When they reached the ground, they were surprised to find Emilio waiting for them.
“There you are. It’s time to go,” Emilio said. “We’ve got a long flight ahead of us.”
“Thank you for helping us,” Jessie said to Rania. “And thank you for the tour,” she said to Ken.
“I was happy to help,” Rania said. “I’m sorry you have to leave so soon. Come back anytime.”
“Yes,” Ken said. “If you come back again, I’ll take you on a tour of some of the other pyramids. There is always more to see.”
“I wish we didn’t have to go so soon. I really wanted to help Tricia,” Violet said.
“You know Tricia Silverton?” Ken asked. “Any chance any of you are going to see her in Nairobi?”
An Unsettling Accusation
“Nairobi? Where’s that?” Benny asked.
“It’s in Kenya,” Jessie said. She turned to Ken. “You know Tricia Silverton?” she asked.
“Yes, I met Tricia when she came to talk to Dr. Archer two days ago.” Ken took out his wallet. “I’ve been carrying this around since then. She told Dr. Archer to give the necklace to her friend Christina, who would be along in a few days, and to tell the friend she’d gone on to Nairobi. Dr. Archer gave it to me. She said she’d forget about it if she kept it. No one named Christina has shown up, so I don’t know what to do with it.”
“Christina couldn’t come,” Violet said.
“That is news about Nairobi,” Emilio said. “We may be going to Kenya next.”
Ken held out the necklace. “Will you give this to her?”
Jessie took it. “We’ll try,” she said.
“Good! Well, it was nice to meet you. I should go back to work.”
They all said good-bye, and then Ken headed in the direction of the trailer.
“Let’s go back to the plane, and we can contact Trudy and Mrs. Silverton,” Emilio said. “I don’t know why Tricia would be in Nairobi.”
“We’re lucky Ken was around when we talked to Dr. Archer. We never would have known where Tricia had gone otherwise,” Henry said.
Back at the plane, Mr. Ganert seemed grumpier than ever.
“Are the artifacts safe and undamaged?” he barked at Henry.
Henry set down the duffel bag on the seat. “Yes, they are fine.”
“Humph…just make sure they stay that way,” Mr. Ganert said as he went back into the cockpit.
They contacted Trudy, but she didn’t know why her sister would be in Nairobi either. “We have several friends and acquaintances there,” she said. “I’ll make some phone calls while you are in the air. I hope by the time you land I have some leads.”
Once they were in flight, Jessie showed Violet and Benny where Kenya was located on a map. “It’s south of Egypt, but it’s on the eastern part of Africa just like Egypt is.” She read them some facts: “Cairo has more people than Nairobi, but Nairobi is still a very big city. The main languages in Kenya are Swahili and English, but there are lots of other languages that people speak too. Many unique African animals live in Kenya, like lions and zebras and giraffes.”
“I hope we get to see some animals,” Benny said.
“It depends on how long we stay. Don’t get your hopes up too high,” Henry warned.
Emilio came into the cabin. “I’ve heard from Trudy. Two friends of the Silvertons saw Tricia yesterday. David Yosei and Harun Kipketer own an art gallery in Nairobi, and they said she was there. I’ll go with you to the gallery when we arrive.”
By the time they landed, it was getting dark. They left Mr. Ganert on the plane and went through the airport where was a car waiting to take them to the gallery. Just like Cairo, Nairobi was full of cars and people, though Benny noticed something different. “We aren’t in the desert anymore, are we? There are lots of trees here, and it’s not so hot.”
“Kenya has a different climate than Egypt,” Jessie said. “That’s why they don’t have the same types of animals here that they do in Egypt.”
They drove by a park which was full of big trees. Underneath the trees were all different kinds of statues and sculptures. Many people were seated on benches or walking on the paths.
“Here we are,” the driver said, pulling up to a building on one side of the park. The sign above the building read, Yosei Gallery. Hanging in the window was a painting of all different colors of dots and a wire sculpture of a person dancing. Light spilled out through the window and they could see the gallery was full of people. “I’ll wait in that parking spot over there,” the driver said.
