The Midnight Mystery

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  The dogs whined sadly. Isabel and Henry returned to the living room.

  By this time Grandfather had introduced himself and the children to Mr. Percy. Mr. Percy didn’t seem a bit interested in knowing who they were. He closed the door of a glass clock on the mantelpiece that had all its gears and springs showing. “Well, I certainly didn’t need to be attacked by a pack of wild dogs, Ms. Putter,” he complained. “If you want me to fix and clean your grandmother’s clocks and artworks, you mustn’t let those beasts loose on me.”

  The Aldens tried to keep from giggling. Ruff and Tumble loved to bark and whine, but they would hardly attack anyone.

  Isabel tried to cover her smile with her hand. “I’m sorry they burst in here, Mr. Percy. As I’ve suggested before, please let me know when you’re coming and where you’re going to be working. Then Ruff and Tumble and I can welcome you properly.”

  Mr. Percy locked his toolbox. “I arrive when I arrive. I never know the time. Perhaps on another occasion I’ll be able to finish cleaning the mantel clock without being attacked. I’ll be on my way now. I noticed your grandmother’s scarecrow sounded rusty last night. I’ll go work on that. Just keep those dogs away from me.”

  After Mr. Percy had left, Isabel let out Ruff and Tumble. They yipped and yapped with joy. They were free to go back to breakfast.

  The Aldens did the same.

  Isabel sighed. “So now you’ve met Mr. Percy,” she said. “I’m sure you’ll meet him again. He’s in and out of the house quite often, sometimes at strange hours.”

  “Mr. Percy had a lot of interesting tools in his toolbox,” Violet said. “What does he do with them?”

  Isabel poured hot chocolate into Benny’s pink cup. “Mr. Percy is a wonder with Grandma Alice’s clocks and artworks. He can fix or clean any mechanical object so it is in tip-top condition. But he shows up whenever and wherever he wants, without a thought to whether it’s convenient or not. One night, he arrived at midnight so he could hear one of the clocks sound. It didn’t occur to him to come at noon instead. You should’ve heard Ruff and Tumble then. They did sound like a pack of wild dogs at that hour.”

  Benny reached under the table and patted the dogs’ noses.

  “So,” said Isabel, changing the subject, “I thought today I could show you around the grounds and explain what needs to be done in the next few days before the convention starts. It sure is great to have you all here to help.” She smiled at each of them. “While you help set up, your grandfather and I will be picking up the inventions of Grandma Alice’s that collectors are lending us to display at the invention convention.”

  Grandfather put down his napkin. “Well, I guess by the time we get back Mr. Percy will have every movable object of your grandmother’s spinning and chiming.”

  Isabel brought her dishes to the sink. “I’m going to go out to the garage to see what my other assistants are up to. You children can join me when you’re finished. Just leave the dishes.”

  Of course, the Aldens never left dirty dishes. After Grandfather and Isabel left, they washed, dried, and put away the breakfast dishes lickety-split just the way they did at home. Then everyone, dogs included, marched out to the garage to join Isabel.

  “Wow! Look at all this stuff,” Henry said as he entered the huge garage. It was filled with all kinds of gadgets. “I don’t know whether to be excited or worried. I thought we came up with super inventions, but look at these.” He picked up a pair of stretchy sunglasses that could fit any size head. Then he read the description of the waker-upper alarm clock. “There’s a tape recorder inside. You can record whatever you want to wake up to, and the alarm clock plays it back.”

  “We could have Watch bark into the tape to wake us up,” Benny said.

  Jessie laughed. “He does that already without a special alarm clock.”

  Benny strolled off to check the other tables. “I hope nobody else thought up my flashlight hat.” He patted his head to make sure his invention was still in place.

  That’s when Benny noticed a person reflected in the little mirror on his hat. When he moved to the side, so did the person. When Benny stopped, the person stopped. Benny turned around quickly. When he did, the man bumped right into him.

  “Look where you’re going,” the man said.

  Benny wanted to say something about the man bumping into him. Then he saw the look on Jessie’s face. Benny swallowed his words. Sometimes having manners wasn’t much fun.

