Seattle Puzzle (3 page)

“Wait a minute!” Jessie heard something fluttering in the breeze. “There’s a piece of paper taped over the end of the telescope.” She pulled it off.

“That’s better!” said Henry. “I’ve got a good view of the city now.”

Jessie caught her breath as she glanced down at the paper.

“What is it, Jessie?” Violet wanted to know.

Before Jessie could answer, she spotted Reena coming back. She quickly tucked the note into her pocket.

“Hurry, Jessie!” said Benny, who never liked to be kept waiting in suspense. “Read the note, okay?” The four Alden children had just stepped into their hotel suite after saying good-bye to Reena.

“Don’t worry, Benny!” Jessie laughed. “I’ve been itching to get a good look at it.” As they sat together on the couch, she read the latest message aloud.

Beneath all the traffic

seek out the troll

guarding a message

way down below.

“A …
a troll?
” Benny looked scared. “I heard a story about a troll—and guess what? A troll is a
monster!
”

“It’s also just make-believe, Benny,” Violet assured him. “Trolls are only in fairy tales.”

“Let’s talk about it while we get dinner started,” Jessie suggested, glancing at her watch.

“Grandfather mentioned getting a pizza tonight,” Benny reminded her.

“Oh, that’s right,” Jessie recalled. “I’d forgotten all about it.”

Violet had a thought. “Why don’t we surprise Grandfather with a homemade pizza?”

“Homemade?” Benny frowned. “But we’re not at home, Violet.”

“That’s just an expression, Benny,” Henry explained. “It means we’ll make it ourselves.”

“Can we make an extra-large pizza?” Benny asked hopefully.

“Sure,” said Jessie. “We’ll make the pizza now, then pop it into the oven when Grandfather gets back from his meeting.”

After washing their hands, the four Alden children set to work. They discussed the mystery while they chopped and shredded and stirred.

“Where in the world will we find a troll?” Violet wondered.

“Beneath all the traffic,” Jessie answered, as she stirred the sauce at the stove. “At least, that’s what the riddle says.”

“Wait a minute,” cried Benny, rolling out the dough. “I know what’s beneath all the traffic!” The youngest Alden was up to his elbows in flour.

“What’s that, Benny?” asked Henry.

“The underground city.”

“Oh!” Violet put a hand over her mouth is surprise. “You’re right, Benny! An underground city is way down below.”

Benny beamed. It was always fun figuring out clues.

Henry sounded doubtful. “A troll in an underground city?” He paused as he grated mozzarella cheese. “It seems a bit far-fetched, don’t you think?”

“It’s worth checking out,” Benny insisted.

Violet, who was chopping onions and green peppers, looked over. “I agree.”

“It was on our list of places to see,” Jessie admitted, as she tasted the sauce.

“Okay, Benny,” Henry said. “We’ll take the underground tour tomorrow.”

Benny’s face lit up. “Really?”

“We promise,” Jessie said, turning to her little brother. Then she giggled. “Oh, Benny! You look like you’re going out trick-or-treating.”

“I do?” Benny went to look at himself in the hall mirror. He had flour on the tip of his nose, on his chin, and in his hair. “Oops! How did that happen?” Benny couldn’t help grinning. “I look like I just saw a ghost,” he said, as he went back to rolling out the pizza dough.

The others burst out laughing. “You look like you
are
a ghost, Benny,” corrected Violet.

“A ghost looking for a troll!” said Benny.

“Keep looking, Benny,” Henry shot back.

Jessie turned down the heat under the pan. The sauce was bubbling nicely. “What I can’t figure out,” she said, “is who would leave such a weird note.”

“One thing’s for sure,” said Benny, “somebody knows we’re detectives.”

Violet looked over at her younger brother. “What makes you say that, Benny?”

“Well, why else would there be a mysterious message under
our
table?”

“Good point,” said Violet. “But who knows us in Seattle?”

“Only Finn and Reena,” said Henry. “And I don’t think they know we’re detectives.”

“Besides,” Violet added, “we can’t be sure that note was meant for us. Don’t forget, we weren’t even sitting at that booth at first.”

