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“Rolf!” Henry shouted. “Look at this!”

Rolf stepped off the ladder and walked over to Henry. “What is it?” Then he saw the black tar¹ oozing² over the new shingles³. “For Pete’s sake,” he muttered, planting his hands on his hips⁴ and shaking his head “Who did this?”

“I wish I knew.” Henry looked at Rolf with a stricken expression. Rolf seemed very calm. To Henry, Rolf didn’t seem upset, nearly enough.

Benny’s chin stuck out and he said in a loud voice. “I wish we could find this mean person!” He shook his fist in the air. “I’d like to give him a punch!”

Henry’s hand dropped on Benny’s shoulder. “I know, Benny. But don’t worry, we’ll find out who’s behind this!”

“I’ll just have to haul the whole mess to the dump,” said Rolf.

Violet and Jessie hurried over to see what all the fuss was about. Jessie stared at the ruined shingles. “Well, this tops it,” she said angrily. “I think Kay should hire a detective!”

Thoughtfully, Rolf smoothed his mustache. “Let’s not be too hasty about hiring a detective. We’ll talk to Kay first.”

Henry gave Rolf a sideways glance. Was Rolf afraid of a detective? He was always at the scene of trouble, and he knew Kay’s motel like his own place. He was able to replace the fuses in a flash, knowing just which ones controlled which units.

“Come on, Henry and Benny. Let’s go up to Kay’s,” Rolf said.

All at once Millicent and Catherine appeared.

“We heard the commotion,” Catherine said, “and came out to take a look. Who spoiled the shingles?”

Jessie shrugged⁷. “The same person who’s upset Kay’s plans for the motel.” Jessie was surprised to see Catherine. She thought she was with the Seminoles. You never knew where Catherine was. When you believed she was out in the Everglades, she was there at the motel. Hastily Jessie returned to her planting, afraid Catherine might see the doubt in her face.

“Oh, dear, oh, dear,” Millicent said, placing a palm against her round cheek. “I’m astonished Kay would stay here after this! She’s had one problem after another.”

“Kay is a fighter,” Violet said quietly. “Maybe she’ll hire a detective to find out who’s doing these things.”

Millicent’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, I wouldn’t think that would be necessary,” she said. “Maybe the tar spill was an accident.”

Jessie stopped patting dirt around a red geranium to stare at Millicent. Was she serious? What a weird⁸ thing to say. Perhaps Millicent was the guilty one. Jessie hid a smile. It was hard to imagine that Millicent knew how to turn off the water and lights.

“I just don’t know,” Millicent said. “I’ve just retired⁹ and want a little relaxation¹⁰ and”—she waved a plump hand in the air—“all these things happen. I said it before and I’ll say it again—Kay’s motel is jinxed.”

Jessie stood up and said as calmly as possible, “I don’t think so, Millicent. Whoever the prowler is, he’s as much alive as you and I.”

“Well,” Millicent announced, “I’m only staying until the end of the week. All this hullabaloo is hard on my nerves!”

“Meow,” went Willie, rubbing against Millicent’s ankle.

“Heavens! The cat!” squealed¹¹ Millicent. All at once she sneezed—three tiny sneezes in a row. “Why, oh, why, does that beast come near me!”

Catherine gathered Willie in her arms.

“Cats seem to know when someone doesn’t like them,” she said. “Willie just wants to make friends with you.”

Millicent threw up her hands in despair. “I’m going inside before I break out.” Rapidly she breathed in and out. “My allergy¹², you know.” And off she went as fast as her short legs could carry her, sneezing all the way.

As soon as Millicent was gone, Willie leapt out of Catherine’s arms and padded over to a tree where he clawed the bark.

Catherine said, “Time is running out for me. On Monday I return to the university.” Smiling, she said, “My money supply is running out, too. Renting a car and staying in a motel are expensive.” She paused. “Although Kay’s motel is much more reasonable than the big hotels.”

“We’ll be sorry to see you go,” Violet said sincerely. “We just get acquainted and then we’re separated.”

Jessie nodded in agreement. “Your work with the Seminoles is fascinating, Catherine. We’d like to hear more.”

“Maybe tomorrow,” Catherine replied. “Today I’m hitting the books.”

“Don’t work too hard,” Violet said.

“And that goes for you, too,” Catherine said as she turned and went into her unit.

