Mystery in New York (6 page)

“We wanted to ask you a few more questions,” Henry said, breaking the silence.

“Ah,” said Mr. Pound. “Certainly. Go ahead.”

“Does anyone else know the security code?” asked Jessie.

“No,” said Mr. Pound. “Only me.”

“Do you know if anyone tampered with the alarm?” asked Henry.

Mr. Pound paused. Then he shook his head. “It's very strange,” he said. “But the police don't believe that there is anything wrong with the alarm. The security company doesn't think so, either, although they are not so sure. A real expert might have been able to fix it so it didn't go off while he took the diamond … but they don't think it is possible. I don't understand it.”

“Has anyone else been working on anything in your apartment?” asked Jessie. “Anyone who could have tampered with the alarm or found out the code somehow?”

Again Mr. Pound shook his head. “No. My housekeeper comes in every day, of course, but she's worked for me for twenty years. She's very honest. The police have already cleared her. She was with her son and his wife and her new granddaughter all night.”

“Did the police find any suspicious fingerprints?” asked Benny.

“No, Benny,” said Mr. Pound. “I'm afraid not.”

“Has Lydia Critt ever been to your apartment?” asked Jessie.

Now Mr. Pound looked surprised. “The dogwalker? No. She'd have no reason to. I don't have a dog.”

The Aldens exchanged glances. Then Jessie said, “Mr. Pound. Could we go look at the scene of the crime again?”

“The scene of the crime? You mean the secret room where I kept the Elizabeth Star?”

“Yes,” said Jessie.

“Well …” said Mr. Pound. At last he said, “I don't see why not. The alarm's not on. No reason for it to be.” He looked at his watch. “My housekeeper is leaving in a little while, but I'll call her and tell her to leave a spare key with Mr. Saunders for you.”

“Thanks,” said Jessie.

Standing up, Henry said, “Thank you for seeing us, Mr. Pound.”

“And don't worry,” Benny added. “We'll find the Elizabeth Star.”

Mr. Pound shook his head. But he looked less worried as he walked with them back to the stairs. “Well,” he said, “good luck.”

Since they were downtown, the Aldens walked over to the Staten Island ferry and rode it over to Staten Island and back, past the Statue of Liberty. Benny waved at the statue as the ferry went by. They admired the famous skyline of the city, with its skyscrapers and distinctive buildings sharp against the glowing sky.

“New York looks different,” said Benny.

“Different from what, Benny?” asked Violet.

“Different from the way it looked when we went to the top of the Empire State Building the last time we were here,” said Benny.

“Everything seems to change all the time in New York,” said Violet. “It's very confusing.”

“Not as confusing as this mystery,” said Jessie a little crossly. “It looks different from every angle.”

Henry patted her shoulder. “It was a good idea to ask to visit Mr. Pound's apartment again. Maybe we'll find a clue there.”

Jessie looked a little more cheerful. “Maybe,” she said. “I hope so.”

“Thank you, Mr. Saunders,” said Benny as the doorman slid the key across the lobby desk.

“You're welcome. Bring it back when you are finished,” said Mr. Saunders, “so I can give it to Mr. Pound. Those were my instructions.”

“We will,” Violet promised. “We just want to look for clues.”

“To solve the theft of the diamond?” asked Mr. Saunders.

“Yes,” said Henry.

“Well,” said Mr. Saunders. He paused. “It certainly makes this building look bad, a theft like that happening here.” He made a face. “It's in all the newspapers. Reporters have been snooping around all day.”

“Did you talk to any of them?” asked Benny.

“No! Certainly not,” said Mr. Saunders. He looked past Benny. “Sign out, please,” he said.

Mr. Evans, who had come up behind the Aldens, said, “I know, I know,” and bent to sign the log.

“Hi, Mr. Evans,” said Benny. “Are you finished work for today?”

“For today, yes,” said Mr. Evans. “But an electrician is never short on work.” He looked at Benny. “That's a joke.”

“Oh,” said Benny.

“Very amusing,” said Mr. Saunders without smiling.

Mr. Evans rolled his eyes.

“Come on, Benny,” said Violet. “Let's go to Mr. Pound's apartment.”

The apartment was dark and quiet. “It's scary in here,” said Benny. “What if the thief is hiding somewhere, waiting for us?”

“Don't worry, Benny,” Jessie told her younger brother. “The thief doesn't know we are here. How could he?”

“He could if he was Mr. Saunders,” said Benny stubbornly.

“Even if he is Mr. Saunders, he can't do anything to us,” said Jessie. But she looked around nervously and all four of the Alden children moved closer together.

Henry turned on the light in the hall, and then he turned on the light in the closet. Just as Mr. Pound had said, the alarm wasn't on. He pushed open the secret door and Jessie turned on the single spotlight that illuminated the room. The glass from the broken case covered the floor.

Henry went over and carefully lifted the shattered glass lid.

“Be careful not to cut yourself,” Jessie warned.

“I will,” he said, frowning. “Why—” he began.

But he didn't get to finish his sentence.

The door of the secret room slammed heavily shut behind the Aldens.

“Hey!” said Benny. He ran to the door and hit it with his fists. It didn't budge.

“There's no doorknob,” said Violet.

“It must have a hidden catch, just like on the other side,” said Henry.

