Panther Mystery (5 page)

Giggling, Jessie hugged him, then climbed into the front seat. Grandfather always knew the right thing to say!

Next they had to find a place for lunch.

“Any suggestions?” Grandfather asked.

“How about that barbecue place near here?” said Violet.

“The barbecue place it is,” said Grandfather.

Minutes later they arrived at the red wooden building. They were the only customers, so service was fast.

Soon they were eating chicken sandwiches, french fries, and corn on the cob, washed down with sweetened iced tea. It had been a long morning. No one said much until the waitress brought another pitcher of iced tea.

Refreshed and full, they discussed the mystery.

“If Andrew’s been sick all this time,” began Violet, “why didn’t he tell anybody? Why didn’t he at least call his father?”

“Maybe he was too sick,” said Benny.

Grandfather squeezed lemon into his glass of iced tea. “Benny has a good point. Andrew might have been too ill to pick up the phone and call before today.”

“Then why didn’t his landlady say so?” Jessie asked. “We were there and she never told us Andrew was sick. She wouldn’t tell us anything!”

“Except to go away,” Benny said.

“He could be sick someplace besides the rooming house,” Henry put in. “But that doesn’t seem very likely.”

“I think Melanie acted weird,” Violet said. “She seemed happy Andrew was out sick!”

Jessie nodded her agreement. “We need to watch her. I think she might be the key to this mystery.”

“Maybe the mystery is over,” said Grandfather. “I’ll call Andrew when we get back to our hotel. If he’s just been out sick, I’ll call his father and tell him so.”

“And then we’ll go back home?” Benny asked. He wasn’t ready to leave Florida yet. He had gotten his first wish — to see alligators. But now he had a second, even better wish.

“We’ll see.” Grandfather smiled. “Let’s head back to the hotel, okay?”

On the drive back, Jessie was thinking about Melanie. Was it possible that Andrew had called in before and Melanie had taken the call? Maybe Melanie had
pretended
she hadn’t heard from him, so she could get his job.

At the Flamingo Hotel, Mrs. Johnson waved a pink slip at Grandfather.

Everything about the hotel was pink, thought Violet. Even the notepaper.

“Message for you, Mr. Alden. A man called this morning right after you left. It sounded pretty urgent. He’d like you to call him back right away.” Mrs. Johnson left the hall.

Grandfather looked at the paper. “It’s from Tom Beldon. He wants to know what I’ve learned about his son. I don’t want him to be upset, especially since we’ve been out of touch for several days. I’ll call him now, before I check on Andrew.”

He went upstairs.

Jessie looked at Henry. “You know what? While Grandfather is on the phone with Mr. Beldon, we could go to Andrew’s rooming house and see him in person!”

“Great idea, Jessie,” said Violet. “Grandfather doesn’t mind if we walk around the block.”

“Or two blocks.” Henry was already out the door.

The others quickly caught up with him. A cool breeze stirred the royal palms. The sky was dark in the west. A storm was brewing.

By the time they reached Old Lady Applegate’s boardinghouse, fat drops of rain had begun to fall.

Gus wasn’t sitting on the screened-in porch, but the swing was moving slightly as if he had just gone inside.

Jessie knocked on the front door.

After a moment, the door opened a crack. An eye peered out. “What do you kids want?” The gruff voice undoubtedly belonged to the landlady, Old Lady Applegate.

“To see Andrew Beldon,” Henry spoke up. “We heard he was sick.”

“Yeah,” added Benny. “We came to cheer him up.”

“He’s not here,” said the landlady.

“That’s impossible,” said Violet. “We just heard that Andrew is sick. Where else would he be?”

The door opened inward so fast, Jessie nearly fell over.

“All right,” said Old Lady Applegate ungraciously. “You don’t believe me — see for yourself. Andrew Beldon’s room is the second door on the left. Don’t touch anything!”

“We won’t,” Henry promised. “We just want to visit him.”

The kids filed down the hall. Andrew’s door was closed. The landlady unlocked it with a ring of keys. She stood behind them to make sure they didn’t go inside.

