The Canoe Trip Mystery (4 page)

“We could move it to the lake for you,” Henry suggested.

“Thank you,” Rob said. “That would be very helpful. I was planning on canoeing down Catfish Lake, but now I'm not too sure of my plans. I may stay at this campsite a while longer until my ankle gets better.”

“I don't know how you can manage.” Aunt Jane shook her head. “It's hard enough to canoe alone without a twisted ankle.”

“Yes, nothing's gone right since the beginning of my trip,” Rob confided.

“What do you mean?” Henry asked right away.

“Well, the sprained ankle was the main thing.” He suddenly grew quiet, almost as if he were afraid he'd said too much.

“Are you on vacation?” Benny asked him.

“Not exactly,” Rob answered.

Jessie noticed he wanted to change the subject. “Have you been on this trail long?” she asked.

“No, only two days,” he said in his clippedspeech. Suddenly he turned away.

“Oh, please excuse me. I must take my fish off the grill,” he said quickly. After removing the fish, he packed his food in a basket, and limped into the woods.

“Where is he going with all that food?” Benny wondered.

“Shhh, Benny. He might hear you,” Violet said. “Maybe he just wants to eat in peace.”

Aunt Jane and the Aldens ate their macaroni and cheese dinner outside the lean-to, which they would be sharing with Rob Wilson. “Do you think we scared him away by asking him all those questions?” Jessie asked.

“It's hard to tell,” Aunt Jane said. “He did seem friendlier at first—before we asked him about his trip.”

“Everyone we've met seems to have something to hide,” Henry observed, thinking of Lorenzo Espinosa and now Rob Wilson.

“Well, at least Rob Wilson isn't warning us to stay away from this lake, like everyone else is,” Violet pointed out.

“Yes, he's even going in the same directionwe are,” Jessie said. “He must not think Timberwolf Lake and Catfish Lake are dangerous.”

“Do you think he's trying to solve the riddle, too?” Benny asked.

“I don't know,” Henry said. “We really don't know anything about him yet. I don't think we should tell him too much.”

“Can't we tell him about the riddle or the coin robberies?” Benny wanted to know.

“No, I think we should first find out why he's on this trail.” Henry sounded firm.

“Henry, it's not like you to be suspicious of everyone,” Aunt Jane remarked. “But I agree, it's best to be careful.”

Rob had not returned by the time the Aldens were ready to go to sleep.

“I hope he doesn't snore,” Benny said. He lay inside his sleeping bag on the bottom bunk. Henry was in the top bunk reading his book by the light of his flashlight.

“That's the least of our worries, Benny,” Henry said.

Benny gulped. “Do you think Rob Wilson is a burglar?” He motioned across the roomto Rob's empty bunk. Rob had left a large backpack and two fishing poles on top of his sleeping bag.

“I don't know what to think about Rob. But he's probably all right.” Henry tried to sound comforting.

“I hope we won't hear any wild animals tonight,” Benny said sleepily.

“I hope not, Benny,” Henry said softly. He looked down and saw Benny's eyes were closed. It never took Benny very long to fall asleep, no matter where he was.

CHAPTER 6

The Storm

N
othing unusual happened that night. Everyone slept very well, even Rob Wilson, who must have returned very late. He came limping out of the lean-to in the middle of the Alden's breakfast.

“May I join you?” Rob asked. They nodded, and he sat down beside Jessie. Although he still limped, he said the swelling on his ankle had gone down.

“This is the first good night's sleep I've gotten since my canoe trip began,” he confided. He poured some orange juice from histhermos and offered some to the Aldens. They shook their heads.

They were drinking the hot chocolate Jessie had made. It was cold in the mornings, and the air smelled of pine and wood smoke.

They had woken up early to prepare breakfast—hot oatmeal with lots of brown sugar and raisins. Rob reached in his pack and pulled out a loaf of hard bread. He broke off a piece for himself and hungrily eyed the Alden's big pot of oatmeal.

