The Haunted Clock Tower Mystery

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  “Oh, look—we can even cook here!”

  Jessie said when she spotted the kitchen area at the end of the room. It had a small refrigerator and stove, and a small round table.

  “Yes, that way we won’t have to eat all our meals at the dining hall,” said Grandfather.

  Off the living room were three smaller rooms, each containing two twin beds.

  “One room for the girls, one for the boys, and the third for Grandfather,” said Jessie.

  “That’s right,” said Grandfather as they each put their suitcases in their rooms.

  “These rooms are nice,” said Violet.

  “This was where the upperclassmen—the older students—lived,” Grandfather explained. “It looks like they’ve fixed them up a lot since I was here,” he added with a chuckle, admiring the new windows and carpeting.

  “Look!” Benny said, pointing out the window. “You can see the clock tower from here!” The Aldens looked up the hill and saw the tower at the top, outlined against the darkening sky.

  “Come next door,” Joel said. “We’ll get Don, and then we can all go to dinner together. They’re having a special welcome meal in the dining hall.”

  “Great!” said Benny. “I’m starving.”

  “You’re always starving,” said Jessie.

  Everyone headed next door. Sitting on the couch in Joel’s suite was a large, dark-haired man reading a book. The children knew he had to be Joel’s son because he looked so much like him.

  “Don!” Joel said. “The Aldens are here.”

  Don stood up quickly. He looked concerned, but his face quickly brightened when he saw Grandfather. He closed his book and tucked it quickly behind his back. “James Alden, good to see you,” he said. He awkwardly transferred the book he’d been holding to his left hand and put out his right to shake Grandfather’s.

  “It’s been too long,” Grandfather said.

  “I was just, uh … reading,” Don said. He looked slightly uncomfortable.

  “Still reading that book I got you?” Joel asked his son. He turned to the others. “It’s so funny. For years I’ve been trying to get Don to come visit my old school, and he was never interested. But then I gave him this book, and suddenly he couldn’t wait to come!”

  Joel laughed his big, friendly laugh. He went to take the book from his son and show it to the Aldens, but Don didn’t seem to want to let go of it. Instead Don held the book up for them to see. Printed on the faded leather cover were the words GOLDWIN UNIVERSITY.

  “That book looks really old,” said Jessie. “Where did you find it?”

  “In an antique store,” Joel said. “It’s over one hundred years old!”

  “Wow!” said Benny. “Can I look at it?”

  “I thought we were going to dinner,” Don said quickly, putting the book out of reach on a high shelf.

  Benny was sorry not to get a look at the book, but he was always ready to eat. “Dinner sounds great!”

  Goldwin’s main dining hall was right next to the clock tower. A large sign over the heavy wooden doors said, WELCOME ALUMNI!

  Grandfather looked around as they walked inside. Then he smiled at Joel. “Hasn’t changed a bit,” he said.

  “What are alum—alum—whatever that word is?” asked Benny.

  “Alumni are people who graduated from this school,” Grandfather explained. “Like Joel and me. Look, Joel—there’s where we sign in.”

  They stopped at a table that was set up by the door and were given a schedule of the week’s events and name tags for the whole family.

  “Something smells good!” Joel said after he’d put on his name tag.

  “Sure does,” Benny agreed.

  Joel led the way over to the counter and handed everyone a tray. One by one, they all walked down the buffet line, selecting what they wanted to eat. There was pot roast, chicken, potatoes and vegetables, fresh fruit, and Jell-O in all different colors.

  When they’d filled their trays, Grandfather noticed an empty table near the windows. “Let’s go sit over there.”

  They had just sat down when an elderly woman walked by holding a tray. As she passed their table, she stopped short and her eyes opened wide. “Well, if it isn’t Jimmy Alden!” she said, smiling broadly. The woman was wearing a brightly colored dress, a floppy hat with a large pink flower on it, and bright pink sneakers to match.

  Mr. Alden looked at her for a moment before realizing who it was. “Professor Meyer!” he said at last. “My favorite history teacher.”