This got Jessie thinking. “That’s true, Violet,” she said, spooning tomato sauce evenly over the dough. “That waitress—I think her name was Gwen—insisted we move over there.”

“That’s because we were at the wrong table,” Benny pointed out. “That section was closed, remember?”

Jessie put the empty pan in the sink. “But she let somebody else sit there.”

“You think the waitress wanted us to find the riddle?” Violet questioned. “Is that what you’re saying, Jessie?” She topped the sauce with layers of mushrooms, green peppers, tomatoes, and onions.

“It’s possible,” said Jessie.

Henry looked over at her. “That doesn’t add up, Jessie. Why would she do that?”

“She’d never even met us before today,” put in Benny.

“True enough,” said Jessie. Then after a moment’s thought, she added, “Unless …”

“Unless what?” Benny asked.

“Unless she was working with somebody else.” Jessie spoke slowly as if trying to sort out her thoughts. “Somebody who made sure we’d be there. At the Hungry Heart Diner, I mean.”

“You don’t really believe Reena was behind this, do you, Jessie?” Violet asked.

“Well, she
did
suggest eating at the Hungry Heart Diner,” Jessie pointed out.

Violet shrugged. “The diner’s just down the street from the hotel.”

“But Violet,” said Jessie, “Reena also took us to the Space Needle.”

Henry nodded as he sprinkled cheese over the pizza. “And that’s where we found the second note.”

“You think it’s more than just a coincidence, Henry?” Benny wondered.

“I’m not sure what to think,” Henry answered. “But it is a bit suspicious.”

But Violet wasn’t convinced. “Anybody could’ve put that note under our table. Even that look-alike.”

Benny frowned. “Who … ?”

“You’re thinking about that woman with the blue umbrella. Right, Violet?” said Jessie. “The one who reminds you of Aunt Jane.”

“She was coming out of the diner,” Violet said. “Then we saw her getting off the elevator at the Space Needle.”

“You think there’s someone—who reminds you of Aunt Jane—going around the city planting clues, Violet?” It didn’t make sense to Henry.

“Maybe she wasn’t planting them, Henry,” Violet said. “Maybe she was looking for clues.”

The others had to admit it was possible. “Well, if she was looking for clues, she didn’t find them,” said Benny. “We did!”

“Now, if only we could find some answers,” said Henry.

“What now?” Benny asked when the pizza was ready for the oven.

“Toby mentioned an indoor pool,” said Henry. “Why don’t we go for a swim before Grandfather gets back for dinner?”

Everyone thought that was a great idea. As Jessie tucked the notes into a drawer, she couldn’t help wondering if they would ever be able to solve such a strange mystery.

At breakfast the next morning, James Alden had a surprise for his grandchildren. “I’ll be finished early today,” he told them. “I thought it might be fun to take a ferry ride across Puget Sound. Anybody interested?”

“That sounds great!” said Benny.

“I can’t wait to take pictures,” added Violet.

“Why don’t we meet back here after lunch?” said Grandfather.

Jessie nodded as she poured syrup onto her pancakes. “That’ll give us lots of time to visit Pioneer Square.”

“Pioneer Square?” Benny asked.

“That’s where the underground city is, Benny,” Henry explained.

Grandfather helped himself to a few strips of bacon. “That whole area burned to the ground during the Great Seattle Fire of 1889.”

The children turned to their grandfather in surprise. “There was a fire?” questioned Henry.

Grandfather nodded. “Apparently, a pot of glue boiled over and caught fire.”

“Oh, no!” cried Violet. “Couldn’t they put it out?”

“They tried, Violet,” said Grandfather, passing the muffins to Jessie. “They even formed a human chain of seawater buckets, but it was no use. Back then, most of the buildings were made of wood, so—”

Henry cut in, “The flames spread quickly.”

Grandfather put down his fork. “Twenty-nine city blocks were destroyed in no time, Henry. They decided to rebuild the city using brick and stone.”

Jessie nodded in understanding. “They didn’t want to risk another fire.”

“Exactly,” said Grandfather.

