“I can’t help wondering about that myself,” said Violet. “Any ideas, Henry?”
But Henry didn’t answer. His head was bent over another book.
“Henry?” said Jessie. “What are you reading?”
Henry held the book up. “It’s called Fun Facts About Leap Years,” he said. “And guess what? 1904 really was a leap year.”
“Well, at least that’s one thing we’re sure about,” Violet said, as they pushed back their chairs. “Now if only we could make sense of Pandora’s box.”
“What do you make of it, Henry?” asked Jessie, as they walked out of the library.
“I think we found another piece of the puzzle,” Henry said after a moment’s thought. “But I have no idea where it’s leading us.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Jessie said, trying to sound positive. “We always do.”
Benny rubbed his stomach. “I’m too hungry to think.”
“Okay, Benny.” Henry laughed. “We’ll stop for a bite to eat before we bike out to the Penner place.”
It wasn’t long before the children had settled into a booth at the Greenfield Diner. A teenaged waitress came over to take their order. She was tall and slim with a heart-shaped face. Her fair hair was pulled back with a headband.
“What will it be?” she said with a friendly smile.
Henry ordered macaroni and cheese and a glass of milk. So did Jessie and Benny.
As the waitress jotted down their orders, Violet couldn’t help thinking she’d seen the waitress somewhere before.
“Violet,” Jessie prodded, “do you know what you want?”
But Violet was only half-listening. The more she looked at the waitress, the more certain she was she’d seen her somewhere before. Where was it? Although she was trying not to stare, the waitress caught her look.
“Shall I make it four orders of macaroni and cheese?” she questioned Violet.
“Oh!” Violet suddenly snapped out of it. “I’m sorry. I … I was thinking about something.”
“Macaroni and cheese?” the waitress asked again.
Violet nodded, then she said, “Don’t I know you?”
The waitress giggled a little. “It’s funny you should ask me that,” she said. “You’re the second person to recognize me today.”
“Have we met before?” Violet asked.
“No, it’s nothing like that.” The waitress leaned forward as if about to share a secret. “I just signed on with the Greenfield Modeling Agency. I’ve already had a few jobs.” She pulled something from her apron pocket and handed it to Violet. It was an ad for Gorman’s Drugstore. She pointed to a photograph on the flyer. “That’s me holding the bottle of sunscreen lotion.”
Benny looked closely at the flyer. “Wow, you’re famous!”
The waitress beamed. “You can keep it if you want. I autographed the flyer already. See?” She pointed to a signature—Carly Boyd—at the bottom of the ad. “When I become a supermodel, my signature will be worth a fortune!” With that, she dashed away.
“No wonder you recognized her, Violet,” said Jessie. “Carly’s face is all over town.”
Violet frowned. She thought there was more to it than that. But she didn’t say anything.
While they waited for their food to arrive, the children talked about the spy game.
“So …” said Jessie. “Pandora closed the box just in time to save hope.”
Benny nodded. “Just like Dora.”
“What do you mean, Benny?” Henry asked.
“Dora had a box with hope in it, too,” Benny explained.
Violet gasped. “Her hope chest!”
“Way to go, Benny!” said Henry. “You’re a genius.”
The youngest Alden beamed proudly.
“There’s only one problem,” Jessie pointed out. “We already looked through Dora’s hope chest. We didn’t find the gold.”
“Maybe we missed something,” Henry said.
“Like what?” Benny wondered.
Henry grinned. “Like a secret hiding place.”
The others thought Henry might be right. They all agreed it was worth checking out.
“One thing we know for sure,” said Jessie. “1904 really was a leap year.”
“We found out something else, too,” put in Violet. “Brandon had a sister named Abigail.”
“At least, that’s what we think,” Henry said.
As they were leaving, Violet turned around for one last look at the waitress. She still had the oddest feeling she’d seen her somewhere before—and not on the flyer.
