by Charles Tang
While the children were deciding what to do, they couldn’t help overhearing what Jason was saying on the telephone. “It makes me very uncomfortable. I just don’t know if it’s a good idea.” He paused. “All right, if you think so . . . ” Jason sighed. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
The Aldens heard Jason hang up the phone, and a moment later, his door opened. Jason stood in the doorway, very surprised to see the children. His face turned a deep shade of red. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
“We just wanted to, um — ” Jessie began.
“There’s something I have to take care of,” Jason said abruptly. And before they could tell him about Mr. Dominick, he was gone.
“I know it isn’t right to listen to other people’s conversations,” said Violet as the children headed back to their rooms, “but did anyone else hear what Jason was saying on the phone?”
“Yes,” said Henry. “I wonder what he was talking about. What could be making him so uncomfortable?”
“It sounds as if he’s going to do something he doesn’t want to do,” said Jessie.
“What could it be?” asked Benny.
“And who do you think he was talking to?” asked Violet.
“Maybe it was Mrs. Davis,” said Henry. “Remember the other day he told her something wasn’t a good idea? He used those same words on the phone just now.”
“Whatever he was talking about, he didn’t seem very happy to see us on his doorstep when he came out,” Jessie pointed out.
“I noticed that, too,” said Violet. “He was acting guilty about something.”
The children all thought about that for a moment. At last Benny broke the silence. “This is getting more and more mysterious!”
That night, the children ate dinner with Anna before returning to their rooms and getting into bed. They quickly fell asleep. But once again, they were awakened at midnight by the sound of barking.
“Something’s bothering the dogs again,” Violet said, pushing back her blankets and getting out of bed.
“I wish they would be quiet,” Jessie said groggily.
Just then there was an urgent knock at the door. “Open the door! Hurry!” Benny called.
Violet went to the door and opened it. “What is it?”
Benny and Henry ran past her to the window. “Look!” Benny said, pushing aside the curtains.
Jessie and Violet followed and looked at the building opposite theirs, where the boys were pointing. All the rooms were dark.
“What are we looking at?” Violet asked.
“It better be something good or I’m going back to bed,” Jessie complained.
“There!” Benny cried. A light had just appeared in the window directly across from theirs. And just as suddenly, it was gone.
“That was strange,” Violet said.
“It doesn’t look like light from an ordinary lamp, does it?” Henry said.
“No, it doesn’t,” Jessie agreed.
“Look! There it is again!” Benny called. Now the strange light was shining from a different window.
“It’s moving!” said Violet.
“Why would the light be moving?” Henry asked.
“There must be someone over there with a flashlight!” cried Jessie.
“Yes! You’re right,” Henry said.
“But why use a flashlight inside?” asked Benny. “Why not just turn on a lamp?”
The children watched as the light went off. After several minutes, they decided that whatever had been happening there was finished. Henry pulled the curtains closed, being careful not to knock Violet’s paint set off the window ledge where she had left it.
“Maybe the lightbulb burned out and the person who lives in that room has to use a flashlight,” Violet said.
“I guess that’s possible,” Jessie said. But none of them believed it for a minute.
“I think someone was looking for something in that room. Someone who wasn’t supposed to be there,” said Henry.
“And he didn’t turn on the overhead light because he was afraid someone would see him,” Jessie finished Henry’s thought.
“But someone did see him,” Benny said. “We did!”
“Now we just have to figure out who it was, and what he was looking for,” said Violet.
Benny yawned loudly.
“There will be plenty of time for that tomorrow,” said Henry.
CHAPTER 6
A Crumpled Note
The next morning after breakfast, the children went to the kennel to help Jason bathe the dogs. But they were surprised to find the building locked up tight. When they knocked on the door, there was no answer.
“Jason must not be here yet,” Henry said.
The children sat down by the front door of the kennel to wait for him.
After several minutes, Jessie asked, “Where do you think he is? He’s usually here first thing in the morning.”
“Maybe he’s just running a little late,” Benny said.
The children waited a few more minutes before Violet said, “I think something might be wrong.”
“Let’s go to his room and see if he’s there,” Henry suggested.
When the children got to Jason’s room, he was just about to leave. He looked upset.
“Hi, Jason. Is everything okay?” Jessie asked.
“No, actually everything is not okay,” he said angrily, letting the children into his room. “I’ve spent the whole morning looking for my key to the kennel and I can’t find it anywhere. I was just on my way to Mrs. Carter’s office to borrow hers.”
“When was the last time you used your key?” Violet asked.
“Last night, around dinnertime. Then I left it in this box on my desk, like I always do.” Jason lifted the top of the box so the children could see that it was empty.
“Maybe if we helped you look, we could find it,” Henry suggested.
“I really need to get over there and feed the dogs,” said Jason. “But if you want to stay here and look, that would be great.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind us going through your things?” Jessie asked.
“Not at all!” Jason said. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Jessie recalled the conversation they’d overheard the day before and all the strange things that had been going on at the school, and she wondered if that was really true.
