Mystery in the Old Attic (6 page)

Sam scratched his head. “That's what I'm trying to remember,” he said. Suddenly his eyes lit up. “Of course, Adam came in with it about two weeks ago.”

“Adam?” asked Benny.

“Adam Tormala, I believe his name is. He's a big man. Wears glasses and a brown tweed overcoat.”

“Does he live around here? May we speak to him?” asked Henry. “You see,” he continued when he saw Sam's questioning look, “that ring belongs to our family.”

“What?” Sam seemed more surprised than ever.

“It's a long story,” said Jessie.

“I have time,” Sam insisted. The clerk, who was called Judy, nodded also and arched her eyebrows. The Aldens could tell she did not want to miss a word.

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny took turns telling Sam and Judy all about Great-aunt Sophie, Emily's diary, and their search for the ring.

When they finished, Judy shook her head. “That's unbelievable. I wonder where Adam got that ring.”

“I don't know,” said Sam. “But I'll give you children his address, and you can go ask him. I don't usually give out that information about my customers, but this is a special case.”

“Thank you,” said Jessie.

Sam pulled a blue pen out of his shirt pocket and scribbled on the notepad in front of him. “The man's name is Adam Tormala. That's a Finnish name.”

“Everything seems Finnish around here,” said Benny, remembering his delicious breakfast at the Jarvi Bakery.

“Well, yes, much of the Upper Peninsula was settled by people from Finland. They came to work in the copper mines,” explained Sam.

“What about Mr. Taylor, the man whose portrait is on the wall of the dining room at Great-aunt Sophie's house? Was he from Finland?” asked Henry.

“Old Mr. Taylor. No, he was from England. He was one of the chief engineers in the mine where my ancestors worked,” said Sam.

“Really,” said Henry.

“Oh, yes,” said Sam as he finished writing and pushed the pad across the counter to Henry. “In a small town like this, everyone knows about one another. Now, to find Adam's house, you can walk down Main Street and turn left at the light. Head up the hill three blocks and you'll see Jasper Lane on your right. His address is 42 Jasper Lane.”

“Can we go right now?” asked Benny.

Jessie looked at her bag of groceries. “I don't see why not,” she said. “These groceries will keep.”

“Before we go, I'd like to buy that camera,” said Violet.

Henry laughed. “I almost forgot about the camera,” he said. “Does it work?”

“Yes, I checked to make sure when I bought it,” Sam said.

The Aldens bought the camera. Then they wasted no time walking to Adam's house. On the way they passed several old Victorian-style houses, but none as grand as Great-aunt Sophie's.

Just before the Aldens turned onto Jasper Lane, they saw Professor Schmidt deep in conversation with a brunette woman. The woman held the leash of a beautiful dog with long golden fur.

Benny gulped when he saw the professor. Henry nodded at Professor Schmidt and said hello.

The professor nodded curtly and grunted something that sounded like “Good day.” He did not look happy to see the Aldens.

“What a pretty dog,” exclaimed Jessie as she stopped to pet the dog's soft fur.

“Thank you. Her name is Katie,” the woman said.

The professor cleared his throat loudly. “You children are interrupting us. I was discussing Sarah's research project with her.”

“Oh, sorry,” Jessie said, looking flustered.

“Uh, we were just leaving,” Henry muttered.

“Why is he always so rude to us?” asked Benny as the Aldens hurried down Jasper Lane.

“I guess he doesn't like to be interrupted when he's talking to a student,” said Jessie.

“Let's not think about him,” said Violet. She stopped in the middle of the street and pointed to a run-down house with yellow shutters. “This is number 42.”

“This house is not in very good shape,” Benny whispered as he climbed the sagging porch steps.

“No, it's not,” agreed Jessie. The paint was peeling. The shutters hung crookedly from their hinges. The doorbell wasn't working.

“Knock loudly,” Jessie suggested to Henry.

A tall, thin man with long red hair answered the door. He looked like he was in his early thirties.

“Could we speak to Adam Tormala, please?” asked Henry.

“You're speaking to him,” the man said gruffly.

