Sword of the Silver Knight (3 page)

As the Aldens were finishing their meal, the lights dimmed and they heard a trumpet flourish. The show was beginning.

This time the show went smoothly. Jonathan fought the Blue Knight and won, his new sword gleaming in the spotlight. At the end of the evening, since he had no sword, King Richard rested his hands gently on Jonathan’s shoulders. The audience cheered and the lights came back up in the tent.

“What did you think?” Jessie asked.

“It was wonderful!” Mr. Alden said. “Very exciting.”

“Would you like to meet some of the actors?” Violet asked. “They’re all so nice.”

“Sure,” said Grandfather.

The Aldens left the big tent and stepped out into the night. It seemed very dark after the bright lights inside, and there was even some fog swirling around. As they headed toward Annie’s tent, they saw a knight walking far ahead of them. He was headed toward the stable, carrying a large bundle.

“Is that Jonathan?” Benny asked.

“Looks like him,” said Jessie. “Same armor and silver jersey.

Benny started running into the darkness, following the knight.

“Wait a minute,” Henry said. “No sense running around in the fog. He’s sure to come back this way.”

When they reached Annie’s tent, it was empty.

“I guess she already left,” Violet said.

“Let’s try to find Jonathan,” Benny suggested.

The Aldens walked in the direction they’d seen Jonathan going, but there was still no sign of him. When they arrived at the big tent that served as a stable, they stepped inside. The air smelled strongly of horses. Half walls had been put up to divide the tent into individual stalls for the horses. The men who worked in the stable were settling the horses in for the night. They were pitching hay from a large pile into the horses’ stalls. The Silver Knight was nowhere to be seen.

“Did the Silver Knight—I mean, Jonathan—come in here?” Henry asked the men.

The two men shook their heads. “We’ve been pretty busy taking the armor off the horses,” the taller man said. “He might have come in, but we didn’t see him.”

“Thanks,” said Henry.

“That’s strange,” said Jessie. “He was walking back this way. Where else could he have gone?”

“There are no other tents back this far,” Violet pointed out.

“Well, it’s getting late. Time to head home,” Grandfather said.

As they left the stable they saw a figure ahead of them, walking away.

It was still foggy on the path, but Violet recognized Annie. “Annie!” she called.

Annie turned around. She seemed startled.

“It’s us—the Aldens,” said Henry.

“Oh—oh. You surprised me,” Annie said, coming toward them.

“Annie Shore, this is our grandfather, James Alden,” Henry said.

“I am pleased to meet such an elegant princess,” Grandfather said.

Violet didn’t think Annie looked very much like a princess now. She was wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt. Her hair hung limp, with bits of hay in it.

Annie laughed. “It’s a fun job. It pays the bills. I’m saving up for college.”

“That can be very expensive,” Grandfather said.

“Yes,” said Annie. “I’ve been saving for a long time.”

“Have you seen Jonathan?” Benny asked.

“Not since the show ended,” Annie said.

“We saw him walking to the stable, but then he disappeared,” said Jessie.

“We wanted to introduce our grandfather to him,” Henry explained.

“Try the knights’ tent,” Annie suggested. “Good night!” She headed off toward her own tent.

When the Aldens arrived at the knights’ tent, Jessie called, “Jonathan, are you in there?”

“Sure, come on in,” Jonathan called back.

The tent was the size of a large room and contained several chairs and tables. Suits of armor hung on stands throughout the tent. Like Annie, Jonathan had changed out of his costume into jeans and a T-shirt.

“We were following you out toward the stable,” Benny said. “But we lost you.”

“The stable?” Jonathan looked confused. “I was just in here, changing.”

“We want you to meet our grandfather,” said Henry. “This is James Alden. And this is the Silver Knight, Jonathan Fairbanks.”

“I really enjoyed the show,” Grandfather said.

“Thanks,” said Jonathan. “You’ve got some excellent grandchildren.”

“And you’re an excellent horseman,” Mr. Alden replied. “Looks like you’ve been riding all your life.”

Jonathan smiled with pride. “Actually, I just learned for this show. I wanted to be part of this medieval fair so I could …” His voice trailed off. He looked as if he had suddenly changed his mind about what he was going to say. He cleared his throat. “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed the show. See you tomorrow.” Jonathan walked out quickly. The Aldens were left staring after him.

