“I was just wondering,” Violet said at breakfast the next morning, “do you think we should check out the House of Mirrors?”
“That store in the mall?” Henry paused as he cut his pancake with the side of his fork. “Seems a bit far-fetched, don’t you think?”
“It might be worth a shot,” Jessie said. She passed the platter of bacon to Henry. “Don’t you think?”
“I suppose you’re right.” Henry nodded. “The riddle did mention a looking glass.”
Benny nodded as he polished off his orange juice. “And that’s a kind of mirror.”
“Right, but … don’t forget the last part of the riddle,” Henry reminded them. “The code word is made out of stone.”
The Aldens left the kitchen spic-and-span, then headed for the mall. After dropping Violet’s film off at the one-hour photo shop, they made their way to the House of Mirrors.
Each mirror was different from the next. Some were tinted, some were plain. Some were star-shaped, some were half-moons. Some were full-length, some hung from chains. The four children peered long and hard at each and every one. But after trying the magic words on the salesclerk, they finally turned to each other in dismay.
“That didn’t exactly pan out, did it?” Violet said, as they left the store.
“Never mind,” said Henry. “We have to consider every possibility.”
As they walked through the mall, Benny began to recite the riddle aloud in a sing-songy voice. “Through a looking glass/ all will be shown;/ the code word you’re seeking/ is made out of stone.”
“I’m not sure what to make of it,” Jessie said. “Any ideas, Henry?”
But Henry wasn’t listening. He was looking over at a man in a business suit who was sitting on a bench. “Isn’t that Chopper Dan?” he asked.
The others followed their brother’s gaze. A tall man with curly hair was talking to a boy about Henry’s age. The boy had a WGFD baseball cap on backwards—and he didn’t look very happy.
Jessie nodded. “I think you’re right, Henry.” She recognized the curly-haired man from the WGFD posters.
Benny’s eyes widened. “And that’s the boy who signed up for the race,” he realized. “The one on the skateboard.”
Just then, Chopper Dan got to his feet and walked away. When he was gone, the boy slouched down on the bench, his arms folded.
“I wonder what that was about,” said Violet.
Henry shrugged. “There’s no way of knowing.”
As if feeling their eyes on him, the boy suddenly looked over. When Benny waved, the boy waved back.
“Come on,” said Jessie. “Let’s go over and say hello.”
As the Aldens headed his way, the boy sat up a bit straighten
“Hi!” Henry greeted him with a friendly smile. “You signed up for the race, right?” The boy nodded. “We signed up for it, too. I’m Henry. And these are my sisters, Jessie and Violet. And that’s my brother, Benny.”
“I’m Chris Beamer.” The boy shook hands with Henry. Then he shook hands with everyone else.
“Are you having any luck?” Violet asked him shyly. “With the race, I mean.”
“Not really,” he said with a shrug. “How about you?”
“Well, it’s not easy,” Jessie replied. “But we’re hanging in.”
Chris heaved a sigh. “Well, at least somebody still has a chance for a helicopter ride.”
There was something in the way Chris said somebody that alerted Jessie. “But you still have a chance, too,” she said. “Right?”
“Not anymore.”
Benny’s face fell. “You mean—somebody won?”
“What?” Chris looked over at Benny. “No, what I meant was, I’m out.”
The Aldens looked at each other in surprise. “You gave up?” Benny asked him.
“Not exactly,” said Chris. “I just found out I’m not allowed to be in the race.”
“Oh, kids are allowed to enter the race,” Jessie argued. “I’m sure of it.”
Chris shook his head. “Not if somebody in the family works at the station,” he pointed out. “Somebody like Chopper Dan.”
“Somebody like Chopper Dan?” Benny repeated, not understanding.
“Don’t you get it?” said Chris. “I’m Dan Beamer’s son.”
“Chopper Dan”—Benny paused—“is your father?”
“Yup,” Chris answered with a frown. “I signed up so I could get a ride in the WGFD helicopter. But my dad just told me it was against the rules. For family members to enter the race, I mean.”
“That’s too bad,” Violet said in her soft voice. “But I’m sure your dad will take you for a ride another time.”
“He’s not allowed to take anyone up with him,” Chris informed them. “The only person who can ride with him is the winner of the race.”
“Wow,” said Henry. “That’s a tough break.”
Chris shrugged, then got up and walked away.
“Poor Chris!” said Violet. “I wish we could do something.”
“Me, too,” Henry said. “But I’m afraid we can’t change the radio station’s rules.”
After picking up Violet’s snapshots, the children were on their way out of the mall when they almost bumped into Debra Belmont. The young woman was carrying a large cardboard box.
“Hi, kids!” she said, laughing a little. “I should watch where I’m going.”
“Do you need some help with that?” Henry asked, nodding towards the box.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Debra looked surprised—and pleased. “It isn’t very heavy, but it is rather awkward.”
Henry didn’t mind at all. “Are you on your way to the WGFD booth?” he asked, taking the box from her.
Debra nodded. “We ran out of ball caps,” she explained as they headed back through the mall. “I had to dash over to the station to get some more. It’s a long walk.”
Jessie gave her a questioning look. “You walked all the way across town?”
“Yes, my car’s at the garage,” Debra explained. “It was leaking oil, so I had to get it fixed.”
The Aldens exchanged glances. That must’ve been the phone conversation they’d overheard. Debra had been talking about fixing her car—not the race! Violet smiled a little. She knew Debra could never do anything dishonest.
After helping Debra with the box, the Aldens found an empty bench by the fountain. They sat down to look through Violet’s photos.
There was one of Jessie picking wildflowers that was off-center. And another one of Henry on his bike that was a bit blurry. But most of the snapshots had turned out great.
“I really like this one,” Violet said.
“Which one is that?” asked Jessie, looking over.
“The one of Benny coming down the waterslide,” replied Violet, passing the photo to her sister.
“How about this one?” Jessie held up the snapshot taken in front of the ice-cream parlor. “You’re becoming a wonderful photographer, Violet.” She passed the photo to Henry.
“Thanks, Jessie,” Violet said gratefully. “But I still have a lot to learn,” she added modestly.
“That’s funny,” Henry said, almost to himself. He stared at the snapshot.
“What is it?” Jessie asked, looking over at her brother.
“Take a look at the two people across from the ice-cream parlor.” Henry passed the snapshot back to Jessie.
Jessie looked from the photo to Henry and back again. “Is that Mike Devlin?”
“Mike Devlin and Amber Madison,” said Violet, who was peering over Jessie’s shoulder.
“I wonder what they’re talking about,” said Jessie.
“Maybe Mike decided to interview her after all,” guessed Benny.
“Maybe,” said Jessie. But something didn’t feel right.
“Remember what you said, Jessie?” Violet pointed out, as she tucked the photos back into the envelope. “One mystery at a time.”
Jessie laughed. “You’re right, Violet,” she said. “We have a code word to find.”
As the children got up to leave, Benny fished a penny out of his pocket. He tossed it into the fountain.
“Did you make a wish, Benny?” Henry asked, coming up behind him.
Benny nodded. “I wished we could find—” The youngest Alden suddenly stopped talking.
“What is it, Benny?” Jessie could tell by her little brother’s face that something was up.
Benny pointed. “Look!” |