Outer Space Mystery (7 page)

Henry stood up. “The coast is clear. Now let’s see who Eugene was yelling at.”

They ran up to the cabin porch and knocked.

None of the children was surprised when Rachel Cunningham opened the door.

A
t first Rachel looked startled when she saw the children. Then her whole body slumped.

“I knew you’d come sooner or later,” she said quietly. “You’re smart kids. It didn’t take you long to figure out where I was.”

“We stumbled on this cabin a few days ago,” Henry said. “It sure is hard to find.”

“The cabin belongs to my grandparents. It’s been in my family for generations. But when the land was bought by the college, my grandparents moved. They made the trail off-limits because it was too overgrown. They thought people might get lost. Hardly anybody knows it’s here now.” Rachel smiled. “You might as well come on in.”

Jessie glanced around. Rachel’s familiar pink sweater hung from a wooden peg. Paper plates overflowed the trash can. She could smell sausage from the smuggled breakfast Eugene Scott had brought.

On the table in the center of the room stood a typewriter.

“Dr. Porter said you were at your grandparents’ house,” Jessie said to Rachel. “But you’ve been here all along.”

Rachel nodded. “I was there for one night but then I came here. Maybe the search teams covered this area when I was at my grandparents’ house.”

“Why are you hiding?” Henry demanded.

Rachel sank into an old rocker. “Make yourselves comfortable,” she said. “It’s a long story.”

Benny and Violet settled on the hooked rug in front of the fireplace. Jessie and Henry perched on the edge of the quilt-draped bunk.

“I don’t know where to start,” Rachel said, spreading her hands helplessly.

Henry pointed to the project on the table. “Why don’t you tell us what you’re doing. Are you writing a book?”

She shook her head. “That’s Mark Jacob’s science paper. Eugene and I are redoing it so it looks like Eugene wrote it.”

The children were so shocked they could not say anything.

Then Jessie spoke. “There’s a word for what you’re doing.”

“I know. Plagiarism,” Rachel said, looking defeated. “It’s just as bad as cheating.”

“You’re cheating?” Benny asked. He never cheated, not even at checkers. “Why?”

She brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “I’m not sure how I got in this fix. And I sure don’t know
how
I’m going to get out of it.”

Violet understood Rachel’s distress. “Why don’t you tell us why you’re copying Mark’s paper?”

“That’s easy. For money,” she replied flatly. Then, haltingly, she began her story.

“I’ve always wanted to go to college, but my parents couldn’t afford to send me,” she said. “So my grandparents scraped together a little money. I also got a job here, cleaning dorms and waiting tables.”

“Are you going to be a scientist?” asked Jessie.

Rachel smiled sadly. “I hope to, someday.” She went on. “Most of the students here have rich parents. I guess I resent them. I really resent the lazy ones, like Eugene Scott.”

“If he’s your friend,” Benny said, “he’s sure a grouch.”

“He’s
not
my friend,” Rachel stated. “Eugene wants to be a great astronomer. He heard about Mark’s discovery and wanted to discover something, too.”

“So why didn’t he?” asked Jessie.

“He’s too lazy to do the work! Night after night, Mark would be up at the observatory. Once, Eugene tried to stop Mark from doing his research by changing the log. Mark had to reschedule. I’ve never liked Eugene,” Rachel said. “And I’d never lift a finger to help him. But this spring the college raised their tuition rates. I needed money. And Eugene knew it.”

“What did he do?” Jessie asked.

“He wanted to break into Mark’s dorm room and find Mark’s notes. Eugene was dying to find out what Mark had discovered. He paid me to lend him my key ring.” Rachel’s voice became soft and regretful. “So I gave him my keys one night.”

Henry caught on. “It was the night of the cookout, wasn’t it? Eugene broke into
our
room instead.”

“I
told
Eugene which room was Mark’s,” Rachel said. “But he made a mistake and broke into the wrong room. By the time he figured it out, people were coming in from the storm. It was too late to search Mark’s room.”

“It gets worse,” Rachel continued. “Eugene offered me even more money to make a copy of Mark’s notes.”

“And did you?” Henry prompted.

“I was so busy working at the conference this week,” Rachel admitted. “But I finally got into Mark’s room one night and made a copy of his notes.”

“Was that the day you were really nervous?” Jessie guessed. She remembered Rachel dropping the tray at lunch.

“Yes! I spilled salad on your grandfather! I felt terrible, stealing from a nice guy like Mark. But was Eugene satisfied? No! He wanted me to write a draft of the paper! He offered me so much money I couldn’t say no.”

She told the rest of the story quickly. Eugene concocted a scheme. Rachel would disappear so she could write Eugene’s paper, using the stolen notes. Eugene joined the search party, even though he knew where Rachel was. He let everyone believe Rachel had truly vanished.

But on the day of the meteor shower, Eugene discovered that Mark had a
second
set of notes. He overheard Mark say he was going to redo his paper after the search.

Rachel went on. “Eugene figured Mark wouldn’t let his paper out of his sight once he finished it. He expected Mark to bring his folder to the observatory. So Eugene had another plan. While everyone was looking at the meteors, he switched Mark’s paper with blank sheets.”

“I saw him when he left,” Benny said, nodding. “His jacket looked lumpy.”

“How could Eugene ever pass off Mark’s discovery as his own?” asked Henry. “Surely Mark would recognize his own paper.”

