The Silverton Mansion was on a narrow road lined with trees. There were no other houses nearby. It was so dark, Grandfather didn’t see their driveway at first. He drove right by it and had to turn around. The driveway itself was so overgrown that leaves brushed against the car as Grandfather drove down it.
“I don’t see a house,” Violet said. “Is this the right place?”
“It’s a long driveway,” Grandfather replied. “Though I’m surprised I don’t see any lights from the house.”
The car wound around until the headlights of the car showed a big stone mansion ahead. The lane turned into a big circular driveway in front of the house. They still couldn’t see any lights. Large, overgrown bushes nearly blocked the steps up to the house.
“It’s creepy,” Benny said. “Are you sure someone lives here?”
“As I remember, the museum is in the back of the house. Let’s try there,” Grandfather said. He backed up the car and took a small paved driveway along the side of the house.
When they came around the side of the house, the children were stunned by what they saw. A small brick rail station sat by train tracks that ran through the backyard. On the tracks in front of the station stood an old-fashioned steam engine. Attached to it were seven train coaches. They were all just as old as the engine, but they looked brand new.
“Wow! Imagine having a whole train in your backyard!” Henry exclaimed.
“It’s like we’ve gone back in time,” Jessie said.
Grandfather parked and they all jumped out. “There is no caboose,” Benny said. “That train car on the end has too many windows.”
“You should ask the Silvertons about that.” Grandfather motioned to the second coach back from the engine. I suggest we check out that one since it’s the car with all the lights on.” As they walked toward the coach, a figure appeared in its doorway. They couldn’t tell who it was because of the bright light coming from behind the person.
It made Henry nervous. “Hello!” he called. The figure didn’t answer but did hold up a hand as if to greet them.
They drew close enough to tell it was a man. “I think it’s Mr. Ganert,” Violet whispered.
“Yes it is,” Grandfather said. He greeted the man, who just nodded his head and motioned them inside. Inside, it was just as Grandfather had described, with beautiful woodwork and chandeliers and old-fashioned furniture. Violet noticed something that didn’t fit. The word-art picture of the question mark that Trudy had made at the library was now hanging on one of the walls in a gold frame.
A familiar voice called out, “Hello, Aldens!” It was Trudy. She sat on a small sofa with her cast propped up on a footstool. “Come in!” They were relieved she sounded so friendly. An elderly woman dressed in dark clothes sat on the edge of one of the large armchairs, her hands crossed in her lap. Her silvery hair was pulled back in a bun. She wasn’t smiling. Jessie thought she looked stern.
“Mr. Alden, how nice to see you again,” the older woman said to Grandfather. “Please sit down.”
Grandfather introduced the children. Mrs. Silverton smiled at them. It made her look a little less severe. “Your grandchildren have already met my grandchild. Mr. Alden, this is my granddaughter Trudy. Welcome to our museum.”
“This is a beautiful train car,” Jessie said.
“It is delightful, isn’t it,” Mrs. Silverton agreed. “It is called a parlor car and it was built for a wealthy family who used it to travel between their homes in New York and Florida. We were very pleased to add it to the museum.”
No one said anything for a moment. The children were all wondering why they had been asked to come.
Mrs. Silverton looked at each one of them before finally saying, “We’ve heard many reports of the good work you do in solving mysteries. That’s why you are here tonight.”
“Do you have a mystery you want us to solve?” Benny asked.
“In a way. You’ve already solved a mystery we set for you. When the matter of the turtle arose, we decided to see if you could complete some of our tests.”
“Tests?” Jessie asked.
“You figured out some information about the turtle and Reddimus Curiosities.”
Henry leaned forward. “Did the Reddimus people take the turtle out of the trunk before they loaded it on the truck as part of the test?”
Mrs. Silverton nodded her head. “We did. It was part of the test.”
“I don’t understand,” Jessie said. “What about the man who gave us the flyer? Did he put the turtle in the trunk in the first place?”