  “I hoped my star pupil would remember me,” she said, resting her tray on their table. “You know, you can call me Julia now that you’re not in my class.”

  “And I hope you remember me, too,” said Joel.

  “Of course I do—Joel Dixon!” said Professor Meyer. “I rarely saw you and Jimmy apart. I’m so glad to see you’re still good friends.”

  Jessie giggled. “It’s funny to hear people call Grandfather ‘Jimmy.’ ”

  “So you’re Jimmy’s grandchildren, are you?” the professor asked her.

  “Yes. I’m Jessie, and this is Henry, Benny, and Violet.” Jessie motioned to each of her brothers and her sister in turn.

  “It sure is nice to meet you,” Professor Meyer said, adjusting her hat.

  “Professor Meyer knows everything about this college,” Grandfather told the children.

  “Everything?” Don asked, leaning forward in his chair.

  “I probably do,” Julia agreed. “After all, I’ve been here a long time—over fifty years! I always thought I’d leave one day, maybe get a job where I could make a little more money. But that’s okay. Now I’m working on—oh, let’s just call it my special project—maybe I’ll be able to make a little money without ever leaving Goldwin.” She smiled and raised her eyebrows as she picked up her tray. “I’m sure I’ll see you again this week!”

  “It was nice meeting you,” Violet said as the professor walked away.

  “I wonder what her special project is,” said Henry.

  “It certainly did sound a little mysterious,” Joel said.

  “Don’t start talking about mysteries with these kids,” warned Grandfather. “They are master mystery solvers!”

  “Really?” said Don. “I’m a mystery solver, too.”

  “Yes, Don was always playing detective as a kid,” Joel agreed.

  “Tell us about yours,” Don said to the kids.

  As they ate, the Aldens told Joel and Don about some of the exciting adventures they’d had, like the time they traveled to England and found the queen’s jewels, and the time Jessie joined a hockey team coached by a hockey superstar. Don told them about the mysteries he’d solved when he was young. After they’d all finished eating, they still sat and talked for a long time. Grandfather and Joel Dixon recognized many people walking by who had been their friends years before.

  “Grandfather sure did have a lot of friends in college,” Benny said.

  It was dark when the Aldens and the Dixons finally left the dining hall. As they came out of the building, they saw the clock tower directly in front of them, lit up against the night sky. A golden fall moon shone high above the tower.

  “Wow, look at that!” said Jessie, her eyes wide. “It looks even cooler at night than during the day.”

  “It sure does,” Henry agreed.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if it really was haunted,” said Benny. He stared up at the windows of the clock tower. The room at the top looked dark and empty.

  “Haunted!” Joel said. “That boy sure has a good imagination, Jim.”

  “Yes, he does,” Grandfather agreed, tousling Benny’s hair.

  Benny laughed with the others. But as they walked back down the hill, he couldn’t help taking one last peek over his shoulder at the moonlit tower.

  When the Aldens got back to their suite, they were worn out from their long day. In no time they were all asleep.

  In the middle of the night, Benny woke up feeling thirsty.
He rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock beside his bed. It was midnight. Benny slowly walked to the bathroom and got himself a drink of water.

  As he was heading back to bed, Benny walked past the window. He stopped to look at the clock tower standing at the top of the hill. The fall moon was now directly behind it. The clock face was shining brightly, as before, but something had changed. A dim light was glowing in the window at the top of the tower. Benny could see a shadowy figure moving around.

  “Oh, my goodness!” Benny said softly to himself. “There’s someone up there! But Ezra said no one’s up there at night.”

  Suddenly Benny had another thought. “What if it’s the ghost?”

  CHAPTER 3

  A Ghost in the Tower

  Benny rushed over to Henry’s bed. “Henry! Henry! Wake up!”

  “Who—what—?” Henry said, startled, sitting up quickly in bed, clutching his blankets. “Benny, what’s going on?”

  “Henry, there’s somebody up in the tower! I think it’s a ghost!” Benny explained.

  “What are you talking about?” Henry asked.

