Deserted Library Mystery (3 page)

After dinner and a good night's sleep, the children awoke refreshed and hurried back to the library. Jessie put their lunch basket on the desk next to the apples. She checked the sack and was astonished to see only three apples. “That's funny!” she said. “I
know
there were four apples here yesterday.”

Benny laughed. “Jessie made a mistake,” he sang out.

Jessie laughed, too. But she was uneasy. She
knew
she had left four apples. One was missing, and she didn't think a squirrel had carried away a big apple!

Jessie, however, began to work just as if nothing was wrong, She put an old copy of
Alice in Wonderland
in a box of what she thought might be more valuable books. The box was getting full.

“I'm tired!” Benny said after a while, sitting down on the floor and folding his arms. “I'm taking a rest!”

Violet sat in a chair. “That's a good idea.” She took a deep breath. “I'm tired of books!”

“I think we all need a break,” Henry said. “Let's bike down to the seashore.

“Perfect!” Jessie said. “First, though, let's set out our lunch. When we return we'll be starving.”

Violet set one wrapped sandwich at each place, and Henry put three glasses and Benny's pink cup around the thermos in the middle of the big desk. Jessie put out napkins and the three apples. She didn't leave an apple at her place.

Happily they biked down to the coast. It was a two-mile ride, but they enjoyed it. The day was crisp, and the air salty.

Once at the shore, they all took off their shoes and ran along the sand. Then they waded in the cold water, laughing and splashing each other. White sea gulls dipped and soared above them. Benny found a crab, and Violet picked up three lovely shells. Two, of course, had a lavender tint. Henry and Jessie searched for interesting pieces of driftwood.

Everyone soaked up the sunshine for over an hour. Then, feeling refreshed, they headed back to the library.

Once inside, they eagerly sat down to eat.

Violet stared at her plate. It was empty. Finally she said in a low voice, “Someone has stolen my sandwich.”

Benny, Jessie, and Henry looked at Violet's plate. Sure enough, the sandwich had disappeared.

Henry said nothing, but he glanced around him. Benny was right, he thought. There was a mysterious stranger in this library!

Violet moved closer to Jessie. “I don't like this one bit,” she whispered, a worried frown on her face.

Jessie nodded her head. “Neither do I,” she said. “The door was locked, yet someone was in here.”

“Well,” Henry said, breaking the silence. “There's only one thing to do. We'll need to search the upstairs.”

Benny hung back. “Not me! I'm not going up there again!”

“Henry's right,” Jessie said. “We have to find out who's up there.”

Violet said weakly, “Yes, I guess you're right.” But clearly she didn't want to.

CHAPTER 5

Miguel, the Runaway

H
enry, his finger to his lips, loosened his laces and removed his sneakers. He motioned everyone else to do the same. Next, he tiptoed upstairs, the others following.

The Aldens searched upstairs, every corner, every nook, every cranny.

Jessie shrugged her slim shoulders. “There's no one here,” she whispered.

Benny, who stood by the window, suddenly said in a loud, urgent whisper, “Henry, over here.”

In four strides, Henry was at Benny's side. Benny pointed to the low velvet curtain below the window seat. Without a moment's hesitation, Henry yanked back the velvet seat covers.

There, huddled in a corner, was a small boy. His chin rested on his knees, and he stared at them with a frightened expression.

“Come out of there!” Henry said sternly. “Why are you hiding?”

“And why are you stealing our food?” Benny asked, his hands on his hips.

The frightened boy crawled out into the daylight. His face was thin and pale and a thatch of black hair fell forward on his forehead. He had the darkest brown eyes the Alden children had ever seen. He bowed his head. “I-I was hungry,” he said softly.

“But why are you hiding?” Violet repeated. “We won't hurt you.” Her voice was gentle.

“Before you answer any questions,” Jessie said, “I think that you . . .” She stopped. “What's your name?”

“Miguel Morales,” the boy answered shyly. “I am ten years old.” A proud gleam lighted his eyes.

“Well, Miguel,” Jessie said kindly, “would you like a sandwich?”

Miguel nodded vigorously.

“I'm starved, too!” Benny said, rubbing his stomach.

They all laughed, going downstairs.

Over a sandwich and a glass of milk, Miguel told his story.

“I am hiding because,” his voice caught in his throat, “because I heard two men at the bait shop in my town talking about how my father's fishing boat sank. They thought he and two other fishermen drowned. I ran before they could see me.” Tears filled his eyes, and he put his sandwich down.

“When?” Jessie asked quietly.

“Two days ago.” Miguel looked at each Alden. He knew they could be trusted. “You see, I live with my father in Dalton, which is many miles from here. My mother died three years ago, when I was seven.”

“Poor Miguel,” Violet sympathized. “How did you get here?”

He glanced at her gratefully and went on. “I walked for hours. Then I found this old building. I crawled through the back window.”

“You scared me!” Benny said reproachfully.

“Sorry,” Miguel mumbled. “I didn't mean to.”

“So why are you hiding?” Henry asked.

“I have nowhere to go,” Miguel said, a tear spilling down his cheek. “If my father drowned, I'll be put in a home.”

“We won't let them!” Violet cried, her small chin jutting out. “We'll protect you. We know what it's like to have to hide from someone.”

“Do we!” Benny said. “I'll never forget that old boxcar we lived in.”

Violet nodded. “We don't have any parents, either, Miguel, and our grandfather was searching for us after our mother and father died. He planned to force us to live with him.”

“We thought he was a mean man,” Benny said.

Jessie smiled. “Grandfather Alden is just the opposite. He's very kind, and we have a wonderful home with him now. So you see something good can happen to you.”

Sadly, Miguel shook his head.

“Yes, it will,” Benny stated in a loud voice. “I know it will!”

