Mystery of the Orphan Train (2 page)

“We’re very proud of our famous visitor,” said Kate, a smile in her voice. “Of course, I was just a young girl when Ethan Cape photographed my grandmother.”

Violet’s eyes widened. “Oh! You mean—”

Kate nodded as they went inside. “Yes, I met the great Ethan Cape just a few months before he died. Of course, at the time I was pretty young,” she added. “I didn’t know he was famous until I’d grown up.”

Jessie knew Violet was too shy to say anything, so she spoke up for her. “Violet’s a photographer, too,” she informed Kate as they headed for the staircase.

“Topnotch,” Henry added. And Benny nodded.

“Oh?” Kate’s eyebrows rose. Violet’s face got pink. “I still have a lot to learn,” she said. “But … I would love to see the photograph.”

Kate looked puzzled, but only for a moment. “Oh, you mean my grandmother’s photograph,” she said with a slow smile. “I’ll be happy to show it to you after dinner, Violet.”

Upstairs, Kate opened the door to a pretty room with rose-covered wallpaper and a four-poster bed that was just right for Jessie and Violet. Across the hall, a room with twin beds and blue-striped wallpaper was waiting for Henry and Benny.

“If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to speak up,” Kate was saying. Then she turned her attention to a middle-aged man coming along the hallway. “Oh, Professor Brewer! Come and meet our new arrivals.”

The professor, who had a newspaper tucked under one arm, was very tall, with a little gray hair around a bald spot. As Kate introduced the Aldens, Henry reached out to shake hands. But the man looked away, turning to Kate.

“What’s the meaning of this?” he demanded. “There was nothing in your brochure about a pack of noisy kids running all over the place.”

Henry and Jessie exchanged a look. Why was the professor so unfriendly?

Kate’s smile disappeared for a second. “Now, Professor, you’re getting all worked up about nothing. The Aldens are wonderful children and I expect—”

“I expect peace and quiet!” the professor broke in sharply. Then he hurried away leaving the Aldens to stare after him.

Henry let out a low whistle. “What was that all about?”

“I don’t think the professor likes us very much,” Benny said in a small voice.

“I’m sure he likes you just fine, Benny,” Kate assured the youngest Alden. “The professor’s a bit of a loner, that’s all. I tried asking him a few questions when he first arrived. But he got very uncomfortable. He doesn’t seem to like talking about himself.” With a little shrug, she headed for the stairs. “Come down as soon as you finish unpacking,” she called back to them.

The children couldn’t help wondering if the professor would be any friendlier at dinner.

It didn’t take the Aldens long to unpack. In no time at all, they were following the wonderful cooking smells down the stairs to the kitchen.

As they stood in the doorway they noticed a young woman standing by the stove with her back to them. Her blond hair hung in one long braid. She must have felt someone was behind her because she suddenly whirled around to face the children. A piece of paper fluttered to the floor. In a flash, she snatched it up and shoved it into her apron pocket. She looked as though they’d caught her in the middle of something she wanted to keep secret.

“I didn’t realize anyone was here,” she said. “I was, um, just checking out a … a grocery list.”

Jessie couldn’t help wondering if there was more to it than that. But she said only, “I’m sorry if we startled you.”

Pulling herself together quickly, the attractive young woman smiled. “You must be the Aldens.”

“Yes. I’m Jessie, and here are Henry, Benny, and Violet.” Jessie motioned to her brothers and sister.

“And I’m Lindsay Lowe.”

“Hi, Lindsay,” said Benny. “Do you work here?”

“Kate hired me to help out for the summer,” Lindsay told him, nodding as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Can we give you a hand with anything?” offered Henry.

“Thanks, Henry, but everything’s ready. Why don’t we head for the dining room?”

A few minutes later, the children were sitting at a long table with Lindsay, Kate, and the professor. Jessie was just wondering about the two empty places when a young couple came into the room.

Kate quickly introduced the Aldens to her guests, Josh and Vanessa Mavin. Josh was a slight young man with curly dark hair and brown eyes. Vanessa was tall and slim, with reddish-brown hair and a splash of freckles on her nose.

“Have you seen any of the sights yet, kids?” Josh asked, after everyone had said hello.

Henry passed the mashed potatoes to Violet. “No, but we’re hoping to get over to Dodge City.”

