The Disappearing Friend Mystery (6 page)
Violet did just that, and Beth sounded surprised and pleased. “I'll be there,” she assured Violet.
Mrs. Jackson was also pleased when Jessie called her back. “I am so glad,” she told Jessie. “Your helper service is a life-saver!”
The next day, Violet rode her bike over to the Jacksons'. The Jacksons lived on a quiet, shady street near the Aldens. The white house had cheerful blue shutters on the windows, and a big old apple tree out front. Squirrels were running around as Violet pedaled up the driveway.
Violet propped her bicycle against the garage and turned, laughing, to watch the squirrels scampering about. Just then, Beth came riding up the driveway. She skidded to a halt and sent the squirrels scurrying away in fright.
Violet was a little surprised, too.
Beth put her bicycle beside Violet's then walked with Violet up to the front door.
“Right on time,” said a firm voice as the front door opened.
“Hello,” said Violet softly. “I'm Violet Alden, and . . . oh!”
The woman in the door was tall and thin, and she had bright red hair. She was the angry doctor from the Greenfield Hospital!
“Hello,” said the woman. “I'm Dr. Jackson.”
“I'm Beth Simon,” said Beth.
Violet didn't know quite what to say.
As if she could understand how surprised Violet was, Dr. Jackson said, “Come on in. I had to have a baby-sitter, and I didn't know whom to call. Then I remembered seeing your sign in the flower shop. And, for that matter, seeing the rest of your signs all over Greenfield.”
“Oh,” said Violet.
“Your service is a good one,” said Dr. Jackson. “I don't agree that a new hospital wing is the best idea, but it is better than nothing.” She paused and looked thoughtful. “And I admire people, especially young people, who are willing to work for something they believe in. So I decided to call you.” Dr. Jackson didn't smile, but she didn't look so stern now.
“Th-thank you,” said Violet, still very surprised.
“This is Shirley,” said Dr. Jackson. A little girl in neat blue denim overalls, with her hair in two fat pigtails, came up to Dr. Jackson and grabbed her hand.
Violet smiled. “Hello, Shirley.”
Shirley looked at Violet thoughtfully. “I'm three,” she announced.
Dr. Jackson smiled. “Shirley just had a birthday,” she explained. “Shirley, this is Beth and this is . . . ?”
“Violet Alden,” said Violet.
“Violet,” repeated Dr. Jackson. “They will be staying with you until I come back in a little while. Remember, I told you about that?”
Shirley nodded solemnly.
“Good,” said Dr. Jackson. “Now, Beth and Violet, here is a phone number where I can be reached if anything comes up. There's a snack for Shirley when she gets hungry this afternoon in the kitchenâbanana pudding and milk. There are other things, too, if
you
get hungry, so please make yourselves at home. I'll be back by four-thirty.”
Dr. Jackson kissed Shirley good-bye and hurried out the door.
Violet took Shirley's hand. “You know, I have a brother a little bit older than you. His name is Benny.”
Shirley looked at Violet and at Beth. Then she let go of Violet's hand and sat down on the floor and began to cry.
“Mammaaa,” howled Shirley.
“Oh, Shirley. Don't cry. Your mother will be back in just a little while.”
“Mammmaa,” cried Shirley louder.
“Shhh,” said Violet soothingly.
“Good grief,” said Beth.
Violet took Shirley's hand and pulled her to her feet. “You take her other hand, Beth,” she said.
“Why?” asked Beth.
“We'll take her outside in the backyard. If we can get her to play, she'll forget about her mother and stop crying.”
In the backyard was a big sandbox full of toys. “Here,” said Violet. “We'll build sand castles. Would you like to build sand castles, Shirley?”
Shirley kept crying.
“Good grief, stop it!” snapped Beth, snatching her hand free from Shirley's.
Violet looked at Beth in surprise.
“What a brat,” said Beth.
“She's just scared because her mother's gone and we're strangers. If you try to understand, it's not so hard,” Violet said.
Beth folded her arms and sat down on the edge of the sandbox. “Well . . .
do
something.”
Beth is acting so strangely, thought Violet. Gently she led Shirley into the sandbox. She sat down by her and began to pour sand into the different colored containers.
Watching Violet, Shirley gradually began to stop crying. Then she was only sniffling. Suddenly, she reached out for a container.
“Mine,” she said, turning the container upside down to make a square sand tower.
“Good, Shirley,” said Violet.
As they played in the sandbox, Violet told Beth about Dr. Jackson and the conversation the Aldens had overheard at the hospital. “We wondered if Dr. Jackson might be the one who didn't want us to raise money for the hospital,” said Violet. “But it doesn't look that way, does it? I don't think she played all those terrible tricks on us, do you?”
Beth, who had been sitting on the edge of the sandbox watching, folded her arms. “You never know,” she said.
“Well, I don't think it is Dr. Jackson,” said Violet. “Are you hungry, Shirley? I think it's time for your snack.”
The two girls took Shirley inside for her snack and sat with her. While she ate her banana pudding, Beth and Violet had milk.
“Can you say banana pudding?” Violet asked Shirley.
“Nannaning,” said Shirley.
Violet smiled, then looked up. Beth was staring at her.
“Is something wrong?” asked Violet.
Beth jumped. “Wrong? No. Of course not.”
But Violet couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable Beth seemed. She wasn't acting like herself at all.
Maybe her brothers and sister had been right about Beth, thought Violet. But she didn't want to believe it.
Violet was relieved when Dr. Jackson came back, and it was time to go home. Beth said a quick good-bye to Violet and dashed off on her bicycle.
That night after dinner, Violet told everyone about the baby-sitting job and Dr. Jackson.
