Haunted Clock Tower Mystery (8 page)

“Excuse me,” she said to the man. “We have a question to ask you.”

“What can I do for you, young lady?” he asked.

“I know this is going to sound strange, but we’d like to dig a hole in the Quad, over there where the tower’s shadow ends.” Jessie turned and pointed. “Would that be okay?”

“What are you doing, searching for buried treasure?” the man asked, chuckling. “Normally I’d say no, but they’re going to be digging up this area anyway this week, to put in a water line for the new construction. So it’s fine with me!”

“Thank you!” Jessie said.

“You can even borrow our shovels, if you like,” he said, motioning to some shovels in the back of the truck.

Jessie looked around at the others.

“That would be great,” Henry said as he and Jessie each took two large shovels out of the truck. “We’ll bring them back in a little while.”

The four children walked back to the spot between Morrill and McGraw, carrying the shovels. When they got to the spot where the shadow seemed to be pointing, they started digging. Henry pushed his shovel in first, pulling up a big pile of dirt. The others joined in.

All of a sudden Benny stopped shoveling.

“What’s the matter, Benny?” Jessie asked as she lifted a shovelful of dirt and dumped it in the growing pile.

“I was just thinking about Professor Meyer’s glasses,” Benny said, going back to his digging.

“Why were you thinking about that?” Henry asked.

“Remember last night I said her glasses were the same as Mrs. McGregor’s?” Benny said.

The other children nodded.

“I just realized something. That’s not why they looked familiar. It’s because they’re the same glasses we found up in the clock tower,” he said.

“Really?” Jessie asked. “That would mean Professor Meyer has been up in the tower at night. Maybe
she
dropped the letter!”

“Remember when we showed her the letter?” Violet asked. “She said, ‘So that’s what happened to it.’ ”

“And she wears sneakers,” Benny said excitedly. “That would explain that muddy footprint.”

“Maybe this is the ‘special project’ she’d said she was working on,” Henry said. “Remember—she said she was always hoping to make a little more money. Finding a treasure would certainly do that!”

“But she seems so nice,” Jessie said. “I can’t believe she would be up to no good.”

“And how could she find a treasure if she can’t even find her own glasses?” Benny asked.

“Maybe that’s just an act,” said Henry. “Maybe she just pretends to be nice and sweet and forgetful, when she really knows exactly what she’s doing.”

By now they had dug a hole about a foot deep. But there was no sign of a treasure.

“What if this isn’t the right spot?” Benny asked, taking a break and leaning on his shovel. It was hard work, and the children were all getting tired and sweaty.

“Or what if the treasure is already gone?” asked Violet.

“Let’s dig a little while longer before we give up,” Henry suggested.

“Okay,” the others agreed.

A moment later, Jessie’s shovel hit something hard. “I think there’s something down here,” she said excitedly. The others began digging in that spot as quickly as they could.

“Yes, there’s definitely something hard here!” Violet said.

But when they’d pushed the dirt away, all they found was a large rock.

“Oh, no!” Benny said. “All that work for nothing. I bet it’s not here.”

Refusing to stop, Henry pushed his shovel into the ground one more time. The children all heard a loud clanging sound.

“What was that?” asked Benny.

“I don’t know, but it didn’t sound like dirt, and it didn’t sound like a rock,” said Henry.

Jessie, Violet, and Benny all came over and helped dig. At last they could see what Henry’s shovel had hit. It was the top of a large metal box!

“The treasure!” Benny cried.

“I don’t believe it,” said Jessie. “It’s really here!”

Getting down on their hands and knees, the children used their hands to clear the dirt away from the top and sides of the metal box. Then they dug more around the sides, until at last they had found the bottom corners of the box. After a little more digging, Henry and Jessie were able to reach down and put their arms around the big box, and put their hands underneath. “It’s heavy,” Henry said as he and Jessie slowly lifted.

“Yeah,” Jessie gasped. Slowly the two lifted the large metal box out of the hole.

“Wow, look at that,” said Violet.

The front of the box had a large heavy lock on it. “It’s a good thing we have the key,” said Benny.

“Let’s hope it fits,” Violet said, pulling it from her pocket.

She slipped the key into the old lock and turned. The lock clicked open.

The children looked at one another with anticipation. What would they find inside?

“Here goes,” Henry said. He and Jessie stood on either side of the box and slowly lifted the heavy lid.

Inside the box they found several bundles wrapped in cloth. Henry bent down and began unwrapping one. Inside was an antique silver teapot. He unwrapped another bundle and found a collection of silverware. A large cloth bag was filled with heavy gold and silver coins and jewelry.

The children just stood and stared, too stunned to speak. They had known they were on a treasure hunt, but they had never imagined they’d really find a treasure.

“I don’t believe it!” said Jessie.

“A real treasure,” said Benny.

“But it’s not ours,” Violet pointed out.

“No, we’ll have to return it to Joshua Chambers’s family,” said Henry.

“But still, I can’t believe we found a real treasure,” said Benny.

“You sure did,” said a voice behind them. “And you beat me to it!”

The children turned to see Julia Meyer standing behind them.

“Professor Meyer!” said Henry.

The children looked at Professor Meyer and then looked at one another. Was she after the treasure?