  “Come here! Look!” Benny cried, taking Henry by the hand and pulling him over to the window. “See?” He pointed up at the clock tower.

  Henry rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked where Benny was pointing. “Yes? So?” he said sleepily.

  “Don’t you see?” Benny asked. “There’s a light on, and it’s midnight! Remember what Ezra said? He said nobody goes in the tower at night.”

  “It certainly is strange,” Henry agreed. “But it can’t be a ghost. I’m sure there’s a simple explanation and we’ll find out in the morning.”

  Benny looked out the window again. “But—” he began. “Oh, all right,” Benny said, getting slowly into his own bed.

  Soon Benny was asleep, but Henry lay awake a little longer. There couldn’t possibly be anything wrong in the clock tower, he thought. But he wasn’t so sure.

  The next day, the Aldens woke up early, excited about exploring the university. As they walked to the dining hall for breakfast, Benny told the others about what he’d seen the night before.

  “It was definitely a ghost,” Benny said.

  Henry grinned. “Probably not, although it did seem pretty strange that someone would be up there so late at night.”

  “Well, I’m sure there’s a simple explanation,” Grandfather assured them.

  “That’s just what I said,” Henry told them.

  After a hearty breakfast of juice, milk, and blueberry pancakes with syrup, Grandfather turned to Jessie, who was holding the schedule of reunion activities. “What looks good for this morning?” he asked.

  “Let’s see,” she said, scanning down the page. She read aloud, “ ‘Saturday morning. Take a tour of the campus. See what’s changed and what’s the same. Meet at the base of the clock tower at ten A.M.’ ”

  “That sounds interesting,” said Violet.

  Grandfather looked at his watch. “It’s quarter to ten now.”

  “Let’s go!” said Henry.

  They were just approaching the clock tower when Violet spotted a familiar face. “Isn’t that Ezra Stewart?” she asked. They walked over to say hello.

  “Hello, Alden family. And what are you doing on this beautiful sunny day?” Ezra asked. He was as sharply dressed as he’d been the day before. Today he wore red-and-white suspenders with the Goldwin insignia on them. The children could guess that he appreciated school spirit.

  “We’re going on a tour of the campus,” Jessie said.

  “Doesn’t that sound delightful,” Ezra commented.

  “I have a question for you,” Benny said.

  Ezra smiled down at Benny. “Fire away! Goldwin University trivia is my specialty.”

  “Last night, in the middle of the night, I saw a light on in the clock tower,” Benny said. “Is someone up there at night?”

  The smile on Ezra’s face disappeared. “No, of course there isn’t anyone up there at night,” he said angrily. “Why would you think that?”

  Benny seemed hurt by Ezra’s tone. “Well, it’s just that I saw a light—”

  “You must have been mistaken,” Ezra snapped. “Maybe you were dreaming.”

  “I saw it, too,” Henry pointed out.

  Ezra turned to Henry. “Then you must have been mistaken as well,” he repeated.

  “Is the tower locked at night?” Jessie asked.

  “Well, no, I don’t lock it, but I told you—nobody goes up there at night,” Ezra said. “Now excuse me, but I must be going.” He hurried off.

  “My goodness, he certainly seemed upset, didn’t he?” said Jessie.

  “But he was so nice at first,” said Benny sadly.

  Violet spoke up. “It’s like yesterday, when he started talking about his assistant, Andrea Barton. All of a sudden his whole mood changed.”

  “I guess he didn’t like the idea that someone was up there who shouldn’t be,” Grandfather said.

  “But don’t you see?” Benny said, suddenly getting excited. “If Ezra says that no one goes up there at night, then there’s only one explanation.”

  “And what might that be?” Jessie asked.

  “It’s a ghost! I told you!” Benny insisted.

  “Oh, Benny,” Henry said. “You know there’s no such thing as ghosts.”

  “Are you sure?” Benny asked.

  “Yes,” said Grandfather. “Maybe Ezra is right, you were mistaken about the light. Maybe it was just a reflection from somewhere else.”