“Really? You're Adam Tormala?” Henry asked. Adam did not look at all the way Sam had described him.

“Isn't that what I just said?” Adam shivered a little in the cold, but he did not invite the Aldens inside. “What do you need to speak to me about?”

“You sold a ring that belongs to our family,” Benny blurted out.

“What?” Now it was Adam's turn to look surprised. “What are you accusing me of?”

“You see,” Henry began, “we're relatives of Sophie Taylor, and we're staying in her house right now.”

The man nodded. “Yes, I heard you people were going to sell that old place. I knew Sophie Taylor.” He seemed a little less gruff now that he knew who the Aldens were.

“Would you like to come inside? I'm getting cold talking to you in the doorway.” Adam held the door open wider.

The Aldens followed Adam through a small entryway and into the living room. Everywhere they looked, books and files were stacked against the wall. Adam did not own much furniture. The only two chairs in the living room looked like they would fall apart if anyone sat on them. Henry and Jessie sat on the lumpy couch. Violet and Benny sat on the wooden floor.

They told Adam about finding Emily's diary, about the clues she had left, and about the ring — the very same ring they had just seen in the pawnshop.

“I'm telling you, I don't know anything about your ring,” Adam said.

“Were you in Sam's Pawnshop recently?” asked Henry.

“Well, yes, but I was in there pawning some of my furniture. You see, I'm trying to raise enough money to pay next semester's tuition. I hope to graduate this spring with my degree in history,” Adam said.

“History,” said Violet. “Do you know Professor Schmidt?”

Adam nodded. “Yes, I know him. He's my adviser. I sometimes do research for him.”

“He's one of the tenants in our house,” Benny said.

“I know,” said Adam. “I've been up there to deliver some of my papers to him.”

“Oh, so you've been in the house,” said Henry.

Adam leaned forward and frowned. “Yes, I've been in the Taylor mansion. Most people in Brockton have, especially the ones who are interested in local history. That doesn't mean anything. How do you know the ring in the pawnshop is really Emily's?” Adam asked.

“There's a picture of it in the diary. The ring in the pawnshop looks
exactly
like it,” Henry answered.

“Well,” said Adam, “I was not the one who pawned it. Maybe you children should check your facts better. Sam has written records of whatever he buys.”

“I'm pretty sure he was checking his records when he gave us your address,” said Henry.

“Well, then his records are wrong,” Adam said, frustrated. “If you want to file a charge against me, the police station is two blocks down on Main Street.”

Henry held his breath for a moment. “We were hoping to clear this up without bothering the police.”

“Well, you may
have
to bother them,” said Adam as he got up. “Because I'm not going to stand for any more of this questioning. Leave my house, at once.” He pointed to the door.

The Aldens looked at one another, then got up and hurried out of the room without saying another word.

“And don't you children ever bother me again, you hear?” Adam called after them, just before he slammed the door.

CHAPTER 9

The Evidence

“I
hope we never have to talk to Adam again,” said Benny as the Aldens hurried home. “He sure was unfriendly.”

“I'll say,” said Henry. The Aldens could see their footprints as the snow crunched underneath their boots. Snow was starting to pile up on the sidewalk.

“Adam might be telling the truth,” said Violet as she pulled her purple scarf over her head.

Henry thought a moment before he answered. “He could be, but I have a feeling he's hiding something.”

“Yeah,” agreed Benny. “Why would he get so mad if he hasn't done anything?”

“One possibility,” said Jessie, “is that Adam found the ring in the house when he was visiting the professor. We know he needs money. He probably couldn't resist selling it. And now he feels guilty.”

“That may be why he got so angry whenever we mentioned the ring,” added Henry.

“But,” Violet said, “Adam did look very different from the person Sam described.”

“That's true,” Henry was forced to agree. “Maybe we should go back to the pawnshop and ask Sam some more questions.”

Jessie looked at her watch. “It's four forty-five. If we hurry, we should have time to talk to Sam before the store closes.”

Pink clouds dotted the sky as the Aldens rushed down Main Street. Sam was locking up the cash register as the Aldens walked in. “I'm locking up for the night,” he informed them.