“That’s right.” Rachel nodded. “We stayed up all last night. We had to change some of the sentences so it would sound like Eugene’s work.”

“I still don’t understand.” Henry was puzzled. “Mark could just
say
that Eugene took his paper.”

“But it would be Mark’s word against Eugene’s,” Rachel explained.

She hung her head in shame. “In just a little while, Eugene will present Mark’s paper and get credit for Mark’s discovery. And I helped him do it.”

Jessie stood up decisively. “Not if we hurry.”

The other Aldens leaped to their feet, always ready to take action.

“What are you going to do?” asked Rachel.

Henry confronted her. “If we’re going to get Mark’s paper back, we need your help. You’ll have to tell my grandfather and the others at the conference what you told us. Will you come with us?”

Rachel wrung her hands. “I don’t know. It’s only right, I guess. Why should Mark pay for my mistakes? But I’ll be thrown out of school! My grandparents will be so let down.”

“Not if you own up to it and tell the truth,” Jessie encouraged gently.

With a sigh, Rachel reached for her sweater hanging on the wooden peg.

Just then they all heard a noise outside.

Benny thought it sounded like feet scuffling in leaves. He raced to the door in time to see Eugene Scott tearing up the path. The folder was tucked under his arm.

“It’s Eugene!” he cried to the others. “He’s been listening to us the whole time! And he’s got the paper!”

The Aldens set out on the chase.

A fast runner, Henry took the lead. It was a tough uphill climb and he was surprised the heavier young man could run so fast.

Benny was right behind Henry. Being shorter, he could duck under bushes and take shortcuts.

In no time, Henry and Benny had reached the fork in the trail. The girls soon caught up and all four raced down the main driveway.

“What happened to Rachel?” Henry panted to Jessie.

“I don’t know. I thought she was behind me and Violet. But she could have gone down another trail and got away. Rachel knows this mountain better than anyone.” Jessie felt disappointed. Even though Rachel had helped Eugene cheat, Jessie believed Rachel had been about to do the right thing.

“There’s Eugene!” Benny cried. He sprinted past the pillars and onto the campus. “He’s getting into his car! He’s driving off.”

The children watched in amazement as Eugene spun the little red sports car past them and barreled down the mountain.

Henry shook his head. “I thought he’d run into the main building. That’s where the conference is being held. He could still present Mark’s paper.”

“But he ran away instead,” Violet said.

“He’s probably scared of us,” Benny declared. “Because we know what he did.”

“Maybe,” Jessie said doubtfully. “But Eugene seems like the type who can talk his way out of anything.”

“And now he’s run off with Mark’s paper,” said Henry. He squared his shoulders. “We still have to tell everyone what Eugene did. It won’t get Mark’s paper back, but at least he’ll know what happened to it.”

The children rushed into the main building and down the hall to the auditorium. Henry opened the door and they slipped inside.

The hushed auditorium was occupied by students. Grandfather was standing at the podium onstage, as if he was about to make an announcement. Several distinguished-looking men sat at a long table beside him.

Jessie nudged Violet. Mark was sitting dejectedly off to one side. How terrible he must feel, Jessie thought, knowing his big day was ruined.

“Let’s go,” she whispered to her sister.

Violet suddenly felt shy. There were so many people! “What are we going to say?”

“We’ll just tell them what we know,” said Benny.

“You know how grown-ups are,” Violet pointed out. “They might not believe us.” Several times in the past, the Aldens had discovered something important, only to be ignored by adults.

The door opened behind them.

“But they’ll believe
me
,” said a figure in a pink sweater.

Rachel Cunningham smiled, then led the children down the aisle toward the stage.

G
randfather’s eyebrows raised in surprise as he watched his grandchildren and Rachel Cunningham climb onto the stage. They stood beside the podium.

“I hope this interruption is important,” James Alden said.

“It’s about Mark’s paper,” Henry said.

Mark sat up straight.

“We’re aware Mark’s paper is missing,” said Grandfather. “What do you children know about it?”

This time Rachel spoke. “Everything, sir. I told them. You see, I helped steal it. Eugene Scott paid me to take Mark’s notes. We copied Mark’s paper. Eugene was going to present it as his own work.”

Mark leaped up. “What? Where is Eugene?”

“He’s gone,” Jessie replied. “We chased him, but he took off in his car. He took your paper with him,” she added ruefully.

Rachel pulled an envelope from inside her sweater. “Not all of it,” she said. “I still have Mark’s original notes. Eugene forgot to ask me for them.”

“That’s why you weren’t behind us,” Jessie said. “You were getting Mark’s notes.”

By now everyone in the audience was straining to hear the onstage discussion.

James Alden spoke into the microphone. “I think we could all use a short recess.” To Rachel and his grandchildren he said, “Let’s go see Dr. Porter. This is a serious matter.”

Silently, they filed out of the auditorium and down the hall. Dr. Porter’s secretary ushered them immediately into his office.

“Now,” said Dr. Porter. “What’s this all about?”

Though she was clearly frightened, Rachel explained. She didn’t make it sound like it was all Eugene Scott’s fault. Jessie admired her for that.

“I know it was wrong,” she said at the end of her story. “But I needed the money.”

Dr. Porter frowned. “I’m sure something else could have been worked out.”

“What’s going to happen, sir?” Rachel asked.

“This college does not condone plagiarism,” Dr. Porter said solemnly. “We cannot tolerate this kind of behavior.”

Benny didn’t understand everything the president was saying, but it didn’t sound very good.