Henry picked the green knit hat off the tree branch. “It’s Freddy’s all right,” he said.
“She took Matt’s skis!” Benny exclaimed.
“She might have hid them somewhere,” Jessie reasoned. “Her hat must have gotten stuck on the branch as she passed by.”
“But she’d have known it had gotten stuck,” Henry said. “She’d feel it.”
“Not if she was in a hurry,” Violet argued.
Benny nodded. “She was probably scared someone would see her.”
“Remember, we also found her glove near the snow sculptures,” Henry said.
“But she didn’t act at all guilty when we gave it back to her,” Violet said.
That was true. And confusing. They had expected more of a reaction.
“She didn’t even want to know where we found the glove,” Jessie said.
“That’s because she knew where we found it,” Benny said.
A whistle sounded. The slalom race was about to begin.
Henry stuffed the cap in his pocket. “It’ll take a lot more than a glove and a hat to figure out this mystery,” he said. He snapped on his skis and glided toward the hill.
It was Freddy’s turn, but Pete wasn’t ready to clock her. His earmuffs were missing. “I put them right here on the bench,” he complained loudly.
Someone volunteered to look for them while he did his job. Finally, he flagged Freddy and started the stopwatch. Her team skied very well.
“Do you suppose someone took Pete’s ear muffs?” Benny wondered aloud.
“There are certainly a lot of things missing lately,” Jessie said.
“Look,” Violet said. “Our team is skiing now.”
Jimmy didn’t do very well. He skipped one pole and knocked over another. He left the ski hill after his run. Matt cleared the poles, but he was slow. Henry made up for lost points.
The Aldens started for the lodge.
Freddy caught up with them. “Is that my hat sticking out of your pocket?” she asked Henry.
Henry pulled it out and handed it to her.
Saying, “Thanks,” she took off the headband and put on the hat. “Where’d you find it?” she asked.
As Henry was about to answer her, Jimmy approached from the opposite direction. He was carrying a pail.
“Where are you going with that?” Freddy called.
Jimmy dropped the pail into the snow. “I’m returning it to the kitchen,” he said. “Someone left it out by our snow sculpture.”
Benny was surprised. “I thought Alan and Debbie took our buckets back,” he said.
Jimmy shrugged. “They must’ve forgotten one. Unless someone else left it there…”
With so much going on this morning, that was certainly possible.
“What happened, Jimmy?” Freddy asked. “You blew the slalom.”
Jimmy’s cheeks reddened. “I know. I was really mad at myself. I guess I was worried about Matt — how he would do.”
“That’s too bad,” Freddy said. “But good for my team. Look, they found my hat. Every time I lose something, the Aldens find it. Pretty suspicious if you ask me.” Her tone was light and her eyes twinkled.
It made Benny mad. She was the guilty one. How could she accuse them of anything?
Freddy leaned over and picked up the bucket. “Come on, Jimmy,” she said, “I’ll walk you to the kitchen. We’ve hardly had any time to talk.”
As soon as they were gone, Benny said, “How could she accuse us that way?”
“She was only joking, Benny,” Violet said.
“She has a point, though,” Henry said. “If she isn’t guilty, it must look strange to her. First we find her glove, and then I’m walking around with her hat in my pocket.”
“She’s guilty all right,” Benny said.
“Watch didn’t destroy your snow sculptures,” Jessie reminded him. “But your friends thought he did.”
“And for a while you were sure Pete did it,” Henry said.
Violet sighed. The more she thought about this puzzle the more confusing it became. “Is there anything we can be sure of?” she asked.
“I’m sure of one thing,” Benny answered. “I can’t think another thought until I have something to eat.”
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