  As soon as the man left, Jessie put her arm around Benny. “Good for you. I saw him bump into you, as if he were following you on purpose. But it’s crowded in here, so maybe that’s why he was right behind you. He might be someone Ms. Putter knows.”

  Then Benny had a happy thought. “What if he makes hats? Maybe he wants to make lots of hats like mine. I’ll be a millionaire and everything!” He was sure the world was just waiting for his flashlight hat.

  “You never know,” Henry said, pushing down the brim of Benny’s hat. “I’d like one of those, too. Then maybe I’d have a chance of winning when we play checkers in the dark.”

  “There’s Ms. Putter,” Benny said. “Let’s go talk to her.”

  Violet grabbed Benny’s arm. “Let’s wait,” she whispered. “She’s talking to that older woman who just came up to her. They don’t seem to be having a very pleasant conversation.”

  Violet was right. Isabel looked unhappy with whatever the woman was telling her. Finally the woman stepped away.

  “I guess we can talk to her now,” Violet said. “I wonder why she looks so upset.”

  Isabel’s face was still red when she looked up and saw the Aldens. She could barely manage a smile. “Oh, there you are, children. Sorry I’m in such a tizzy.”

  “Is everything okay?” Henry asked.

  Isabel nodded and lowered her voice. “I just had a bit of a disagreement with Martha, the woman over there. It’s a shame, too. We used to be such good friends when we were children.”

  “You were?” Violet asked.

  Isabel nodded. “Martha’s grandfather and my grandmother were close friends, too. Her grandfather even rented this house when Grandma Alice lived in Europe for a few years. I’m almost sorry I invited Martha to assist at the invention convention. I thought she’d enjoy working around the house where she once lived. But she keeps forgetting it still belongs to my family. She often just barges in.”

  “I know we’d be upset if somebody used our boxcar without asking us,” Benny said.

  Isabel sighed. “I’ve found Martha in private areas of the property several times. I had to ask her for the key back.”

  The man who had bumped into Benny overheard this. “Good morning, Ms. Putter. If you have the house key, I’ll take it to the hardware store to get it copied. Sorry I misplaced the one you gave me. I’ll need another one so I can come and go while you’re gone.”

  Isabel looked at the young man. “Oh ... oh, that won’t be necessary, Brad, now that the Aldens are here.”

  The young man frowned, confused. “The Aldens?”

  Isabel seemed flustered. “Oh, dear. I forgot to mention they were coming. The Aldens are these lovely children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny,” she said, sweeping her hand around. “They’ll be staying in the main house and can let you in. Children, this is Brad Smithy. He’s doing some work on the house before the convention. You can let him in anytime.”

  The Aldens put out their hands for handshakes, but Brad ignored them. “I can’t count on these kids to be around every time I need to get into the house, Ms. Putter.” He sounded impatient.

  Isabel squared her shoulders. “I suppose I could postpone the repairs until after the convention — or find someone else to do them.”

  Now Brad was full of apologies. “Oh, no. Um, I didn’t mean that, Ms. Putter. Sure, if these kids are around, I guess they can let me in.”

  Brad left, not looking too pleased with this arrangement.

  Henry had a question. “So it’s okay to l
et him in anytime while you’re gone?”

  Isabel nodded. “Yes, it’ll be fine. Brad’s done handiwork around here in the past. He’s interested in inventions, though he hasn’t had much luck with his ideas. He’s a much better carpenter than inventor. He knows the house fairly well and where everything goes. Now I hope Martha has cooled off. I’ll introduce you to her.” Isabel called out to the other older woman. “Martha! Come meet the Aldens.”

  “Hmm,” Martha said after Isabel had introduced everyone. “So you’re all staying in my grandfather’s ... I mean ... Alice Putter’s house? Well, it certainly is a fun place for kids. You know, my grandfather was the one who gave Alice Putter the idea for the adjustable children’s furniture in the kids’ room.”

  Isabel looked startled. “What do you mean?”