Mrs. Silverton shook her head. “That part of this business is very strange. The person who gave you the flyer does not work for us, and we are not sure who he is. He must have been the one to put the turtle in your house, but we don’t know why he would do that. When Mr. Alden called us, we were shocked to hear about the incident. That’s what set this all in motion.”
“We’ve made some inquiries,” Trudy added, “but we haven’t been able to learn much. I think if this man knows about us, he may have wanted us to return the turtle to its rightful place.”
“So the turtle is yours. Was it stolen from Reddimus Curiosities?” Violet asked.
Mrs. Silverton nodded at Trudy as if she was encouraging Trudy to speak. “No, it doesn’t belong to us,” Trudy said. “Reddimus Curiosities is an antique store that exists only to be a cover for something much more important, the Reddimus Society. As you figured out, reddimus means ‘we return.’ The Reddimus Society returns things.”
Jessie was confused. She glanced over at Henry. He looked as puzzled as she felt. Their confusion must have shown on their faces because Mrs. Silverton said, “Let me explain more about how the Reddimus Society started. The founders, my great-grandparents, were archaeologists.”
“Archeologists dig up old things made by people a long time ago, don’t they?” Benny asked.
“Archeologists can do that,” Mrs. Silverton replied. “Their main job is to try to learn about how people lived in the past. They study a culture’s buildings and art and writings, among other things. But you’re right, Benny. Sometimes they do dig up sites that have been buried over time from cultures that no longer exist. They also study the histories of people living today. Not every bit of history is written down, so it’s useful to add to our knowledge whenever we can. When my great-grandparents started the society, they were upset that some archeologists took ancient artifacts and sold them to collectors. Those archeologists didn’t care about the educational value of the items or about the people whose ancestors had created the items.”
Mrs. Silverton nodded at Trudy. “Why don’t you continue our story,” she said to her granddaughter.
“The mission of the Reddimus Society is to return lost treasures to the museums and historic sites where they belong,” Trudy explained. “I’m sad to say that even now people take items that don’t belong to them to sell or to keep for themselves. But we return these items very quietly. We don’t want attention drawn to our work. It would make our tasks more difficult.”
Mrs. Silverton touched the broach she wore on her blouse. Violet noticed it matched the Reddimus logo. “That’s why we have an owl as part of our symbol. The owl is a very quiet and stealthy creature.” Her expression grew more serious. “And that’s why it’s very troubling someone gave the turtle to you. They obviously know about us, but the Reddimus Society is supposed to be a secret.”
A Request for Help
“So are you like secret agents?” Benny asked.
Trudy and Mrs. Silverton laughed. “Not exactly, though we are good at keeping secrets,” Mrs. Silverton said. “And now we are in need of more people to help us. We don’t have as many agents as we used to. We do have some helpers at different places around the world, but they have other responsibilities as well. For health reasons, I don’t travel anymore. Mr. Ganert has his own important job.”
“And I can’t travel for a while,” Trudy added, pointing to her cast. “I’m going
to need to have more surgery on my leg. Next time I have to cross a rope bridge in the jungle to find stash of stolen artifacts, I’ll make sure the rope isn’t rotted.”
“Where did that happen?” Violet asked. “It sounds scary.”
“It was more exciting than scary, at least until I fell,” Trudy replied.
“But that’s a story for another day,” Mrs. Silverton said. “After Trudy’s accident, we realized this would be a good time to recruit some new members. We need more people we can trust who are good at solving unexpected problems.” Mrs. Silverton looked over at Grandfather. “Mr. Alden has always said that we could call on him at any time, so we took him up on the offer, but just to make sure you were up for the tasks we have, we set a few little tests for you.”
“What is the task?” Henry asked.
“We’ve collected several very special items that need to be returned to the countries where they belong,” Mrs. Silverton said. Jessie’s thoughts raced ahead, thinking of all the postcards on her mobile. Would the Aldens get to go to some of those places?