“Does anybody live in the underground city, Grandfather?” Violet asked, as she got up to clear the table.

Grandfather shook his head. “No, it’s only open for tours, Violet.” He poured himself a cup of coffee, then sat down on the couch to read the morning paper.

After the breakfast dishes were washed, Violet remembered her camera. When she opened the closet door, she stepped back in surprise. “What in the world … ?”

“What is it?” Henry asked.

They all looked in the direction Violet was gazing. Propped up in a corner of the closet was an umbrella—a blue umbrella with yellow ducks around the rim!

“Hey, that lady had an umbrella just like that,” said Benny. “The lady who bumped into you, Violet.”

Henry frowned. “What’s it doing here?”

“Grandfather?” Violet held the umbrella up for him to see. “Do you know where this umbrella came from?”

James Alden looked up from his newspaper. “We’ll, I … uh …” He didn’t seem to have an answer. Finally, he said, “It’s probably a hotel umbrella. You know, for the guests to use.”

Violet was confused. “A hotel umbrella?”

“It rains a lot in the Northwest,” Grandfather reminded her. Then he quickly changed the subject. “If you need directions to Pioneer Square, just ask the desk clerk.”

“Don’t worry, Grandfather,” said Jessie. “I’m taking along the street map.”

With that, the four Alden children said good-bye and filed out the door.

Outside the hotel, Violet said, “Did Grandfather seem like he was acting a little strange to you?”

“He probably has a lot on his mind,” said Henry. “This is a vacation for us, but it’s a business trip for Grandfather.”

“That’s true,” said Violet. “It does seem odd, though, about that umbrella. I don’t remember seeing it in the closet when we arrived.”

“It
is
strange,” Jessie had to admit. “But I think we should concentrate on one mystery at a time.”

That did seem like a good idea. “Today we’re looking for a troll,” Benny reminded them, as he fell into step beside Henry.

In no time at all, they reached Pioneer Square. Violet stopped to take a photo of a horse-drawn carriage making its way along the cobblestone streets.

“What a beautiful part of the city!” she said, admiring the red brick buildings and the old-fashioned street lamps.

“And look!” Benny pointed. “There’s a giant totem pole over there next to those benches.”

“Let’s get a picture,” Violet suggested.

“Why don’t you let me take it, Violet?’ Henry offered as they walked over to the little park. “That way, you can be in the shot.”

“Thanks, Henry.” said Violet.

Jessie, Violet, and Benny stood in front of the totem pole. They smiled while Henry snapped the photo.

Then they continued on past the shops and bookstores.

“I bet the underground city is right beneath us,” said Henry.

“Why do you say that?” asked Benny.

Henry pointed to the purple glass cubes inlaid into the sidewalk. “This looks like it might be a skylight,” he said.

“A skylight?” echoed Benny.

Henry nodded. “A window to brighten it up down below.”

“I have a hunch you’re right, Henry,” said Jessie, glancing at the numbers on the storefronts. “I think the tour starts just up ahead.”

Jessie was right. As Henry paid for their tickets, she reminded her younger brother and sister to keep their eyes peeled for any sign of a troll.

They quickly joined a group of tourists gathered on the sidewalk. “Looks like we just got here in time,” Violet remarked.

“You’ll notice,” the tour guide was pointing out, “none of the buildings in Pioneer Square are made of wood. Anybody care to guess why?” he asked.

Benny piped up, “They didn’t want the city to burn down again.”

All eyes turned to the youngest Alden.

“Exactly!” The guide had a brush cut and a cheery smile. He looked over at Benny in surprise. “What’s your name, young man?”

“Benny Alden. And this is my brother, Henry. And my sisters, Jessie and Violet.”

“Well, you hit the nail right on the head, Benny! Wooden buildings were banned in Pioneer Square after the Great Seattle Fire.” As the guide led the way past the shops, he talked about the flooding in the olden days. He finished by saying, “Sometimes the dirt roads would sink under the weight of the wagons. Huge potholes would fill up with water. Once, a young boy drowned trying to cross a pothole on a raft.”