Benny noticed the panther poster on the wall right away. He’d like to have one like it. Andrew’s room was fairly neat. The bed was made. His books were stacked by size in a bookcase. No shoes or clothes littered the floor.

“Now do you believe me?” Old Lady Applegate demanded. “If Andrew Beldon is sick, he’s obviously staying someplace else. He’s behind in his rent, too. If he doesn’t pay up by the end of the week, I’m renting his room to someone else.”

“What will happen to Andrew’s things?” Violet asked. She had noticed the photographs on Andrew’s desk.

The landlady shrugged. “I’ll box them up and store them. If Andrew doesn’t claim his stuff soon, then I guess it’s mine.”

Henry leaned inside the doorway just a little. Along the wall, behind the door, was a dresser. One drawer was pulled out and socks hung untidily over the edge.

“You can see Andrew is not here,” the landlady said, clearly flustered. She pulled the door shut hastily.

Henry wondered if she had something to hide. Did everyone connected with Andrew Beldon have a secret?

“Yes,” said Violet. “We’ll leave now.”

Outside, the rain shower had passed already. Steam rose from the sidewalk.

Violet asked the others, “Did you guys see all the panther books in Andrew’s bookcase?”

“And that neat poster?” added Benny. “Rrrr!”

“Melanie was right about one thing: Andrew is definitely obsessed with the Florida panther,” Jessie stated. She shook her head. “But Andrew’s room looked as if he hadn’t been there in days.”

“I saw something, too,” said Henry. “A moldy piece of bread sitting on the table. It takes several days for mold to grow, and I bet if he’d been here he would have thrown it away.”

“Why would he leave all his things?” Violet wondered. “He has some very nice books and pictures.”

“I don’t know,” Jessie answered. “But I think we ought to learn about the Florida panther. If it’s Andrew’s obsession, it should be ours, too. At least until we find him.”

Henry tapped the side of his head. “Good idea, Jessie. If we want to find Andrew, we have to think like him!”

T
he next morning, they all piled into the rental car and drove south to the main visitors’ center in the Everglades.

“I can’t believe the runaround we’re getting,” Grandfather said as he waved his pass at the ranger in the booth. “First Melanie Harper says she heard that Andrew was sick. And then you children go to Andrew’s boardinghouse and find out he’s not there!”

“If I wasn’t feeling well, I’d want to be home,” said Violet.

Henry said, “We can’t really blame the park people. They’ve been helpful, except for Melanie. I hope Andrew’s father wasn’t too upset when you told him you hadn’t found his son yet.”

Pulling into an empty parking space, Grandfather sighed. “I’m afraid he did become upset. He hasn’t heard from Andrew in almost three weeks, but I told him to wait a little longer before he calls the police.”

“We’ll get clues when we find out about the panther,” Benny said confidently.

The main visitors’ center was busy. Several park rangers were on duty, handing out brochures and maps, directing people to the various walking trails, and announcing guided hikes.

“We want to learn about the Florida panther,” said Jessie, walking up to the main desk. “Can someone tell us about them?”

The young man behind the counter replied, “Actually, one of our panther experts happens to be on duty in the Royal Palms Visitors’ Center. That’s just next door. Ask for Nelda.”

“Thanks!” Jessie said. Not all rangers were like Melanie Harper. This one was really nice.

And so was Nelda Pearson, as her name badge read. She was describing an easy boardwalk trail to a group of Canadians. When she finished with them, she saw Grandfather and the children.

“How may I help you?” Nelda asked.

“One of your coworkers from the main center told us you are an expert on the Florida panther,” said Grandfather. “I’m James Alden. My grandchildren and I are particularly interested in this animal.”

Nelda glanced at her watch. “You’re in luck. My break is coming up. How about if we walk the Gumbo Lingo Trail.”

They all went outside to a well-marked path. “This is the entrance to the Gumbo Lingo Trail. It’s named after the gumbo lingo trees you’ll see.”

At first the Aldens were too busy looking at the scenery to talk. Besides the odd-named gumbo lingo trees, there were more royal palms, colorful birds flying overhead, and orchids growing wild.