But before they could look for the hidden catch that would unlock the door, the light went out.

They were locked in the secret room in total darkness.

CHAPTER 7

Trapped!

“O
h, no!” cried Violet.

“Help!” shouted Benny. “Help! Help!” He hit the door with his fists.

“That won't work, Benny,” said Jessie as she walked forward and bumped into something soft.

“Ow!” said Violet.

“It's me,” Jessie said. “Sorry, Violet.”

Violet held on to Jessie's arm. “Benny,” said Jessie.

“I'm here,” said Benny, and bumped hard into his two sisters.

“Oof,” said Jessie.

“I'm
not
scared,” said Benny, grabbing Jessie's other arm.

“Good,” said Henry's voice in the darkness behind them. “I'm not, either. We don't need light to try to find the secret catch on the door. Remember? Mr. Pound had to find it by using his fingers to feel it.”

“That's right,” said Jessie.

“I think this is the door,” said Henry. “I'm going to start over here.” From the sound of his voice, Jessie could tell that Henry had moved away from her.

“I'll start over here,” she said. She moved along the wall where she thought the door was in the opposite direction. It wasn't easy, with both Violet and Benny holding on to her so tightly.

Jessie ran her fingers over the cool, smooth wood. It all felt the same. Then she felt something. “I found the light switch,” she said. But when she clicked it, nothing happened. The darkness was as thick as ever.

Violet said, “Mr. Pound knows we're here. He'll come and get us if we can't get out.”

“Mr. Saunders knows, too,” Jessie reminded her.

She felt Violet's grip loosen. Then Violet said, “Benny, come help me look for the hidden catch.”

Benny let go of Jessie. “Okay,” he said. “I've got both hands on the wall.”

“Then run your fingers along the wall and press down and see if it makes the door open,” said Violet. “Sort of like a magic door.”

“Like a magic door,” echoed Benny.

“Remember there's broken glass in the room,” said Henry. “Stay close to the wall.”

The Aldens worked in silence. For a long, long time, it seemed, nothing happened.

Then Violet drew in a sharp breath. “I think I've got it,” she said.

They heard a click — and then the door swung open.

“It's dark out here,” Violet said.

“The light in the hall isn't working, either,” said Henry, flicking the switch.

Suddenly Jessie let out a little shriek as a shape loomed out of the shadows.

“Don't shout like that,” said a familiar voice. “You scared me.”

“Mr. Saunders!” Jessie gasped. “What are you doing here?”

Mr. Saunders looked cranky. “I came to see what was keeping you so long.”

“Someone locked us in the closet and turned out the lights,” said Jessie. “That's what took us so long.”

Peering at Jessie suspiciously through his glasses, Mr. Saunders said, “In the closet? What are you talking about? The closet door was open when I came in.”

“Not in the closet. In the secret room at the back of the closet,” said Henry, and explained what happened. When Henry had finished, Mr. Saunders shook his head.

“I don't know
how
you managed to lock yourselves up in there,” he said.

“We didn't!” Benny said indignantly.

Mr. Saunders ignored him. “And I don't know why you turned off the main fuse in the apartment.”

“We didn't,” Benny said again, even more outraged. He paused, then said, “What's a main fuse?”

With a sigh, Mr. Saunders said, “Come on.” He led the way through the shadowy apartment into the kitchen. In the kitchen pantry he opened the door of a small metal box and pointed to what looked like a row of switches. “Every apartment has a fuse box. That's the box that controls the electricity that comes into the apartment. If you turn off this main switch at the bottom of the fuse box, it turns off all the electricity coming into an apartment,” he explained.

Mr. Saunders reached out and flicked the main switch.

Lights came on in Mr. Pound's apartment.

The doorman looked down and frowned. “And it looks like someone spilled flour in here,” he said, shaking his head in disapproval.

“We didn't,” Benny said for a third time.

Violet sneezed.

“Mr. Saunders,” said Henry, “how did you know where the fuse box was?”

“I've been the doorman here for twelve years. There's not a lot I don't know about this building, like the fact that the fuse boxes are in the same place in every apartment,” Mr. Saunders answered. “Now come on. Let's go. I have to get back to my desk. It's almost five o'clock, one of the busiest times of my day.”

Violet sneezed and. Henry patted her on the back.

No one said anything as they followed Mr. Saunders out of the apartment.

The elevator stopped. The doors opened.

Lydia Critt got on. “Hello,” she said cheerfully.

“Hi,” Jessie said. “Where are the French bulldogs?”

“Oh, I don't walk them until tonight,” said Lydia. “I'm just here to meet a new dog-walking client.” She touched the crystal that glinted at her neck. “See? This crystal
does
bring good luck.”

The doors opened again at Mrs. Teague's floor. “See you later,” Lydia said.

“Yes,” said Henry.

“Wait a minute,” said Mr. Saunders. He held out his hand. “The key to Mr. Pound's apartment, please.”

Henry gave him back the key.

When the elevator door had closed, Violet said, “I don't think he believed anything we said.”

“Or maybe he was only pretending he didn't,” said Henry.

“Well, if he's just pretending to be cranky, too, he's doing a very good job,” said Jessie.

“Maybe Mr. Saunders is the one who locked us in the secret room. Maybe he followed us upstairs and closed the door and turned off the lights,” Henry answered.