After the Aldens helped with the dishes, they carried their suitcases up the crooked staircase behind Mrs. McGregor.
“Will you tell us about the riddle now?” Benny asked her.
“I won’t keep you in suspense much longer,” promised Mrs. McGregor. “As soon as you unpack, we’ll have some cake by the fire. Then I’ll tell you all about it.”
Upstairs, Mrs. McGregor opened a door to a cozy room with cornflower-blue wallpaper and lace curtains. It was perfect for Jessie and Violet. And it was right across the hall from Henry and Benny’s sunny yellow bedroom. Both rooms were furnished with twin beds covered in old-fashioned patchwork quilts and tall pine dressers with brass handles. There were also antique desks and ladderback chairs with crooked slats.
Violet especially liked the painting of Riddle Lake that was hanging in their room. It was a winter scene—with lots of snow and with icicles glistening on the trees. The painting looked just like the view from their window!
It didn’t take the Aldens long to unpack. They were waiting for Violet to put away her sketchbook and pencils when Madeline passed the door. She paused in the hallway and said, “I certainly hope you’ll enjoy your stay at the Crooked House!”
Jessie spoke for them all. “Oh, I’m sure we will!”
Madeline frowned. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, too ... as long as you forget all about that riddle! Believe me, you’ll be wasting your time if you don’t. Even if there is a treasure, which I doubt, it’s probably nothing more than a rare coin or an old toy. If you think it’s something of value, you’ll just be getting your hopes up for nothing!”
The Aldens were too surprised to speak. Without saying another word, Madeline turned and hurried off toward the crooked staircase.
“I wonder why Madeline seems so upset,” said Violet, looking puzzled.
Jessie frowned. “It does seem odd.”
Benny sighed. He had been looking forward to finding a real treasure. Something worth a fortune. Or at least worth enough to save the Crooked House. “An old toy isn’t much of a treasure,” he said, disappointment in his voice.
“No, it’s not,” agreed Jessie. “And Madeline’s not even sure there is a treasure!”
“But there might be,” said Henry after a moment’s thought. “And it might be valuable.”
“That’s true,” said Jessie.
“So what do we do now?” asked Violet.
“Find out more!” suggested Benny, who always got right to the point. “And don’t forget, Mrs. McGregor said something about cake!”
While Madeline went next door with some leftover meat loaf for Nick and Clarissa, the Aldens sat around the cozy fireplace in the living room. It was dark outside and the snow was still falling. But inside, the fire crackled cheerfully, and the spicy scent of pine filled the air.
Mrs. McGregor was sipping eggnog. The Alden children had asked her about the riddle and were waiting for her reply. When she finally spoke, her voice was almost a whisper. “It was the Mystery Lady who sent me the riddle,” she said. “Many, many years ago.”
Benny almost choked on his cake. “The Mystery Lady?”
Mrs. McGregor nodded. “I remember her so well. Her hair was as white as the snow, but her heart was as warm as the fire. She rented a room every summer when I was a child. Oh, she always registered as Miss Jane Smith, but it wasn’t long before we realized that Jane Smith wasn’t her real name. You see, it always took her a moment to react when someone called her Miss Smith. We soon figured out that she just wasn’t used to being called by that name. She never talked about her life away from Riddle Lake, you know. Not a single word.”
Henry put his empty glass on the coffee table. “Is that why you called her the Mystery Lady?”
“Exactly,” replied Mrs. McGregor. “I suppose it might seem odd that we would welcome an imposter into our home. But she was so gracious and kind. After a while, it just didn’t matter who she really was. We called her the Mystery Lady, and she seemed to enjoy it,” Mrs. McGregor had a faraway look in her eyes. “The Mystery Lady loved Riddle Lake. She even painted a picture of how she imagined it would look in the winter. She was only a beginner, but the painting is quite lovely. As a matter of fact, that painting’s still hanging in her old room at the top of the stairs—the room that looks out onto the lake.”
“Oh!” said Violet in surprise. “That painting’s in the room Jessie and I are sharing!”
Mrs. McGregor gave a little nod and smiled. “She liked the view from that room. Actually the lake was the reason the Mystery Lady and I became such good friends. I remember we had a long discussion one day about how it came to be called Riddle Lake. Of course, that’s a mystery no one will ever solve. But that day, we realized we shared a common interest in riddles. Madeline always kept her distance, but the Mystery Lady and I soon became the best of friends!”
“Why did Madeline keep her distance?” asked Jessie curiously.
Mrs. McGregor sighed. “My sister likes everything to be out in the open. She’s always been rather suspicious of anyone who has a ... a hint of mystery about them. And our guest from long ago had far more than just a hint of mystery about her!”
“Did she ever tell you her real name?” asked Benny his eyes round.
Mrs. McGregor shook her head. “No, we never discovered her true identity. It remains a secret to this very day. I guess I was always hoping that one day she’d tell me about her life away from Riddle Lake. But it never happened.” A shadow seemed to pass over Mrs. McGregor’s face. “One summer, the Mystery Lady suddenly just stopped coming to the Crooked House.”
