Pilgrim Village Mystery (6 page)

CHAPTER 7

Peanut Butter and Jelly, Please

W
hen it was time for dinner, they went to Grandfather's room to put on dry clothes. Then they all walked back to the village together.

The Aldens arrived at the tavern and sat at a large table near the kitchen. When they looked up at the menu written on the chalkboard, they were surprised to see that many items had been crossed off. Only fish chowder, roast beef, and baked ham remained.

Linda showed up a few minutes later and Steve came over to take their order.

“No chicken pot pie tonight?” Grandfather asked, disappointed.

“Sorry,” Steve said. “We're all out.”

“It looks like you're out of a lot of things,” Linda commented. “What's going on?”

“I don't know,” said Steve. “Busy night, I guess.”

As they were speaking, Lisa came out of the kitchen and went to the chalkboard. She crossed roast beef off the menu.

“Oh, no,” said Violet. Several people sitting at other tables groaned also. “I was going to order roast beef.”

“Is there
anything
left?” Benny asked.

“Fish chowder and baked ham,” Steve said.

“I don't want either one,” Benny said sadly.

Linda looked thoughtfully at Benny. “Steve, would you ask Red to come out here, please?”

“Sure,” Steve said, hurrying to the kitchen. A moment later, Red was walking toward their table.

“What's going on, Red?” Linda asked him. “Didn't you order enough food this week?”

“Yes, I did,” Red grumbled. “I guess I was so busy with —” He stopped abruptly. “All I know is, we suddenly ran out.” He looked angry.

“Well, maybe you could make something special for this hungry boy.” Linda put her arm around Benny. “What would you like?”

“Peanut butter and jelly, please,” said Benny.

“We don't usually serve it, but I'll see if I have some in the kitchen.”

“The rest of us will have baked ham,” Grandfather said.

“All right,” Red said, starting to go back to the kitchen.

“Red, I'd like you to come by my office tomorrow,” Linda said. “We may have to make some changes around here.”

“I'll come to your office,” Red said, “but this is my kitchen, and I'll run it the way I see fit.” With that he turned angrily and walked into the kitchen.

Linda sighed heavily. “If it's not one thing, it's another.”

“Has anything like this ever happened before?” Henry asked.

“No, not that I can recall,” replied Linda.

“I wonder what Red's been so busy with,” Jessie said. “It sounded as if he started to say something and then changed his mind.”

“He also said that the supplies ran out ‘suddenly.' Do you think someone could have stolen the food?” asked Henry.

“Why would someone steal food?” Linda said.

“I don't know. Maybe to cause trouble, like they did at the weaving shop,” Henry suggested.

Linda looked doubtful.

Soon Steve brought their food, and the table grew silent as Benny gobbled up his sandwich hungrily, and everyone else ate the baked ham. When they were finished they were glad to find that the kitchen hadn't run out of ice cream.

“Despite the problems, I'm happy to say that was another delicious dinner,” Grandfather remarked as he and Linda walked the children back to their cabin.

“Yes,” Linda mumbled. But she didn't seem happy at all.

“What's wrong?” Violet asked.

“Oh, it's just that things were going so well for Pilgrim Village. And now, in the last few days, everything seems to be going wrong,” Linda said. “And with Thanksgiving coming I'm especially worried.”

“There have been a lot of things going wrong,” Jessie agreed.

“Just in the last few days?” Henry asked thoughtfully.

“Yes,” Linda said. “I wish I knew what was going on, or who was doing it, or why.” She seemed very sad. Everyone was silent for a moment.

“Don't worry,” Benny said at last. “We're good at solving mysteries. We'll figure it out.”

“I don't know if you can, but I hope so. Good night.” Linda walked off in the darkness toward her office.

“Here's your cabin,” Grandfather said. “I'd better be heading back to my hotel. I'll see you all tomorrow.”

“Good night, Grandfather,” the children called out as they lit their lantern and went into the cozy cabin.

As soon as they'd all changed into their pajamas, Jessie asked everyone to come sit in her and Violet's room. “I think we need to talk about what's been going on here,” she said.

“We have to do something to help Linda,” Violet said.

“Yes,” Henry agreed. “Let's think of all the things that have happened, and see if we can figure out any pattern.”

One by one, the children listed the strange happenings.

“First there were the mixed-up letters on our poster,” said Violet.

“And the burnt biscuits,” said Henry.

“The mess in the weaving shop and the ruined clay in the pottery shop,” said Jessie.

“Don't forget the pin Violet found in the wax,” Benny added.

“These don't seem to be things a thief would do,” said Henry. “It just seems as if someone wants to cause trouble.”

“But who?” asked Benny.

“Eric and Shelly have both acted very strangely,” Jessie said. “They pretended they'd never met, but I think they had. Eric is friendly one minute and trying to get rid of us the next.”

“And Shelly doesn't really seem to know anything about pottery,” added Violet.

“What about Red? He hasn't been very nice to us,” said Benny.

“Remember the first night we were here, Red said the village was too crowded?” Henry said. “Maybe he's trying to cause trouble to get rid of some of the visitors.”

