moment, Cecil Knight came down the path. He grinned when he saw the kids.
“I hope you’ll consider selling that beautiful stone to me,” he said. “I’d be proud to have it in my museum.”
“Well …” Jessie hesitated.
But Mr. Knight was distracted by one of his employees. “Be sure to lock the creek shed. You forgot the other night,” he told the man.
“I’m sorry, kids,” he said, turning back to the Aldens. “I need to go set up for the contest.”
When he was gone again, Violet said, “We might have another suspect. Cecil Knight.”
“Cecil?” said Benny. “Why him?”
“He wants the ruby for his museum,” said Violet. “And he was the one who called everyone out to see the Brown Mountain Lights. Maybe he sent someone into our cabin to take the ruby.”
Henry nodded. “Good point. We’ll watch him, too.”
They met Sybil on the path, coming from her cabin.
“Almost contest time!” she sang. “Are you excited?”
“We were just going to get the ruby from our cabin,” Violet said.
Sybil was shocked. “You shouldn’t leave that valuable stone in your cabin! The locks on those doors aren’t very secure.”
“It seems pretty safe here,” Jessie said innocently. “Well, we’d better get ready for dinner. See you later!”
The Aldens walked down the path until Sybil was out of sight.
“She was surprised, too,” Benny observed.
“Sybil sounded like she was worried about us leaving the stone in our cabin,” said Violet. “But she could have been acting.”
“I’m not leaving the ruby in our cabin again unless we’re there,” said Jessie, patting her backpack.
“So far all of our suspects are still suspects,” Henry said. “But we have one more to track down—Donald Hodge.”
Donald wasn’t on the porch, or in the lobby, or at the gem museum. They didn’t find him down by the stream, or around the picnic area.
“Maybe he’s in his cabin,” said Benny. It was almost suppertime and he was getting hungry.
“We don’t know if he’s staying in a cabin or in the main building like Grandfather,” said Violet. “There’s one place we haven’t checked—the Laundromat.”
No one was in there.
A load of freshly dried laundry was folded in a basket by the washing machine. Another load of clothes was piled sloppily on the dryer.
Benny went over to the basket on the floor. He recognized the white shirt lying on top.
“This looks like the shirt that fell out of Sybil’s basket yesterday,” he said. “She sure does a lot of laundry.”
Jessie lifted a towel from the wrinkled pile on top of the dryer. “The clothes in that basket are hers, but I doubt these are. Sybil’s too neat to leave such a mess.”
“We might as well go—” Henry began.
As Jessie turned to leave, she accidentally brushed the pile of laundry onto the floor. “Oh, no,” she said, hastily picking up the clothes. “I’m getting somebody’s stuff dirty.” She paused. “Hey, look at this!”
The others hurried over.
Jessie held out a stained, white button-down shirt. The pocket was ripped in a rectangular shape.
“I wonder if the scrap we found will fit.” She pulled the material from her pack.
This time the scrap fit perfectly.
“Now we know the person who ripped this shirt was down by the creek the other day,” said Henry. “And this is a men’s shirt!”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Violet said. “Sybil wears men’s shirts sometimes.”
Benny noticed something on the floor in the crack between the washer and dryer. He reached his small arm into the space and pulled out a tiny black velvet sack closed with a drawstring cord.
“Look what I found,” he said.
Henry took the little sack and pulled the drawstring. An enormous ruby rolled into his palm.
He whistled. “This is Donald’s Papa Bear ruby! Remember? He showed it to us at lunch the first day.”
“I bet it fell out of his pocket when he leaned over to take his clothes out of the dryer,”
“I hope you’ll consider selling that beautiful stone to me,” he said. “I’d be proud to have it in my museum.”
“Well …” Jessie hesitated.
But Mr. Knight was distracted by one of his employees. “Be sure to lock the creek shed. You forgot the other night,” he told the man.
“I’m sorry, kids,” he said, turning back to the Aldens. “I need to go set up for the contest.”
When he was gone again, Violet said, “We might have another suspect. Cecil Knight.”
“Cecil?” said Benny. “Why him?”
“He wants the ruby for his museum,” said Violet. “And he was the one who called everyone out to see the Brown Mountain Lights. Maybe he sent someone into our cabin to take the ruby.”
Henry nodded. “Good point. We’ll watch him, too.”
They met Sybil on the path, coming from her cabin.
“Almost contest time!” she sang. “Are you excited?”
“We were just going to get the ruby from our cabin,” Violet said.
Sybil was shocked. “You shouldn’t leave that valuable stone in your cabin! The locks on those doors aren’t very secure.”
“It seems pretty safe here,” Jessie said innocently. “Well, we’d better get ready for dinner. See you later!”
The Aldens walked down the path until Sybil was out of sight.
“She was surprised, too,” Benny observed.
“Sybil sounded like she was worried about us leaving the stone in our cabin,” said Violet. “But she could have been acting.”
“I’m not leaving the ruby in our cabin again unless we’re there,” said Jessie, patting her backpack.
“So far all of our suspects are still suspects,” Henry said. “But we have one more to track down—Donald Hodge.”
Donald wasn’t on the porch, or in the lobby, or at the gem museum. They didn’t find him down by the stream, or around the picnic area.
“Maybe he’s in his cabin,” said Benny. It was almost suppertime and he was getting hungry.
“We don’t know if he’s staying in a cabin or in the main building like Grandfather,” said Violet. “There’s one place we haven’t checked—the Laundromat.”
No one was in there.
A load of freshly dried laundry was folded in a basket by the washing machine. Another load of clothes was piled sloppily on the dryer.
Benny went over to the basket on the floor. He recognized the white shirt lying on top.
“This looks like the shirt that fell out of Sybil’s basket yesterday,” he said. “She sure does a lot of laundry.”
Jessie lifted a towel from the wrinkled pile on top of the dryer. “The clothes in that basket are hers, but I doubt these are. Sybil’s too neat to leave such a mess.”
“We might as well go—” Henry began.
As Jessie turned to leave, she accidentally brushed the pile of laundry onto the floor. “Oh, no,” she said, hastily picking up the clothes. “I’m getting somebody’s stuff dirty.” She paused. “Hey, look at this!”
The others hurried over.
Jessie held out a stained, white button-down shirt. The pocket was ripped in a rectangular shape.
“I wonder if the scrap we found will fit.” She pulled the material from her pack.
This time the scrap fit perfectly.
“Now we know the person who ripped this shirt was down by the creek the other day,” said Henry. “And this is a men’s shirt!”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Violet said. “Sybil wears men’s shirts sometimes.”
Benny noticed something on the floor in the crack between the washer and dryer. He reached his small arm into the space and pulled out a tiny black velvet sack closed with a drawstring cord.
“Look what I found,” he said.
Henry took the little sack and pulled the drawstring. An enormous ruby rolled into his palm.
He whistled. “This is Donald’s Papa Bear ruby! Remember? He showed it to us at lunch the first day.”
“I bet it fell out of his pocket when he leaned over to take his clothes out of the dryer,”
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