As soon as Henry opened the door to the gallery, they heard the music and the voices of many people all talking at once. People gathered around to look at the artwork on the walls—more paintings of dots—while a trio of musicians played in one corner.
“Do you recognize the owners of the gallery?” Henry asked Emilio.
Emilio scanned the room. “I’ve met Harun and David once. I think I’ll recognize them. Yes, there they are, talking to that older man in the gray suit.” He motioned to where two very tall men with dark brown skin standing near a closed door that said Office on it. The men both had their hair cut very short, and one had a short beard. The other didn’t. They were dressed up like all the other people in the gallery.
“It looks like we’ve arrived in the middle of an opening,” Emilio said.
“What’s that?” Benny asked.
“It’s when a gallery shows off an artist’s work,” Jessie explained. “They have a party the first day of the show. Let’s go talk to the owners.”
As the Aldens made their way through the people, Jessie had the strangest feeling that the man in the gray suit with the gallery owners was someone they knew. His back was turned to them, so she couldn’t see his face, but there was something familiar about the way he stood.
“David! Harun!” Emilio called out to them.
The man in the gray suit turned at the sound of Emilio’s voice.
“Mr. Carter! What are you doing here?” Henry said. The Aldens had met John Carter on one of their mystery cases when Mr. Carter was working for the FBI. Later, Mr. Carter had done some work for Grandfather and had helped the Aldens with some other mysteries. The Aldens remembered how he’d always been able to solve problems. Jessie remembered he had always been very kind and ready to smile.
He wasn’t smiling now. Henry introduced Emilio to him, and in turn Emilio introduced the Aldens to David and Harun.
Mr. Carter said, “Mrs. Silverton asked me to come to Kenya. A valuable wood carving was stolen from the National Museum of Kenya. Tricia Silverton was seen looking at it on security camera footage before it went missing. The police think she stole it. Mrs. Silverton wants me to look into the case.”
“I can’t believe it!” Violet cried.
“Me either,” Jessie said. “From what we know about Tricia, she wouldn’t steal anything, especially not art! She spends her time returning stolen art.”
“That’s what we have been telling Mr. Carter,” David said.
“Didn’t you have a theft from your own gallery?” Mr. Carter asked. “I saw the police report.”
Harun frowned. “Yes, but that was the day before Tricia arrived. She couldn’t have had anything to do with that. She would never steal from us.”
“Why would a thief steal your art? It isn’t old,” Benny said.
David and Harun both smiled. “Art doesn’t have to be old to be valuable,” David explained. “Art made last year can be valuable too. It depends on the artist and how well that person can make art that means something to those who look at it.”
As more people came into the gallery, the noise grew louder. “Let’s step into our office so we don’t have to shout,” Harun said.
Once inside, Harun shut the door. “Can I ask why you and your young friends are here?” he said to Emilio.
“We are trying to locate Tricia,” Emilio replied. “She hasn’t been in touch with her sister for several days.”
r /> “That’s odd,” David said, “though Tricia was acting a bit oddly while she was here. Not like she was planning on stealing anything though.”
“Odd how?” Mr. Carter asked.
“She was in a hurry and wouldn’t say why. Talking about things like mysteries and passwords and such.” David and Harun looked at each other and then back at the Aldens as if they were expecting one of them to say something.
Jessie realized what they were waiting for. “We like owls,” she blurted out. “Do you? I mean, are you friends of owls?”
Both Harun and David relaxed. “Yes! We like owls too,” Harun said. “Tricia told us to wait for someone to say that, but we didn’t expect it to be four young persons. So that means you are the ones to hear the riddle. Let’s see if I can remember it all. It goes like this:
Some called me king of this place.
Was I? That I will not say.
Though much of its history is yet to be uncovered,
The stones stand while the sun rises and sets.
Find when the king’s treasures were discovered,
And that will reveal one of them to you.