CHAPTER 9
The Plot Thickens
When the Aldens arrived back at the Penner place, they headed straight for the attic. They checked every inch of the hope chest for secret compartments. But they turned up nothing.
“I don’t get it,” Benny said, the game of checkers tucked under his arm. “I was so sure we were on the right track this time.”
Jessie could feel her brother’s disappointment. “Never mind,” she said, putting a comforting arm around him. “We’ll have a nice game of checkers tonight. That’ll be fun, right?”
Benny gave a half-hearted smile.
“Do you think we should’ve checked with Amanda first?” Violet wondered. “Before bringing the game downstairs, I mean.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Violet,” Jessie said as they walked along the hallway.
Once again, the four children paused in front of the photograph of Dora. “There must be a clue we’re not seeing,” Henry said thoughtfully.
Nobody said anything for a moment. Then Violet suddenly gasped.
“Carly Boyd!” she cried, her eyes wide.
“Are you talking about the waitress at the diner?” Benny asked.
Violet nodded. “I couldn’t figure out where I’d seen her before.” Seeing their puzzled faces, she added, “Don’t you get it? Carly Boyd looks exactly like Dora!”
“What?” Henry laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”
Violet pulled the flyer from her back pocket. “Take a look for yourself,” she said, flattening out the creases.
The other Aldens looked from the flyer to the photograph and back again. “I can’t believe it!” Jessie said in astonishment.
“Carly looks enough like Dora to be her twin sister,” added Henry.
“They have the same heart-shaped faces and fair hair,” said Violet, who had an artist’s eye for detail.
“And they’re both tall and slim,” added Jessie. “Carly’s the spitting image of Dora, as Grandfather would say.”
“It’s the strangest thing.” Violet felt an icy chill up her spine. “What do you think it means?”
“Maybe Carly’s related to the Penner family,” Jessie said. “That would explain why they look so much alike.”
“We can ask Amanda about it when she gets home,” Violet proposed.
Henry had an idea. “Why don’t we cool off in the creek while we’re waiting?” And the others were quick to agree.
The Aldens changed into their swimsuits, then made their way to Fudge Hollow. They lost all track of time as they splashed around in the creek. The afternoon shadows were growing longer when they finally headed back to the house. After changing back into T-shirts and shorts, they went downstairs to help Mrs. Dawson with dinner. But when they got close to the kitchen, they paused at the sound of Mrs. Dawson’s voice.
“No, I’m sure they don’t suspect a thing, Steve,” Mrs. Dawson was saying. She was talking on the phone, her back to the children. “Yes … I know it would ruin everything if they figure out what’s really going on.”
The Aldens couldn’t believe their ears. Was it possible that Mrs. Dawson and Steve Kooner were partners in crime?
“No, not yet,” Mrs. Dawson went on. “But I’m keeping my fingers crossed … If I can open Pandora’s box, my dreams will finally come true.”
This made Benny gasp, and Mrs. Dawson whirled around. Her eyes widened when she saw the Alde
ns in the kitchen doorway.
“Oh, you gave me a start!” she cried, hanging up the phone. “I … um, was just …” She didn’t seem to know what to say. It was almost as though she’d been caught doing something wrong.
“We thought we’d help with dinner,” Violet said quietly.
“Oh, everything’s ready, Violet,” Mrs. Dawson told her. “I thought chicken and salads would hit the spot. I always say, nothing beats a cold dinner on a hot day.” She seemed relieved to be talking about something else.
As the Aldens sat down at the table, Mrs. Dawson hurried out of the room, looking troubled.
“Can you believe it?” Jessie said, keeping her voice low. “Steve and Mrs. Dawson are working together.”
“You don’t really think they’re trying to steal Amanda’s gold, do you?” Violet asked.
“I don’t want to think that, Violet,” Jessie said. “But she was talking about Pandora’s box. What else can it mean?”
“It means she’s tracking down clues,” said Benny.
“And did you notice?” Henry added. “Mrs. Dawson couldn’t even look us in the eye.”
