Ghost Town Mystery (8 page)

“Yes,” confessed Mrs. Harrington. “Victor wanted as much property as possible to make this a first-class resort. He was going to have a stable of horses, a ski lodge, hiking trails, the spa, and of course Tincup Creek, which
is
a gold-medal stream. It was his idea to dam up the trout so no one would catch any fish and leave.”

“How did you know I’d come here with my grandchildren?” James Alden asked Victor. “I came out once to sign the papers when I bought the land from Jay Murphy.”

Victor gave a nasty smile. “I was in the courthouse in Beaverton that day. I’d found the springs by accident and was looking in deed books to see who owned the property. Turns out a man named James Alden had just purchased the very land I needed. I overheard you talking to the clerk, saying you wanted to show the land to your grandchildren. That’s when Mrs. Harrington and I put our heads together. We knew you’d have to stay at Eagles Nest. When you got here, we’d be ready.”

“Poor food and no electricity at a motel would hardly force me to sell my property,” Grandfather said.

“True,” Victor agreed. “But if we made you uncomfortable, you might fall for the important part of our scheme.”

“The ghost,” Jessie stated.

“Yes, the ghost of Tincup.” Victor sounded almost proud. “The story is true, by the way. We just needed to bring the Lady in Gray to life, so to speak.”

“You got Marianne to play the role,” said Violet. “She and her mother were the only two who fit the part. Gert was too big — ”

“As if I’d ever go along with such foolishness!” Gert sputtered.

“ — and Mrs. Harrington was busy running Eagles Nest,” Violet said. “So that left Marianne.”

Realizing it was her turn to speak, Marianne sniffed and said, “I never liked the idea of pretending to be the ghost. Especially after I met you Aldens. You’re such nice people. But my mother always dreamed of owning a fine hotel and Victor offered her that chance. I couldn’t stand in her way.”

“But you quit, didn’t you?” asked Benny. “We heard you arguing outside our window with your mother.”

“Yes,” Marianne said. “I really hated wearing that ridiculous outfit to fool Mr. Alden so he’d sell his land. One night I told my mother I wouldn’t do it anymore.”

Now Jessie broke in. “Corey almost took over for you. I saw him with part of the costume under his poncho the evening of the rainstorm.”

Corey looked sheepish. “Victor Lacey came to me. He knew I’d do anything for Marianne, so I offered to dress up as Rose Payne. I’m in the Drama Club at school.”

Victor looked angry. “I was in a real bind without our leading player. But Corey couldn’t have pulled it off. He’s too big. You people would know in an instant he wasn’t the ghost of a woman. But he was easily roped into my plans.”

“You rigged the Jeep so it broke down when we went to Tincup that evening,” said Henry. “You said you knew how to fix cars but you didn’t do anything. We walked into Tincup to give Marianne time to get into her costume.”

Corey nodded. “There’s another path you Aldens don’t know about. We decided, instead of the ghost ‘walking’ again, to have Marianne hide behind the dance hall door. One of you was bound to see her.”

“I did.” Violet shuddered at the memory of that horrible face.

“I’m sorry,” Marianne apologized. “But in the end I couldn’t be disloyal to my mother. She’s worked so hard all these years and there was a chance for her to make it.”

Victor smacked his fist into his open palm. “If you Aldens hadn’t come along, I’d be on my way to becoming a very rich man. Mr. Alden was ready to sell me his property — ”

Grandfather held up a hand. “Not so fast. I wasn’t sure what your game was. My grandchildren uncovered it.”

“Does this mean you’re not selling our town?” asked Benny.

Grandfather smiled at him. “Tincup is ours. And all the property around it.” He looked at Old Gert. “I’m aware that your land is next to mine.”

She looked worried for the first time. “I’ve always lived there.”

“And you will continue to live there,” Grandfather assured her. “I’m not touching the property. I do think the town of Tincup ought to be saved, though. It’s part of history. I plan to pave the road and have the buildings preserved. People would love to tour an old silver-mining town.”

Marianne turned excitedly to her mother. “We’ll have real tourists, Mother. And they’ll need a place to stay!”

“Well, it won’t be at Eagles Nest,” said Mrs. Harrington. “I’m selling. To Mr. Alden, if he wants it. I’m tired of running a motel in the middle of nowhere. It’s time for us to move on, Marianne. Make a new start.”

“You can always go to Colorado State,” Corey said. “It’s a good school and the town is nice, too.”

While they were talking, Henry noticed Victor Lacey slipping between two of the buildings.

“Hey!” he cried. “Mr. Lacey is trying to get away!”