Then Henry remembered their mission. “Do you know Andrew Beldon?”

Nelda stopped and stared at him. “Andy! Yes, we’ve worked together for years. But I haven’t seen him lately.”

“Neither has anyone else. And his father hasn’t heard from him in quite a while,” Jessie said. “Mr. Beldon asked Grandfather to come down here and find Andrew.”

“He’s usually assigned to the Shark Valley Center,” Nelda said.

“He hasn’t been to work in days,” Benny put in. “A lady told us he was sick, but we still can’t find him.”

“Benny means Melanie Harper,” Violet supplied. “Melanie is doing both her job and Andrew’s. She told us yesterday Andrew had called in sick.”

Jessie picked up the story. “But we went to Andrew’s boardinghouse and he wasn’t there. We’ve heard that Andrew is interested in the Florida panther. Maybe if we knew more about them, it would help us find Andrew.”

“Boy,” Nelda said, almost to herself. “I hope Andrew isn’t in trouble.” Louder she said, “Andrew and I work together a lot with the big cats. He’s afraid they’ll become extinct.”

“Are they that rare?” Violet asked.

Nelda’s cheerful voice became somber. “There are no more than thirty to fifty Florida panthers left in the wild. Probably closer to thirty.”

“What happened to them?” Benny asked.

Nelda waved an arm. “The Everglades is their home. But the Glades are much smaller than they used to be. As more people moved in, that made less space for the big cats. They need lots of territory to hunt and live in.”

“I’ve heard that some are killed by cars,” Grandfather said.

Nelda nodded. “And hunters. The Florida panther was only given federal protection in nineteen fifty-eight. Now it’s an endangered species. They live deep in the Glades.”

“We keep hearing they are hard to see,” Henry said. “If a panther is so hard to spot, how do you keep track of them?”

“We use electronic collars,” Nelda explained. “We track the cats — they do leave signs, like paw prints or tufts of hair. Then we give the animals something to make them sleepy. While they are asleep, we treat them for illnesses or injuries and then put an electronic radio collar around their necks. Then we let the cats go. Now we’re able to keep tabs on them.”

Benny was confused. “Watch has a collar. It doesn’t have a radio on it.”

“Watch is our dog back home in Connecticut,” Violet told Nelda. “I’m confused, too. How does the collar work?”

“Each collar is a transmitter,” Nelda said, speaking more slowly so Benny could understand. “The collar sends out high-pitched beeps or signals. We can hear those beeps on special equipment we have.”

“How do you know one cat from another?” Henry asked. He knew a little about radio electronics.

“Good question. Each cat is assigned a number and its personal signal. For example, Cat Number Three has a special frequency. When we tune in our transmitters and hear that signal, we know we’re picking up Cat Number Three’s movements.”

“And that signal tells you where Cat Number Three is?” asked Grandfather.

“It tells us what area she’s in,” Nelda said. “If she’s not moving, we can get an even better idea of where she is.”

Jessie shook her head. “It’s so complicated! Don’t the cats mind wearing those collars?”

“At first they do, but then they get used to them,” Nelda said. “It’s the only way we can help them survive in the wild. Andrew has followed more cats than any of us. He monitors them day and night sometimes.”

Violet had an idea. “Do you think that’s where Andrew might be now? Following one of the cats?”

“He could be,” Nelda replied. “But it would be foolish for Andrew to go into the Glades alone, especially if one of the big cats was hurt. Andrew could be injured himself. No one would know where he is.”

The Aldens were quiet for a moment.

“Couldn’t Andrew call you on his radio?” Jessie asked Nelda.

“Yes, he could,” Nelda replied reluctantly. “I’ve tried calling
him
,but I don’t get a reply.”

Henry remembered what Gus Hummer, the old man who lived in Andrew’s boardinghouse, had said. He thought that Andrew was mixed up in “something pretty serious.” Could it have to do with the Florida panthers? Maybe Gus Hummer knew more than he was telling.

“We should start back,” Nelda said suddenly. “My break is over, and we’re very busy today.”