Violet had to admit it seemed suspicious. But she didn’t want to believe Mrs. Dawson would do something so awful.
They were quiet for a while as they ate their dinner. It wasn’t until they were clearing the table that Benny spoke up.
“Mrs. Dawson’s dream is to open a bookstore,” he reminded them. “And that costs a lot of money.”
Henry stacked the plates on the counter. “Maybe she’ll do whatever it takes to make her dream come true.”
“Even stealing from Amanda?” cried Violet.
“We all like her,” Jessie told her sister. “But we have to consider every possibility.”
Violet opened a drawer. She was looking for a dishtowel. “I know how it sounds, but—” She suddenly stopped talking.
“What’s wrong, Violet?” asked Jessie, who was up to her elbows in soapy water.
“There’s something here I think you should see.” Violet’s eyes were huge. “Something very strange.”
The other Aldens hurried over. “I found this under the dishtowels,” Violet said, as she removed a photograph from the drawer.
The photo, badly faded with age, showed a dark-haired young woman in a white gown. There was a man in the picture, too. He had a mustache, and his hair was parted in the middle.
Benny had a thought. “I bet that’s the missing picture from the family album.”
Jessie was staring hard at the photo. “Isn’t that Brandon Penner?”
“Got to be,” said Henry.
“How can you be so sure?” Benny asked.
“Remember the photo in the family album?” Jessie reminded her little brother. “The one of Brandon Penner, I mean.”
“Oh, right!” said Benny. “That does look like the man in the album.”
“There’s only one problem,” Jessie said. “Who’s the woman in this photo?”
“Turn it over,” Violet instructed her sister.
Jessie flipped the photograph. She read the words on the back aloud: “The Penners’ wedding day—February, 1904.”
For a moment, the Aldens just stared at one other in stunned silence. Finally, Henry spoke up.
“How can that be Brandon’s wedding day?” he said. “The woman in the wedding dress sure isn’t Dora.”
“Then … who is she?” Benny asked in a hushed voice.
“It must be Abigail,” Violet said as she put the photograph back in the drawer.
Jessie nodded. “Grandfather seemed sure Brandon had married someone named Abigail.”
Benny scratched his head. “But … how can there be two brides?”
Jessie shrugged. Benny looked at Henry and then at Violet. They didn’t seem to have any answers, either.
“If Brandon married Abigail,” said Violet, “then who on earth was Dora?”
“I was just wondering the same thing,” said Henry. “I can’t get my head around it. Can you, Jessie?”
But Jessie didn’t answer. She was thinking hard. She had the strangest feeling that she knew something—something important. But it was stuck in the back of her mind and she couldn’t shake it loose. Then a funny look suddenly came over her face.
“Don’t keep us in the dark, Jessie,” Henry pleaded. “What are you thinking?”
“Remember when Amanda dropped a business card the other day?” Jessie said.
Violet nodded. “She tore it up.”
“Well, I just remembered something,” Jessie continued. “It was a business card for the Greenfield Modeling Agency!”
Henry’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure, Jessie?”
“Very sure.”
“Hey!” said Benny. “Isn’t that where Carly Boyd works?”
“Yes, it is,” Jessie said with a nod.
“Do you think it’s just a coincidence?” asked Violet.
“Maybe,” said Jessie. “Or maybe … maybe Carly Boyd doesn’t just look like Dora Penner—maybe she is Dora Penner.”
“What do you mean?” Henry asked.
“Listen, Carly looks just like Dora, right? Plus, she’s a model for the Greenfield Modeling Agency,” said Jessie. “And on top of that, Amanda just happened to have their business card.”
“You mean … you think Amanda hired Carly to pose for that photo?” Violet wondered.
“I think it’s possible,” Jessie replied.
“Amanda tried to fool us?” Benny asked. A frown crossed his round face.
“I can’t be sure,” said Jessie. “But it looks that way.”
“That’s interesting Jessie,” Henry said. “But why would she do such a thing?”