“Grandfather said he’d take us,” added Benny. He helped himself to a pork chop.

Kate nodded. “Yes, that’s something you must see. Dodge City was once the Cowboy Capital of the World, you know.”

Josh turned to his wife. “Now, that might be fun to check out.”

Vanessa was pulling a biscuit apart. “I’m not all that interested in cowboys,” she said in a bored voice. “I’d much rather browse through antique stores.”

Josh shrugged a little as he lifted green beans onto his plate.

“Kate knows all there is to know about antiques,” Lindsay put in, looking fondly at her employer. “She’s a real expert on the subject.”

“Oh?” Vanessa looked over at Kate.

Kate shook her head. “I’m not really an expert, but I have—”

“What an interesting piece of jewelry!” Vanessa broke in. “Is that necklace an antique? It certainly looks old.” Everyone followed Vanessa’s gaze to the bluebird charm that hung from a gold chain around Kate’s neck.

“Depends on what you call old,” said Kate. “This necklace belonged to my grandmother. The funny thing is, she could never remember how she came by it. But she loved it all the same.”

“It really is beautiful,” Jessie said admiringly.

Violet nodded. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Neither have I.” Vanessa carefully buttered each half of her biscuit, then ate two mouthfuls. “About how old do you think it is?”

Kate lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I really have no idea.”

“But it must be an antique,” insisted Vanessa.

“Yes—I suppose,” Kate said.

“Do you think it was passed down through the family?” pursued Vanessa.

Kate laughed a little. “Vanessa, there’s no point in asking me all these questions. As I said, my grandmother couldn’t remember who gave it to her. All I know is that she loved it, and always wore it on special occasions. In fact, she was wearing this necklace when Ethan Cape photographed her.”

The professor, who had been staring glumly at his plate, suddenly looked up. For a long moment he fixed his gaze on Kate’s necklace.

“Yes, yes, of course,” he said at last, more to himself than anyone else. “That’s the necklace in the photograph.”

“Oh, have you seen it, Professor?” Violet asked shyly. “The original photograph taken by Ethan Cape, I mean.”

The professor gave Violet a funny look. “Why do you ask?” he replied sharply.

“No reason, really,” said Violet in surprise. “I just thought—”

The professor broke in before she could finish. “I have no interest in photography—or in Ethan Cape.”

Everyone seemed surprised by Professor Brewer’s harsh tone. Jessie caught Henry’s eye. Why was Kate’s guest so upset?

There was a strained silence until Lindsay spoke up. “You must see
The Wizard of Oz
while you’re here, kids,” she said, changing the subject. “I caught a performance last week and really enjoyed it.”

Jessie was about to say something, but Vanessa spoke first.

“How much?” she asked, turning to Kate. She propped her knife on the edge of her plate. “Just name your price.”

Kate wrinkled her forehead. “Are you talking about tickets to the play, Vanessa?”

“No, no, no!” Vanessa waved her hand in a frustrated way. “I’m talking about your necklace. I’ve taken quite a fancy to it.”

Kate’s hand closed over the bluebird charm. “I’m afraid it’s not for sale.”

“Oh, come now!” Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Everything has a price tag.”

“No, Vanessa. You are quite wrong.” Kate shook her head. “Everything does
not
have a price tag.”

“But—” began Vanessa.

“Let it go,” Josh told his wife through tightened lips.

At that, Vanessa backed off.

“Can you believe it?” Lindsay said later as the Aldens helped her clear the plates from the table. “Vanessa has such a nerve.”

“She sure wanted Kate’s necklace,” said Benny, gathering up the napkins. “I wonder why.”

“Vanessa wants everything she sees,” stated Lindsay, who seemed to be getting more annoyed by the minute. “She’s from a wealthy family you know. From what I gather, she’s used to getting whatever she wants.” Lindsay paused to tighten the lid on the salt shaker. “Josh is a high school teacher. I’m afraid Vanessa’s not used to living on a budget.”

“It must be quite a change for her,” said Violet, who never liked to think badly of people. “She probably needs time to get used to her new life.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Lindsay said, backing down a little.

After helping with the dishes, the Aldens went looking for Kate. They found her in the front room, reading a book. She looked over and smiled when the children came through the doorway.

