Deserted Library Mystery (2 page)

Benny cocked his head to one side. “How did you know what I was going to say?”

“We all know what you were about to say,” Henry said. Playfully he poked Benny in the ribs. “Besides, I'm hungry, too.”

“So am I,” Violet said.

“Me, too,” Jessie agreed.

Henry threw back his head and laughed. “Then it's a majority. Let's unload the supplies and eat.”

Jessie went out to the pump to wash her face and hands.

Next Violet went out to the pump, then Henry, then Benny.

“We'll need wood for the stove,” Jessie said.

“I'm way ahead of you,” Henry replied with a smile. “There's a bundle of wood by the front door.”

Jessie peeled potatoes and onions and scraped the carrots. Henry set a pot of water on the stove. When the water boiled, the girls dropped in a soup bone they had brought and the vegetables.

“A hot supper will taste good,” Jessie said.

“I'll say it will.” Benny rolled his eyes and patted his stomach. It didn't take too long for the soup to cook. With a crusty bread they had brought from home and fresh pears and cookies, they had a delicious meal.

After supper Violet sat on the window ledge. “There's the library,” she said softly.

“Where?” Benny asked eagerly, craning his neck to see.

“On the hill over there.” Violet gazed at the gray building. “How sad and lonely it looks.”

“We'll cheer the old place up tomorrow,” Jessie said. “We'll be chattering and going through its old books.”

“Oh, yes,” Benny said, clapping his hands. “We'll make the library happy. We're going to save it.”

But that night before Violet got into bed, she stared out the window. She wondered if anything could save the old library.

CHAPTER 3

The Squirrel That Wasn't There

T
he next morning, before anyone awakened, Henry quietly went outside and mounted his bicycle. He pedaled down the winding path and rode the two miles to Pete's Café. He must phone Grandfather and tell him they'd arrived safely.

The air smelled salty, and the sunny day warmed him. He felt good. They were off on another adventure.

Entering the café, Henry smiled at a plump man with a white beard behind the counter. He knew he must be Pete. “Hi, I'm Henry Alden. James Alden is my grandfather. My sisters and brother and I are living in your house for a few days,” Henry said.

“Hi, Henry,” the plump man said. “Good to meet you. How do you like my house?”

“Fine,” Henry answered. He didn't want to tell him how much cleaning they'd had to do.

Pete chuckled. “I imagine the cobwebs and dust were pretty thick after my house had been sitting there for all these months. I guess you and your sisters and brother took care of things.”

“We did a little cleaning,” Henry said with a smile.

“Did you find the extra pillows in the closet by the back door?”

“Yes, we've found everything we need,” Henry assured him.

“And the pump worked okay?”

“Yes, and so did the stove and refrigerator,” Henry said. “I need to use the phone to tell Grandfather we're all right.”

“Go right ahead,” Pete said. “And tell him hello for me.”

As Henry dialed, he overheard two men who were sitting at a nearby table.

The first man leaned forward. “Did you hear Mrs. Tate was robbed of her diamond ring last week?”

“You're kidding!” the second man said in surprise. “That's the third robbery in two months. Some antique maps were taken from Tom Davis's map and coin shop, and Mike Johnson's jewelry store was robbed, too. Who do you suppose is doing it?”

“Beats me,” the first man said. “But we'd all better keep things under lock and key.”

Henry promised himself that
they'd
better be careful and lock Pete's door.

After talking to Grandfather, Henry said good-bye to Pete and biked back to the house.

He arrived just in time for breakfast, and then they all biked to the library, which was about a quarter of a mile away. Because the narrow winding lane was steep, Benny had to stop several times.

When they reached the library, they stopped to stare at the gray shingled building. It tilted to one side, and the ground floor windows were boarded up. The front concrete steps were chipped and broken, and the roof had lost half its shingles.

The second floor had a large window looking to the sea. Because no one had boarded it up, a few glass panes were missing. It was as if the library had one big eye watching the water. Watching and waiting. What was it that Violet had said? Jessie thought. The library looked sad and lonely.

“Wow!” Benny uttered, a light breeze rumpling his dark shiny hair. “It's scary!”

Jessie pushed her strange thoughts away. “Let's see for ourselves,” she said brightly. She moved to the first step.

“Okay,” Benny said. “I'm right behind you.”

Henry laughed, taking Violet's hand. “This is going to be fun.”

Jessie unlocked the door.

After they entered the dark and silent library, they halted. Surprise was written on their faces. Shelves of books lined the room, but many more books were scattered on the floor, some face down. Others were thrown in a corner. In the center of the room was a large desk that had been the circulation desk.

They walked further into the room. Henry bravely went upstairs. “Come on,” he urged. His brother and sisters followed. They went into a room that also had books, but there was a large reading area by the big window. Under the window was a long seat covered in faded and worn material.

“This velvet seat was once red,” Jessie said, brushing her fingertips over the cushion.

“It looks pink to me!” Benny said. His voice echoed through the whole room.

“All right,” Henry said, “before we go through the books, I'll remove the boards from the downstairs windows.” He was dressed for work, too, in his jeans, and a shirt with a red stripe and short sleeves. “If we make the library look good, it may be given the landmark status Grandfather wants so much.”

“It would be wonderful to be able to do that for him,” Violet said.

“I'll help you, Henry,” Benny said, running downstairs.

“Careful,” Jessie cautioned. “Some of those wooden steps might be broken.”

“I'm okay,” Benny said. “See?” He stood at the bottom of the steps, looking up. His hands were behind his back, and he wore a big grin.

“Good, Benny,” Henry said. “Here we come.” They hurried down after Benny.