Jessie couldn’t help thinking that if Catherine were the guilty one, she’d be gone in a few days.

Rolf, Henry, and Benny came down the hill from Kay’s. Benny ran ahead and bent¹³ down to see what the girls were planting in the window boxes.

“Kay’s not going to hire a detective,” Henry said, standing¹⁴ over the kneeling girls. He leaned over and handed Violet a geranium plant. “Kay thinks we can find the person doing all this ourselves.”

“I hope she’s right,” Violet said doubtfully.

“Besides,” Benny added, “Kay says a detective would cost too much.”

“She’s right there,” Rolf said. “A detective would be expensive, and Kay has plenty of bills to pay already. The new shingles alone will cost enough.”

Jessie stood up. “Kay must be wondering if she should invest any more money in her motel. I know I’d begin to think about it.”

Rolf walked toward his Jeep.

“Are you leaving now?” Violet asked.

“Yes,” Henry said, moving to Rolf’s side. “We’re going to the dump and get rid of the shingles, and then drive to Lyndale to buy more.”

“Coming, Benny?” Rolf called, climbing in the driver’s seat.

Benny dashed forward, got into the Jeep, and slid toward the middle while Henry got in on the other side.

The girls watched the Jeep roar down the lane.

“I have a feeling,” Violet said, “that the prowler has more plans for Kay’s motel.”

Jessie laughed. “Is that just a feeling or do you know something I don’t?”

Violet smiled, giving a slight shrug⁶. “I guess it’s a feeling ’cause I don’t know anything for certain.”

“Well, maybe we’ll find out soon,” Jessie said lightly.

After using up the bags of potting soil, the girls had filled eight window boxes. The red blooms, small now, would grow quickly.

One by one Jessie and Violet carried the window boxes and set them on the wide window ledge¹⁵ of each unit.

Jessie stepped back to admire the flowers. “For every wrong thing, there’s a right one,” she said, wiping her smudged cheek.

Violet laughed. “You’re right. Look how the motel has changed since our arrival.”

They had one more task. Carefully dragging the water hose out of the bike shed, they watered each window box.

Pleased with their day’s work, the girls showered and dressed in fresh shorts and T-shirts and went to the pool for an hour.

“It seems like we’re always at the pool,” Violet said.

Jessie laughed. “That’s what you do when you stay at a motel to relax.”

When the boys arrived, they were hot and tired. “Rolf bought new shingles,” Henry said. “He was right. The shingles were pretty expensive.”

“It’s a good thing Kay isn’t doing the whole roof,” Violet commented.

“I know,” Jessie said. “I’m glad she got the loan, just in case there are any more unpleasant surprises. After seeing. Mr. Smiley, I didn’t think he’d give her the money.”

Henry chuckled¹⁶. “I didn’t either, Jessie. I’ll never forget his sour face.”

“When is supper?” Benny asked.

“Six-thirty,” answered Violet. “First, though, will you set the table?”

“Sure, I will,” Benny said, and he promptly¹⁷ went to the shelves to get the dishes.

After a supper of broiled¹⁸ fish, string beans, and baked potatoes, the Aldens played another lively game of Monopoly. They finished the day by eating a bowl of ice cream that dripped with butterscotch sauce.

Getting ready for bed, Jessie felt uneasy. What nonsense, she thought. Violet was the one who had the feeling that something bad would happen.

But for two days nothing happened. One day it was sunny, so the Aldens biked, swam, and went into Lyndale, while the next day was rainy so they played games, visited with Aunt Jane and Kay, and played with Willie.

That night, however, shortly after midnight, Jessie awoke to the sound of running water. Something’s wrong, she thought, and her heart began to pound.

Quickly, she threw back her covers and stepped out of bed.

To her horror her feet touched cold water.

Drawing her legs back, she called hoarsely¹⁹, “Violet! Violet, wake up!”

“Hmmmm?” Violet said drowsily²⁰. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. “What is it, Jessie?”

“Water!” Jessie said in an alarmed voice. “Water is everywhere!”

Fully⁵ awake, Violet reached over and turned on the bedside lamp. Sure enough, water covered the floor.

“Where’s the water coming from?” Violet asked urgently.

“I don’t know,” Jessie replied, a prickle of fear running down her spine²¹.