Creature in Ogopogo Lake (4 page)

Henry looked even more confused. “I’m not following you, Jessie.”

“Wait a minute,” said Violet. “Are you talking about the photograph of Patch O’Brien’s cats?”

Nodding, Jessie flipped the riddle over. “I have a hunch the clue’s hidden somewhere in this photograph.”

“But … where?” asked Benny.

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Jessie admitted. “But if we put our heads together, maybe we can figure it out.”

They took turns studying the photograph—first Jessie, then Benny, then Violet, and finally Henry. On the second time around, Henry said, “That bench looks familiar.”

“Really?” Jessie took a closer look. “I don’t remember seeing a green bench around anywhere.”

“Maybe it isn’t green anymore. Take a look at that crack along the back,” said Violet, who had an artist’s eye for detail. “It’s just like the one on that yellow bench by the gift shop.”

“You might be on to something,” said Henry. “That’s good detective work, Violet.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere!” put in Benny.

They quickly finished their lunch, then hurried over to the gift shop to take a closer look at the bench.

“No doubt about it,” said Jessie, looking from the photograph to the bench and back again. “That’s the same one, all right.”

They weren’t really sure what they were looking for, but they set to work checking out every inch of the old bench. They found the names of tourists carved into the wood, and wads of gum stuck under the seat. But they found nothing that would help them find Patch’s treasure.

Finally, Violet let out a sigh. “Looks like we struck out.”

As they headed back to their cabin, Jessie said, “Never mind, Violet. It was a good try.”

“If we’re on the wrong track with the bench,” Henry said thoughtfully, “that can mean only one thing.”

“What’s that, Henry?” asked Benny as he fell into step beside his brother.

“The clue must have something to do with the cats,” Henry reasoned.

“That makes sense,” Jessie said after a moment’s thought. “After all, there’s nothing else in the—”

Suddenly a familiar voice interrupted their conversation. When they looked over, they saw Max standing on his porch with his back to them. He was talking on a cell phone. The children couldn’t help overhearing bits and pieces of the conversation.

“No, no! It’s important to keep this hush-hush. I don’t want Abby to find out what I’m up to … I’m not sure. Maybe gold.”

The children looked at each other. They didn’t like the sound of this.

When Max turned and saw the Aldens, he looked startled as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. “Oh, hi there!” he said, quickly pocketing his cell phone. “I was just, um …” His voice trailed away. “Guess I’d better get back inside. Got something on the stove.” He was gone in a flash.

“What was that all about?” Jessie said, with a puzzled frown.

“I’m not sure,” said Henry. “But it sounds like Max is up to something.”

“He was talking about gold,” added Benny. “Do you think he’s after Patch O’Brien’s treasure, too?”

“We can’t be sure what Max was talking about,” Violet was quick to point out.

“That’s true,” said Henry. “I guess we shouldn’t jump to any conclusions.”

“One thing’s for sure,” said Benny. “Things are getting more and more mysterious!”

For the rest of the day, the Aldens puzzled over the photograph. But by the time they went to bed, they were still no closer to solving the mystery.

Around midnight, Violet awakened from a dream about Ogopogo. When she couldn’t get back to sleep, she slid out of bed. She made her way over to the window and peered out at the moonlit lake. Suddenly, she gasped.

“Jessie!” she cried. “Come quick.”

“What is it?” Jessie asked in a sleepy voice.

“Hurry!” Violet cried. “You’ve got to see this!”

Curious, Jessie threw back her covers and jumped out of bed. “See what?” she asked, coming up behind her sister.

“Look over there,” Violet said in a hushed voice. “By the dock.”

“I can’t see any—oh!”

Violet looked over at her sister. “You can see it, too, can’t you?”

Jessie nodded her head slowly, too astonished to speak.

“That’s what I saw last night,” Benny told them, his eyes wide with excitement. “It’s Ogopogo, isn’t it?”

Violet and Jessie had woken up Benny and Henry. Now they were all peering out of the bedroom window at the strange creature swimming by the dock.

