Mystery in the Fortune Cookie (6 page)

Violet gasped. “Oh, I see what you mean!”

“We can match the letters with the numbers in the code!” Jessie added, catching on at the same time.

No one dared breathe as Henry matched up the letters with the numbers.

Who in the world was Drum Keller? And what was he doing in a cellar?

“This fortune cookie mystery is getting weirder and weirder,” Violet said as they cleared the table after lunch.

“I’ll tell you what’s weird,” Benny said, putting the placemats away. “That name! Drum Keller, I mean.”

Jessie filled the sink with warm, soapy water. “I was thinking that, too,” she said. There was something oddly familiar about the name Drum Keller, but Jessie couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. She tucked the thought in the back of her mind for the time being.

“So, what’s next?” Violet reached for a dish towel.

Henry was ready with an answer. “If you ask me, we should take another bike ride into town.” He stacked the soup bowls on the counter. “It’s time to find Drum Keller in — ”

“The cellar,” said Jessie, finishing her older brother’s sentence. “The problem is, we don’t have a clue what cellar he’s in.

“And why on earth is he
in
a cellar?” put in Violet. “What’s that all about?”

“It’s a mystery,” said Henry. “That’s for sure.”

“We can handle it,” Benny insisted. As he dried his pink cup, he had a thought. “Maybe we should look in Albert’s Fruit and Vegetable Cellar!”

“Good idea, Benny!” Henry said as he wiped the counters. “Drum Keller
would
make a great name for a clown.”

“Yeah,” said Benny, getting excited.

“
And
that would explain why he’s in a cellar!” added Violet, who sounded just as excited as Benny.

After putting away the dishes and writing a note for Aunt Jane, the Aldens hopped on their bikes and pedaled as fast as they could into Elmford. Parking their bikes in the lot again, they quickly made their way to Albert’s Fruit and Vegetable Cellar.

Benny walked up to the man in the red rubber nose. “Excuse me.” He tugged on the clown’s polka-dotted sleeve. “Are you Drum Keller?”

“No, sirree!” The man handing out balloons shook his head. “You’re looking at the one and only Buttons the Clown.”

Benny was disappointed, but he wasn’t giving up so easily. He hurried over to the store owner, who was standing near the counter. “Excuse me, Mr. Albert,” Benny said. “I was wondering if there’s a Drum Keller around here.”

“A Drum Keller?” Mr. Albert was polishing an apple. He blinked in surprise. “What’s that?” he wanted to know. “Some new kind of onion?”

Benny sighed heavily. “No, Drum Keller’s not an onion. At least, I don’t think so. Thanks anyway.”

As they walked away Henry said, “Well, I guess that rules out Albert’s Fruit and Vegetable Cellar.”

Halfway down the block, Jessie suddenly directed their attention to a sign in the window of Wiggins Department Store. “Look. There’s a two-for-one sale!”

“But, Jessie,” said Violet, sounding puzzled, “we didn’t bring money to buy any — ”

Jessie broke in before Violet could finish. “The two-for-one sale is in Wiggins’ bargain
basement
!”

“And a basement is just like a
cellar
!” Henry was impressed. “Good thinking, Jessie.”

Benny’s frown disappeared. “Maybe
this
is where Drum Keller works!” he said, holding the door open for the others. “Let’s find out.”

“Yes, let’s,” Jessie agreed, quickening her step.

Downstairs, a smiling young woman asked them, “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“We sure are,” Benny answered. “We’re looking for Drum Keller.”

“Drum Keller?” The young saleswoman looked puzzled. “Is that a new line of designer jeans?”

Violet had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. “No, we’re not looking for jeans,” she explained. “Drum Keller’s a person.”

Jessie added, “At least, that’s what we think.”

“Does anyone by that name work here?” Henry asked.

The salesclerk shook her head. “I’m afraid not.”

On the way out, Violet said, “How do you like that! First, Mr. Albert thinks Drum Keller’s an onion. Then the saleswoman thinks Drum Keller’s a new line of designer jeans.” She paused. “Maybe Drum Keller
isn’t
a person. Maybe Drum Keller’s a
thing
.”

“Maybe.” Benny sighed. “I wonder if we’ll ever get to the bottom of this.”

“I’m sure we will.” Jessie sounded positive. Inside, though, she wasn’t sure they’d ever find Drum Keller.

Violet noticed that Henry had been very quiet. “Thinking about something, Henry?” she asked.

“What?” Henry had been deep in his own thoughts. “Oh, it’s just that something occurred to me,” he said slowly. “A cellar’s under the ground. Right?”

The others nodded. “Right.”

“Well — ” Henry began to say, but Jessie interrupted.

“The Underground Bookstore!” she cried. “That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it, Henry?”

Henry nodded. “It’s worth checking out.”

Inside the bookstore, they found Dottie sorting through a pile of dusty old books.

“Hi, kids!” She smiled over at them. Then she pointed to the framed photograph hanging on the wall. “Thanks again for such a wonderful gift,” she said. “By the way, are you still on the case?”

Benny nodded. “We figured out the — ”

Henry poked him. Then Benny remembered they were not supposed to tell anyone about the mystery.

