儿童英语读物 The Panther Mystery CHAPTER 6 More Secrets

By the time the plaster cast was dry, Grandfather decided 1 it was time to get out of the midday heat.



They all climbed into their canoes and poled back to the Miccosukee Village.



“Thanks for your help,” Henry said to Irene as they walked up the dock. “We wouldn’t have found that print on our own.”



“Glad I could help,” she said. “Ranger 2 Beldon is a good friend. I hope you find him soon.”



Jessie came up just then. “Grandfather says we’re stopping at the information center, since it’s on the way back to the hotel. Thanks, Irene. You were a great guide.”



Irene walked the Aldens to their rental 3 car and waved as they drove down Route Forty-one.



“If no one has heard from Andy today, I’m going to speak to the head of the Park Service down here,” Grandfather said, pulling into the parking lot of Shark Valley.



“At least we have one clue,” said Benny. He held the odd-looking plaster print in his lap.



“Maybe,” Violet said. “This heel print might not have anything to do with Andrew’s disappearance 4. It could belong to any tourist who stopped to explore, like we did.”



“You could be right,” said Benny. But deep inside he felt the heel cast was part of the mystery.



For once, the information center wasn’t very busy. Melanie Harper was at the front desk, straightening a stack of maps.



Her face showed she recognized the Aldens, but Jessie couldn’t read any expression. She couldn’t tell if Melanie was glad or irritated to see them.



“Before you ask,” Melanie said, “we heard from Andrew. He called in about an hour ago.”



Grandfather sighed with relief. “That’s wonderful! Where is he?”



“He’s sick,” Melanie replied, dusting the counter with a rag. “He won’t be back for a while.”



“Sick?” queried 5 Henry. “What’s wrong with him? How long will he be out?”



Melanie shrugged 6. “He didn’t say and I didn’t ask. I’ve been doing both Andrew’s and my work for almost a week now. Our supervisor 7 has noticed what a good job I’m doing.” She smiled smugly. “I’ll probably get a promotion 8!”



“So you’re saying Andrew won’t have a job when he comes back to work?” Jessie asked. She didn’t like Melanie’s tone. The other ranger acted as if she was glad Andrew was sick.



“Oh, he’ll have a job,” Melanie replied. “But not this job.” She picked up the microphone and announced briskly that the film would start in five minutes. It was clear she wasn’t going to talk to the Aldens anymore.



The few tourists wandering around inside headed for the door. The Aldens followed. Outside, it seemed hotter than ever.



In the parking lot, they were amazed to see an enormous alligator 9 stretched out. He yawned mightily 10, showing several rows of pointed 11 teeth.



“Wow!” cried Benny. “Look at that!”



Violet snapped several pictures from a safe distance.



Henry gave a low whistle. “I bet he’s at least nine feet long!”



“Can we go now?” Jessie said nervously 12. She didn’t like alligators 13 in parking lots. They were scary enough in the water.



Grandfather opened the car door for her. “I’m not crazy about them, either,” he said to her. “Besides, the alligator was taking up two parking spots!”



Giggling 14, Jessie hugged him, then climbed into the front seat. Grandfather always knew the right thing to say!



Next they had to find a place for lunch.



“Any suggestions?” Grandfather asked.



“How about that barbecue place near here?” said Violet.



“The barbecue place it is,” said Grandfather.



Minutes later they arrived at the red wooden building. They were the only customers, so service was fast.



Soon they were eating chicken sandwiches, french fries, and corn on the cob, washed down with sweetened iced tea. It had been a long morning. No one said much until the waitress brought another pitcher 15 of iced tea.



Refreshed and full, they discussed the mystery.



“If Andrew’s been sick all this time,” began Violet, “why didn’t he tell anybody? Why didn’t he at least call his father?”



“Maybe he was too sick,” said Benny.



Grandfather squeezed lemon into his glass of iced tea. “Benny has a good point. Andrew might have been too ill to pick up the phone and call before today.”



“Then why didn’t his landlady 16 say so?” Jessie asked. “We were there and she never told us Andrew was sick. She wouldn’t tell us anything!”



“Except to go away,” Benny said.



“He could be sick someplace besides the rooming house,” Henry put in. “But that doesn’t seem very likely.”



“I think Melanie acted weird,” Violet said. “She seemed happy Andrew was out sick!”



Jessie nodded her agreement. “We need to watch her. I think she might be the key to this mystery.”



“Maybe the mystery is over,” said Grandfather. “I’ll call Andrew when we get back to our hotel. If he’s just been out sick, I’ll call his father and tell him so.”



