Panther Mystery (3 page)

“If he loved his job so much, why would he mess it up?” Violet asked.

“Good question.” Grandfather looked at them. “You four know something, don’t you?”

They told him Andrew lived only two streets over. When they described their visit and what Gus had told them, James Alden drew his brows together.

“Well, it’s obvious we won’t get any answers from that Applegate woman,” he said. “But I don’t think we should call the police yet. I don’t want to worry Andrew’s father.”

“I think our best bet is to go back to Shark Valley,” Jessie suggested. “I still think Melanie is holding back about Andrew.”

“We’ll go first thing in the morning,” said Grandfather. “It’ll be cooler. We’ll rent bikes and ride along the trail.”

“Oh, boy!” cried Benny. “Maybe we’ll see an alligator!” Then his face fell. “But what’ll we do until tomorrow?”

Grandfather pulled out a colorful brochure he had picked up at the airport. “How about a trip to Parrot Jungle?”

“Yippee!” Benny tossed the brochure into the air. “I wish I could live in a jungle when I grow up!”

Everyone had a great time at Parrot Jungle. The park was enormous, with gardens and waterfalls. The birds flew free inside a high, framed net.

“It really
is
a jungle,” Violet said. “There are more than twelve hundred varieties of plants here!”

“That’s more than I can count,” said Benny. He pulled Grandfather toward the stage, where a show was about to begin.

They all laughed at the antics of the colorful parrots, macaws, and cockatoos. The birds cleverly pulled tiny carts or skated on miniature roller skates.

They also saw a flock of flamingos, the tallest of all wading birds. Most of the birds stood on one leg.

“It says here the zookeepers put beets in their food to make them so pink,” read Jessie from her guide.

“Yuck!” Benny wrinkled his nose. He’d sure hate to eat beets every day. He tried standing on one leg but fell over, making the others laugh.

“It’s hard to keep your balance,” said Grandfather. “But I bet you can do something that bird can’t.”

“What?” said Benny.

“Eat ice cream!”

After hot-fudge sundaes, they discovered the alligator pond. Alligators large and small lay half submerged in the water. Most looked like the greenish log the children had seen from the observation tower.

“Your wish has finally come true,” Henry said to Benny. “Can you count all those alligators?”

Benny was disappointed. He wanted to see alligators running around. These alligators were all half asleep.

Jessie understood how he felt. “They’re not very exciting, are they?”

“It’s okay,” Benny said. “I have a new wish now.”

Violet nodded. “Zoos are neat, but I’d rather see animals living free, too.”

As they walked back to the car, Grandfather said, “It’s not always possible for animals to live free. More and more homes and offices are being built on land that animals once lived on. That’s why the Florida panther is such a rare animal.”

Benny thought about the wild Florida cat as they drove back to the hotel. Wouldn’t it be something to see one of
those
?That was his new wish.

The next morning, the Aldens left early. They ate breakfast at the pancake restaurant and headed for Shark Valley. At the park, they rented bicycles and set off down the loop road.

The land was flat, so it was easy riding. But the insects were out in fall force. Jessie passed around the bug spray. Even though it was hot, they all wore long sleeves and pants of light cotton.

They stopped several times to look at birds and flowers. Violet took lots of pictures.

Then Benny gave a cry of delight.

“Alligators!” he exclaimed, thrilled. “A whole bunch of them! Out of the water!”

Like people at a beach, a number of alligators were sunning themselves. Although the alligators were far away and not moving, Jessie shuddered.

“Don’t worry,” Henry reassured her. “They won’t hurt us as long as we stay away from them. They only move when threatened or when they’re hungry. And they don’t eat very often.”

“How do we know when they last ate?” Jessie said. She would never like scary reptiles with big sharp teeth, no matter what Henry said.

They decided to bike along a canal. Grandfather had seen a ranger station on the map. Maybe Andrew would be there or someone would know something about him.

But before they reached the ranger station, they came across something they couldn’t resist stopping to see.

