The Boxcar Children Mysteries: Books One through Twelve (100 page)

Henry was the one to tell his grandfather about the toy bank and the old wooden doll and the string of buttons. He said, “This man is cheating the people in two ways. First he doesn’t pay enough for the old coins, and then he trades their treasures for cheap things. The new things are bright colored, so the children are delighted. They haven’t any idea that old buttons are worth anything.”

Benny added, “Of course my little Isabelle thinks her new doll is lots better than an old wooden doll. It really is prettier.”

Grandfather nodded and said, “This Mr. Willet is certainly not honest. I’m sure of that. Those old iron banks are worth much more than a knife.”

Henry said, “Freddy is clever. So far he hasn’t done a thing that is against the law. The people here think he pays enough. They are delighted to trade.”

“So he hasn’t really stolen a thing,” finished Benny.

“Exactly right! You just wait,” said Jessie. “He will go from one house to another. But even if he should steal things, what can we do, Grandfather?”

Mr. Alden said, “You children can’t arrest him, certainly.” They all laughed at the idea.

Then they began to tell Mr. Alden about school. He watched Jessie and Violet. They looked tired to him. He said, “Let’s have another quick lunch today. Then we can eat an early supper at the Sea Shell. You girls look tired.”

“Oh, no, we’re not tired!” Jessie said. “We are just thinking hard.”

But both girls were willing to set out the peanut butter and jelly for sandwiches and have doughnuts and milk for dessert. Then the four teachers began to study their lessons for the next day.

“It’s a funny feeling,” said Mr. Alden, “to see you all sitting around doing schoolwork in vacation.”

“This doesn’t seem like work,” said Violet. “It’s just something very interesting mixed up with a thief and a poor rich lady living all alone.”

“And lots of cute children,” said Benny. “Anyway, I can tell Max that something happened on his old island—but I’m not quite sure what it is yet.”

The Aldens sat out in the yard by their hotel with their work. From there they could see the store and the beach and the houses. They could see everything in the village except the mansion. But nobody saw Freddy Willet. The afternoon passed quickly.

Then about five o’clock they saw the red car go bumping over the rocky road to Northport.

Mr. Alden got up and took his hat. “I have an idea,” he said. “Let’s go right now to the Sea Shell and have supper.”

“Right!” said Henry. He went at once to get the car. They all thought that Grandfather was following Freddy, but they did not say so.

When Henry drove into the parking place of the Sea Shell, there was the red sports car!

“I wonder why the Money Man comes over here to eat,” said Benny.

“He has to,” said Henry. “There’s no place to eat on the island.”

Sure enough, there was the Money Man sitting at a table with two other people, a man and a woman. He said to the Aldens “Hello, there,” and went right on talking to his guests.

Suddenly Henry whispered to Benny, “Change seats with me, Ben, will you?” Benny got up at once without asking why. He knew that Henry would tell him later. Now Henry sat with his back to the other table. Grandfather himself wondered why.

When their waitress had left them, Henry said in a low voice, “I know those people with Mr. Willet. The man is Dr. James English. He runs the museum at Adams College, and the woman is Miss Cox, the librarian. I hope they won’t see me.”

“I bet Freddy is trying to sell them something,” whispered Benny.

Grandfather said, “That’s just what he’s doing. I’m sure of it.”

“How do you know?” whispered Benny.

“I’ve met him,” said Grandfather. “I met him this morning in the store. He tried to buy my watch and the big penny on my watch chain.”

“Oh, you’d never sell those! Mr. Willet picked the wrong man that time,” Benny said. “Nobody could cheat you, Grandfather.”

Mr. Alden laughed quietly. He was watching Mr. Willet out of the corner of his eye. But he didn’t see him give anything to the strangers. Suddenly he said, “Let’s get out of here before Freddy gets through with his dinner. We don’t want his friends to see Henry.”

