Benny finished the last of the milk in his pink cup and handed it to Violet. He frowned, still thinking about Cap’s accident. “You might feel closer to people if you had your telephone fixed,” he said.
“I had that thing disconnected myself,” Cap told him crossly. “I was getting calls that didn’t make any sense. That phone would ring and when I’d answer it, no one would say anything. I knew there was somebody there because I could hear breathing.”
Henry and Jessie exchanged glances. Why would anyone call Cap up and then just breathe?
“I must say it’s nice to have your company tonight,” Cap went on. “But I’ll get you into the hotel in town tomorrow. You’ll be safe there until your grandfather comes.”
“We’ve had lots of adventures alone,” Benny protested.
Cap nodded, but his frown didn’t go away.
Cap was no housekeeper. Although the house had electricity and running water, it was otherwise very simple. Jessie finally found a dishpan and a drying rack. When Henry came to help her and Violet with the dishes, she shook her head. “Maybe you and Violet should check things outside. The chickens will be asleep, but you might check on the horse.”
Cap nodded. “I would appreciate your checking on Pilot,” he said. “He’s probably lonesome and would like a pan of oats.”
When Violet and Henry came back from the barn, the tiny kitchen was shining. “My, you are good workers,” Cap said. “Everything’s done, and it’s too early to go to bed.” Then he chuckled. “How about you make us up a big bowl of popcorn? We can take it out on the porch and get better acquainted.”
Benny clapped his hands. “I love popcorn,” he said.
“So does Doodle,” Cap told him. “That’s why I haven’t made any since I hurt my ankle. He can eat it faster than I can get it off the cob and into the pan. I’ll tell you where it is, and we’ll take this rascal outside until it’s done.”
The children had never seen popcorn still on the dry cob. Jessie shelled it while Henry heated the heavy pan on the stove. Within minutes the popcorn was exploding under the pot lid while Henry shook it to keep it from burning.
“I’ve never eaten popcorn this good,” Violet said when they were settled on the dark porch. “Where do you get it on a cob like this?”
Cap’s laugh was warm and rich. “I grow it right out there in my own garden.”
“I love gardening,” Jessie said. “Tomorrow I’ll go see if it needs weeding.”
The crickets sang in the darkness as Cap told them about his life as a riverboat pilot. The children told Cap about their friend from the boat, Paul Edwards. He nodded. “There’re a million and one stories about that river to keep a writer going,” he said. “I believe I recognize that name.”
Benny, leaning against Jessie on the steps, fell asleep, dropping his bowl and spilling the last kernels of corn.
“Doodle is dead asleep for the night,” Cap laughed, “or he’d be after that corn in a minute. Let’s turn in. This night has been a rare treat for me. Who would have thought you kids could be such a big help?”
Doodle had his head under one wing on Cap’s shoulder.
“Where does Doodle sleep?” Violet asked.
Cap looked a little embarrassed. “He has a cage in my room. I’ve kept him there since I was hurt. While the foxes can’t get into the chicken yard if the gate is closed, the hawks can fly in. I was afraid he might get carried off. If I cover his cage, he doesn’t crow until I get up.”
Cap’s small cabin was cozy. The living room with its giant fireplace, Cap’s bedroom, and the kitchen formed the main part of the house. The children were to sleep on the screened porch that ran clear across the back. Jessie and Violet had narrow but comfortable cots at one end, with Henry’s and Benny’s at the other.
As they climbed into their cots, Violet asked Jessie, “Do you think he means to let us stay?”
Jessie laughed softly. “We just need to be so helpful that he can’t spare us. Let’s see who can do the most useful things.”
“And who can solve the mystery, too,” Benny said. “Holes just don’t dig themselves, you know.”
“You’re right,” Henry said. “Here we were hoping for one mystery and we get a whole bunch of them. Telephones don’t ring and breathe without someone else on the line, either.”
“But who would do a thing like that?” Jessie asked.
“And why would they want to?” Violet added. “Well, we need to find a whole lot of things if we’re going to help Cap.” Violet dropped her head on her pillow. “For that, I need a good night’s sleep.”
Once the lights were out, Jessie fell asleep almost instantly along with the others. When the strange sound wakened her, she sat up, startled. Violet stirred and whispered something in her sleep, but the boys slept on.
With her quilt around her shoulders, Jessie went to the window to stare out into the woods. The barn was a larger shadow against the uneven darkness beyond. She listened to the noisy darkness, the droning of insects, and the thumping of frogs. The sound that had wakened her was different, but more like a whistle than a birdcall. She had never heard a birdcall anything like that.
She was still trying to figure out what it could have been when she saw the light moving back among the trees. Could someone be out there with a flashlight? She saw it shine weakly, then disappear to a glow again a few yards away. It was always at the same height. She tiptoed to Henry’s side. He woke up at her touch and whispered, “What’s wrong?”
Jessie signaled him to silence and pointed to the woods. He sat up and stared out as she had done. When the light appeared, he caught her arm, whispering, “What is it?”
“I don’t know,” she said. Finally the light disappeared behind the barn.
“That’s weird,” Henry whispered. “I can’t figure out how you could make a light move like that unless someone was carrying it.”
“That makes it scary,” Jessie said. “Nobody has any business out there at night.”
“Maybe Cap would know what it was,” Henry said thoughtfully.
Jessie shook her head. “I don’t think we should say anything about it. He’s already too nervous. Remember how he looked when he told us about hurting himself — in a hole that hadn’t been there before? And those spooky telephone calls? If he thought any more strange things were going on, I’m sure he’d make us go stay in town.”
“You’re probably right,” Henry agreed. “Tomorrow we’ll all go explore out there. We’re sure to find some clues.” |