“I’m not sure what it is,” said Jessie.

Henry frowned. “It’s kind of weird that a monster would be in the same spot two nights in a row.”

“Do you think it’s more than a coincidence?” asked Violet.

Henry nodded. “A lot more!”

“It does seem suspicious,” said Jessie.

Henry headed for the door. “It’s time to find out what’s really out there on Okanagan Lake.”

“
Ogopogo
Lake!” insisted Benny.

“We’ll go with you, Henry,” said Violet. Jessie and Benny were quick to agree.

Henry slipped quietly out of the room. So did everyone else. Henry grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen, then led the way outside. Everything was quiet and still. The only sound was the chirping of the crickets.

After tiptoeing quietly down the creaky porch steps, they hurried past the line of cabins. With the flashlight beam sweeping across the path, they headed single file down through the trees to the beach. The Aldens peered out at the dark lake. There wasn’t a ripple. The strange creature had vanished.

Henry was about to say something when Benny grabbed his arm. The youngest Alden had seen something the others hadn’t.

“There’s somebody over there,” he whispered, pointing.

Sure enough, a shadowy figure was standing near the boat.

As Henry beamed his flashlight towards the dock, Benny called out, “Who’s there?”

Suddenly the figure was racing full-speed along the dock towards the water’s edge. The Aldens gave chase, but it was too late. Whoever it was quickly disappeared into the trees.

They headed back to the cabin. “I don’t understand it. Somebody’s going to a lot of trouble to make us think there’s a monster out there,” said Henry.

The children had gathered in the room that Jessie and Violet were sharing. “Are you cold, Benny?” Jessie asked.

Benny, who was sitting beside Jessie on the quilted bed, was shivering. “You don’t think there’s
really
a monster out there? Do you?”

“No, that wasn’t a monster, Benny.” Henry sounded very sure.

“But how come it looked just like Ogopogo?” Benny asked as Jessie pulled a pine needle from his hair.

“I don’t know how it’s being done,” Henry admitted. “But I’m certain it’s a hoax.”

Jessie agreed. “Somebody’s trying to fool us.”

“What I can’t figure out,” said Violet, perched on a trunk at the foot of the bed, “is why someone would want us to believe it was Ogopogo out there.”

“I’m not sure, but I have a feeling Adam set it up,” said Jessie. “This hoax, I mean.”

Violet looked over at her sister. “Why would he do something like that?”

“I think I know what Jessie’s getting at,” said Henry. “A report of an Ogopogo sighting always brings the tourists into town, remember?”

Violet nodded her head in understanding. “You think he’s hoping Abby won’t sell the resort if business picks up?”

“Could be,” said Jessie. “Max and Adam get a free cabin for the summer in exchange for giving boat tours. A new owner might not be willing to go along with that.”

“His whole attitude changed,” Jessie went on, “right after Abby said they needed a good Ogopogo sighting. Did you notice?”

Benny nodded. “He said he wasn’t feeling well and hurried away.”

“Exactly,” said Jessie. “And then on the boat ride, he was suddenly talking as if a monster really existed.”

“You know, Adam isn’t the only suspect,” said Violet. “I think we should add Rilla Washburn to our list.”

Benny looked confused. “But … Rilla
wants
Abby to sell. Doesn’t she?”

“Yes,” said Violet. “But that won’t happen if we find the treasure.”

“You think Rilla’s trying to distract us?” asked Henry. “Is that what you mean, Violet?”

“It’s possible,” said Violet. “Maybe she figures we’ll start hunting for Ogopogo and forget all about the treasure.”

“But Rilla doesn’t believe that Patch left a treasure,” Benny pointed out, looking even more confused.

“Maybe that’s just what she wants
us
to believe,” Henry said. He was leaning against the pine dresser, his arms folded. “Maybe she’s afraid the treasure might be worth enough to save the resort.”

Benny spoke up. “I know somebody we should put at the top of our list of suspects.”