“Come and make yourselves comfortable,” she said, setting her book aside.

Jessie and Benny joined her on the sofa while Henry sat in the rocking chair nearby. Violet couldn’t resist settling into a lavender chair with padded arms. Purple was Violet’s favorite color, and she almost always wore something purple or violet.

“There it is, Violet,” said Kate. She pointed to the picture that hung above the fireplace. “The great Ethan Cape himself took that photograph of my grandmother, Sally Crawford.”

From inside an oval frame, a lady with snow-white hair and gentle eyes smiled down at them. Around her neck she wore a bluebird charm on a gold chain.

“What a wonderful picture,” said Violet.

Kate agreed. “Ethan Cape was a brilliant photographer. He managed to capture my grandmother’s inner beauty.”

Jessie nodded. “You can see the kindness in her eyes.”

“Everyone loved Sally Crawford, Jessie,” said Kate. She paused to take a sip of coffee. “Sadly, she died a few weeks after that photograph was taken.”

The Aldens looked at one another in surprise. “What happened, Kate?” Henry asked.

“My grandmother’s health took a turn for the worse, Henry.” A shadow seemed to fall over Kate’s face.

“Oh!” Jessie cried. “How sad.”

“Yes, it was sad. But Sally Crawford died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. Nobody can ask for more than that.” Kate let out a long sigh. “What’s really sad is that she never had a chance to reveal her secret.”

“Secret?” Benny echoed in surprise.

“Yes, my grandmother was making plans to get the entire family together. She said she had a secret to reveal—a secret that had been kept hidden too long.”

Nobody said anything for a moment. Then Benny spoke up. “You’re not supposed to tell secrets,” he said.

This made Henry smile a little. Benny was famous for not keeping secrets. “It’s okay if it’s a secret about yourself,” he told his little brother.

Violet had been wondering about something. “Do you think the secret had anything to do with Ethan Cape?”

“It’s possible, Violet,” admitted Kate. “But not very likely. After all, Ethan Cape had never stepped foot in this house until he arrived to photograph my grandmother. Ethan Cape and Sally Crawford had never met before that day.” Leaning back against a cushion, she let out a long sigh. “I doubt we’ll ever know the truth. I’m afraid my grandmother took her secret to the grave with her.”

The Aldens looked at one another. Was Grandfather right? Was this one mystery that might never be solved?

“What a beautiful garden,” Jessie said. The other Aldens agreed as they helped Kate gather flowers the next morning.

Kate looked pleased. “Thank you, Jessie. My guests often help out with the weeding. They find it relaxing.” She added some daisies to the basket over her arm. “Of course, my younger guests prefer to swim in the pond or play in the jungle.”

This caught Benny’s attention. “Jungle?”

“Oh—that’s the name my grandmother gave to the woods over there.” Kate twisted around and pointed. “When she was growing up, she’d pretend it was filled with lions and tigers and elephants. Sally often lived in a world of make-believe. You see, she never had any brothers or sisters.”

Just then a doorbell sounded inside the house. A moment later, the back door flew open and Lindsay called out, “The truck’s pulling into the driveway, Kate.”

“I’ll be right there!” Kate quickly tugged off her garden gloves. “Come and see it, kids!” she said, before rushing away.

Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny hurried after Kate. They watched curiously as two delivery men carried a dusty old desk into the front room.

“There’s a spot for it right over here,” Kate directed the men. “No, no. A little more to the left … more … more. Yes, that’s it!”

As the delivery men went on their way, Kate clasped her hands. “My great-grandfather’s walnut desk! And look, those are the original white china knobs on the drawers!” she added. “I can’t believe the desk is back where it belongs. Of course, I’m still on the lookout for the matching chair. But I’ll track it down.”

When Kate paused to catch her breath, Henry said, “What do you mean about tracking it down, Kate?”

“The chair was sold at auction years ago, Henry. So was the old desk … a sideboard … some tables and chairs.” Kate threw up her hands. “Oh, the list goes on and on.”

The children looked at one another in surprise. “Why was the furniture sold?” asked Violet.

Kate answered, “I’m afraid my grandfather was a bit reckless when it came to money. Just after he married my grandmother, he lost a small fortune on the stock market. The bills were piling up, so …”

“The furniture was sold,” finished Benny.