Boxcar Children 12 - Houseboat Mystery (5 page)

“Oh, we’ll find it,” the policeman answered. “There are strange things going on around here. This is only one of them.”

The other policeman added, “Right up and down our own river! It always has been so peaceful here. Nothing like this ever happened before.”

The Aldens went along the street looking for the Elm Tree Inn. It was easy to find, for they soon saw the big tree.

Violet said, “I don’t feel very hungry. But we’d better eat just the same, I suppose.”

Jessie smiled and said, “We’ve got a chance now to eat without cooking a meal or washing the dishes. We’d better eat whether we’re hungry or not.”

“Well, I’m hungry,” said Benny.

“So am I, mate,” said Henry. “It will be no trouble at all for me.”

Benny held the door of the Elm Tree Inn open while the others went in. Just as he was going to follow them he looked toward the street. He was in time to see a big black car swing out to pass a small truck. The truck driver called out, “Hey! Look where you’re going!”

Benny had a fine chance to see the driver of the black car as it whizzed by. He thought to himself, “That is the very man I saw in the restaurant! He’s the one I didn’t like. He’s the one who said, ’What do you mean—find out? Nobody has found out yet.’ “

The driver’s left hand was on the small open window of the black car. He drove with his right hand. Benny saw that the man wore a big square black ring. Then the car was around the corner and out of sight. Benny went into the inn.

The family stayed a long time at the Elm Tree Inn. The restaurant was crowded with people. The waitress could not serve them for a long time. But as they waited for their lunch, Benny told them in a low voice about the man in the car.

Then Jessie said, “Those men don’t seem to do anything wrong. They just drive too fast.”

“Well, they almost ran into our car,” said Henry. “I won’t forget that in a hurry.”

By the time the food was served, every Alden was hungry. Even Violet ate an excellent meal.

After lunch, Violet said, “Let’s go, Grandfather. I’m tired.”

Everyone agreed. They all wanted to get back to the houseboat.

As the family walked along, Henry said, “I wonder what those policemen meant about strange things. Maybe that black car has something to do with all the trouble. It certainly looks strange in these small towns. It goes too fast.”

Violet said, “Maybe the police have seen those two men who almost ran into us.”

“I don’t like them,” said Benny. “I didn’t like them when I saw them in the restaurant.”

The Aldens walked down the path. They found the houseboat still safely anchored at the dock. Benny untied the rope, and Henry unlocked the door. They all went into the cabin.

Everyone began to sniff.

“Smoke!” said Benny. “I smell smoke! Where’s that sandbox? I want that sand ready if there’s a fire.”

“It’s cigarette smoke,” said Henry. “No fire.”

Grandfather looked very sober. He said, “Henry, unlock the back door, too. You can use the same key.”

Grandfather looked at both doors. Then he tried the windows. They were all locked.

Jessie looked around the galley. Not a dish had been moved. Violet looked at the beds and the curtains.

Henry went out and checked the motor. It seemed to be all right.

They looked in the icebox and even in the water tank. They could not find a thing.

“I don’t like it,” said Grandfather. “Both doors were locked, and there isn’t a mark on the keyholes.”

After a while they all agreed on one thing—someone had been in the cabin, smoking a cigarette.

Benny said, “You know, this was a fine time for someone to get into this houseboat. Everybody at that auction knew we were going to eat lunch on land. Remember, Jessie, how you called to Grandfather?”

Jessie nodded. “And a stranger even said, ’I know a place where you can eat—the Elm Tree Inn.’ Oh, yes, I guess we told everybody in that town that we wouldn’t be home for a while.”

Benny went out on the front deck and sat down to think. He was thinking about the boy in the red cap. It was strange how he ran away from the auction.

“Something funny here,” Benny said to himself. “But that boy is too young to be smoking cigarettes. Besides, he seemed like such a nice boy. I liked him the minute I saw him looking over the box of old clothes.”

Everyone came out on the front deck and sat down.