“Don’t worry, we’ll find it,” said Violet as Jason left.
The children looked everywhere in Jason’s room. Jessie looked under the bed. Violet searched the closet. Henry looked behind the chair and lamp. Benny searched the bookcase.
“Do you think it might have fallen in the wastebasket?” Benny asked, standing beside a small basket with a few crumpled pieces of paper inside.
“Maybe,” said Jessie.
Benny poked through the crumpled papers. “Hey, I think I’ve found something,” he called out suddenly.
“The key?” asked Henry.
“No . . . but I think it’s a clue,” said Benny.
The others came over to see what Benny was holding. “I know you aren’t supposed to read other people’s letters, but this was in the trash and I couldn’t help seeing what it says . . .”
“What is it, Benny?” Jessie asked.
Benny held out a crumpled piece of pink paper with the name Charlotte Davis printed at the top in gold letters.
Jessie took it and read the note aloud. “Meet me tonight at eleven o’clock at Joe’s Restaurant. It’s important I speak to you. Please don’t tell anyone.”
“Is there a date on it?” Henry wanted to know.
“Yes. It was written yesterday,” said Jessie.
“I wonder what was so important,” Violet said.
“And why she didn’t want him to tell anyone,” said Benny.
“Do you think Jason and Mrs. Davis are plotting something?” asked Henry.
“It certainly does sound like it,” Jessie said.
“Maybe that’s who he was talking t
o yesterday on the phone,” said Violet.
“We can talk about this later,” Henry said. “For now, we’d better look for Jason’s key.”
The children resumed their search. They looked everywhere, but they didn’t find the key.
“Well, I guess it’s not here,” said Jessie.
“We might as well go tell Jason,” Henry said.
The children were taking one last look around the room when suddenly Violet ran to the window.
“What is it?” asked Benny.
“Look!” Violet said.
“All I see is the other wing of the building,” said Jessie.
“That’s just it!” Violet said, her voice excited. “That’s the wing our rooms are in!”
“But what does that matter?” asked Jessie.
“That’s our window right there!” Violet said, pointing. “See, there’s my paint set on the windowsill!”
The others looked. Just as Violet said, in the window across the way they could see a paint box resting on the sill.
“That’s neat! Our room is right across from Jason’s!” Benny said.
“Don’t you get it?” asked Violet. “Last night, when we saw the strange light, it was here! In this room!”
“You’re right! We’d better get going, though,” Henry said, “or Jason is going to wonder what’s happened to us!”
The children hurried to the kennel, where Jason had already started washing the dogs. A German shepherd stood in a large tub of water. Jason was rubbing the dog’s black and tan fur with shampoo, making big soapy suds.
Jason looked up when the Aldens entered. “Did you find my key?” he asked hopefully.
“No, we didn’t,” Henry said.
“We looked everywhere,” Jessie added.
Jason shook his head and sighed. “Thanks for trying. I can’t imagine what could have happened to it. I guess I’ll have a copy made from Mrs. Carter’s.”
“What can we do to help you with the dogs?” asked Violet.
“Cleo is ready to be rinsed,” Jason said, handing Violet a hose. “Why don’t you do it, and then Benny can towel her off. I hope you don’t mind getting wet, Benny. Cleo usually shakes water all over me when I dry her.”
“Great!” Benny said with a laugh.
Violet took the hose and began to spray the lather off of the German shepherd’s back. Cleo shook, and sprayed water all over a laughing Benny, who stood by with a fluffy white towel.
“Meanwhile, Jessie and Henry can help me get another dog started,” Jason said.
Following Jason’s instructions, Jessie got another large tub and began filling it with water. Henry went with Jason to get a brown dog with a smooth, glossy coat.
“What kind of dog is that?” asked Benny. “It doesn’t have much fur.”
“This is Ali,” Jason said. “He’s a boxer. Because boxers are short-haired, they can be used for people who are allergic to animals.”
While Jessie and Henry washed Ali, Benny and Violet helped Jason wash another German shepherd.
Benny said as he reached for the bottle of shampoo, “What do you do at night, Jason? Do you go into town?”
Jessie gave Benny a sharp look. She knew what he was up to.
“Funny you should ask,” Jason said. “Last night was unusual. I got a note from Charlotte Davis — you know, Ginger’s former owner? She asked me to meet with her.”
“And did you?” asked Benny.
“Benny!” Jessie scolded. “Don’t be so nosy!”
A strange look passed over Jason’s face. “I drove all the way to Joe’s Restaurant and waited a long time, but she never showed up. It was after midnight by the time I got home.”
“I wonder why she didn’t show up,” said Benny. But before he could say anything more, Jason changed the subject.
That night, when the Aldens sat down for dinner, Jessie turned to Benny. “I can’t believe you asked Jason what he did at night!” she said.
“We wanted to find out if he’d met with Mrs. Davis, didn’t we?” Benny asked.
“Yes, but . . .” Jessie began. She sighed and took a bite of her hamburger.
“But what?” Benny demanded.
“I think what Jessie’s trying to say is that you have to be a little more tactful,” Henry explained, taking a sip of his milk.