“Dr. Jackson?” asked Grandfather. “I know Dr. Jackson. She speaks her mind. But she is a good doctor, and a good person.”
“We wondered if she would not like us raising money for the new wing, since she was against building it,” said Jessie. “But it doesn't look that way now.”
“No,” said Grandfather. He got up from the dinner table. “I'll be in my study for a little while.”
After Grandfather left, Jessie said thoughtfully, “Still, something strange is going on. Maybe it
is
Beth. You did say she was acting nervous, Violet.”
“Maybe we shouldn't be friends with Beth,” said Benny.
“That's not fair,” protested Violet angrily. “You can't just
stop
being friends with someone. You have to at least give her a chance.”
Henry nodded. “You're right, Violet. Besides, the person who's doing all these mean things could be Charlie the Fix-it Man.”
“Well,” said Jessie, “I hope we solve this mystery soon. But how are we going to do that?”
No one had an answer.
T
oday we meet Ms. Singh's cats,” announced Violet. “I can hardly wait.”
Henry, Violet, Jessie, and Beth were waiting for Benny on the front steps of the big old white house.
Just then, Benny came hurrying out of the door. “Here I am!” he announced cheerfully.
“We're going to feed Ms. Singh's cats, Benny,” said Jessie.
“Oh, good,” said Benny, getting on his bicycle. “I like cats. Watch does, too. Don't you, Watch?”
Watch barked and began to trot happily alongside Benny's bicycle as they headed for Garden Street.
It wasn't very far away, a pleasant street that lived up to its name.
“Ms. Singh's house has an apple tree in the front yard,” said Henry. “She said it's the only one on the street.”
“Apples!” exclaimed Benny. “I love apples.” Suddenly he pointed. “There it is.”
The five children left their bicycles under the apple tree and went around to the back door.
“Let's see,” said Jessie. “The key should be under this doormat.” She raised the edge of the mat. But there was no key.
“Maybe if you lift up the whole mat,” suggested Beth.
Jessie picked up the mat. There was a clean space, slightly paler than the rest of the step, where the mat had been. But there was no key.
“That's funny,” said Violet. “Are you sure Ms. Singh said the key would be under the mat?”
“Yes.” Jessie frowned. “Maybe I misunderstood her. Maybe it was the
front
door mat.”
The Aldens and Beth went around to the front door of the house. But when Jessie lifted the front doormat, no key was under it.
“Maybe Ms. Singh left the key somewhere else, like in the mailbox,” suggested Beth.
“I hope so,” said Violet, looking worried. “What if we can't find the key? We won't be able to feed the cats.”
“Oh, no,” cried Benny. “They'll starve.”
Henry, who was the tallest, stood on his toes and looked into the mailbox. He reached his hand inside and felt the bottom of the box. “No,” Henry reported. “No key here.”
“Oh dear,” said Violet. “Do you think she forgot?”
“Maybe the key slid out from under the mat somehow,” Henry said. “Benny, why don't you and Violet come with me and we'll check around the back door.”
“Good idea,” said Jessie. “Beth and I will look here in front.”
Jessie and Beth searched all around the front door, from the top of the door sill to the flowerbeds on either side, but they found no key.
“It's not here,” said Jessie.
“Maybe Henry and Violet and Benny found it,” said Beth. “Let's go around to the back door and see.”
But the key was nowhere around the back door, either.
“Watch looked, too,” Benny announced. “He sniffed and sniffed, but he didn't find a key. So maybe she did forget.”
“That's hard to believe,” said Violet.
“How are we going to feed the cats?” asked Benny.
Henry said, “If Ms. Singh left a window unlocked, we could open it and go inside that way.”
“I don't like having to do something like that,” said Jessie. “But I guess it
is
an emergency.”
“Yes, we can't let the cats starve,” said Violet.
The children checked the windows on the ground floor, but Ms. Singh had locked them all tightly before leaving. Benny, peering through the kitchen window, said, “I can see one of the cats now! It's big and white, with one black spot right over her eye.”
The cat saw Benny, too. She leaped up on the windowsill and meowed. Watch, sitting on the grass, barked. The cat flattened her ears and jumped away from the window.
“You scared her, Watch,” scolded Benny.
Just then Jessie called, “Look! There's the basement door! Maybe we can get in that way.”
The Aldens and Beth hurried to the back corner of the house and down the narrow stairs to the basement door. It was a little, low door and the basement inside was very dark.
“Ooh,” said Benny. “This is scary.”
Watch growled softly.
“Oh, no. You can't come with us, Watch. You would chase the cats!” said Jessie scoldingly.
Benny had an idea. “I'll take Watch outside and then meet you at the back door. You can let me in there.”
“Good idea, Benny,” said Violet.
Relieved, Benny hurried out of the dark basement.
The others made their way carefully across the basement. Then Henry and Jessie went up the creaking basement stairs.
Cautiously, Henry tested the door at the top of the stairs. It was open!
“Thank goodness,” said Violet, following them up the stairs with Beth beside her. “Now we can feed the cats!”
The basement door opened into a short hall that led into the kitchen. Beth went to the back door and let Benny in.
“Look, here's a note from Ms. Singh,” said Violet. She picked it up from the kitchen table and read aloud, “
Dear Boxcar Helpers, welcome, and thank you for feeding my cats, Spot and Rover.
”
“So she didn't forget we were coming,” said Henry.
Violet nodded and kept reading: “
The wet food is on the counter. They each get a small can of wet food, a fresh bowl of water, and please fill the big green bowl with dry food. The dry food is in the bucket with the lid by the refrigerator. Just leave the key under the back doormat where you found it when you are finished. Thank you.
”
Jessie said, “She doesn't sound like she forgot to leave the key.”
“It's a mystery,” agreed Henry. “But we will solve it!”