“It’s not much to go on,” Jessie remarked as she made a copy of the rhyme.
Benny was scratching his head. “What I don’t understand,” he said, “is how two can make one.”
Henry shrugged. “Beats me.”
“I can’t understand it, either,” admitted Violet. “Thane’s clues are tough to figure out.”
The children puzzled over the strange rhyme all morning. They thought and thought, but they couldn’t come up with any answers. Everyone was stumped.
“I have an idea,” Violet said when she caught a whiff of flowers coming through the opened window. “Let’s pack a picnic lunch and go for a bike ride.”
The others were quick to agree. “We could use a break,” said Henry.
After telling Kate about their plans, the Aldens loaded sandwiches, apples, and a large thermos of lemonade into Henry’s backpack, then set off on the bikes Kate kept for her guests. Putting all thoughts of the mystery aside for a while, they pedaled happily through the countryside.
By the time they returned to Wiggin Place, the afternoon sun was getting hot, the rhyme was still a big question mark, and the necklace was still missing.
“Kate’s been tearing her room apart all day,” Violet remarked. “I think she’s beginning to give up hope.” The children were sitting at the umbrella table on the stone patio, sipping ice-cold cranberry juice from tall glasses.
Jessie tugged her notebook from her back pocket. “One mystery at a time, remember?”
Henry agreed. “Let’s take another look at that rhyme.”
Nodding, Jessie read it aloud. “Blue and yellow/ yellow and blue/ two make one/ a gem of a clue!”
“What about Kate’s necklace?” said Violet, after a moment’s thought. “Isn’t it blue and yellow?”
Jessie was quick to agree. “A bluebird charm on a yellow-gold chain.”
“And the blue and yellow make one necklace,” added Violet, pouring Benny another glass of cranberry juice.
Henry was nodding his head. “You might be on to something, Violet.”
Jessie said, “The clues seem to fit.”
“But Kate’s necklace doesn’t have any gems on it,” argued Benny. “Not even a single diamond. Blue and yellow are supposed to make one gem of a clue. Remember?”
“Good point, Benny,” Henry said, arms folded, leaning back in his chair.
“But … what else could it mean?” Jessie was bending over her notebook again.
“It’s a mystery,” Violet said, laughing a little. “As Grandfather would say, Wiggin Place has more mysteries than you can shake a stick at.”
“And the mysteries aren’t easy to solve,” added Henry.
“Sally Crawford is the key,” said Benny.
The others had to admit their little brother was right. All the mysteries had something to do with Sally.
Jessie started adding everything up on her fingers. “There’s the mystery of Ethan Cape. Didn’t the famous photographer come all the way to Kansas just to take Sally’s picture? And how about the missing necklace? It once belonged to Sally.”
“And don’t forget about Thane Pace,” put in Violet. “He saved Sally’s life.”
Henry added, “Even the rhymes were meant for her.”
“I wish we knew more about Sally’s secret,” Jessie said, lost in thought. “The one she wanted to share after Ethan Cape’s visit.”
“Speaking of Ethan Cape,” said Violet, reaching for a book on the empty chair beside her, “looks like somebody’s reading his biography.”
“Probably Kate,” guessed Henry.
“I’m sure you’re right, Henry.” Violet began to thumb through the pages. “Wow, there’s all sorts of photographs in here.” Her eyes were shining. “Ethan was a genius with the camera.”
“Sounds like a good book,” Jessie remarked. “Maybe you can borrow it when Kate’s finished.”
But Violet was only half-listening. She had come to something that made her stop and stare. “This is strange,” she said in a puzzled voice. “Here’s a photo taken in the olden days.”
Benny, Jessie, and Henry crowded around to take a look. A middle-aged woman in a high-necked blouse and long skirt was sitting at a table shaped like a half moon. She was wearing a white apron and matching cap.
“That lady must have been a cook,” observed Benny. “At least, that’s how she’s dressed.”
Henry nodded his head. “That’s what I was just thinking.”
Jessie looked at her sister. “What’s strange about that, Violet?”
“Well, maybe this is just a weird coincidence,” said Violet, “but isn’t there something about this photograph that looks familiar?”
Jessie took a closer look. “Now that you mention it,” she said, “it reminds me of Sally’s photograph. The one taken when she was Benny’s age.”
Peering over Violet’s shoulder, Henry nodded. “There’s a half-moon table in both pictures.”
“But that’s not all,” put in Violet. “Did you notice the background?”
Jessie looked. “Oh, my goodness!” she cried. “An oval window with frosted glass!”
“And wallpaper with big roses all over it,” added Benny.
Jessie nodded. “That can mean only one thing.”
Benny looked at her. “What?”
“The cook’s photograph was taken right here at Wiggin Place.”
Henry shook his head. “This is getting weirder and weirder.”
“What does it say under the picture, Violet?” Jessie asked.
As Violet scanned the small print, her eyes widened.
“What is it?” Henry asked.
Before Violet could answer, the professor stepped out onto the patio. When he caught sight of the book Violet was holding, he rushed over and snatched it away. “How dare you!” He sounded upset. “You have no business touching my grandfather’s book! It’s a good thing I came back early.”
Violet’s eyes widened in alarm. “But I thought—”
The professor walked away before Violet could finish. Then he suddenly wheeled around to face them again. “This must never happen again,” he said in an icy voice. “I’m warning you, you’ll regret it if it does!” And then he was gone.
The Aldens looked at one another in disbelief.
“It was just a mistake,” Violet said in a small voice, “I didn’t know the book belonged to the professor’s grandfather.”
Jessie patted her sister gently on the shoulder. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Violet,” said Jessie, trying to comfort her. “The professor wouldn’t even give you a chance to explain.”
“Wait a minute,” said Henry. “Didn’t the professor say he wasn’t interested in Ethan Cape?”
Jessie nodded slowly. “Why would he pretend he wasn’t?”
“That’s just what I was wondering,” said Henry. |