“She hung up?” Jessie echoed.
Violet was looking at the local street map Jessie had brought in with their new books. “Andrew lives at four-oh-two Ancona Lane, apartment three. According to this map, Ancona Lane is only two streets over from this one,” she said.
“We can walk there!” Benny said. “And see if Andrew is home.”
“He might be sick,” Henry added, folding the street map. “He may need help.”
First the Aldens went down the hall to let Grandfather know they were going for a short walk. He was busy on the phone and motioned that it was okay for them to leave.
Even though it was hot, the kids ran the two blocks to Ancona Lane. This street also had small hotels and houses with rooms for rent. A VACANCY sign was staked in the front yard of number 402.
An elderly gentleman sat on the porch reading a book. He smiled as the kids climbed the steps.
Henry noticed the front door was closed. “We’re here to see a friend,” he said to the old man. “Do we need to ask permission from the owner of the house first?”
“I have a key,” the old man said, rising. “I’ll let you in. If you know the apartment number, just go down the hall.”
“Thanks,” Jessie told him. She pushed the door open and was greeted by a blast of cool air and a sour face.
The cool air was welcoming, but the sour face was not.
“Who are you?” demanded a woman with red hair.
“We’re the Aldens,” answered Benny. “We’ve come to see Andrew Beldon.”
The woman’s gray eyes narrowed in a frown. “Did you just call on the phone?”
“As a matter of fact, I did —” Henry began.
“Andrew is not here,” the woman told him. “And I don’t allow kids in my house.”
“Thanks for your help,” Jessie said. She refused to be impolite.
The door slammed behind them. The old man was still sitting on the porch.
“Old Lady Applegate give you a hard time?” he guessed.
“Yes,” said Violet. “Is she always that grouchy?”
“Pretty much. But the lodging is cheap and her cooking isn’t too bad.” The old man stuck out his hand. “My name is Gus Hummer. Anything I can help you with?”
The children took turns shaking hands and introducing themselves.
“We hope you can,” said Jessie. “We’re looking for Andrew Beldon. He does live here, doesn’t he? In number three?”
“Yep,” said Gus. “But Andy’s been . . . away for a while.”
“Do you know where he is?” asked Henry. “Our grandfather knows Andrew’s father. He’s trying to find Andrew for his father.”
Mr. Hummer opened his mouth, then glanced back at the house. Violet thought she saw a curtain twitch at the window. Was Old Lady Applegate spying on them?
Gus lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper. “The only thing I can say is that Andy is mixed up in something pretty serious. He’s disappeared like this before, but never for this long.”
“Is Andrew in danger?” Henry prodded.
Gus shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think he’ll probably show up soon. I can’t say any more, kids. But watch out for Old Lady Applegate.”
Violet led them across the screened-in porch and down the steps. As soon as they were away from the boardinghouse, they began discussing this new development.
“What could have happened to Andrew?” asked Jessie. “What would keep him away from his job? And from calling his father?”
“And how does his landlady fit into the picture?” Violet wondered.
“I still think Melanie Harper knows more than she’s telling us,” said Jessie.
“I’m afraid Andrew is in danger,” Henry stated grimly.
The children were silent on the way back to the pink hotel. They went straight to Grandfather’s room.
Grandfather was through making calls. “Here’s what I’ve found out,” he reported. “Andrew last came to work four days ago, but has not been seen since. Also, his attendance record is spotty.”
Benny frowned. “What does that mean?”
“It means Andrew has been arriving at work late, or leaving early, or taking extra time off,” said Grandfather. “His supervisor told me Andrew has received two warnings.”
“I thought Andrew was responsible,” Henry said. “This doesn’t sound like him.”
“It doesn’t,” Grandfather agreed. “That’s what’s puzzling me. I’ve known Andy Beldon since he was very young. He was always interested in nature. He was so excited when he became a park ranger. It was a dream come true for him.”
