Everyone stared wide-eyed at the message on the airplane. It was printed in thick black ink. “I can’t believe it,” Violet said in a hushed voice.
“Read it, Jessie,” urged Benny.
Jessie tucked her dark hair behind her ears, then read the message out loud.
“In a bed of pansies,
A snapdragon lurks;
In the house of Spencer
A mystery perks.”
“That sure is weird,” remarked Henry. “I wonder who wrote it.”
Jessie had an answer. “The Tattletale,” she said, pointing to the paper. “At least, that’s how he — or she — signed the message.”
Benny looked confused. “What’s a tattletale?”
“Somebody who tells secrets,” explained Jessie.
“But you’re not supposed to tell secrets,” Benny said with a frown.
This made Jessie smile a little. Benny was famous for not keeping secrets. “Well, it’s not very nice,” she said, “if it’s somebody else’s secrets you’re telling.”
“But ... who is it?” Violet wondered. “Who’s the Tattletale?”
Henry answered, “That’s a good question.”
“One thing’s for sure,” said Benny. “The Tattletale knows we’re detectives.”
Violet looked over at her younger brother. “Why do you say that, Benny?”
“Well, why else would a message about a mystery come flying into our yard?”
“Good point,” said Violet.
“That’s not all,” Jessie put in. “He — or she — knows Mrs. Spencer, too.”
Henry suddenly looked around. “Maybe the Tattletale is still close by.” He put a finger to his lips, signaling for his brother and sisters to be quiet. “I’ll check it out.”
“We’ll help you,” volunteered Benny.
Henry jumped to his feet. So did everyone else. Without wasting another minute, the four Aldens and Watch took a long and careful look around the house and in the neighboring yards. Henry put his hand up to shade his eyes as he glanced up and down the street out front. The only person in sight was Mrs. Turner, who was driving away after visiting with Mrs. McGregor. But the children didn’t think there was anything suspicious about Mrs. Turner. She worked at Cooke’s Drugstore and was good friends with the Aldens’ housekeeper.
“It’s almost as if ... ” Jessie stopped in midsentence.
“As if the message came from out of nowhere,” finished Benny.
Violet looked around a little nervously. “It does seem that way.”
But Henry wasn’t having any of that. “We’re just too late,” he said. “Whoever threw that airplane took off.”
As they sat down in the backyard again, Benny thought of something. “I bet that’s why Watch was acting weird before.”
“You’re right,” said Henry. “I bet Watch knew somebody was close by. We should’ve paid more attention.”
After Jessie read the message aloud one more time, Violet said, “I wonder what it means about a snapdragon in a bed of pansies.” It seemed very odd to her.
“There’s no such thing as a dragon,” stated Benny. He paused. “Is there?”
“No, there isn’t,” Jessie assured Benny. “But there is such a thing as a snapdragon.”
Violet nodded. “A snapdragon’s a flower with petals that look like a dragon’s face, and — ”
“Look at this!” Jessie broke in as something caught her eye. There was a bright pink snapdragon drawn on the other side of the airplane. She held it up for the others to see.
“Oh!” Violet put one hand over her mouth in surprise. “Whoever drew that picture is a wonderful artist,” she said. Violet loved to draw and paint. And she was good at it, too.
Henry added up the clues. “The Tattletale is artistic and knows we’re detectives. Plus, he — or she — knows Mrs. Spencer.”
“It’s not much to go on,” Benny pointed out.
Henry scratched his head. “It’s a mystery, that’s for sure,” he said. “And it’s a mystery that landed right in our own backyard!” |