A
girl stood by the roadside, holding a basket. She was a little older than Jessie. Her black hair was in a ponytail with a red ribbon tied around it. She wore a white blouse and a full skirt stitched of many patches — yellow, red, and blue.

“Hello,” said the girl. “Welcome to the Miccosukee Village. My name is Irene Osceola.”

“Hello,” Henry replied. “We were looking for the ranger station.”

“It’s a little farther down the road,” said Irene. “Won’t you come have a cool drink?”

“That’s an excellent idea, young lady,” said Grandfather.

Benny was puzzled. “Where are we? This isn’t the ranger station.”

Violet helped him guide his bike to one side. “We’re at the Miccosukee Village. Did I say that right, Irene?”

Irene nodded, making her ponytail bounce. “We are one of two tribes who live in the Everglades. Our people live on a reservation in the Glades. Some of us work at the cultural center here. We show tourists how we live and sell our crafts.”

Walking behind Irene, Henry read a sign that said,
AIRBOAT RIDES, GUIDED TOURS, SNAKS, CRAFTS. TRY OUR FRY BREAD AND PUMPKIN BREAD
!

As they followed Irene, the Aldens introduced themselves.

“I’m pleased to know you,” said Irene.

Inside the village, tourists examined patchwork vests, skirts, and shirts that were for sale. Others were sipping cold drinks and eating snacks.

“We’ll try some of your famous fry bread, too,” Grandfather told Irene.

Irene led them to an empty table. “I’ll be right back.” Soon she returned with cold drinks and slices of warm fried bread.

Violet admired Irene’s beautiful skirt. “I love your outfit.”

“Thank you.” Irene twirled to make the skirt bell. “My mother made it.”

“Do you wear those clothes all the time?” Jessie asked.

Irene shook her head. “Not always. I wear jeans and T-shirts, too.”

“Tell us about your tribe,” Grandfather urged. “By the way, the bread is delicious.”

“Thank you,” said Irene. “Our tribe has lived in the Everglades for more than a hundred years. We raise pumpkins, squash, and corn. I travel to school on my father’s airboat.”

“Neat!” said Benny. Ever since he’d seen one of the noisy boats skimming over the grass, he’d wanted to ride on one.

Irene laughed. “Well, it’s the only way to get to school!”

“What are those buildings called?” asked Henry.

“Chickees,” Irene replied. “Those are our traditional dwellings. We sleep in hammocks or up on cypress platforms.”

“It’s like a tree house,” Violet commented.

“We also have other houses,” Irene added. “With screened windows all around and shutters that can be closed during storms and hurricanes.”

Benny wiped his mouth and declared, “I want to live here.”

“We’d love to have you, Benny,” Irene said. “But you might get tired of living outdoors.”

Benny shook his head. “No, we used to do it all the time.”

Violet explained that the Aldens had once lived in an abandoned boxcar. “That was before Grandfather found us,” she concluded.

Irene seemed impressed. “You’ve had very exciting lives.”

“We solve mysteries, too,” Benny added.

“But we’re stumped on our current case,” Jessie said, her chin on her fist.

Irene leaned forward, fascinated. “You solve mysteries! I love to read mystery stories. Tell me about your case.”

This time Grandfather answered. “Maybe you can help us, Irene. We’re looking for a missing park ranger. His name is Andrew Beldon.”

Irene’s dark eyes widened. “Ranger Beldon! I know him well. He brings me books from the big public library. We have very few books on the reservation. Ranger Beldon stops by the library every two weeks.”

“When did you see him last?” Henry asked.

“Let me see.” Irene thought a moment. “It’s been more than two weeks. He picked up my books and returned them to the big library. But he hasn’t been back. I was wondering why we hadn’t seen him lately.”

“No one has seen him for a while,” said Violet. Then she explained how Grandfather’s friend had asked him to come look for Andrew.

“That’s very strange,” Irene agreed. “Ranger Beldon loves his job. He wouldn’t just quit.”

“I’ve talked to officials at the Park Service,” said Grandfather, “but they don’t know where he is, either.”