Before Jessie could answer, they heard the front door open.
“That must be Amanda!” said Violet.
“Let’s find out what this is all about,” Henry said.
Violet wasn’t so sure about this. “But … what if we’re wrong?”
“Don’t worry, Violet,” Henry assured her. “We’ll just ask a few questions and see how Amanda reacts. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“No, I suppose not,” Violet said.
The Aldens had plenty of questions. The problem was, they didn’t have any answers.
CHAPTER 10
A Surprise Twist
“Ah, here you are!” said Amanda, balancing on her crutches. She came into the kitchen with Steve close behind. “I hope Mrs. Dawson fixed you a nice dinner.”
“Yes, it was delicious,” Violet said.
Amanda looked around at each of the Aldens in turn. “What’s up?” she asked, as she sat down at the table. “Everybody looks so serious.”
Steve sat down beside Amanda. “Well, detective work is serious business,” he said. “Right, kids?”
Henry squared his shoulders. “Well, it’s not just a game to us,” he said, looking Steve straight in the eye.
Steve smiled a little. “You kids really don’t give up, do you?”
“No, we don’t,” said Jessie. “Actually, we’ve been wondering about something.”
“Fire away, Jessie,” Amanda told her. “Ask me anything.”
Jessie hesitated for a moment, then she said, “Was there ever an Abigail in your family?”
“What …?” The question seemed to catch Amanda off guard. But she pulled herself together quickly. “Hmm, let me just think about that.” She tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. “Now that you mention it,” she said at last, “I believe there was an Abigail … somewhere in the family.”
“Hard to keep track of everybody, isn’t it?” Steve put in, smiling over at Amanda.
“That’s for sure!” Amanda said with a nod. “I think there’s chocolate cake in the refrigerator,” she added, changing the subject. “Anybody have a sweet tooth?”
But the Aldens weren’t going to be put off so easily “The thing is,” Henry said, picking up where Jessie had left off, “Grandfather seemed
very sure that Brandon Penner had married somebody named Abigail—not Dora.”
“And there’s a plaque at the library,” added Benny, “with Abigail’s name on it.”
“Plus, we found a photograph taken on Brandon’s wedding day,” Violet said in a quiet voice. “The bride didn’t look at all like Dora.”
Amanda was so startled she needed a few moments to collect her thoughts.
“Well … isn’t that strange,” she said.
Violet caught a knowing look pass between Amanda and Steve.
“But there can’t be two brides,” said Benny. “Can there?”
“You wouldn’t think so,” said Amanda. She forced a laugh as if trying to make light of everything. “If Dora isn’t Brandon’s bride, I’d sure like to know who she is.”
“Carly Boyd,” Benny blurted out. “That’s who!”
Amanda stared at the youngest Alden in surprise. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. Finally, she let out a sigh. “Oh, dear.” She glanced over at Steve. “Things aren’t going the way we planned, are they?”
The Aldens looked at each other in surprise. Were Steve and Amanda working together?
“The photograph in the hallway,” Henry asked. “Is it really Carly Boyd?”
Amanda nodded. “It is.”
“But why?” Jessie said. “Why would you try to fool us?”
“It’s not what you think.” Amanda said quickly.
Violet’s mind raced. Hadn’t Steve said something on the phone about a partner in crime—and a plot? And weren’t those the very words used to describe the next book in the Detective Club series? Everything suddenly fell into place: Amanda winning awards at school for writing … the set of Detective Club books tucked away in the dining room … the way the plot of The Jigsaw Puzzle Mystery sounded familiar.
Jessie looked over at her sister. “Is something wrong?”
Violet looked from Amanda to Steve and back again. Then, in a voice scarcely above a whisper, she said, “You’re Mila Jones and Jake Winston!”
Amanda and Steve looked at each other in surprise. Then Amanda slowly smiled.
“I guess you found us out,” she said.
“Didn’t I tell you they were top-notch detectives?” said Mrs. Dawson, chuckling to herself as she came into the room.