They all pitched in. The boards were removed from the windows, letting the sunlight stream in. They dusted and cleaned until Benny said, “Isn't it time for lunch yet?”

Violet halted, wiping her forehead. “Yes, I'm ready for a sandwich, too.” She sat down, straightening the collar on her violet T-shirt. Violet was her favorite color. She even had wallpaper in her room at home with violets on it.

“Lunch will be later,” Jessie said. “It's only eleven o'clock.”

Willingly, they straightened more books.

“Look,” Benny said, holding up a volume of fairy tales. It was an old book with no cover, but the pages were still in good condition. “Read me this story, Jessie,” he said, pointing to one.

Jessie, who was on her knees, stood up and took a deep breath. “I'm ready for a break. We'll sit over here by the circulation desk, Benny. Ah, you've chosen
Rumpelstiltskin.
”
She began to read about the maiden who was forced to weave all day, and the threads she wove that turned to gold.

When Jessie finished the story, Benny stood up. “Wow!” he exclaimed, “Rumpelstiltskin was a mean man. I'd like to spin gold!”

“And what would you do with it, Benny?” Jessie asked, a twinkle in her eyes.

“I'd fix up this old library for Grandfather,” he said promptly.

“That's a great idea,” Henry said, joining them. “Right now, though, rest time is over.”

“Is it lunchtime?” Benny asked.

“Not yet,” Henry chuckled, lightly touching Benny's chin with his fist. “We've got hundreds of books to straighten.”

“Okay,” Benny said cheerfully. “But I'm going upstairs.”

“Will you place the books neatly on the shelves?” Violet asked.

“I sure will!”

And before anyone could say another word, Benny raced upstairs.

Jessie smiled. “I hope he's this eager to help by late afternoon.”

“Look at this old speller I found,” Violet said, handing a thin book to Jessie.

Jessie wrinkled her small nose. “It smells musty.” She handed the book back. “We'd better finish these shelves.” She pulled out a book and flipped through its pages. All at once she gasped. “A moth! It flew right in my face.”

Violet glimpsed a winged insect flying out the window. “What next?” she asked, with a sigh.

Suddenly Benny rushed downstairs. His round face was pale, and his lower lip trembled.

“Benny! What happened?” Jessie asked in a concerned tone. “You're as white as a sheet.”

“I-I heard a noise,” he said in a quavering voice. “Someone is up there.”

Jessie glanced at Violet and Henry, then turned back to Benny. “Just what did you hear, Benny?”

“It was kind of a little sound, and then I saw a big black shadow!”

“We'll all go upstairs and look around,” Violet said. She put her arm around Benny's shoulders. “Maybe it was a squirrel hiding a nut.”

Benny shook his head. “No. Someone was there! I know it!”

They went upstairs and searched every row of books and every corner. “No one's here, Benny,” Jessie said, tousling her brother's hair. “Maybe the squirrel went out through the broken windowpane.”

“M-maybe,” he stammered. But Benny glanced at the stairs. Not for a minute did he believe it was a squirrel. Violet, too, had a nervous look on her face.

CHAPTER 4

The Missing Food

“I
t's almost time for lunch, Benny,” Henry announced. He wanted to take Benny's mind off the strange noise. Food usually did the trick.

“Is it time to eat?” Benny looked at Henry. “I forgot.”

“You forgot lunch?” Jessie teased. “That's hard to believe.”

Benny was wiping one last shelf. But all at once his rag snagged on a dark object in back. “What's this?” he said, holding up a strange piece of metal. “Look, everybody!”

They gathered around Benny, and Henry carefully examined what he had found.

“This is the hilt of a sword,” Jessie said. “Whew! It must be covered with six coats of grime! But where's the rest of it?” she wondered.

Violet reached for a crumpled piece of yellow paper that dangled from the hilt by a worn ribbon. Carefully she unfolded the square sheet and began to read:

This sword is presented to Captain Charles Howard for his bravery at the Battle of Gettysburg. Your strength and courage in leading the Union soldiers against General Robert E. Lee's forces was a major factor in winning this vital battle.

Signed,

General G.G. Meade

Union Commander

July 5, 1863

The children gasped.

Henry sat down in a chair and turned the hilt every which way.

“What's Gettysburg?” Benny asked.

Henry leaned back. “Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was where one of the most important battles of the Civil War was fought.”

“Wasn't General Lee the Confederate leader who led his army on an attack against the North?” Violet asked.

“That's right,” Jessie said. “If he had won, the whole outcome of the war might have been different. Our country would have been split in two. Today the North would have their own flag, and the South would have theirs.”

“Wow,” Benny whispered. “Then this is valuable, isn't it?”

“Yes, it is,” Henry said. “It would be even more valuable if we could find the blade.”

Jessie took the sword hilt and wrapped it in a towel. “We'll keep the hilt under the desk. I'm certain we'll find the rest of the sword.” She smiled. “In the meantime, we'll have lunch. We'll fix our own sandwiches. I brought a jar of strawberry jam and a jar of peanut butter.”

“And I brought the bread,” Violet said.

“And I brought the milk,” Henry added.

“And I brought the appetite!” Benny yelled. He glanced around. “Good-bye, squirrel, and don't come back!”

After they had eaten, Jessie looked into her backpack. “You know what? We still each have an apple to eat.”

Benny said, “Not for me. I ate two sandwiches.”

“Then I'll leave them here for our snack tomorrow.” Jessie put the sack on top of the circulation desk.

They continued to work until late afternoon. Then Henry said, “Enough. We'll finish tomorrow.”

They were all tired and dirty and glad to return to their cozy house. The bunk beds were made, the stove shone, and the old pump in the back gave them fresh water to wash in.