“Of course, we can’t send you around the world,” Mrs. Silverton continued, “but we’d like you all to return the turtle to Acoma Pueblo. Once you do, we’d also like you to find the Reddimus agent who will deliver the other six items to various spots around the world.”
“We’d go all the way to New Mexico?” Violet asked.
“That’s the plan,” Trudy said. “But you can choose not to go. What we are asking you to do is not exactly a vacation.”
Jessie was a little disappointed at first. New Mexico wasn’t a different country, but then she remembered it was very different from Connecticut. “Can we, Grandfather?” she asked.
“Yes, we certainly can,” Grandfather replied.
“Yay!” Benny and Violet cheered at the same time.
Mrs. Silverman said, “Excellent. We are trusting you with some very special items, so we are counting on you to take good care of them.”
“We will,” Henry promised.
Mr. Ganert spoke up, surprising the Aldens. They’d almost forgotten he was there. “I’ll say it one more time. I think this is a bad idea. These children are too young to be trusted with such important items.”
“I’ve taken your opinion into account, Mr. Ganert,” Mrs. Silverton said. “They will have enough help along the way to complete this task. I believe they can do it.”
Mr. Ganert got up and walked away from them to stand by the door of the coach. “Very well,” he said. “If something goes wrong, it won’t be my responsibility.”
Trudy glanced at Mr. Ganert and then looked back at the Aldens. She opened a cloth bag on the seat next to her. “I have something for you as our new Reddimus Society helpers. These might come in handy.” She pulled out four black flashlights, each small enough to fit in a pocket. Each had a small owl etched in silver on the handle. The etchings looked like the owl in the Reddimus logo. “The special thing about these flashlights is that you can change the color of the lenses if you need to.”
Unscrewing a cap on the end of the flashlight, Trudy took out two lenses, a red one and a yellow one. “If your eyes are adjusted to the dark and you want to keep them that way, use the red lenses. It helps preserve your night vision. You can use the yellow one if you are in smoke or fog. It shines through those better than a clear light. The lenses just snap over the top of the flashlight when you need them.”
“Awesome!” Henry said. The children took their lights and experimented with changing the lenses. Benny thought it was one of the best things he’d ever been given. They were so interested in the flashlights, they barely noticed a sound from the front of the train. It sounded as if someone was starting the engine.
“When do we leave?” Jessie asked.
Trudy grabbed her crutches and Mr. Ganert stood up. “Now,” Mr. Ganert said. He offered his hand to Mrs. Silverton and helped her out of her chair. They walked to the door. Jessie was confused. How could they be leaving right now? She got up too.
Trudy smiled and motioned for Jessie to sit back down. She took a business card out of her bag and handed it to Henry. “Contact me if you have any trouble. We’ve arranged all your travel for you,” she said as she pushed herself up and out of the chair with her crutches. Mr. Ganert helped Mrs. Silverton down the steps and then tried to help Trudy. “Thank you, I’m fine,” Trudy said. As she stepped off the train, she called, “Good luck! Be careful!”
Benny felt a strange sensation beneath his feet. Watch barked. “The floor is rumbling!” he cried. “The train is moving!”
“It can’t be!” Violet said, running over to look out the window. She was shocked to see that Benny was right. The train was moving forward, picking up speed.
“Runaway train!” Benny said, excitedly.
“I wouldn’t call it runaway.” Grandfather chuckled. “I think it’s supposed to be moving.”
Jessie turned to Grandfather. She couldn’t believe he was just sitting in his chair, laughing and calm.
“We’re really going right now, aren’t we?” she asked Grandfather.
He nodded his head, looking pleased at the surprise.
Henry leaped up and dashed to the door. “Trudy, wait!” he called “You didn’t tell us the name of the person who gets the items.”
On the Runaway Train
Trudy waved and then yelled back, “You’ll figure it out!”
“It sounds like another test,” Jessie said.
“One I’m sure you will pass.” Grandfather leaned back in his chair. “We’ve got a long trip ahead of us, so you’ll have plenty of time to think about how to go about finding the person.”