This was easy. Mr. Willet and his friends had just started on their dinner, and they were eating very slowly. The Aldens just went without dessert. When they left the table, they all stood behind Henry to cover him up. Henry went out at once to the car on the other side of the parking lot, and Mr. Alden waited to pay the bill.

Freddy Willet looked up and saw Mr. Alden.

The Aldens sat in the car for a few minutes. “What do you think Freddy is going to do, Grandfather?” asked Benny.

“That’s what I wanted to find out. He saw me, but he didn’t speak,” said Mr. Alden. “I think he’s making a deal with Adams College. I hope he won’t fool the librarian.”

Henry said, “She’s pretty smart, and she would know what coins are worth.”

He started the car and turned into the road.

The drive of thirty miles seemed longer than ever. As they came near the island, Violet was looking ahead. “Oh, look, Henry! The tide!”

“Oh, dear,” said Jessie. “The tide has turned! Why didn’t we think of that? It’s getting dark, too.”

Henry stopped the car and they all looked ahead. There was no road to the island. It was covered with seawater, which was getting deeper every minute.

“I don’t dare try it, Grandfather,” said Henry, frowning.

“Right, my boy! If we got stuck half way over, it would be no fun, I can tell you.”

Henry said, “I thought it seemed awfully wet when we came over. But I knew you must be following Freddy, and I don’t think he gets caught like this very often.”

“By the way,” cried Benny, “I wonder what Freddy will do? He’ll be caught, too. It will be six hours before it’s low tide again.”

“It will be nearer twelve hours, Ben,” said Henry. “You see the tide hasn’t been coming in long.”

“Let’s see,” said Jessie. “It is about eight o’clock now. The tide will be high at midnight, and low again at six o’clock in the morning!”

“We’re not in any danger, though, are we, Grandfather?” said Violet.

“No, my dear. We will just have to find a place to sleep.”

“Oh, boy!” shouted Benny. “We could sleep in the car! That’s what this station wagon is made for. We could do it, Grandfather!”

“Five people?” asked Grandfather, smiling.

Benny said, “I could take the car blanket and sleep on the top of the car. Oh, please!”

Grandfather laughed. He said, “I don’t think we would get much sleep. But I suppose you young people don’t mind that.”

“I don’t,” said Jessie. “I’d like to wait and see what Freddy will do.”

“Very well,” said Grandfather. “Find a place off the road, Henry, and we’ll try it.”

H
enry backed the car into the woods a little way. Nobody could see it from the road. The Aldens all got out and took out every car rug that they could find for bedclothes. It was so warm that they didn’t really need any covers.

Henry and Benny let down the seats that made beds for four people. By nine o’clock all was ready. Benny climbed up on top of the car.

“I won’t fall down,” he called. “There’s a railing all around the edge. I’m going to put this blanket under me instead of over me.” He folded the car blanket and lay down. “A very soft bed,” he said.

“I should think Freddy would be along soon—if he’s coming,” said Jessie. “I wonder what he will do.”

In about an hour they heard a car coming. It did not make much noise, but everyone was awake. Benny sat up and looked through the trees. “Yes, it’s a car,” he whispered.

But the car stopped. Everyone was watching it now. Mr. Freddy must have seen that the tide was in, because he quietly turned his car around and went back.

“Now what?” Benny whispered down. “I don’t think he is going to give up like that. He would just love to be on the island when we are away. He knows we are watching him, I bet.”

They all lay down again. But nobody went to sleep. It was not too long before they heard another very soft sound. It sounded like water, and it was ahead of them. They all looked hard through the darkness.

“He’s got a boat!” whispered Henry. They all watched. Then they all saw it. It was a rowboat with Mr. Willet’s head showing against the dark sky.

“Come down now, Benny,” whispered Grandfather. “We’ll get a boat, too!”

“Oh, can we really?” whispered Benny. “Where can we get a boat?”

“Where Mr. Willet got his, I think,” said Grandfather.

They all sat up in the car, and Henry drove back over the road very carefully.