  “Or maybe someone is going up there who shouldn’t be,” said Henry.

  Before the Aldens could discuss this possibility farther, they heard a loud voice. “Good morning, Aldens!”

  The family turned to see Joel and Don Dixon coming up the hill to join them. “Ready for the tour?”

  “We sure are,” said Grandfather.

  Just then a blond man in a red Goldwin University T-shirt called out, “The tour is going to be starting now.” The Dixons and Aldens walked toward him. A small group of people gathered around. “My name is Ethan, and I’ll be your guide,” the man said. “Some of the buildings you may remember, but a lot have been built since you graduated. You’ll see they’re working on a brand-new building right here on the Quad.” He motioned behind him. “I’m sure you all remember the clock tower.”

  People nodded and smiled. “Hasn’t changed a bit,” one woman pointed out.

  “When was the tower built?” asked Don.

  “Around 1860. It’s one of the oldest buildings here,” Ethan said.

  “Did it always have a carillon?” Don asked.

  “Yes,” said Ethan. “At the beginning, there were twenty-five bells. Over the years, more and more bells were donated to the school by generous alumni. Now there are forty-nine.

  “We’ll end our tour back here in time for the midday concert,” Ethan continued. “Now, if you’ll follow me, let’s head on over this way, to the new science buildings.”

  “How old is the clock?” Don asked.

  Ethan turned around. “You have a lot of good questions,” he remarked. “It’s the original clock—from 1860,” Ethan said.

  Don nodded.

  “If there are no more questions, we’ll move on,” Ethan said, looking around at the group.

  Joel and Grandfather were very impressed with the new science buildings, which were very tall and faced with glass. “They look a lot fancier than the old labs we had our classes in,” Joel remarked. “Very modern buildings, don’t you think, Don?”

  Don seemed lost in his own thoughts.

  “Don?” Joel asked after a moment.

  “I’m sorry, Dad. What did you say?” asked Don.

  “I was just noticing how modern these buildings are compared to the rest of the campus,” said Joel.

  “What? Oh, yes,” Don said. But he didn’t really seem to be paying attention.

  A moment later, Ethan had led the tour to a group of very old-looking dormitori
es. “A Civil War battle was fought not far from here, and troops were housed in some of these buildings.”

  “What’s the Civil War?” asked Benny.

  “That was a war fought between the northern and southern parts of our country,” said Grandfather. “It happened a long time ago, in the 1860s.”

  “Really? There was a war in the United States?” asked Benny.

  “Yes, and lots of young men and boys left their families to go and fight,” Grandfather said. “Many people were killed, or lost their homes and all their money. It was a terrible war.”

  The tour continued past many more interesting buildings and a large statue of James Goldwin, founder of the college. Finally they found themselves back at the clock tower.

  “We’ll go up to the top of the tower now, for anyone who wants to see the view,” Ethan said.

  “Great,” said several people in the crowd as they headed into the tower and started up the steep, winding staircase. The Aldens followed, even though they’d already seen the view the day before. Ethan pointed out several more sights from the top of the tower. When he was finished, he said, “And that concludes our tour. Thanks so much for joining me.”

  “Thank you,” said Jessie, and others on the tour echoed her.

  The Aldens waited as the rest of the group headed back down the stairs. Just as they were getting ready to leave, a young woman came hurrying up the stairs. She was wearing blue jeans, clogs, and a bulky red sweatshirt with the word GOLDWIN stitched across the front in large white letters. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail that bounced as she walked.

  “Hello!” Benny said as she entered the tower room. “You missed the tour, but I can tell you what we saw.”

  “Thanks,” the woman said with a big smile, “but I go to school here. I probably could have given the tour.”

  “I bet you don’t know all the stuff about the carillon,” Benny said.

  “I bet I do,” the woman said, her smile growing larger. “I’m the assistant carillon player.”

  “You are?” Violet said. She remembered how upset Ezra had been when he talked about his assistant. This young woman seemed nice and friendly. How could she make him so angry?

  “You must be Andrea Barton,” Henry said.