The children agreed to talk to Jimmy privately and ask him why he had tried to ruin the games. But, the next morning, Jimmy did not show up for breakfast. And no one had seen him.
“Maybe he’s in his room,” Benny said.
Henry asked Freddy for Jimmy’s room number.
“I don’t think he’s there,” Freddy said. “I knocked this morning. He didn’t answer.”
“Do you suppose he’s sick?” Violet asked.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Henry replied.
The Aldens headed down the long lodge hall. They stopped before Jimmy’s door.
Benny’s idea had sounded simple. But now that they were about to face Jimmy, they were having second thoughts.
“What’ll we say?” Benny whispered.
“We’ll think of something,” Henry said. He took a deep breath and knocked.
No answer.
He knocked again. “Jimmy?” he called. “It’s Henry Alden.”
“Ask if he’s sick,” Violet urged her brother.
“Are you all right, Jimmy?” Henry called.
Silence.
The Aldens stood quietly for several seconds.
“Maybe we should get Mr. Mercer,” Violet whispered. “If Jimmy’s sick, he might need help.”
They turned to leave. The door opened slowly. Jimmy peeked out. He looked pale. Even his cheeks had lost their rosy color.
“Oh, Jimmy,” Jessie said. “You weren’t at breakfast; we thought you might be sick.”
“I — uh — just wasn’t…hungry,” Jimmy said.
“Then you must be sick,” Benny commented.
That made everyone — even Jimmy — smile.
“We’d like to talk to you,” Henry said. “About the games.”
At first, Jimmy was silent. Then, he said, “Come on in.”
They followed him into his room.
Henry cleared his throat. “We’ve been trying to figure out who’s responsible for all that’s happened,” he began.
“We thought it might be Freddy or Pete,” Jessie added.
“So their team could win,” Benny said.
“But then their own ice carving was melted,” Violet said.
“I did it.” Jimmy’s voice was so quiet the Aldens weren’t certain they’d heard it.
After a brief silence, Henry said, “You did?”
Jimmy sank down on the edge of his bed. “All of it,” he said.
Benny nodded. “We thought so,” he said.
“You planted Freddy’s glove and hat?” Henry asked.
Jimmy nodded.
“And Pete’s earmuffs?” Jessie asked.
Jimmy nodded again.
“And my cup?” Benny wanted to know.
“Yes,” Jimmy told him.
“That’s what was so confusing,” Henry said. “There were so many suspects.”
“I didn’t want anyone to take the blame,” Jimmy explained. “First, I took the keys and let the air out of the tires. I didn’t leave clues then. I thought that would be enough. Mr. Mercer would stop the games. But it didn’t work.”
“Why did you want the games stopped?” Jessie asked.
Jimmy sighed deeply. After a long pause, he began, “I’ve been coming here for years. Alone.” He paused again to take a deep breath. “It was my idea to begin with. I was six or seven. I thought it’d be neat, you know, to be…on my own. And it was fun. I liked it a lot. But it got to be a regular thing. Every year, my parents would drop me here and go to some other place.” He rarely saw his parents, Jimmy told them. Mr. and Mrs. Phelps were busy lawyers. Now Jimmy wanted to spend vacation with them. If the Snow Haven winter games were canceled, maybe they’d start taking him along with them.
“Have you ever told them how you feel?” Violet asked softly.
“No,” Jimmy admitted. “They’re my parents; they should know how I feel.”
“They’re not mind readers,” Henry said.
“Even if I did tell them, they wouldn’t care,” Jimmy argued.
Benny sat down beside Jimmy. “That’s what we thought about our grandfather,” he said.
Jimmy looked surprised. “Mr. Alden is a terrific man.”
“But we didn’t know that at first,” Violet said.
Henry told Jimmy about their days in the boxcar and their fear of a grandfather they didn’t even know.
“We learned our lesson,” Jessie said. “Now, we say what’s on our minds.”
Jimmy smiled. “Benny didn’t need that lesson,” he teased. “I bet he was born saying what was on his mind.”
Everybody laughed.
Then, Jimmy grew serious again. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s not all their fault. Maybe it’s mine, too.” He looked at the Aldens. “But what can I do about it?”
They all thought about that.
Finally, Jessie said, “Why don’t you call them?”
“That’s a good idea,” Henry agreed.
“You mean now?” Jimmy sounded uncertain.
“The sooner the better,” Jessie said.
Jimmy got to his feet. “All right,” he said. “I’ll do it. But first, will you come with me to talk to Mr. Mercer?”
The Aldens understood. It would be difficult to tell Mr. Mercer what he had done; he needed support. |