The children dashed down the alley. Corey and Old Gert, who could run surprisingly fast, reached the man first.

“My dream is up in smoke,” Victor declared. “I’m leaving!”

“But you’ve caused people a lot of trouble,” said Grandfather. “You can’t just walk away like nothing has happened. Gert, what do you think we should do?”

Gert thought a few seconds. “You know what would be a fair punishment? Victor ought to camp in Tincup overnight. The bears
might
not smell him.”

“Bears?” Victor said shakily. “You’re going to leave me alone here with bears around?”

Corey went up to the Jeep and brought down a blanket, a bottle of water, and a bag of trail mix.

Gert stood guard at the entrance to the town. “Don’t worry, Mr. Alden. I’ll make sure our ‘pampered guest’ doesn’t leave before daybreak.”

As the others climbed the trail out of Tincup, Benny asked, “Are there bears?”

“Only in the wilderness areas,” Grandfather answered. “They are shy and would rather not be around people.”

Benny turned back. Victor Lacey wore the blanket over his shoulders and a glower on his face.

“Sweet dreams!” Benny said.

The next morning, Mrs. Harrington and Marianne prepared a real rancher’s-style breakfast with the eggs, bacon, biscuits, and butter they had been hoarding in the secret cupboard.

The children ate until they were stuffed.

As Grandfather was sipping a second cup of coffee, a knock sounded at the dining hall door.

It was Gert, with Victor in tow. Victor Lacey straggled behind her, contrite and bedraggled. Jessie figured he hadn’t slept much.

“Have some breakfast,” Adele Harrington offered them.

“Don’t mind if I do,” said Gert, sitting down.

But Victor shook his head. “No, thanks. I’ll just pack and be on my way.” He hurried out of the dining hall.

Moments later, they heard his rental car engine start and roar down the road.

“We’ll be leaving tomorrow ourselves,” said James Alden. “I’ll be in touch about buying Eagles Nest.”

“Marianne and I will fix a nice supper tonight,” said Mrs. Harrington gratefully.

Gert reached into her pocket. “I have something for you, Benny. It’s from the old Tincup Mine.”

Benny stared in amazement at the worn silver coin she dropped into his hand. “A real coin! Gee, thanks.”

“Keep it to remind you of this trip,” Gert told him. “And I’ll see you when you come back.”

Violet knew they would be back, to see Tincup restored to its former glory.

Meanwhile, she bet there were other adventures right around the corner.

G
ERTRUDE
C
HANDLER
W
ARNER
discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book,
The Boxcar Children,
quickly proved she had succeeded.

Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car — the situation the Alden children find themselves in.

When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.

While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner’s books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens’ independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.

Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

The Boxcar Children® Mysteries

T
HE
B
OXCAR
C
HILDREN

S
URPRISE
I
SLAND

T
HE
Y
ELLOW
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY
R
ANCH

M
IKE’S
M
YSTERY

B
LUE
B
AY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
W
OODSHED
M
YSTERY

T
HE
L
IGHTHOUSE
M
YSTERY

M
OUNTAIN
T
OP
M
YSTERY

S
CHOOLHOUSE
M
YSTERY

C
ABOOSE
M
YSTERY

H
OUSEBOAT
M
YSTERY

S
NOWBOUND
M
YSTERY

T
REE
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

B
ICYCLE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
AND

M
YSTERY
B
EHIND
THE
W
ALL

B
US
S
TATION
M
YSTERY

B
ENNY
U
NCOVERS
A
M
YSTERY

T
HE
H
AUNTED
C
ABIN
M
YSTERY

T
HE
D
ESERTED
L
IBRARY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
A
NIMAL
S
HELTER
M
YSTERY

T
HE
O
LD
M
OTEL
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
H
IDDEN
P
AINTING

T
HE
A
MUSEMENT
P
ARK
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
M
IXED
-U
P
Z
OO

T
HE
C
AMP
-O
UT
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY
G
IRL

T
HE
M
YSTERY
C
RUISE

T
HE
D
ISAPPEARING
F
RIEND
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
S
INGING
G
HOST

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
NOW

T
HE
P
IZZA
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY
H
ORSE

T
HE
M
YSTERY AT THE
D
OG
S
HOW

T
HE
C
ASTLE
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
L
OST
V
ILLAGE

T
HE
M
YSTERY ON THE
I
CE

T
HE
M
YSTERY OF THE
P
URPLE
P
OOL

T
HE
G
HOST
S
HIP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
W
ASHINGTON
, DC

T
HE
C
ANOE
T
RIP
M
YSTERY