Henry said, “Whoever was in our houseboat wasn’t very smart. Anyone would know we would smell smoke. How do you think the person got in, Grandfather?”

Mr. Alden answered, “Well, I think someone has a key.”

Benny was safely in bed that night. Suddenly he felt that something was missing. Then he knew what it was. He could not hear the clock tick! He looked out in the dark and found the spot on the wall where the clock hung. The clock was gone!

“Now I know someone has been here,” Benny thought. “I know people often steal clocks and radios because they can sell them. But I wouldn’t think anyone would come aboard just for a little old clock.”

Benny did not want to wake everybody up to tell them, so he turned over and went to sleep.

CHAPTER
5

April Center

T
he day came when Benny changed the name of the houseboat to
The Watch Alden.
The family spent the morning cleaning up the boat and doing the laundry. After lunch, the four young Aldens were sitting on the front deck. Suddenly they saw a large sign on the riverbank. Benny read it aloud, April Center. “What does that mean?” he asked. “There’s a dock and everything.”

Mr. Alden, who was sitting in the cabin, heard Benny. He came out at once and looked at the sign.

“It can’t be! It simply can’t be!” he said.

“What can’t be?” asked Henry and Benny.

“Well, April Center,” answered Mr. Alden, still staring at the sign. “That belongs to my old friend, George April.”

“That’s a funny name,” said Benny. “Mr. April.”

“I suppose so,” said Grandfather. “I have known George April for years and years. He lives in London now.”

“What is this April Center?” asked Henry.

Grandfather seemed to wake out of a daze. “Oh, yes, Henry! It’s Mr. April’s idea. He is interested in old things and new things—he especially likes children.”

“We’re not children,” said Benny.

“Well, no,” agreed Grandfather. “But George April would think you were. Wait until you see the things he has in April Center.”

“What things?” asked Benny.

“Now don’t rush me,” said Mr. Alden. “A few years ago, George April bought some land and built April Center. It is a small place in the country, but very famous. I had no idea it was so near. People come here from all over the United States. No cars are allowed. You have to leave your car at the gate. After you pay to enter, you can walk around April Center. Or you can hire a horse and driver by the hour. The drivers wait at the gate.”

Benny opened his mouth to speak and then shut it again. Grandfather noticed.

“Good, Ben,” he said. “You know I am telling this as fast as I can. There is a village green in the middle of April Center—a park with green grass and trees. George sent me a picture postcard of the place once. A road goes right around the edge of the green. There are a lot of buildings all along the street—all different. I remember there’s an old country store. There’s also a doll museum and an animal museum. In the animal museum you can see mounted wild animals and even stones with dinosaur tracks.”

“I’d love to see the dolls,” said Violet. “They must be interesting.”

“I’m sure they are,” said Mr. Alden. “I’ve never seen the place myself. But I’d like to.”

“So would I,” said Henry. “I’ll pole the boat up to the dock.”

The Aldens soon stepped ashore, and Henry dropped the anchor. Both doors of the houseboat were locked and the windows shut. Benny tied the rope. He said, “We will never forget to lock this houseboat. We don’t want to come back again and find that a stranger has been here.”

They started down the path, but they did not walk far before they saw the gate.

Many people were visiting April Center that day. As the Aldens paid for their tickets, they saw parents walking along with their children. On the other side of the gate they could see the village green.

Inside the gate, a horse hitched to a strange-looking wagon was standing under a tree. A small, thin man in a red coat was the driver. The Aldens looked once at the man, but they looked twice at the horse.

“What a thin horse!” said Benny. “I can see his ribs.”

Mr. Alden said, “I don’t understand this. That horse isn’t well fed. George wouldn’t have such a thin horse on his place. I’m sure he doesn’t know about this.”

The driver saw the Aldens. He climbed down from his old wagon. He took off his cap. “See the Center, sir?” he asked Mr. Alden with a bow. “My name’s Sam. Dolly and I go right around the Center. We’ll wait at every building as long as you want.”

Benny looked at Sam and said, “You can’t take five of us. We’re too heavy. That horse can’t pull us all.”

