The afternoon was getting hot as the Aldens headed for the Elmford Ice Cream Parlor. When they stepped inside, Benny stopped in his tracks. “Isn’t that Lucy, from the Kowloon Restaurant?”
“I’m sure of it,” said Violet, glancing over at the young woman standing at the counter. Although Lucy’s back was turned to them, Violet recognized the waitress’s thick auburn hair, pulled back with a green headband. Lucy was deep in conversation with Angela, the owner of the Elmford Ice Cream Parlor.
Angela was standing behind the counter, shaking her head. “I just can’t get over it!” she said. “A secret identity! It’s so exciting.”
“The whole thing makes me nervous,” responded Lucy. “What if something else goes wrong?”
“Did you hear that?” Violet whispered as Jessie and Henry came up behind them.
Jessie nodded. “I wonder what Angela meant about a secret identity.”
Just then, Benny stepped up to the counter. “Hi, Lucy. Remember us?”
“Oh!” Noticing the children for the first time, Lucy seemed startled. But she pulled herself together quickly. “Yes, of course I do. You’re the Aldens,” she said, smiling uneasily. “I was ... uh, just checking out the ice cream flavors.” She seemed unable to look them in the eye. “Anyway, I think I’ll go find a quiet table and read for a while.” She quickly walked away, leaving the Aldens to stare after her.
“That was pretty strange, wasn’t it?” remarked Violet.
Benny sighed. “I don’t think anyone in town likes us.”
“I’m sure they like us just fine, Benny,” Jessie assured him. But she couldn’t help thinking that people in Elmsford suddenly seemed very eager to get away from them. First Martin. Then Lucy. It was hard to figure out what was happening in the little town.
Angela spoke up. “What’ll it be today, kids?”
“Ice-cream cones, please!” Benny told her. “But we haven’t decided what kind we want.”
“Take your time.” Angela smiled at the youngest Alden. “I’m not going anywhere.”
The children turned their attention to the metal containers of ice cream that were lined up in the freezer under the glass countertop. There were so many flavors, it was hard to choose.
“That Strawberry Swirl looks good,” said Violet.
“I think I’ll get it,” Jessie said. “What are you having?”
After much thought, Violet decided on Blueberry Joy.
“I might give the Peanut Butter Crunch a try,” put in Henry. Then he turned to his little brother. “Benny, do you know what you want?”
“I can’t decide between the Chocolate Chip and the — ” Benny suddenly stopped talking. He froze on the spot.
“What is it, Benny?” Violet wanted to know.
Benny swiveled around on his heel. “It’s ice cream!” he almost shouted.
Henry’s eyebrows furrowed. “Of course it’s ice cream, Benny,” he said in a puzzled tone. “This is an ice cream parlor, remember?”
Jessie could tell by her little brother’s face that he had discovered something important. “What’s going on, Benny?” she asked, stepping up beside him.
“Look!” Benny pointed through the glass countertop. “The ice cream in that bucket is speckled with every color of the rainbow! And look at the one next to it,” he added, hopping up and down on one foot. “It’s striped just like a tiger!” The others huddled closer to look down at the containers of ice cream.
“Omigosh!” Violet blinked. “I can’t believe it.”
Henry shook his head in amazement as he stared at the bucket of colorfully speckled ice cream labeled: RAINBOW EXPLOSION. Beside it was a bucket of orange-and-black striped ice cream called: TIGER’S TWIST. “Way to go, Benny!” Henry smiled at his little brother.
“See?” Benny said. “The mystery in the fortune cookie wasn’t just a joke.” He put his hand up and each Alden gave him a high five.
Jessie began to recite the words on Benny’s fortune, and the others soon joined in. “Where rainbows explode,/ And tigers twist,/ A mystery awaits,/ Just choose from the list.” They all knew the poem by heart. “But where is the list?” Jessie wondered.
Violet spotted a list of ice cream flavors on the wall by the door. “That’s got to be it!”
“It’s the only list around,” agreed Henry. They went over to take a closer look.
Jessie read off the ice cream flavors. There was everything from Cherries Jubilee to Peach Crumble. When she got to the end of the list, she suddenly clapped her hands. “Look, they have a Mystery Flavor of the Week!”
“A mystery awaits,/ Just choose from the list!” repeated Violet in a hushed voice.
“That’s what I’m going to choose,” Benny decided. “The Mystery Flavor of the Week.”
The Aldens hurried back to the counter and placed their order — Strawberry Swirl for Jessie, Blueberry Joy for Violet, Peanut Butter Crunch for Henry, and the Mystery Flavor of the Week for Benny.
Angela looked pleased. “So you’re willing to try my latest invention, are you, Benny?”
“You invented the mystery flavor?” Benny’s eyes were wide with interest.
“Of course. All my ice cream is homemade, you know.” Lowering her voice, Angela added, “The mystery flavor this week is Fortune Cookie Delight.”
The Aldens could hardly believe their ears. “Fortune Cookie Delight?” echoed Benny.
Angela nodded. “It’s made with caramel ice cream — and there’s a fortune cookie on the very top.” She paused as she pushed back a loose strand of hair. “Do you think it’s a good idea?” She looked hopefully at the Aldens.