“We just need to ask you a couple more questions,” said Henry. He sounded a little out of breath from running.

“Ask away,” said Sam. “Did you find Adam?”

Henry nodded. “We found him, but he wasn't too helpful.”

“Really?” Sam shook his head. “Sorry to hear that.”

“He said he never sold you that ring,” said Violet.

Sam frowned. “I'm pretty sure he did.”

“Do you have records we could check?” asked Violet. “That way, we could be sure.”

Sam sighed. “I do keep records, but they're not up-to-date.”

“Could we see them anyway?” Jessie persisted.

“Well, I don't know how I feel about that,” said Sam. “You see, these records are confidential.”

“Oh, I understand,” said Jessie, but she looked very disappointed. They all did.

“I'll tell you what,” said Sam as he shuffled papers around the counter. “Give me a couple of days, then come back. I should have the information you need.”

“Thank you,” said Jessie and Violet together.

“Do you think Sam knows more about this ring than he's letting on?” asked Jessie as the Aldens walked down Main Street.

“I don't know,” said Benny as he broke an icicle off a low tree branch. “He's been so nice to us.”

“Yes, he has, but he didn't give us the right description for Adam. And he wouldn't let us see his records,” Jessie pointed out. The sun had just set over the hills, and a full moon was rising.

“Oh, Benny. Don't eat that icicle,” said Jessie, taking her eyes off the moon long enough to look at her brother.

“Why not?” asked Benny. “It's clean water.”

Jessie laughed. “Speaking of water,” she said, “maybe we should walk home along the riverfront.”

“Good idea,” said Benny. “We haven't done that yet.”

The Aldens turned and walked two blocks down the hill from Main Street. Soon they were strolling on the dock alongside the waterway. Stars shone. Geese circled overhead, and the snow glistened in the moonlight.

The Aldens had not been walking long when they saw a girl sitting on a bench near the dock with her head in her hands. As they walked closer, they could see the girl was sobbing. She wore a hot pink ski jacket, a bright turquoise scarf, and pink earmuffs in her blond hair.

Benny poked Violet in the arm. “I think that's Kimberly,” he whispered.

Violet nodded. “Should we ask her if she's all right?” she asked.

Jessie, Henry, and Benny looked like they didn't know what to do. Jessie started to approach the girl when suddenly she looked up. It was indeed Kimberly, and tears streamed down her face.

“I didn't know anyone was here,” said Kimberly, sniffling. She took a pink tissue out of her pocket and blew her nose loudly.

“Are you all right?” asked Violet gently.

“Is there something we can do for you?” Jessie wanted to know.

Kimberly shook her head. “There's nothing anyone can do. I really must be going.” Before the Aldens could say another word, Kimberly grabbed her black leather shoulder bag and quickly walked away.

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny looked at one another. “I wonder what that was all about,” said Jessie. “She's usually so anxious to talk to us. This time, she couldn't wait to get away.”

“She was probably embarrassed we saw her crying,” said Violet.

Jessie nodded. “Now, I wonder if maybe she's the one who found the ring and pawned it.”

Violet's eyes widened. “You know, she could be. She was very interested in what we were looking for the other day.”

“That's true,” Henry agreed. “But as long as we're naming suspects, we should not forget about the professor.”

“Professor Schmidt?” Jessie sounded surprised.

“Yes, why not?” said Henry. “He's made it clear he never wants to see us on his floor.”

“He never wants to see us anywhere,” Benny pointed out.

“Exactly,” said Henry.

“Well, maybe,” said Jessie. “But I still think Adam and Kimberly are our most likely suspects.”

“I would not eliminate the professor or Sam,” said Henry as he turned away from the dock and headed up the hill again.

“How are we going to find out who it is?” asked Benny. He had to run to keep up with Henry.

“We'll have to visit the pawnshop again in a couple of days,” Henry answered. “In the meantime, we should keep a close eye on Professor Schmidt, Kimberly, Adam, and Sam.”

“I'm glad it stays so cold here. None of our groceries spoiled,” Jessie remarked as she rang the doorbell and waited for Grandfather to let them inside.