“What does ‘tactful’ mean?” asked Benny.
“You have to be more careful of what you say to people, and not pry into their private lives,” said Henry.
“Well, anyway, I wonder why Mrs. Davis didn’t show up,” Benny said. He dipped a french fry in ketchup and looked at it thoughtfully before popping it in his mouth.
“That is odd,” said Jessie. “Especially since she said in her note that it was important.”
“Remember what else Jason said? He said he didn’t get home until after midnight. So he couldn’t have been in his room when we saw those lights,” said Violet.
“That’s right! That means someone else was poking around here,” Henry said. “I wonder what they were looking for.”
“The key!” cried Jessie. She looked around and realized that several people at the other tables were looking over at her. “The kennel key,” she said more quietly.
“But how did the person know that Jason wouldn’t be home?” asked Violet. Then her eyes lit up. “Unless — ”
“Unless it was Mrs. Davis! Maybe she sent Jason that note just to get him out of his room!” Jessie said. “That would explain why she never showed up at the restaurant!”
The Aldens were all very excited about what they’d figured out. It was always fun trying to put together clues.
“But why would Mrs. Davis want the key to the kennel?” asked Violet.
“There is another possibility,” said Henry. “Maybe Jason wasn’t telling us the truth. He seemed very uncomfortable talking about last night, and he immediately changed the subject.”
“Hey, there’s Anna,” said Benny. “Come join us!” he called to her.
Henry pulled over an extra chair so that Anna could sit down. Ginger lay down under Anna’s chair. Violet asked how her day had been.
“It was fine,” Anna said. “But I don’t know . . .”
“Is something wrong?” asked Jessie.
“No — not with me,” Anna said. “But during our afternoon lesson, Jason seemed to be acting strangely.”
“What do you mean?” asked Henry.
“He just seemed kind of . . . nervous,” Anna explained.
“I wonder why he’d be nervous,” Violet said.
“Oh, never mind,” said Anna. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
The Aldens looked at one another. They were all thinking the same thing. Was Jason up to something?
CHAPTER 7
A Late Night for Benny
That night, the Aldens decided to keep watch out the window, to see if anything strange happened — like moving lights or fleeting shadows or barking dogs. They each agreed to take a two-hour shift while the others slept.
Benny had the first shift, from ten o’clock to midnight. While the others curled up in their beds, he sat by the window, looking out. At first it was fun staying up so late. He played cards and sipped a cup of juice and checked the window every few minutes.
But soon Benny began to feel sleepy. The room was dark, and the sound of Henry’s slow, peaceful breathing made him want to crawl into his own bed. Looking out the window, he could see nothing out of the ordinary. All the windows across the way were dark. Benny knew everyone was probably asleep, just as he wished he were.
He looked at his watch. It was only eleven-thirty — he still had another half hour to go! His eyelids felt so heavy. He let out one long slow yawn, and then another. Each time he blinked, it was harder to open his eyes again.
Benny forced his eyes open wide and stared out the window, trying not to blink. But it was no use. Soon his eyes were closing again.
He didn’t want to let the others down. What if something imp
ortant happened and they missed it because Benny couldn’t stay awake? He knew he had to do something or he would fall asleep.
Benny went into the bathroom. He turned on the cold water and splashed some on his face. That helped a lot.
He went back to his seat by the window feeling better, but soon his eyelids were heavy again. He leaned his elbows on the windowsill and put his head in his hands. He wanted so much to put his head down — just for five minutes. What could be the harm? Benny crossed his arms on the windowsill and rested his head on top.
Suddenly he woke with a start. His arm had slipped off the sill. For a moment, he didn’t know where he was. Then he remembered. He was supposed to be keeping watch. How long had he been asleep? he wondered.
Benny peered at the clock and saw that it was twelve o’clock. He smiled. It was time to wake up Henry, who was doing the next shift.
Before he woke Henry, Benny took one last peek out the window. There were no lights in the rooms across the way. He checked the kennel off to the left. And then he spotted something. From behind a tree, a shadow moved.
The shadow moved again, and this time Benny was sure he’d seen it. As if to prove this fact, the dogs began barking.
“Henry, Henry, wake up!” Benny called, his eyes glued to the window.
Henry stirred slowly. “Is it my shift already?” he asked.
“Yes, but I think I see something!”
Henry bolted out of bed and in a moment he was standing next to his brother. The two boys looked out the window.
“I saw a shadow by the kennel, and — ” Benny began. “Look! There’s a light moving around in the kennel! Someone’s in there!”
Henry ran to get the girls while Benny kept watch.
When the girls joined them, they all agreed. It appeared that someone was snooping around in the kennel with a flashlight.
“If they’re using a flashlight, I’m sure they’re not supposed to be there,” said Jessie.
“I bet it’s the person who stole Jason’s key!” cried Jessie.
“We’d better go tell somebody!” Benny said.
“Jason!” said Henry.
The children ran out of the room and all the way down the hall. They ran and ran, around two corners, to Jason’s room.