“Would you like some?” Violet offered, passing him a bowl.

“Thank you. I'll only take a little,” Rob said. He ate his portion quickly. “It's wonderful,” he said between mouthfuls. “You must let me cook a meal for you before you leave this campsite.”

Aunt Jane and the Aldens looked at each other. Henry still could not decide whether or not to trust Rob. No one said much to him at breakfast. They were all too busy eating.

“He does seem much friendlier today,” Jessie remarked softly after Rob left to gethis binoculars from the cabin. He wanted to do some bird-watching.

“Well, having a good night's sleep helps,” Aunt Jane said. “He seems much more relaxed than he did yesterday.”

When Rob came out of the cabin, Benny was eating a second bowl of oatmeal.

“So you're still hungry,” Rob teased, poking Benny playfully in the ribs. Henry and Jessie exchanged glances. Why was Rob so friendly today and so quiet and secretive yesterday?

The Aldens decided to stay another night at their comfortable campsite. They wanted to do some fishing and get to know Rob better.

“I just wish he would tell us more about his canoe trip,” Henry said. “What did he mean when he said nothing had gone right since he got on this trail?”

“Well, we're not telling him too much ourselves,” Violet reminded her brother.

“That's true. Maybe he doesn't want to trust anyone, either,” Henry commented.

“Oh, you'll probably win him over in time,” Aunt Jane said.

She was right. In the afternoon, Rob took Jessie and Henry fishing and helped them catch enough trout for dinner.

By the end of the day, the Aldens had learned how to bone and clean fish. But they were still no closer to knowing more about Rob, or his reasons for being on the canoe trail.

“I think we should invite him to come with us,” Jessie said at dinner. She leaned over her plate and took a bite of her fish.

Jessie, Violet, Benny, and Aunt Jane were all enjoying fresh trout, rice, and a lentil salad Aunt Jane had prepared. She always ate healthy foods. Rob was with Henry, cooking the rest of the fish over the coals.

“Now that we know him better, that's a good idea,” Aunt Jane agreed. “It would be hard for him to finish his trip alone with a swollen ankle.”

“He wouldn't be able to push his canoe up to the shore by himself,” Violet said.

“Or push it out onto the lake,” Benny added.

The next morning, Aunt Jane, the Aldens, and Rob Wilson were up early. Rob was delighted to join the others for the rest of their trip. He was able to pack most of the gear he needed in Henry and Violet's canoe. The Alden children moved the rest of his belongings to the woods for safekeeping.

The sky was streaked with pinkish gray clouds when Henry pushed the canoes out onto the water. “It's overcast today,” he observed.

Jessie looked at the sky before plunging her paddle into the water. She steered her canoe until she was alongside Henry's. The air felt very still.

As they softly paddled their canoes in the calm water, they spotted wood ducks, meadowlarks, and two bald eagles.

The eagles flew overhead together. With their wings spread, they were much larger than Benny. He stared at them, open-mouthed.

All the animals seemed nervous. The ducklings swam around their mothers. The geese honked. The meadowlarks twittered and flew around in circles.

“There might be a rainstorm coming,” Violet observed. “That could be why the animals are acting that way.”

“It may not be too bad a storm,” Rob said, glancing at the sky. “If it were serious, the animals wouldn't be out at all. They would find shelter.”

Fog began to move in slowly. Henry noticed it was getting a little harder to see the shoreline. Violet watched the tops of trees disappear into a haze. To Aunt Jane, it seemed as if the water became grayer and grayer.

“It's getting windy,” Henry said to his crew. Small waves lapped against the canoe. Then suddenly the fog blew in with much more force. Soon everything was covered in a thick gray mist.

“Maybe we should paddle ashore and wait until this fog lifts,” Henry suggested to Rob and Violet. Even though they were sittingin his canoe, he could barely see them. He couldn't see the shoreline at all. And worst of all, he could not find Aunt Jane's canoe, which had been close beside his only a moment ago.