“There’s a light!” said Violet. “It’s in a fisherman’s hut.”

Henry stopped the car in front of the house.

“Somebody is awake,” said Jessie. “And do I see the end of that red car sticking out behind the house?”

“You do,” said Mr. Alden. “I do, anyway. I think this is the place where Freddy got his boat. You do the talking, Henry.”

Henry went to the door and knocked. At once a fisherman came to the door. He wore an old coat.

“I’m sorry to come so late,” began Henry, “but we need a boat. It’s high tide, and we’re stuck.”

“Yep, I know that,” said the man. “Seems as if everybody is stuck tonight on the wrong side.”

“Can we rent a boat from you?” asked Henry.

“Sure! I’ve got three. I just rented two.”

“Two!” said Henry in surprise.

“Yep, two. One man came, and then another man came. You can have the last one.”

“Where is it?” asked Henry.

“It’s tied down near the road, when there is a road. You’ll see it on the bank on the left, tied to a post. Can’t miss it.”

“How much will it be?” asked Henry. He couldn’t help wondering about two men. He had been thinking only of Freddy Willet.

“A dollar,” said the man. “Be sure and tie her up on the island side. My boys can row ’em back tomorrow. It ain’t far.”

Henry quickly gave the man a dollar and thanked him. Then he went back to the family. He said, “Do you suppose five of us can get into one boat?”

“We’ll see,” said Grandfather. “I think so.”

Benny had heard about the two men. He could hardly wait to speak. “Who do you suppose that other man was? A mystery, for sure.”

Mr. Alden was thinking, too. “I wonder,” he said.

Henry drove back to the water. Sure enough, a boat was tied up on the bank.

“Good! It’s a big one,” said Grandfather. “I wonder why we didn’t see it. Back the car off the road again, Henry. I guess this night’s sleep is over.”

Everybody got out of the car and went carefully down to the boat. When Henry came, they all pushed the boat into the water. Henry helped Violet and Jessie into the front of the boat, and Benny stepped into the other end. When Grandfather was sitting down on the middle seat, Henry pushed off. He and his grandfather began to row.

“We’ll tie up just below the schoolhouse,” said Henry. “I suppose we will see the other two boats there.”

It was not very far to the island, but it was dark, and the tide was very high. They could see a little through the darkness. But there were no boats to be seen!

“What do you know!” said Benny. “Where would Freddy go? Do you think he has a partner, Grandfather?”

“Well,” said Mr. Alden, “I don’t know. If the man is a partner of Willet’s, why would he come by himself?”

“That’s so,” Jessie said.

Benny added, “But I’m almost sure the first man must have crossed over to the island before we came. We were watching and listening all the time.”

Henry ran the boat up on the beach. He tied it to a tree.

Suddenly Violet looked around and asked, “Where do you suppose Freddy has gone?” She shivered a little.

“Not to the hotel,” Jessie said. “And I don’t think he would stay with any of the island people.”

“I wonder,” said Henry. “I just wonder—”

“I know,” said Benny. “The schoolhouse!”

Benny would have run to peek in the windows, but Grandfather said, “How do you know that Freddy isn’t going back to the other side after getting something? The best thing we can do now is to get some sleep.”

“And there’s school tomorrow,” said Violet.

A
t breakfast they talked about the two boats and the two men.

“It’s time to ring the bell,” said Benny. “I have to go.”

But Benny really had something else in mind. He wanted to look around the schoolhouse. He wanted to see where the hole went in George Washington’s coat button.

Benny unlocked the schoolroom door and went at once into the back hall. The wood for the winter was there, piled high. There was the back door, a window, and the big chimney. He rattled the window. It was unlocked. The lock was very old and looked as if it hadn’t been locked for a long time. Benny tried it. The lock was broken. It certainly had been broken for years.

Benny looked at the floor under the window and saw some flakes of dry white paint just exactly like the dry paint on the windowsill.