Dottie was instantly curious. “You figured out a clue?”

The children looked at one another. They didn’t want to lie, but they also knew it was best not to discuss the mystery just yet. Not until they’d figured a few things out on their own.

Henry quickly changed the subject. “Does anyone else work here, Dottie? Besides you and Martin, I mean.”

“Somebody by the name of Drum Keller,” Benny added.

Dottie’s smile faded. “What ... ?” She gave the children a sharp look. “Nobody else works here,” she said quickly. Then she turned her back, clearly not wanting to talk anymore.

Jessie and Henry exchanged glances. They were pretty sure that Dottie was covering something up.

After leading the others out of earshot, Henry suggested looking around for clues. So the Aldens split up and began to wander up and down the aisles, keeping their eyes peeled for anything unusual.

After a few minutes of looking, Jessie walked over to her sister and said, “I haven’t found anything but books, have you, Violet?”

Violet didn’t answer. Her jaw had suddenly dropped.

“What is it, Violet?” asked Jessie.

“It ... it’s Drum Keller!” Violet almost yelled, but stopped herself just in time.

Henry came rushing over. Benny was close behind.

“What’s going on?” asked Henry.

Violet was staring through the glass doors of a cabinet filled with old books. She turned halfway around and looked at the others. “It’s a mystery series,” she told them, her eyes huge. “And you won’t believe who wrote them!”

Jessie stepped closer and peered through the glass doors. “Oh!” She put one hand over her mouth in surprise. “Drum Keller!”

Violet nodded. “And the name of the series is — The Fortune Cookie Mysteries!”

Astounded, the Aldens stood staring at the books for a moment. Then Benny said, “So Drum Keller is an author?”

Henry nodded. “Looks that way, Benny.” He thought for a moment. Then he said, “Remember the other night before dinner, when Martin got so mad at that customer?” The others nodded. “Weren’t the books in this case the ones Dottie was refusing to sell?”

“Yes,” Jessie said. Then she added, “She said she wouldn’t sell them for
any
price.”

“I wonder why,” said Violet.

Just then, Benny spotted something out of the corner of his eye. He looked closer and blinked in disbelief. “Is ... is that what I think it is?” he asked.

The others looked to where Benny was pointing. In a dark corner of one of the cabinet shelves was a fortune cookie!

“Do you think it’s part of the display?” Jessie wondered.

“Maybe,” said Henry. “But I doubt it. After all, the clues led us right here.” Henry opened the glass door. Reaching inside, he pulled out the little bow-shaped cookie.

“What does the fortune say?” Benny’s voice was high with excitement.

“Let’s look at it later,” Henry said, barely moving his lips. “Right now, just act casual. We’re being watched.”

Sure enough, Dottie was giving them a sideways glance.

“I think it’s time to go,” Jessie remarked, and no one argued.

“Thanks for letting us look around, Dottie,” said Violet as the Aldens waved goodbye and quickly walked to the door. Just outside, the four children stopped in their tracks at the sound of a familiar voice.

“No, no, no!” Martin was standing at the top of the stone steps that led up from The Underground. He sounded upset. “I don’t want her to have anything more to do with this business. She’s ruining everything.”

“I know things haven’t been working out the way you wanted.” This was Auntie Two speaking. She was standing with her back to the children.

“You can say that again!” interrupted Martin. “I can’t risk any more mix-ups.”

From where they were standing in the stairwell, the children could see Martin hand Auntie Two a small envelope.

“I’m counting on your help,” said Martin.

“Don’t worry,” said Auntie Two. She dropped the envelope into her purse without opening it. “Soon Howard will be the only name on the door to The Underground.” Auntie Two and Martin stepped out of sight, their voices fading away.

Henry crept up the steps and looked around. When he gestured that the coast was clear, the others followed.

“What was that all about?” Violet said.

“You got me!” Jessie responded as the Aldens walked back to their bikes. “But something’s definitely going on. That’s for sure.”

Benny, who was a few steps ahead, stopped and turned. “What do you think was in that envelope?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” replied Henry. “But Martin said he was counting on Auntie Two for something. I wonder what?”

“Remember what she said?” Benny asked, his voice becoming anxious. “She said, ‘Soon Howard will be the only name on the door to The Underground!’ ”

A horrifying thought came to Jessie. “What if Martin wants the bookstore all for himself?” she said.

“Oh, Jessie!” cried Violet. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Jessie’s eyebrows drew together as she frowned. “I don’t know what to believe,” she said. She couldn’t imagine Martin stealing Dottie’s half of the business. Martin and Dottie were such close friends, that did not seem possible. But what else could Auntie Two have meant?

Benny looked over at his brother and sisters. “Should we warn Dottie?”

Henry answered first. “Let’s not push the panic button yet. This is pretty suspicious, but we’d better not say anything until we have more information.”

“Whatever is going on with Martin,” said Benny, “it’s connected somehow to the fortune cookie mystery. I’m sure of it.” He paused. Then he added, “That means there’s only one thing for us to do.”

The others looked at him. “What’s that?” said Violet.

“Solve the fortune cookie mystery,” Benny stated firmly. “And fast!”