“I thought about that second letter all night,” Professor Meyer said. “When I woke up this morning, I realized that the shadow of the tower would point to the treasure! I came here as quickly as I could.”

“Are you here for the treasure?” Benny asked boldly. “Is this what you meant by your ‘special project’?”

“Indeed it is,” the professor said with a mysterious smile. “But not the way you think. We need to talk. Please come up to the top of the clock tower with me. Bring the box.”

The children weren’t sure what to do. For a moment, they just stood there. Was Professor Meyer trying to steal the treasure?

At last Henry spoke up. “Come on. Let’s go see what Professor Meyer has to tell us.”

First Violet ran over to return the shovels to the grounds crew. Then Henry and Jessie each picked up a side of the treasure box and carried it along with them. When they reached the bottom of the tower, they put the box down to rest their arms.

The children climbed the winding stairs very slowly because of the treasure box. They stopped a couple of times so that Henry and Jessie could put the box down and rest.

At last they reached the top of the tower. As Professor Meyer pushed the door open, they were surprised to see their grandfather, Joel, and Don all waiting inside. Ezra was there, too, having just finished the morning concert.

“Hello, children!” Grandfather said. “What have you got there?” The adults all crowded around the heavy metal box, which still had clumps of dirt clinging to it.

“Grandfather! Wait until you see!” Benny cried.

“What are you doing here?” Jessie asked.

“I got a phone call from Professor Meyer this morning asking me to meet her here,” he explained. “Joel and Don were over having coffee, so they came along.”

Grandfather looked at the box. “Is this the treasure you were hunting for?”

“It is!” cried Benny. “It really is!”

“What? You found the treasure? Where?” Don exclaimed. He was walking slowly around the large box, looking at it curiously.

“In the Quad,” Jessie said. “The groundskeeper lent us shovels and we dug it up!”

“Let’s open it!” Don said.

Slowly Henry lifted the lid of the box, revealing the cloth-wrapped bundles. One by one, he unwrapped the bundles for everyone to see. Don bent over and picked each piece up, turning it over in his hands, but saying nothing.

“Look at that beautiful pocket watch!” Ezra said.

“That silver goblet is stunning,” said the professor.

“But how did you know the children were going to find this treasure?” Grandfather asked.

“Remember they showed me the letters last night?” Professor Meyer began. “I didn’t figure out everything that second letter meant until this morning. I looked out at the sunrise and suddenly everything fell into place! I realized that the tower’s shadow would point the way! When I called, I was planning to tell them, but they’d already figured it out. They’re your grandchildren, Jimmy, so I should have known they’d be smart. I asked you to join me here so that I could tell you about my project.”

“Yes, please, tell us,” Jessie said.

“I have been treasure hunting myself,” she began.

“We thought so!” Benny cried.

Jessie explained. “We found this letter up here in the tower, and we saw lights in the middle of the night. So we figured out that someone was up here looking for the treasure. And when we found your glasses …”

“But I was not searching for the sort of treasure you see before you,” Professor Meyer went on. “I have been searching for information about the past.”

“Why are you looking for that?” Benny asked.

“I am writing a book,” the professor said. “A history of Goldwin University.”

“Is that how you’re going to make money?” asked Jessie.

“Yes, a little bit, if I can sell a few copies,” Professor Meyer said. “I have done a great deal of research. Some of my research has been up here, looking at these old photos.”

“So that’s when you left your glasses up here!” Henry said.

“Indeed I did,” Professor Meyer said. “But I haven’t been up here late at night. I’ve only come during the day. Much of my research has been speaking with people connected with Goldwin. One such person is Laurence Chambers, the great-great-grandnephew of the university’s first president, Joshua Chambers.” The professor paused and looked around. “He told me an interesting tale. He said that all of the family’s valuables were mysteriously missing after the Civil War. There was a story in the family that his great-great-granduncle, Joshua Chambers, had hidden them to keep them safe from the army. But no one ever knew for sure what had happened to them. So when I read that letter last night, it answered a lot of questions—but raised many more.”

“Is that why you said, ‘So that’s what happened to it,’ when we showed you the letters?” Violet said.

“Yes,” the professor said. “I had been wondering where the family wealth had gone.”

“But if you weren’t the one who had the letter in the first place,” Henry said, “then who did?”

“And who was up here in the middle of the night?” asked Jessie.

Just then the door burst open and Andi came rushing in. She seemed surprised by the crowd of people in the tower. She looked even more surprised when she saw the silver and gold objects laid out on the desk.

“Look at the treasure we found!” Benny said.

“You found this?” Andi asked. “Where? How?”

“We found two letters with clues in them—” Benny began, but before he could explain, Andi burst out crying. She dropped her bag and sank down in a chair, her face in her hands.

“Miss Barton!” Ezra said. “What is the matter?”

Andi took a deep breath and tried to collect herself. She looked around at all the faces staring at her.

“I’m sorry, it’s nothing …” she began.

Jessie whispered to Henry, “Do you think she’s upset because she was the one looking for the treasure?”

Henry shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh, Ezra,” Andi was saying. “I’m upset because I came here to quit. I can’t be your assistant anymore.”

“But whyever not?” Ezra asked.

“Because I’m no good,” Andi said. “I keep losing things, like the new music I bought. And I don’t play well enough. I’ve been sneaking in here for extra practice, but I didn’t want you to know.”