Old Motel Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

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 bent down to see what the girls were planting in the window boxes.
    â€œKay’s not going to hire a detective,” Henry said, standing over the kneeling girls. He leaned over and handed Violet a geranium plant. “Kay thinks we can find the person doing all this ourselves.”
    â€œI hope she’s right,” Violet said doubtfully.
    â€œBesides,” Benny added, “Kay says a detective would cost too much.”
    â€œShe’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.
    â€œAre you leaving now?” Violet asked.
    â€œYes,” 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.”
    â€œComing, 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.
    â€œI 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 shrug. “I guess it’s a feeling ’cause I don’t know anything for certain.”
    â€œWell, 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 ledge 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.
    â€œIt 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.”
    â€œIt’s a good thing Kay isn’t doing the whole roof,” Violet commented.
    â€œI 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 chuckled. “I didn’t either, Jessie. I’ll never forget his sour face.”
    â€œWhen is supper?” Benny asked.
    â€œSix-thirty,” answered Violet. “First, though, will you set the table?”
    â€œSure, I will,” Benny said, and he promptly went to the shelves to get the dishes.
    After a supper of broiled 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