“Jessie, Aunt Jane, Benny! Can you hear us?” Henry and Violet called. There was no answer. Rob cupped his hands and shouted, too. But their voices were drowned out by the sound of rain hitting the water.

Luckily, it was a light rain, more like a drizzle. But it combined with the wind, which churned the water and shook the trees.

Henry and Violet paddled in a big circle to see if they could find the others. They called and called into the fog. But there was never any answer. Aunt Jane's canoe had vanished!

CHAPTER 7

Angela Comes Back

W
hen the fog blew in, Aunt Jane and Jessie decided to paddle ashore. They thought Henry's canoe was right behind them, but it wasn't.

Jessie and Benny called very loudly to let Henry and Violet know where they were. But their voices were carried away by the wind. There was no response.

It was hard to see where the shore was. Very slowly, Aunt Jane and Jessie were able to steer themselves to the nearest bank.

As they pulled the canoe out of the water,the wind grew stronger. The waves became larger and splattered over the edge of the canoe.

“We got out of the water just in time,” Jessie said.

She tied the canoe's rope around the trunk of a tree and brushed her wet hair out of her eyes. Then she quickly rummaged through the backpacks for the rain jackets. She handed Benny the bright red one. Hers was her favorite color, a rich royal blue. It made her feel better just to put it on.

“I certainly hope the others are all right,” Aunt Jane said. She looked very worried as she pulled on her pale green rain jacket.

“I thought they were right behind us,” Jessie said. She looked toward the lake but could only see a few feet in front of her.

“Henry is an experienced canoeist. I'm sure he'll steer them ashore safely.” Aunt Jane sounded as if she was trying to convince herself.

“And Rob Wilson is with them. He'll know what to do,” Jessie pointed out.

The fog grew thicker and thicker. SoonJessie could barely see her hands when she held them in front of her. She huddled near Benny and Aunt Jane under the pine trees.

“It's lucky there's no thunder or lightning,” Aunt Jane commented.

“That's good,” Benny said. He held out his hand to Jessie. When he realized she couldn't see it, he tapped her arm.

Jessie grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “Don't worry, Benny. We'll be all right. It's not a bad storm.”

“No, but it's very bad fog.” Aunt Jane groped in front of her until she found Jessie's arm. She gave it a gentle pat. Above them, the pine and oak trees swayed in the wind.

The water came farther and farther up onto the shore. It swirled around the canoe and gently rocked it from side to side. Aunt Jane suggested that they move up the bank.

“You know, Henry and Violet probably paddled ashore, too. We just can't see them from where we are,” Benny said.

“I hope so,” Jessie replied.

Half an hour later, the fog began to lift a little. Aunt Jane and the Aldens were surprised to see another canoe tied up not far from theirs.

“I bet that's Henry's canoe!” Benny shouted, running toward it.

“I don't think so,” Jessie said.

“That's a wooden canoe. Henry's is made of aluminum,” Aunt Jane pointed out.

Jessie grabbed a plastic pail from their canoe and began to bail it out. Aunt Jane and Benny looked in the bag of food for something to eat. They did not notice two men coming up behind them.

“So, you got caught in the storm, too,” one of the men said.

Aunt Jane jumped. Jessie dropped her pail of water.

The two men were very tall. One had long blond hair. The other had short, wavy dark hair. Both men looked as if they hadn't shaved in a few days. Their clothes were very rumpled.

“Sorry, we didn't mean to scare you,” the blond man said. He had a loud, booming voice.

The other man sneezed loudly and gropedin his pockets for a handkerchief.

The men introduced themselves as Matt and Bill. Matt was the blond one. They told Aunt Jane, Benny, and Jessie they worked for the forestry service.

“We're mapping some canoe routes,” Matt explained. “This old canoe has gotten us around very well.” He pointed to his wooden one. “We had to come ashore when the fog rolled in.”