigh. Then his face suddenly brightened. “A possum hangs upside down from a tree!”

“That’s true,” said Violet, chopping bananas and apples for their fruit salad. “But possums aren’t known for their shade.”

That didn’t stop Benny. “How about a possum holding an umbrella?”

The others burst out laughing. Henry gave Benny a little pat on the back. “Keep trying, Benny!” he said. Then he went over to the stove and dropped the peeled potatoes into a pot of water.

While they were waiting for the meatballs to bake and the potatoes to boil, the Aldens sat around the kitchen table. Jessie read a chapter of
The Alphabet Mystery
aloud while Benny helped Violet and Henry string cranberries and popcorn for the birds.

When Jessie had finished a chapter, she went to check on the meatballs. The sauce was bubbling nicely. She poked a fork into the potatoes. They were ready for mashing.

Violet laughed as she gathered up the cranberry and popcorn strings. “Oh, Benny! I think you ate more popcorn than you put on the string!”

The youngest Alden couldn’t help grinning. “Figuring out riddles makes me hungry.”

While Henry mashed the potatoes, Jessie kept an eye on the green beans while they steamed. Violet and Benny set the table.

Benny took a break for a moment to take a look at the famous author’s inscription in
The Alphabet Mystery:
“To Margaret, All Best Wishes from Amelia Quigley Adams.”

“I can tell that Amelia Quigley Adams had a good imagination!” he said at last. “Just like the Mystery Lady.”

“How can you tell that, Benny?” asked Jessie, dishing up the meatballs.

“Because of her handwriting,” Benny pointed out. “See all her high loops?”

Jessie set the meatballs on the table, then she went over to take a closer look. A frown crossed her face. “How odd! The
fs
are crossed the same way, too. Why, it looks
exactly
like the Mystery Lady’s handwriting.”

Violet was pouring milk into the glasses. “Are you sure?” she gasped.

“I can’t be certain,” admitted Jessie. “But I think so.”

“Maybe we should compare the two,” suggested Henry.

Jessie nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

Benny sat down quickly at the table. “Not until we are done eating! We don’t want our food to get cold. Do we?”

Henry laughed. “Don’t worry, Benny. We’re hungry, too!”

“Didn’t Mrs. McGregor take the shoe box back up to the attic?” Violet asked as she passed the green beans.

Jessie nodded. “I’m sure she won’t mind if we go up for a minute.”

During dinner Benny was unusually quiet. Violet could tell something was troubling him. “What’s wrong, Benny?” she asked as she served the fruit salad for dessert.

A frown crossed Benny’s round face. “I think Madeline is right. I don’t think there
is
a treasure!”

“Why do you say that, Benny?” Henry wanted to know.

“The Mystery Lady fooled Mrs. McGregor,” replied Benny. “She signed the book herself. Then she pretended the famous author signed it. That was a mean trick to play on Mrs. McGregor.”

“Yes, it was,” agreed Violet.

Nobody said much for a while. As they cleared the table, Henry remarked, “I guess the Mystery Lady could have fooled Mrs. McGregor about the treasure, too.”

“We can’t be
certain
the handwriting is the same,” Jessie reminded them. “Not until we compare the two.”

As soon as the dishes were done, Henry took one of the flashlights that hung by the kitchen door. Then they headed up to a second flight of crooked stairs that led to the attic.

“Brrr!” said Violet, rubbing some warmth into her arms. “It’s freezing up here.”

“And dark, too,” added Benny, reaching out for Jessie’s hand. “It’s a good thing Henry brought the flashlight.”

Henry beamed the light over trunks and boxes, stacks of books and magazines, and old lamps and paintings. “Never mind. This won’t take long.”

Benny was the first to spot the shoe box on top of a steamer trunk in the corner. Henry held the flashlight above the shoe box while Jessie looked for the Mystery Lady’s note.

“That’s funny,” she said. “I can’t find it in here.”

Violet didn’t think it was funny at all.