But all kings in the end
Trade diamond and gold for a leafy crown.
“I need to write that down,” Jessie said. “I can’t remember all those lines.”
David gave her a piece of paper and a pencil. Harun repeated the riddle. “I hope you know what it means,” he said, “because I don’t.”
“We don’t either,” Violet said. “We’ll have to work on it.”
“I’m not sure what we are supposed to do next,” Henry said.
“Perhaps you can solve the riddle at your hotel,” David suggested. “It’s a lovely place.”
“We didn’t know we had a hotel here,” Violet said.
David checked his watch. “Oh I thought you knew. Tricia told us she made a reservation at the Giraffe Inn for the person who heard the riddle. It’s a place she stays whenever she is in Nairobi. You are in for a treat.”
“Are there giraffes there?” Benny asked.
“There certainly are. The hotel is right in the middle of an animal reserve. A herd of giraffes visits each morning and evening hoping for treats.”
“That sounds amazing,” Henry said.
“Did Tricia happen to mention anything that might give us a clue where she’s gone?” Mr. Carter asked.
David shook his head. “No, she said she had several places she needed to go, but she didn’t mention any specific cities or countries.”
“She did say something that was a bit strange though.” Harun paused as if he were trying to remember. “She said she’ll be going where all roads go.”
“That doesn’t make much sense,” Jessie said.
“That’s all we know.” Harun motioned to the door. “I’m sorry, but we have to get back to our guests.”
They all went back into the gallery, and Harun and David said good-bye before moving into the crowd to greet people.
Mr. Carter walked out the front door with the Aldens and Emilio. “I’m on my way to Paris,” he said as he handed Jessie a card. “If you hear from Tricia Silverton, please call me. We need to get this straightened out as soon as possible.”
Jessie nodded and then Mr. Carter waved down a taxi and jumped in.
“I’m staying with some friends,” Emilio said. “I’ll get a taxi. The driver will take you to your hotel. I don’t know exactly what is going on, but Tricia obviously has some sort of plan. I expect there will be a message for you at your hotel. Call me as soon as you figure out where we need to go next, and then I’ll contact Mr. Ganert and Trudy.”
The Aldens got back in the car. “I’m ready to be at a hotel,” Violet said. She could tell it was getting late. “The plane is nice, but another hotel will be nice too.”
“I’m ready to see giraffes!” Benny cried.
“We’ll be there soon,” the driver said.
It wasn’t long before the car turned into a lane that was bordered on either side by a grove of trees. The lane wound around until the car pulled up in front of a big stone mansion covered with ivy.
“This looks like another great hotel,” Henry said.
“What were those?” Violet cried. “Pigs with fur?” Two small animals ran across the lawn and around the corner of the house.
“Those are warthogs,” the driver said. “I’ve heard some live here with the giraffes.”
A woman came out the front door and down the steps. She had on an apron. Her red hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but both her hair and her face looked like they had flour on them. When the Aldens got out of the car she said, “Welcome to Giraffe Inn. I’m Alexandra Goodwin, the manager, but everyone calls me Alex.” She looked down at her apron. “Oh dear, forgive me. I forgot I had this on. I like to do a bit of baking when the chefs will let me in the kitchen. We’ve been waiting for you.”
As they got their luggage out of the trunk and the others talked to the manager, Henry realized something odd about what Alex had said. “Weren’t you expecting Christina Keene?” he asked.
“I was, until someone left a message earlier today that four young Aldens would be arriving in her place.” She smiled. “And here you are!”
Henry looked at the others. Jessie said, “Do you know who left the message?”
“No, the person who answered the phone didn’t take down that information. I expect it was Tricia Silverton. She made the reservation for Christina in the first place. Would you like to see your room?”
“Where are the giraffes?” Benny asked.
“We have a big parcel of land for them to roam on, so we don’t see them all the time,” Alex explained. “You’ll definitely see them at breakfast though. They like their treats. Your room is right this way.”