The Aldens were surprised to hear this. “You never heard from her again?” inquired Henry.
“She never got in touch?” asked Jessie at the same time.
“Just once, the winter after her last visit,” said Mrs. McGregor. “I received a short note in the mail from the Mystery Lady. A note with a riddle and a promise that the answer would lead to a hidden treasure!”
Benny was jiggling up and down. “What was it, Mrs. McGregor? What was the riddle?”
Smiling at the youngest Alden’s enthusiasm, Mrs. McGregor went over to a cupboard with glass doors. She took out a battered old shoe box and came back to her chair by the fire. Lifting the lid of the box, she fished out a folded piece of paper, yellowed with age.
As the Aldens leaned forward to catch every word, Mrs. McGregor unfolded the note and read the riddle aloud.
“‘What is the thing that
You never need fear
Though teeth like a dragon
It grows every year?
You’ll find that its bark
Is much worse than its bite,
Though its dragonly teeth
Are a most scary sight!’”
“Teeth like a dragon?” echoed Benny in amazement.
Mrs. McGregor nodded. “There’s also a P.S. at the bottom of the note. It says, ‘It will take a second to uncover a hidden treasure.’ And then it’s signed ‘The Mystery Lady’ ”
After hearing the riddle one more time, Henry said, “That’s a tough one!”
“Yes, indeed!” agreed Mrs. McGregor. “And it certainly didn’t take me a second to uncover the hidden treasure! My goodness, I must have spent hours and hours trying to figure it out. Finally, I searched the house from top to bottom. I was hoping I just might come across the treasure that way.”
Benny looked puzzled. “I wonder what grows dragon teeth every year.”
“Something that won’t do any harm!” Violet reminded her younger brother.
“That’s right.” Henry nodded. “The riddle says its bark is worse than its bite.”
Benny shoved the last few crumbs of cake into his mouth. “That’s just like our dog, Watch! His bark is worse than his bite.”
“That’s because Watch doesn’t bite at all!” said Jessie, and everyone laughed.
Mrs. McGregor folded the note again. “I think teamwork is needed to answer this riddle and uncover the treasure. If anyone can do it, the Aldens can!”
“But Mrs. McGregor,” Benny said doubtfully, “are you sure there is a treasure?”
“Oh, yes!” declared Mrs. McGregor. “I’m quite certain of it!”
Benny still looked worried. “But ... what if it’s just a coin or an old toy?”
Mrs. McGregor stared into the fire again. “I’ve always had a feeling the treasure had great importance to the Mystery Lady. But even a rare coin or an old toy would be special to me because it came from the Mystery Lady. When the Crooked House is sold, I’ll always wonder what she left behind.”
“I know what you mean,” Jessie said thoughtfully. “We’ll try very hard to find the treasure, Mrs. McGregor. Whatever it is!”
“We promise to do our best!” added Violet.
Mrs. McGregor smiled. “No one can ask more than that!”
Jessie thought of something. “Mrs. McGregor, do you mind if I make a copy of the riddle? That way we can take a quick look at it whenever we want, and the note can be tucked safely away.”
“Good thinking!” said Henry, and Violet nodded. They could always count on Jessie to be organized.
Mrs. McGregor took a small pad of paper and a pen from her purse. She handed it to Jessie, along with the note. With her head bent, Jessie set to work copying the riddle by the light of the fire.
Nobody said anything for a moment, then Henry asked, “Mrs. McGregor, are there any photographs of the Mystery Lady?”
Mrs. McGregor began rummaging through the shoe box. “She never liked having her picture taken, but ... I think there is one snapshot. Not an especially good one. Her face is hidden under a big straw hat.”
Finally, Mrs. McGregor let out her breath. “Well, it’s not here. But it must be around somewhere. I’ll take a good look tomorrow.”
When Jessie had finished scribbling out the riddle, she commented, “The Mystery Lady’s handwriting has very high loops.”
Mrs. McGregor looked surprised. “I guess I never noticed.”
Jessie said, “That’s usually a sign of someone who has a good imagination.”
Mrs. McGregor broke into a wide smile. “Yes, the Mystery Lady had a wonderful imagination! We would often sit for hours under a tree. Oh, she would make up the most wonderful stories to entertain me!”
“I think Grandfather was right,” said Henry as Mrs. McGregor put the yellowed note safely away in the shoe box. “We will need our wits about us to solve this riddle!”
“Please enjoy yourselves, too, while you’re here,” urged Mrs. McGregor. “I wouldn’t want you to spend all your time trying to find the treasure. After all, there’ll be a fresh blanket of snow for tobogganing tomorrow!”
Benny shot to his feet. “I wonder if it’s still snowing.”
As everyone rushed over to the window, Violet thought she caught a glimpse of movement in the hall. Was it just the flickering shadows of the fire? Or had someone been eavesdropping? |