“Oh, yes she can,” said Sam. “Dolly, you’re used to it, aren’t you, girl?” Sam patted Dolly gently. “See, she doesn’t mind at all. This carriage holds six.”

Indeed, there were three seats, and each seat had room for two persons. Without another word, Benny climbed into the front seat beside the driver. Grandfather and Violet sat behind them, and Jessie and Henry took the back seat. Dolly started down the street.

“Go along, pet,” said Sam. “Go along, old girl. You like hot weather. You know you do.”

Benny looked up at Sam. “You don’t come from around here, do you?” he asked.

“No. I’m an old jockey. I’m so small I used to be a jockey in the Blue Grass Country. But I’ve been up here for five years. Now, ladies,” said Sam, looking over his shoulder, “over there is the country store. Then come some old-fashioned houses. And next is the doll museum.”

“Let’s go to the doll museum first,” said Jessie. “We can’t see every building in one day.”

“No,” said Sam. “It takes two days. Some people stay a week.”

Benny said suddenly, “Tell me, Sam, why is Dolly so thin?”

Sam shook his gray head. “I know she’s too thin. It makes me feel poorly. Maybe Dolly’s just a thin horse. I feed her as well as I can.”

Mr. Alden said, “Sam, doesn’t Mr. April pay you well? He’s a good friend of mine.”

Sam sat up very straight. “Oh, yes, sir! Mr. April pays me fine. He’s a good man. Don’t ever say anything bad about Mr. April! He can’t come here very often. He lives in London.”

“Yes, he does,” said Grandfather. “But he wouldn’t like to see such a thin horse on his place.”

But Sam only said, “Giddap, old girl. Stop at the doll museum.”

Dolly began to trot. She stopped in front of the museum.

“We’ll wait right here,” said Sam. “Take your time. Stay as long as you like.”

The Aldens went up the front walk. Mr. Alden said, “Something is wrong here. I’d like to know what it is.”

Violet said, “Sam loves his horse. You can see that. Did you notice that Dolly was brushed till she shone like silk?”

“Yes,” said Mr. Alden. “That’s why it’s so strange. Sam takes good care of Dolly, but neither one gets enough to eat.”

Henry laughed just a little. He said, “Grandfather, you know most people wouldn’t even notice a thin horse. And they wouldn’t care if they did.”

“Yes, Henry, I know. But this family loves animals, and we can’t help noticing them.”

The Aldens had reached the door. “Well, here are the dolls,” Grandfather said.

“What a wonderful place!” said Violet when they walked inside. Even Henry and Benny were fascinated. A young girl in an old-fashioned costume came to meet them.

“Let me show you this dollhouse,” she said. “Notice the man doll sitting in that easy chair? He is six inches tall. He is reading a newspaper that is just the size of a postage stamp. You can see it is printed exactly like a big one. Now let me show you his set of checkers.”

The girl picked up a tiny black box from the little doll table. It was so small that she could hardly hold it. She opened it. The box and cover made a tiny checkerboard, and twenty-four red and black checkers were inside.

“This game is even smaller than a postage stamp,” said the girl.

Violet said, “I don’t see how anyone made those checkers so small.”

“This dollhouse is one hundred years old,” said the girl.

“Look at that beautiful doll’s tea set!” said Jessie, pointing to another tiny room in the dollhouse.

“Yes, some people think that is the smallest china tea set in the world,” said the girl. “The little handles are real gold, and the roses are painted by hand.”

“We’d better not touch that,” said Violet.

Benny was looking around the room. Suddenly he said, “Look over there!” He pointed to a corner where many people were standing. The Aldens walked across the room.

On a large wooden table was a model of a Pennsylvania farm. Everything in the model was carved and painted by hand.

A wooden man was sitting on a milking stool beside a cow. Hens and chickens stood around the barnyard. A woman doll stood among them with a tiny basket of corn. Two horses were hitched to a wagon with a black top. A boy doll stood beside a well, with his hand on the pump handle.