“Were there any messages for us?” Jessie asked. As happy as she was for all of them to stay at a beautiful hotel, they needed more clues if they were going to solve the riddle and figure out where to go next.
“No, no messages,” Alex replied. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you upstairs.”
Not an Owl but a Crow
Alex took them upstairs and opened the door. “We’ve put you in a suite so you’ll have plenty of room.”
Violet admired all the old polished furniture and the colorful rugs. “It looks like we’re staying in someone’s house instead of a hotel,” she said. “It’s all very pretty.”
Alex smiled. “That’s how we want our guests to feel. Call the front desk if you need anything. In the morning, come down for breakfast whenever you are ready. The giraffes will be waiting for you. If you don’t need anything else, I’ll say goodnight.”
After the manager left, Henry said, “Tricia must have left the message that we were coming instead of Christina. How did she know?”
“Do you think she called Trudy and Trudy told her?” Violet asked.
“I don’t know. Wouldn’t Trudy have told us or contacted Emilio? It’s all very strange,” Henry said.
Benny gave a giant yawn. “I’m going to bed so I can wake up and see giraffes.”
“Good idea,” Jessie said. “We can work on the riddle tomorrow.”
Jessie woke up first. She got up and went to the window. When she looked outside, she jumped back, startled. She looked again and then smiled. Opening the window, she called, “Benny, Violet, come see.”
Benny and Violet scrambled out of bed. Henry followed. At the window, a tall giraffe stood inches away, peering curiously at them.
“It’s so tall!” Benny said. “We’re way up on the second floor.”
“It’s beautiful!” Violet said. “I’m sorry we don’t have any food for you.”
The giraffe dipped its head as if it were sorry too, and then it moved to peer into another window. Other giraffes were approaching the hotel.
Benny tried to imitate their stately gait. Everyone laughed watching him. “You need longer legs,” Jessie teased.
“I’ll do it bet
ter when I’m as tall as Henry,” Benny said.
“Let’s go to breakfast,” Violet said. “I think they are coming to eat.”
Downstairs in the breakfast room, a huge buffet filled a table along one wall. Benny could hardly believe all the pastries and fruit and other dishes full of all types of food.
A waiter dressed in a white jacket and a bow tie came in and opened the rows of tall glass doors that led out to a terrace. As soon as they were all open, a giraffe stuck its head in. Everyone laughed. Two more came up and put their heads in as well. A shy smaller one hung back, watching.
Alex came in and said hello. “Do the giraffes eat pastries too?” Benny asked her.
“No, we feed them special pellets made up of dried grass, corn, and molasses.” She opened a cabinet and took out several metal bowls full of pellets. “If you’d like to feed them, go ahead and take a bowl.”
They all did, feeding each of the bigger giraffes. “I never noticed before, but giraffe faces are kind of like camel faces,” Henry said.
“They both have long eyelashes,” Jessie said.
Violet asked if she could try to feed the shyer one. Alex said she could and then added, “Her name is Violet.”
“That’s my name too!”
“Then she should like you,” Alex said. “Let’s go meet her.”
Outside, Violet and Alex walked slowly up to the young giraffe. Violet held out her bowl. The giraffe came forward and dipped her head in, scooping up the pellets, bit by bit. When the giraffe had emptied the bowl, it nudged Violet’s head.
“She wants to be petted,” Alex told Violet.
Violet reached out her hand and gently petted the giraffe’s neck. “She’s so soft!”
“She is, and she’s a pretty girl too. After you eat, why don’t you come back out and sit on the terrace. You might have some other visitors then.”
After breakfast everyone spent the next few hours out in the garden with the giraffes. The warthogs came to visit too, as well as the hotel dog, who was named Snuffles. “She tries to make the same snuffly sound the warthogs make,” Alex explained, “because she thinks she’s a warthog.” Eventually the animals wandered off, heading across the wide lawn. “Feel free to walk around and explore,” Alex said when she saw Violet’s disappointed face. “We have over a hundred species of birds on the property. I have to do some paperwork in my office, but I’ll see you later.”