“You’re thinking of Max, right?” guessed Jessie.

“I bet he’s the one trying to distract us,” Benny said, nodding. “He wants to beat us to the treasure.”

Jessie had to admit Benny had a point. “Max did say something about gold when he was talking on the phone.”

Violet frowned. “We want to be sure he was talking about the treasure.” She liked Max and couldn’t imagine him trying to take Abby’s treasure from her.

“Oh, Max is up to something, all right,” insisted Henry. “I’m just not sure it has anything to do with the treasure.”

“But it’s true, Henry,” said Benny, who wasn’t about to let go of his idea. “Max wants the treasure for himself.”

“If we prove it, it’s true, Benny,” Jessie corrected. “Until then, it’s just a theory.”

Violet let out a sigh. “It’s hard to know who to trust.”

“I think we should watch them closely for a while,” suggested Henry. “Max, Adam, and Rilla.”

“But let’s keep a lid on this for now,” Jessie said with a yawn. “We’ll try to figure out a few things on our own.”

With that, they put the mystery out of their minds as they went back to bed and drifted off to sleep.

The four Alden children were up bright and early the next morning. Remembering their promise to Abby to paint the signs, they headed off to town right after breakfast.

“What do you think of purple for the lettering on the signs?” Violet asked as they browsed around the paint store.

“Sounds good,” said Jessie, who was looking at a color chart. “How about this one? It’s called Lavender Mist.”

“Plum Delight is really nice, too,” put in Violet. Purple was her favorite color, and she almost always wore something purple or violet. “There are so many colors, it’s hard to choose.”

It took awhile, but the four Aldens finally decided on Lavender Mist, Goldenrod Yellow, and Dragonfly Blue.

“Is it lunchtime yet?” Benny asked as they stood at the check-out.

Henry looked at his watch. “Close enough,” he said. “I noticed a diner on our way over here.”

No sooner had they stepped outside than Rilla Washburn came round the corner. She was wearing a green dress and matching earrings. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but when she caught sight of the Aldens, she slowed down.

“Well, if it isn’t the gold hunters,” she said, “or have you thrown in the towel already?”

Henry shook his head. “We don’t give up that easily.”

Rilla’s smile disappeared. “You’re wasting your time,” she said. “Look, I know what I’m talking about. There’s no treasure. End of story.”

“But we already figured out something,” Benny piped up. “Jessie, show Rilla the photograph of Patch’s cats in your backpack. There’s a clue hidden in the photograph of—” Just then, he noticed Jessie’s warning frown. He’d forgotten they weren’t supposed to talk about the mystery.

Rilla caught the look. “Oh, come now,” she said. “You can tell me about it. Your secret’s safe with me.”

“We have to go,” said Jessie, pointing to her watch. “Sorry.”

“You’re getting Abby’s hopes up for nothing with this little game of yours!” Rilla snapped at them.

This was too much for Jessie. “We’re trying to help,” she said, looking Rilla straight in the eye.

“Well, you’re not!” Rilla shot back, getting more annoyed by the minute. “You’re not helping one bit!” With that, she hurried off.

“Can you believe that?” Jessie said as they headed down the street. “Rilla acts like we’re doing something wrong.”

“She doesn’t want us hunting for the treasure,” Henry added as they stepped inside the diner. “That’s for sure.”

Violet nodded. “She’s afraid Abby won’t sell the resort if we find something valuable.”

Jessie nodded. “And that means Rilla would be runner-up again for the top sales award.”

As they settled into a booth, Benny said, “She was wondering if we gave up already. We never give up.”

“Rilla sure doesn’t know us very well.” Henry smiled over at his little brother.

Jessie passed out the menus. “Did you notice that Rilla called us
gold
hunters?”

“Hey, Max was talking about gold when he was on the phone!” Benny realized.

“Could just be a coincidence,” said Henry.

But Jessie wasn’t so sure. Her mind was racing. “Unless—”

“Unless what, Jessie?” Henry questioned.

“Unless Max and Rilla are working together.”