“You don’t seem surprised we are on a sudden train trip,” Henry said to him.
“I’m not. Mrs. Silverton and I discussed all of this over the phone. I’m pleased we can finally do something for them. It should be quite a trip.”
Violet moved over to a chair where she could see out the window. The train picked up speed and steam billowed back from the engine. A dark shape caught her eye. At first she thought they had just passed something sitting by the track, but then she saw it was moving at the same speed as the train.
“Someone is running alongside the train!” she cried. The others crowded around the window. The train went even faster. It began to turn as the track curved away from the house.
“I don’t see anyone,” Henry said.
“Maybe we just went by a tree close to the tracks,” Jessie suggested.
“It really was a person,” Violet protested. “Trees don’t have legs and arms.”
Henry moved away from the window. “I don’t know why someone would be running by the train. Whoever it was, we’ve left them behind now.”
“We forgot to ask one other important question,” Jessie said. “Where are the items we are supposed to deliver? We have the turtle, but nothing else.”
Violet looked out the window one more time. There was nothing there. She turned to the others. “Is it another test?”
“That’s a lot of tests,” Benny said.
Their conversation was interrupted when a young man in a dark purple uniform with silver braid and silver buttons came in through the door at the back of the car. “Good evening,” he said. Violet noticed his hat had the Reddimus logo on it. She tried not to stare at his nose, which was very large for the size of his face. His old-fashioned wire-rimmed glasses and his slicked-back hair made him look as if he’d been a part of the train crew back when the cars were brand new.
“I’m your porter for this trip.” The man grinned. “Actually, I’m your porter, your chef, and your waiter. I usually do other jobs for the Reddimus Society, but I was needed on this trip, so here I am. Emilio Ortiz at your service. We pride ourselves on taking on any job that needs to be done. The only thing I don’t do is get the engine running and the train going in the right direction. That’s the job for the driver and the fireman.”
“What do you usually do?” Benny ask
ed. “Are you one of their secret agents?”
Emilio winked. “That would be telling.”
“Do you know all about the train? Can we see the other cars?” Violet asked.
“Tonight I’ll show you the dining car and the Pullman car where you will sleep. It’s getting late though, so I’ll give you a tour of the other cars tomorrow.”
“Why isn’t there a boxcar?” Benny asked. “I thought passenger trains always had a few boxcars too.”
Emilio stood up very straight and clasped his hands in front of him as if he were going to give a speech. “As more and more people traveled by train, train companies tried new ways of attracting passengers. Some added observation cars on the backs of trains so passengers could sit and enjoy the view. That’s what this train has. Boxcars or baggage cars were moved up right behind the engine. We’ve got a baggage car there. Now I expect all the excitement tonight has made you hungry.”
“Yes!” Benny cried.
“I knew it,” Emilio said. “Benny, I understand you are quite fond of cookies.”
Benny’s eyes grew wide. “How did you know that?”
“And how did you know Benny’s name?” Jessie asked.
“I know all your names,” Emilio replied. “And all your likes and dislikes. I even know what kind of dog food Watch eats, and I’ve got some on board. We members of the Reddimus Society like knowledge, remember?” He motioned them to follow him. “This way to the dining car. It’s the next car behind this one. Watch your step. On these old trains when we go from car to car, we have to go out one door onto a little platform and then into the next coach through another door, so we’ll be outside for a few seconds. Don’t be surprised at how windy it can feel. Watch won’t be scared, will he?” Emilio asked.
“I’ll keep a tight hold on his leash,” Henry said.
Inside the dining car, they walked down a narrow passageway past a tiny kitchen. “The chefs prepared terrific meals in such small spaces back then. I’m not quite sure how they did it,” Emilio said. “I do fine in there by myself cooking for just a few people, but I can’t imagine trying to cook for thirty or forty people at a time. And here’s the dining room,” Emilio moved out of their way so they could see.