“Is it a real fortune cookie?” Benny wanted to know.
“You bet!”
“With a real fortune inside?”
“For sure.” Angela smiled at the youngest Alden.
“Then it’s a great idea!” Benny concluded. And the others agreed.
“Whew!” Angela seemed relieved to hear this. “I’m hoping my latest mystery flavor will do the trick. Drum up business, I mean.”
“I’m sure it will!” said a cheery voice behind the Aldens. They turned around to see Martin walking over with Dottie by his side.
Jessie caught Henry’s eye. Martin had sounded so grumpy on the phone just a short time ago. Was it possible that his cheerfulness was just an act?
“All the local store owners are doing a terrific job,” Martin went on. “Bringing shoppers into town, I mean. And it’s not easy these days.”
Dottie nodded as she looked around at the empty tables. “That new shopping center on the highway really draws the crowds away from downtown. But we’re all doing our best to bring the customers back. Right, Angela?”
“That’s for sure,” she said. “Mr. Albert even hired a clown.”
“Entertainment and a free balloon for the kids.” Martin nodded his head approvingly. “Terrific sales gimmick.”
“Sales gimmick?” Benny made a face.
Henry smiled over at his little brother. “A sales gimmick’s an idea for attracting customers, Benny.”
“That’s exactly right,” agreed Martin. “All the store owners are trying to come up with something.”
Angela was busy scooping ice cream into cones. “I suppose you’ll be having your usual flavor, Dottie.”
“You guessed it!”
“Every week we come in here at this time,” Martin told the Aldens, “and every week my partner chooses the Mystery Flavor.”
“I can never resist a good mystery!” Dottie said. “By the way,” she added, looking at the Aldens, “how’s it going with that mystery of yours?”
Henry said only, “We’re still working on it.” He didn’t want to talk about it in front of Martin.
“Well, let me know what happens,” said Dottie. “I’m fascinated.” Spotting Lucy, she hurried away to say hello, with Martin right behind her.
Benny’s eyes widened in excitement as Angela handed him his cone with the fortune cookie on top.
The Aldens paid for their ice cream and sat down at a small table by the window. Benny wasted no time removing the cookie, breaking it open, and pulling out the little white slip of paper.
“Will you read it, Jessie?” he said, handing her the fortune.
Jessie studied it for a moment, then she frowned.
“Is it a clue?” Benny asked her.
“I’m not sure,” she said.
“Don’t keep us in the dark, Jessie,” Henry pleaded. “What does it say?”
Jessie tucked her hair behind her ears and read aloud:
“Twenty-four plus two,
Will give you a clue.”
Benny crinkled his brow. “What does that mean?”
Jessie shrugged. Benny looked at Henry and then at Violet. They didn’t seem to have any answers, either.
“Do the i’s have little hearts over them?” Violet couldn’t help asking. “Like the last fortune, I mean.”
Jessie nodded. “And it’s neatly printed by hand in blue ink.”
Violet felt a shiver go up her spine. This was getting more and more mysterious.
“Is there a message on the other side?” Henry wanted to know.
Jessie hadn’t thought of that. She turned the fortune over. Instead of a message, there were numbers grouped together. Jessie read them aloud:
“6-9-14-4 4-18-21-13 11-5-12-12-5-18 9-14 20-8-5 3-5-12-12-1-18.”
“Wow!” Benny was so interested in the latest fortune, he had forgotten all about his ice-cream cone. “I bet it’s a secret code!” he said, his voice rising in excitement.
Jessie looked around and realized that Martin and Lucy were staring at them. “We can’t really talk here,” she said quietly.
Henry nodded. “Let’s go.”
Dottie suddenly called out to the children. “Nothing mysterious in my fortune cookie.” She was sitting at a corner table with Martin and Lucy. “How about yours?”
The Aldens all looked at each other, not sure what to say. “A bunch of numbers,” Jessie said at last.
Dottie nodded. “Lucky numbers, no doubt.” She looked disappointed.
On their way out, Jessie stopped at the counter. “I was just wondering, Angela,” she said. “Where do you get your fortune cookies?”
Angela waved the question off. “Oh, most grocery stores carry them. Anybody can buy boxes of fortune cookies. Why do you ask, Jessie?”
“Oh, no reason,” Jessie said with a shrug. When she turned around, she noticed that Martin was watching them closely, his eyes narrowed.
“Do you think Dottie’s right?” Benny asked as they went outside. “About lucky numbers, I mean.”
“No,” Henry said firmly. “I think you’re right, Benny. It’s definitely some kind of code.”
As they finished their ice cream and walked to their bikes, Jessie looked back over her shoulder. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. Was it just her imagination, or was somebody following them?
“What is it, Jessie?” Henry asked. He could see that something was troubling her.
“Nothing really,” said Jessie, keeping her voice low. She didn’t want to frighten Violet and Benny, who were walking ahead. “I just feel like we’re being watched.”
Henry stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked behind him. “I don’t see anyone.”
Jessie looked back down the street also. She saw only shoppers coming and going, the same as always. Licking a drop of strawberry ice cream from the back of her hand, she said, “It’s probably nothing.” But there was a small part of her that didn’t believe it for a minute.
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