“If Ranger Beldon is lost in the Glades, he could be in real trouble,” Irene said.

“That’s what we’re afraid of,” said Henry.

James Alden pointed to the sign. “I see airboat tours are given here.”

Irene nodded eagerly. “My father, Billy Osceola, has his own airboat. He often drives tourists into the Glades.”

“Can we ride on your father’s airboat to look for Andrew Beldon?” Benny asked. “Maybe we’ll find him that way.”

Now Irene frowned. “Tourists like the airboats because they’re exciting. But they are very noisy. The big motors scare the birds and animals.” Then she brightened. “But we can look for Ranger Beldon by canoe! Canoes are quiet and safe. We can go almost anywhere in them. Places you can’t get to on foot or by bike.”

The canoes were all rented, so Grandfather rented three canoes for the next day. They bade Irene good-bye.

Back on their bikes, the Aldens peddled away from the Miccosukee Village to the ranger station. But no one there had heard from or seen Andrew Beldon in several days. The Everglades National Park had many employees and a dozen visitors’ centers — plus there were feeding stations for wildlife and campsites. Andrew could be anywhere.

Grandfather and the children were hot and tired when they returned the bicycles to the Shark Valley entrance. They went inside the visitors’ center to cool off. The boys looked for the water fountain.

Violet and Jessie walked to the front desk. When Melanie Harper saw Jessie and Violet, she frowned.

Jessie strode up to the desk. “Hi,” she said cheerfully. “Remember me? Jessie Alden?”

Melanie’s glance was far from welcoming. “You and your family still looking for Andrew Beldon? He hasn’t come in to work.”

“Has he called or anything?” Violet pressed.

“Nope.” Melanie didn’t seem the least bit concerned. In fact, Jessie thought, Melanie was a little
too
unconcerned. It almost seemed like an act.

Jessie believed the girl was hiding something. “Do you have any idea where Andrew went? Or why he hasn’t come back to work? It’s just not like him to quit without telling anybody.”

“Do you know what I think?” Melanie said, leaning forward confidentially.

“What?” Jessie’s heart beat faster.

“I think Andrew has let his obsession go too far this time.”

“His what?” asked Violet.

But then a flock of tourists breezed through the door. Melanie greeted them with a bright smile and an Everglades map.

Jessie knew the Park Service woman wouldn’t say any more to them.

Henry and Benny came over.

“What’s up?” Henry wanted to know.

“We’ve been talking to Melanie,” Violet replied. “She said something strange about Andrew.”

“What?” asked Henry.

Jessie filled him in. “Melanie said she thought Andrew had let his obsession go too far this time and that’s why he’s disappeared.”

“Ob-session?” Benny said. “What does that mean?”

“It means that Andrew has been really interested in something that takes up all his time,” Henry replied. “You know what I think, though?” Henry added. “Melanie is after Andrew’s job. She’s always here at the visitors’ center.”

“She complained about having to do his work and hers, too,” said Violet. “I bet Henry’s right. Melanie wants everyone to know she’s working so hard, so she’ll get Andrew’s job when he comes back.”

Jessie had been thinking. “Melanie could be jealous.”

“Of what?” asked Violet.

“Maybe he and Melanie were boyfriend and girlfriend. Maybe Andrew broke up with her. He could have met another girl he liked better,” Jessie said.

Henry understood where Jessie was going. “And Melanie didn’t like it, so she’s doing everything she can to make him look bad.”

Grandfather came up just then. “It’s so hot. Why don’t we go to a movie to cool off? We’ll have an early supper and be all ready for our canoe trip tomorrow.”

“Good idea.” Benny swung Grandfather’s hand as they left the center. “Can we have key lime pie today?”

“Do you know what that is?” asked Grandfather with a smile.

“No, but it’s something everybody has here,” said Benny. Any kind of pie was fine with him.

The last out the door, Jessie turned to glance back at the front desk.

Melanie Harper was watching them. Her blue eyes were secretive.