“Maybe, but that doesn't explain how strangely Shelly and Eric are acting,” said Violet.

“Shelly just started working here, and suddenly there are all these strange things happening,” said Benny.

“I keep wondering if Eric's ‘project' has anything to do with what's been happening,” said Jessie.

Everyone sat and thought about that for a minute.

“There's only one way to find out,” Henry said, finally. And then he told the others his plan.

CHAPTER 8

Henry's Plan

T
he next morning, after a quick breakfast of muffins and juice, the children went to the print shop. The shop looked empty, but the sign on the door said “Open” and there was a light on in Eric's office at the back.

“Hello,” Jessie called out.

“Well, hello,” Eric replied, emerging from his office.

“We wanted to see what you were working on today,” Jessie said.

“I'm printing some signs for the general store,” Eric told them. “Come over here and I'll show you.”

Jessie, Violet, and Benny followed Eric over to the counter. But Henry did not. Instead, he quickly ducked into Eric's office to take a look around. He knew probing around like this wasn't exactly a nice thing to do. But the Aldens had decided it was important to help Linda. There on the desk was just what the Aldens had been wondering about — the old book with the cracked leather cover.

Peeking out into the main room to be sure Eric was busy, Henry picked up the book and looked at the first page. “Oh, my gosh,” he said when he saw what was written there in thin, spidery handwriting.

The Journal of Thomas S. Heathcliff

begun January
5,
1780

“So that's what this old book is,” Henry muttered to himself. He looked quickly at the page of notes Eric had been making. Eric's handwriting was messy and hard to read. But at the top, Henry saw:

G. Washington to T. Heathcliff, February 1780

Suddenly Henry heard Eric say his name in the other room.

“Where's Henry?” Jessie repeated. She was speaking extra loudly so that Henry would be sure to hear. It was sort of a warning. “Oh he's —”

Just then there was a loud crash.

“Oh, Benny, you've knocked over a case of type!” said Violet.

“Sorry!” Benny said. But he didn't sound very sorry at all.

“That's okay,” Eric said. “We'll all help put the type back in the right compartments.”

Henry knew that his little brother had knocked the case of type over on purpose, to distract Eric.

Realizing he didn't have much time, Henry quickly looked back at the desk. Beside Eric's notes was a map of Pilgrim Village, the one given out to the visitors so they could find their way around. In blue pen, Eric had circled six buildings: the print shop, the weaver's shop, the candlemaker's shop, the tavern, the farmhouse, and the little cabin that the children were staying in, which used to be the guest cabin.

Henry noticed that those buildings were all tinted gray on the map, while the other buildings were black. He looked for the map's key to find out why. The key was in the corner. It said that the black buildings were all built recently, while the gray buildings were built back when Thomas Heath-cliff was alive. Eric had circled all of the old buildings.

Henry had to leave before Eric realized that he had been in his office. He wasn't sure what he had learned from his detective work. But he knew that when he talked to his brother and sisters, they'd figure out something.

He peeked back into the main room of the print shop, and saw that everyone was kneeling on the floor, picking up the blocks of type that Benny had knocked onto the floor. Jessie caught Henry's eye and motioned for him to hurry.

Before Eric could turn around, Henry slipped into the room. No one but Jessie even noticed.

A little while later the children were back in their cabin. Henry was telling them what he had found.

“So the old book was Thomas Heathcliff's journal. I'd love to see what it says,” said Violet. “I wonder why Eric is being so secretive with it.”

“What do you think his notes meant, ‘G. Washington to T. Heathcliff, February, 1780,'”Jessie wondered.

“I don't know. And I also don't know why he circled all the old buildings on the map,” said Henry.

“Something strange has happened in each of those places,” said Violet.

“Except for the farmhouse and our cabin,” said Jessie.

“Is Eric trying to destroy Pilgrim Village?” Violet asked, her face sad.

“I don't know,” said Jessie.

“I hope not,” Violet said. “He seems so nice.”

“We wanted a mystery,” Benny said, “and we got one!”

The children had a picnic lunch with Grandfather on the green. Then they spent the afternoon visiting the little schoolhouse. They sat on hard wooden benches while a woman explained what school was like in the old days. Back then, children of all different ages were in the same class. The littlest children, like Benny, sat in the front row, while the older children, like Henry, were in the last.

Seeing the old school was lots of fun, and it almost made the Aldens forget about the mystery they were trying to solve. But as soon as they returned to their cabin, they remembered. Because in the middle of the table they found something mysterious. It was a note, written in large handwriting with lots of fancy loops and swirls.

“What does it say?” Benny asked when Jessie had picked it up.

“It says,” Jessie began, reading aloud: “‘
Meet me tonight at six-thirty at the farmhouse. I have something important to show you. I may be late
—
please wait for me
.' And it's signed ‘
Eric
'”

“Something important,” Benny repeated. “Wow!”

“Could I see it, please?” asked Henry. Jessie handed him the note.

“Do you think this has something to do with Eric's ‘special project?'” asked Violet.