“Read it again Jessie, okay?” said Benny.
Jessie pulled the photograph of Patch O’Brien’s cats from her backpack. She read the riddle on the back aloud. An awesome treasure, / you can find, / with the clue, / I’ve left behind. The four Alden children were sitting cross-legged on a small raft tied to the dock.
Benny was puzzled. “How can we find the treasure,” he said, “if we don’t even know how to find the first clue?”
“It must be somewhere on the property,” Violet said thoughtfully.
“But where?” Jessie passed around the napkins. “It’ll take forever to search every inch of the resort.”
“It isn’t much to go on,” said Benny. “Just a clue left behind … somewhere.” He swallowed the last bite of his sandwich, then washed it down with lemonade.
Jessie looked at Benny in surprise. A funny look came over her face.
“Is anything wrong, Jessie?” asked Violet.
Jessie didn’t answer. As she stared down at the riddle, an idea began to form in her mind. Then her face suddenly broke into a smile. “That’s it!” she said, more to herself than anyone else.
“Jessie?” said Henry. “What’s up?”
“The clue’s right here!” Jessie told them, waving the photograph in the air. She sounded excited.
The others stared at Jessie. They looked totally confused.
“Patch left the clue behind,” said Jessie, hoping they would catch on. Seeing their puzzled faces, she added, “What’s behind the riddle?”
Henry looked even more confused. “I’m not following you, Jessie.”
“Wait a minute,” said Violet. “Are you talking about the photograph of Patch O’Brien’s cats?”
Nodding, Jessie flipped the riddle over. “I have a hunch the clue’s hidden somewhere in this photograph.”
“But … where?” asked Benny.
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Jessie admitted. “But if we put our heads together, maybe we can figure it out.”
They took turns studying the photograph—first Jessie, then Benny, then Violet, and finally Henry. On the second time around, Henry said, “That bench looks familiar.”
“Really?” Jessie took a closer look. “I don’t remember seeing a green bench around anywhere.”
“Maybe it isn’t green anymore. Take a look at that crack along the back,” said Violet, who had an artist’s eye for detail. “It’s just like the one on that yellow bench by the gift shop.”
“You might be on to something,” said Henry. “That’s good detective work, Violet.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere!” put in Benny.
They quickly finished their lunch, then hurried over to the gift shop to take a closer look at the bench.
“No doubt about it,” said Jessie, looking from the photograph to the bench and back again. “That’s the same one, all right.”
They weren’t really sure what they were looking for, but they set to work checking out every inch of the old bench. They found the names of tourists carved into the wood, and wads of gum stuck under the seat. But they found nothing that would help them find Patch’s treasure.
Finally, Violet let out a sigh. “Looks like we struck out.”
As they headed back to their cabin, Jessie said, “Never mind, Violet. It was a good try.”
“If we’re on the wrong track with the bench,” Henry said thoughtfully, “that can mean only one thing.”
“What’s that, Henry?” asked Benny as he fell into step beside his brother.
“The clue must have something to do with the cats,” Henry reasoned.
“That makes sense,” Jessie said after a moment’s thought. “After all, there’s nothing else in the—”
Suddenly a familiar voice interrupted their conversation. When they looked over, they saw Max standing on his porch with his back to them. He was talking on a cell phone. The children couldn’t help overhearing bits and pieces of the conversation.
“No, no! It’s important to keep this hush-hush. I don’t want Abby to find out what I’m up to … I’m not sure. Maybe gold.”
The children looked at each other. They didn’t like the sound of this.
When Max turned and saw the Aldens, he looked startled as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. “Oh, hi there!” he said, quickly pocketing his cell phone. “I was just, um …” His voice trailed away. “Guess I’d better get back inside. Got something on the stove.” He was gone in a flash.
“What was that all about?” Jessie said, with a puzzled frown.
“I’m not sure,” said Henry. “But it sounds like Max is up to something.”
“He was talking about gold,” added Benny. “Do you think he’s after Patch O’Brien’s treasure, too?”
“We can’t be sure what Max was talking about,” Violet was quick to point out.
“That’s true,” said Henry. “I guess we shouldn’t jump to any conclusions.”
“One thing’s for sure,” said Benny. “Things are getting more and more mysterious!”
For the rest of the day, the Aldens puzzled over the photograph. But by the time they went to bed, they were still no closer to solving the mystery.
Around midnight, Violet awakened from a dream about Ogopogo. When she couldn’t get back to sleep, she slid out of bed. She made her way over to the window and peered out at the moonlit lake. Suddenly, she gasped.
“Jessie!” she cried. “Come quick.”
“What is it?” Jessie asked in a sleepy voice.
“Hurry!” Violet cried. “You’ve got to see this!”
Curious, Jessie threw back her covers and jumped out of bed. “See what?” she asked, coming up behind her sister.
“Look over there,” Violet said in a hushed voice. “By the dock.”
“I can’t see any—oh!”
Violet looked over at her sister. “You can see it, too, can’t you?”
Jessie nodded her head slowly, too astonished to speak. |