  Martha turned around. “Well, he built some children’s furniture just like that for my sister and me.”

  Isabel seemed flustered. “That doesn’t mean it was your grandfather’s idea.”

  Martha stared at Isabel. “We would know for sure if you’d been more careful with all the plan books and diaries Granddad and Alice left in the house.”

  Isabel’s cheeks grew bright red again. She drew in a deep breath before speaking. “My family saved everything we could find, Martha. Just because there’s one particular plan book missing doesn’t mean I’ve been careless.”

  “It’s a plan book for the clocks that made Alice Putter famous,” Martha explained to the Aldens. “Until it shows up, we’ll never know what’s in it.” She glanced at Isabel. “Will we?”

  The children wanted to say something to cheer up Isabel.

  Finally Benny thought of something. “Know what? We like looking for missing things. Maybe we can find that book.”

  “I don’t think you’ll have any luck with that,” Martha said. “I’ve helped Isabel search high and low. Brad has, too. There’s something about that plan book that Alice Putter probably didn’t want anyone else to see. She — or someone else — must have hidden or destroyed it.”

  “Oh, I doubt that very much, Martha,” Isabel said. “Grandma Alice was a very generous person. She had so many projects going, it’s no wonder one of her plan books went missing.”

  “It’s not a wonder to me,” Martha answered.

  “We’ll look for it,” Jessie said. “What did it look like?”

  “I have some similar ones in the library of the house,” Isabel said. “Follow me.”

  Isabel led everyone into the house and to a cabinet in the library. She pulled out a large, flat book with a black leather cover. “Well, Aldens, if you’re going to look for Grandma Alice’s plan book, here’s what one looks like. They’re fall of drawings and notes that Grandma Alice wrote down. She numbered each one. Number nine is the one that’s missing. We think it contains many of her clock designs. Grandma Alice had so many places in the house where she stored things, the plan book could be anywhere. We’ve found all kinds of notes and riddles she wrote to herself about where she squirreled away things.”

  “I do that, too,” Violet said, “so I’ll remember where I’ve hidden presents. Once I forgot to write down where I hid some wool mittens I made for Benny’s birthday. By the time I found them under my mattress, Benny was too big to wear them! Now I write down my hiding places in my notebook.”

  Isabel chuckled. “Grandma Alice was the same way. A few years ago, I even found a diary that mentioned a windup doll she meant to give me when I was little. She wrote a riddle about the hiding place. It took me years to figure out that she’d hidden the toy in an unused breadbox in the pantry! I do wish she’d left some hints about where that missing plan book might be.”

  Isabel put the book of drawings and notes back in the cabinet with the others. “You’re welcome to look through these if you have the time,” she said to Martha and the Aldens. “Just help yourselves.”

  “Are you going to search for the missing plan book, too?” Jessie asked Martha.

  “I’ve never stopped searching for it,” Martha answered.

  CHAPTER 3

  The Mystery Riddle

  The next morning when Mr. Alden and Isabel came over to the garage, the children were already at work.

  Grandfather looked on as his grandchildren worked. “You look like a colony of busy ants,” he said proudly.

  “We are!” Henry said as he and Jessie carefully set a large birdcage onto the pushcart they were using to move the inventions into the house.

  Violet was checking that each entry included the inventor’s drawings and directions. Benny was trying out a shoe polisher that worked with a pedal.

  Isabel pointed to Grandfather’s empty car in the driveway. “We just came over to say good-bye. When we come back in a few days, that car is going to be filled with Grandma Alice’s inventions and artworks that collectors are lending us for the convention.”

  “Aren’t you ever going to take off your flashlight hat?” Grandfather asked Benny when he came over for a good-bye hug. “You don’t want to wear it out before the convention even starts.”

  Benny patted his hat. “I need it to see in back of me and in dark places, even when I’m busy.”

  “By the time we return, I may not even need Mr. Percy,” Isabel joked. “You children are awfully clever at figuring out how all these gadgets work.” She checked her watch. “We’d better head out now. I left sandwich fixings and fruit in the refrigerator, bread in the breadbox, and homemade cookies in the cookie jar in Grandma Alice’s house. If you need anything else, just ask Martha. So long, now.”