“That was strange,” said Henry. “He was so friendly this afternoon. But tonight he didn’t seem to want to talk.”

“He’s probably just tired,” said Grandfather.

Benny yawned loudly.

“Looks as if someone else is tired, too,” said Mr. Alden. “Let’s go home.”

The next day the Aldens arrived at the park in the mid-afternoon, ready to help with the show. After the successful show the night before, they were surprised to find everyone in an uproar.

“Boy, am I glad you’re here,” Hannah said when she spotted the Aldens. Her face looked gray and worried. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“What’s going on?” Jessie asked.

Hannah shook her head, gazing off into the distance. “How could I have been so stupid?” she muttered to herself.

The Aldens looked at each other, confused.

“What—?” Violet began.

“I should never have let him use it. I should have known something would go wrong,” Hannah went on.

“Let who use what?” asked Benny.

“What’s gone wrong?” asked Jessie.

Hannah blinked. “Something terrible has happened,” she said. “The sword is missing.”

“The sword is missing?” Jessie repeated.

“Yes,” said Hannah. “We’ve been looking for it all morning. How could I have used such a valuable sword for our show? It was so foolish of me!”

“Don’t say that,” said Violet gently. “You didn’t know this would happen.”

“Anyway, what are we going to do for tonight’s performance?” Hannah said. “It was bad enough yesterday having no sword for the king. But the Silver Knight certainly needs a sword. How else can he fight and win the princess?”

“Don’t worry about tonight’s show,” said Jessie. “We’ll get a sword.”

“But where?” Hannah asked. “We don’t have much time.”

“We’ve gotten things for Halloween at the costume shop in town,” Henry said. “We’ll walk over there right now.”

“I guess that is our only choice,” Hannah admitted.

“Sure,” said Jessie.

Hannah sighed gratefully. “I’ll give you some money.” She dug into the purse she was carrying. She pulled out her wallet and handed Jessie several bills. “There, that ought to be enough. Buy two swords, so King Richard can have one, too.”

Jessie took the money and tucked it into her backpack.

“Where could the sword be?” Henry wondered.

“I don’t know,” Hannah said, shaking her head. “We’ve looked everywhere. It’s a mystery.”

Jessie smiled. “You’re in luck. Mysteries are our specialty.”

“Maybe we should call the police,” Violet suggested.

“I’m afraid that will give our show bad publicity” said Hannah. “People may not want to come if they think there are thieves lurking about. I just wish I had the money to hire a private detective.”

“Don’t worry,” Benny told her. “We’ll figure it out.”

Hannah’s face softened for the first time that day. “I bet you will.”

“Before we go to the costume shop, do you mind if we look around a little bit to see if we can find the sword?” Jessie asked.

“I hope you can find it,” Hannah said. “I’ll be in my office.”

When Hannah had left, the children looked at each other.

“Can you believe that beautiful sword is missing?” Violet said.

“What could have happened to it?” Henry wondered.

Jessie pulled a notebook and pen out of her backpack. She quickly flipped to a fresh page. “Let’s figure this out. Who had the sword last?”

“Jonathan used it last night in the show,” said Henry.

Jessie wrote that down in her notebook.

“We should talk to him first,” said Violet.

The Aldens walked to Jonathan’s tent. “Hello?” Henry called, poking his head in the flap.

“Henry, come in,” Jonathan said.

When the children entered they found Jonathan sitting in a chair with his feet up on a small table. A magazine was spread across his lap, and he was flipping through it. “What can I do for you? Not time to get ready for the show yet, is it?”

“No,” Jessie said. “We just wanted to ask you about the sword you used last night— the one that’s missing.”

Jonathan turned back to his magazine. “Oh, yes. Too bad,” he said.

The Aldens looked at each other, surprised. Jonathan didn’t seem upset at all that the valuable sword was missing.

“So I guess you were the last one to have the sword,” Jessie went on.

Jonathan looked up. “Yes, I used it in the show—it was great to use a real sword.”

“What did you do with it after the show?” Henry asked.

“I returned it to Richard’s tent,” Jonathan said simply.

“And that’s the last you saw of it?” Jessie asked.

Jonathan looked at her and smiled. “Is this an official investigation?”