Miguel looked up and gave them a weak smile. “Thanks, everyone. I know you won't turn me in.”

“Well,” Henry said slowly. “You can't stay here, Miguel. At least not forever.” He smiled. “We'll do a little investigating. Maybe your father was rescued. Are you positive that he drowned?”

Miguel stared at Henry, his big eyes growing bigger. “I—I don't know,” Miguel frowned. “I heard that
The Maria
sank and that three men drowned, and I ran.”

“Your father's boat is called
The Maria
?”
Jessie said.

Miguel nodded, unable to speak. Finally, he said, “My father named it after my mother.”

“I see,” Jessie said. She patted Miguel's knee. “Whatever we decide you should do, we'll talk it over with you first. Is that okay?”

“That's okay,” Miguel said, giving her a trembling smile.

“Then that's settled,” Henry said. “Miguel, do you want to help us straighten books in this old library?”

“Oh, yes!” Miguel said eagerly. “I'm a good worker!”

And Miguel was as good as his word. He worked all afternoon, and when the sun set he was glad to go back to the house with his new friends. He sat behind Henry on his bicycle.

At supper Jessie smiled at Miguel. He was a good eater, like Benny. As she stacked the dirty dishes, she felt a sense of relief. At last the mystery was solved. No more strange noises, no more shadows, no more missing food.

CHAPTER 6

The Gray Glove

T
he next morning Henry biked to Pete's Café to buy milk and bread. But he had a more important reason. He needed to call Grandfather for advice.

Arriving at the café, Henry carefully placed his bike next to the white building. He entered the café and glanced around. Besides Pete there were only two other men, one at a table, and the other at the counter.

“Hi, Henry, my boy,” Pete called. He was drinking a cup of coffee at the counter. “How do you like living in my house? Are you taking good care of it?”

Henry smiled. “We sure are.” He liked old Pete. He'd been a friend of Grandfather's for years.

“I knew you kids would.” Pete chuckled. “What brings you out so early, Henry?”

Henry smiled. “I need to buy bread and milk.”

While Pete was taking the milk out of the refrigerator, Henry called Grandfather.

“Henry!” Grandfather Alden said in a delighted voice, “I'm glad to hear from you. Is everything all right?”

“Fine,” Henry said, clearing his throat. “We found a small boy hiding in the library.”

“Oh?” Grandfather said, waiting for Henry to continue.

“His name is Miguel Morales, and he's scared that he might be sent to a home. He's only ten, and he's all alone.”

“Well,” Grandfather began.

But Henry hurried on before Grandfather could interrupt. “You see Miguel's father was a fisherman, and his boat sank.”

“Was it
The Maria
?”

“Yes,” Henry said, surprised. “How did you know?”

“I heard the news on the radio. There were three fishermen on the boat.”

“Yes, that's what Miguel said,” Henry answered.

“I'll check with the Coast Guard and find out if anyone was rescued. Don't worry, Henry, we won't let Miguel be taken to a home.”

Henry sighed with relief. Grandfather could always be depended upon to help.

“And what else have you been up to?” Grandfather Alden asked.

“Oh,” Henry said. “I almost forgot. Benny discovered the hilt of a Civil War sword on the library shelves. We found a letter from General Meade awarding the sword to a Charles Howard. Captain Howard had been a courageous soldier at the Battle of Gettysburg.”

“A Civil War sword!” Grandfather sounded excited. “That could be a very valuable find. Many museums would want to put it on display.” He paused. “It could even help the library become a landmark. But didn't you find the rest of the sword?”

“No,” Henry said. “Not yet. There are plenty of shelves, though, that we haven't cleaned. We might still find it.”

“I hope it turns up,” Grandfather said. “You've done a lot of work at the library. Are you and Violet and Jessie and Benny ready to come home?”

“Not yet,” Henry said. “The library is getting clean and organized.”

Grandfather chuckled. “All right, Henry. You take care. I'll be down next weekend to visit you. In the meantime, I want you all to bike in and have a good lunch at Pete's. And don't worry about the bill.”

“Thanks, Grandfather. We'd like that! Good-bye. We'll see you soon.” Henry turned back to Pete and was pleased that his groceries were already packed.

He pedaled back to the cabin. Benny was waiting outside.

“I'm thirsty,” he complained.

“Why don't you drink a glass of water?” Henry teased.

Benny grinned, and his brown eyes sparkled. “You know what I'm thirsty for!”

“Oh!” Henry said, slapping his forehead. “I know what it is. It's cranberry juice!”

“No, it's not!” Benny shouted.

“Could it be this?” Henry asked as he lifted out a gallon carton of milk.

“Yes, yes,” Benny said gleefully. “Is there bread, too?”

“Sure thing.” Henry laughed as Benny held the door open for him.

Inside, they all had bread and milk. Everyone laughed at Miguel, who had a white rim of milk on his face. Miguel smiled, too. He liked his new friends.

“Is everyone ready to get to work?” Jessie asked.

“I am,” Violet answered.

“So am I,” Henry added.

“Me, too,” Benny and Miguel echoed.

“Then let's get started,” Jessie said with a smile. Her brown shiny hair was tied back with a blue ribbon.

Once in the library they rolled up their sleeves and started to work.

It wasn't long before Miguel let out a yell. “Look! This piece of metal was behind the books!” Triumphantly he held up part of the rusty sword.

Henry examined the long metal piece, then patted Miguel on the back. “This is the middle of our sword. Now we need to find the point of the blade, and our sword will be complete!”

“Hurrah for Miguel!” Benny shouted.

“Good for you, Miguel,” Jessie said.

Violet patted Miguel's hand.

“It's almost time for lunch,” Henry said. “We'll celebrate Miguel's find with a meal at Pete's.”