  “So long!” the children called out.

  “Okay let’s get these pieces into the house,” Jessie told Henry. “I’ll hold things steady while you push the cart.” She admired the large birdcage, which was designed to look like a little theater. It even had a flowered cloth that lowered down like a stage curtain. “This will look pretty in the library.”

  Henry and Jessie balanced the birdcage carefully. They didn’t want to disturb any of its moving parts. Violet and Benny ran ahead and held open all the doors. The older children rolled the cart into the house without bumping into any walls or doorways.

  “There,” Henry said when they finally had set down the birdcage. “That looks as nice as one of Alice Putter’s own inventions. It fits right in. Let’s try it out.”

  Violet turned a winder, and the curtains came down. “Perfect,” she said. “It works just the way the directions say. All it needs is a bird inside.”

  Benny wasn’t too interested in birdcage curtains. He pressed a button beneath a globe, and the globe began to rotate slowly. When he recognized the shape of the United States, Benny pressed the button again, and the globe stopped. It was neat, but he liked his flashlight hat much better. Finally, he decided to see if there were any good books to read on the nearby shelves. “Kids’ books!” he said when he found some colorful old children’s books. “May I look at them, Jessie?”

  “Sure,” she answered. “Ms. Putter said we could use anything in the house.”

  To his delight, Benny discovered that all the books on one of the low shelves were for brand-new readers like him. He ran his fingers along the books. He stopped when he came to one with a missing spine. As he pulled it out, he saw that it wasn’t like any of the others on the shelves. This one was homemade, with handmade drawings and handwritten instead of typed words. “Hey, here’s a book somebody made,” he said.

  The other children came over to take a look. The cover was decorated with hand-painted clocks, birds, animals, clowns, and toys. There was no author’s name on it. But handwritten on the first page were the words: To My Grandchildren.

  “It’s just a riddle book,” Benny said, a bit disappointed that it wasn’t the missing plan book. He read the title: “Read Me a Riddle.”

  “So read us a riddle!” Henry said back.

  Benny closed his eyes and picked a riddle at random. He opened them again, and read the riddle slowly.

  “When
the moon’s at twelve o’clock.

  Pounce upon the stroke,

  The time to act is at the chime,

  When day and night run out of time.”

  “What’s that mean?” Benny asked, puzzled. He handed the book to Jessie.

  She studied several of the other riddles. “I know some of these already. But the one you found is hard to figure out.” She flipped through the book.

  Violet thought about the riddle. “When the moon’s at twelve o’clock ... maybe you can only figure it out at midnight when there’s a moon out.”

  Jessie repeated the riddle. Maybe reading it again would make it clearer.

  As the children huddled around the curious book, someone entered the room.

  “What are you doing?” the person asked.

  The children whirled around, surprised by the sharp voice.

  Martha came up to the children. She stared at the book in Jessie’s hands. “Who said you could take books from the shelves?”

  Benny looked up at Martha. “Ms. Putter said it was okay, right, Jessie? I’m old enough to read. It’s got riddles.”

  Martha reached for the book. “Riddles? Let me see it.”

  Jessie carefully passed the book to Martha. “Ms. Putter told us we could use anything in the house. She knew we would be careful. This book is handmade.”

  Martha was already turning the pages. “I can see that. Well, I’m sure Isabel wouldn’t want such a fragile book being passed around. I’m going to put it away for safekeeping.”

  “But ... but ...” Benny began. He stopped when he saw Jessie shake her head.

  “I’m going to store it where it will be out of harm’s way,” Martha said. With that, she turned and left.

  Benny took a big swallow before he spoke. He wasn’t used to people being cross with him. “I didn’t harm the book, right, Jessie?”

  Jessie patted the top of Benny’s flashlight hat. “Of course you didn’t. But I didn’t want to upset Martha.”

  “Maybe we can draw and paint our own riddle book when we get home,” Violet said to cheer up Benny.