“And then we’ll go back home?” Benny asked. He wasn’t ready to leave Florida yet. He had gotten his first wish — to see alligators. But now he had a second, even better wish.



“We’ll see.” Grandfather smiled. “Let’s head back to the hotel, okay?”



On the drive back, Jessie was thinking about Melanie. Was it possible that Andrew had called in before and Melanie had taken the call? Maybe Melanie had pretended she hadn’t heard from him, so she could get his job.



At the Flamingo 17 Hotel, Mrs. Johnson waved a pink slip at Grandfather.



Everything about the hotel was pink, thought Violet. Even the notepaper.



“Message for you, Mr. Alden. A man called this morning right after you left. It sounded pretty urgent. He’d like you to call him back right away.” Mrs. Johnson left the hall.



Grandfather looked at the paper. “It’s from Tom Beldon. He wants to know what I’ve learned about his son. I don’t want him to be upset, especially since we’ve been out of touch for several days. I’ll call him now, before I check on Andrew.”



He went upstairs.



Jessie looked at Henry. “You know what? While Grandfather is on the phone with Mr. Beldon, we could go to Andrew’s rooming house and see him in person!”



“Great idea, Jessie,” said Violet. “Grandfather doesn’t mind if we walk around the block.”



“Or two blocks.” Henry was already out the door.



The others quickly caught up with him. A cool breeze stirred the royal palms. The sky was dark in the west. A storm was brewing 18.



By the time they reached Old Lady Applegate’s boardinghouse, fat drops of rain had begun to fall.



Gus wasn’t sitting on the screened-in porch, but the swing was moving slightly as if he had just gone inside.



Jessie knocked on the front door.



After a moment, the door opened a crack. An eye peered out. “What do you kids want?” The gruff voice undoubtedly 19 belonged to the landlady, Old Lady Applegate.



“To see Andrew Beldon,” Henry spoke 20 up. “We heard he was sick.”



“Yeah,” added Benny. “We came to cheer him up.”



“He’s not here,” said the landlady.



“That’s impossible,” said Violet. “We just heard that Andrew is sick. Where else would he be?”



The door opened inward so fast, Jessie nearly fell over.



“All right,” said Old Lady Applegate ungraciously. “You don’t believe me — see for yourself. Andrew Beldon’s room is the second door on the left. Don’t touch anything!”



“We won’t,” Henry promised. “We just want to visit him.”



The kids filed down the hall. Andrew’s door was closed. The landlady unlocked it with a ring of keys. She stood behind them to make sure they didn’t go inside.



Benny noticed the panther poster on the wall right away. He’d like to have one like it. Andrew’s room was fairly neat. The bed was made. His books were stacked by size in a bookcase. No shoes or clothes littered the floor.



“Now do you believe me?” Old Lady Applegate demanded. “If Andrew Beldon is sick, he’s obviously staying someplace else. He’s behind in his rent, too. If he doesn’t pay up by the end of the week, I’m renting his room to someone else.”



“What will happen to Andrew’s things?” Violet asked. She had noticed the photographs on Andrew’s desk.



The landlady shrugged. “I’ll box them up and store them. If Andrew doesn’t claim his stuff soon, then I guess it’s mine.”



Henry leaned inside the doorway 21 just a little. Along the wall, behind the door, was a dresser. One drawer was pulled out and socks hung untidily over the edge.



“You can see Andrew is not here,” the landlady said, clearly flustered 22. She pulled the door shut hastily.



Henry wondered if she had something to hide. Did everyone connected with Andrew Beldon have a secret?



“Yes,” said Violet. “We’ll leave now.”



Outside, the rain shower had passed already. Steam rose from the sidewalk.



Violet asked the others, “Did you guys see all the panther books in Andrew’s bookcase?”



“And that neat poster?” added Benny. “Rrrr!”



“Melanie was right about one thing: Andrew is definitely obsessed 23 with the Florida panther,” Jessie stated. She shook her head. “But Andrew’s room looked as if he hadn’t been there in days.”



“I saw something, too,” said Henry. “A moldy 24 piece of bread sitting on the table. It takes several days for mold to grow, and I bet if he’d been here he would have thrown it away.”



“Why would he leave all his things?” Violet wondered. “He has some very nice books and pictures.”



“I don’t know,” Jessie answered. “But I think we ought to learn about the Florida panther. If it’s Andrew’s obsession 25, it should be ours, too. At least until we find him.”



Henry tapped the side of his head. “Good idea, Jessie. If we want to find Andrew, we have to think like him!”