“If he loved his job so much, why would he mess it up?” Violet asked.
“Good question.” Grandfather looked at them. “You four know something, don’t you?”
They told him Andrew lived only two streets over. When they described their visit and what Gus had told them, James Alden drew his brows together.
“Well, it’s obvious we won’t get any answers from that Applegate woman,” he said. “But I don’t think we should call the police yet. I don’t want to worry Andrew’s father.”
“I think our best bet is to go back to Shark Valley,” Jessie suggested. “I still think Melanie is holding back about Andrew.”
“We’ll go first thing in the morning,” said Grandfather. “It’ll be cooler. We’ll rent bikes and ride along the trail.”
“Oh, boy!” cried Benny. “Maybe we’ll see an alligator!” Then his face fell. “But what’ll we do until tomorrow?”
Grandfather pulled out a colorful brochure he had picked up at the airport. “How about a trip to Parrot Jungle?”
“Yippee!” Benny tossed the brochure into the air. “I wish I could live in a jungle when I grow up!”
Everyone had a great time at Parrot Jungle. The park was enormous, with gardens and waterfalls. The birds flew free inside a high, framed net.
“It really is a jungle,” Violet said. “There are more than twelve hundred varieties of plants here!”
“That’s more than I can count,” said Benny. He pulled Grandfather toward the stage, where a show was about to begin.
They all laughed at the antics of the colorful parrots, macaws, and cockatoos. The birds cleverly pulled tiny carts or skated on miniature roller skates.
They also saw a flock of flamingos, the tallest of all wading birds. Most of the birds stood on one leg.
“It says here the zookeepers put beets in their food to make them so pink,” read Jessie from her guide.
“Yuck!” Benny wrinkled his nose. He’d sure hate to eat beets every day. He tried standing on one leg but fell over, making the others laugh.
“It’s hard to keep your balance,” said Grandfather. “But I bet you can do something that bird can’t.”
“What?” said Benny.
“Eat ice cream!”
After hot-fudge sundaes, they discovered the alligator pond. Alligators large and small lay half submerged in the water. Most looked like the greenish log the children had seen from the observation tower.
“Your wish has finally come true,” Henry said to Benny. “Can you count all those alligators?”
Benny was disappointed. He wanted to see alligators running around. These alligators were all half asleep.
Jessie understood how he felt. “They’re not very exciting, are they?”
“It’s okay,” Benny said. “I have a new wish now.”
Violet nodded. “Zoos are neat, but I’d rather see animals living free, too.”
As they walked back to the car, Grandfather said, “It’s not always possible for animals to live free. More and more homes and offices are being built on land that animals once lived on. That’s why the Florida panther is such a rare animal.”
Benny thought about the wild Florida cat as they drove back to the hotel. Wouldn’t it be something to see one of those?That was his new wish.
The next morning, the Aldens left early. They ate breakfast at the pancake restaurant and headed for Shark Valley. At the park, they rented bicycles and set off down the loop road.
The land was flat, so it was easy riding. But the insects were out in fall force. Jessie passed around the bug spray. Even though it was hot, they all wore long sleeves and pants of light cotton.
They stopped several times to look at birds and flowers. Violet took lots of pictures.
Then Benny gave a cry of delight.
“Alligators!” he exclaimed, thrilled. “A whole bunch of them! Out of the water!”
Like people at a beach, a number of alligators were sunning themselves. Although the alligators were far away and not moving, Jessie shuddered.
“Don’t worry,” Henry reassured her. “They won’t hurt us as long as we stay away from them. They only move when threatened or when they’re hungry. And they don’t eat very often.”
“How do we know when they last ate?” Jessie said. She would never like scary reptiles with big sharp teeth, no matter what Henry said.
They decided to bike along a canal. Grandfather had seen a ranger station on the map. Maybe Andrew would be there or someone would know something about him.
But before they reached the ranger station, they came across something they couldn’t resist stopping to see. |