“Oh, we’re just … we like to solve mysteries. We’re helping Hannah find the sword,” Jessie explained.

“I see. Detectives.” Jonathan studied the children’s serious faces. “I used to like to play detective when I was a kid, too. I played all sorts of things—detective, cowboy, knight in shining armor. I loved to be in disguise, to pretend to be someone I wasn’t. I guess I’m still doing that.”

“Where exactly did you leave the sword?” Henry asked.

“I put it on Richard’s dressing table,” Jonathan said. “What a cluttered mess! I’m not surprised the sword got misplaced.”

“Was he there when you left it?” asked Henry.

“No,” Jonathan said. “I’m not sure where he was.”

“What time was it?” asked Jessie.

Jonathan thought for a moment. “It was right after the show, probably about ten o’clock. I just left the sword on the dressing table and walked out.” He shrugged. “Never occurred to me that something might happen to it.” He looked back at his magazine.

The Aldens had no more questions, so they left. “See you later,” Benny called.

Outside Jonathan’s tent, Jessie made a couple of notes in her notebook.

“Richard Worthington’s tent next?” Violet asked. The others nodded, and they set off in that direction.

“We didn’t learn much from Jonathan,” said Henry.

“Except for one thing,” Violet said. “He didn’t seem very concerned about the sword.”

“No,” Jessie said thoughtfully. “He certainly didn’t.”

A moment later the children were at Mr. Worthington’s tent. The flap was propped open, and they could see him inside. The Aldens immediately saw that Jonathan was right—the dressing table was a complete mess, as was the rest of the tent. Piles of clothing and armor and bits of hay were strewn about everywhere.

“Mr. Worthington?” said Henry.

“Yes?” he responded, looking up from a pile of clothing he had been sorting through. He did not seem happy to have visitors.

“We just wanted to talk to you about the missing sword,” said Jessie. “If you don’t mind.”

“I knew that young scoundrel should never have borrowed my sword,” Mr. Worthington said. “I warned them something bad would happen.”

“Jonathan said he left the sword in here after the show,” said Jessie.

“I don’t care what Mr. Fairbanks says. When I came in last night, there was no sword,” said Mr. Worthington.

“What time did you come back to the tent?” asked Henry.

Mr. Worthington frowned. “I don’t know. I don’t wear a watch.”

“Was it right after the show ended?” asked Jessie. “That was ten o’clock.”

“No, I stayed for a few minutes to sign autographs,” Mr. Worthington said. “I probably got back here around ten-fifteen.”

“Did you look all around here for the sword?” asked Jessie, her eyes traveling around the tent.

“Yes, Ms. Greene and I turned this tent upside down looking for the sword,” said Mr. Worthington. “I assure you it’s not here.”

“I wonder where it could be,” said Jessie.

“I suggest you ask Mr. Fairbanks.” And with that Mr. Worthington strode angrily out of the tent.

The Aldens all looked at each other, stunned.

“We didn’t learn much from him, either,” said Henry, sighing.

“No, except that he thinks Jonathan is to blame,” said Jessie, writing in her notebook. She glanced at her watch. “We’d better get to the costume shop or there won’t be any swords for tonight’s show.”

The children had been to the costume shop several times to buy things for their Halloween costumes. It was just a short walk from the park. As they walked, they talked about what could have happened to the sword.

“Do you really think someone stole it?” Benny asked.

“I hate to think that,” said Henry. “But what else could have happened to it?”

“Who would have stolen it?” asked Violet.

“Jonathan is the most likely suspect,” Henry said. “He was the last one who had it. He says he put it in Mr. Worthington’s tent, but no one saw it there.”

“Remember how happy he was to get the sword?” Violet said. “He kept saying it was just what he needed.”

“I’m wondering if maybe Richard Worthington stole the sword,” Jessie said. “He was so angry when Hannah asked him to give it to Jonathan.”

“He claimed he was the ‘rightful owner,’” Henry recalled.

“A pretty strange thing to say since the sword really belongs to Hannah,” Jessie said. “And today he kept saying, ‘I warned them something bad would happen.’”

“So do you think that he’s just pretending he never saw the sword last night, but actually he’s hidden it away somewhere?” asked Violet. “And now he’s trying to put the blame on Jonathan?”