“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. |