儿童英语读物 Mystery in the Sand CHAPTER 4 Are Finders Keepers?

Benny held the locket, turning it over in his hand. “I think we ought to go right to Beach-wood and return the locket,” he said.



“Not so fast, Ben,” said Henry. “Maybe the locket doesn’t belong to the people who live there now. If there are any people—you remember how empty the Tower House looked.”



“Well, we can ask somebody who lives there,” Benny agreed. “Maybe the man in the drugstore knows who lives there. Drugstore men know everything, and besides, the Tower House is almost across the street.”



Jessie said, “Let’s go. There isn’t much to do here except lie around in the sand, and I don’t think much of that.”



“And I am curious about that picture of a cat,” Violet 1 said. “Why not the picture of a person?”



Violet put away the few dishes, and Jessie swept out the tiny kitchen. Henry locked the trailer home and they drove 2 to Beachwood.



Henry parked the car at the drugstore and they all went in. They were lucky about two things. There was nobody else in the store, and the clerk behind the counter 3 was a great talker.



First, the Aldens bought some writing paper and some suntan oil. Then Benny said, “May I ask you a question?”



“Sure thing. Fire away,” replied the clerk. “You are staying in the new Andy Bean trailer down on the shore, aren’t you?”



“Well, yes, we are,” Benny answered. He was surprised to find the clerk knew so much about the Aldens. He did not think the clerk could have seen them before. On their first shopping trip to Beachwood, the Aldens had only gone to the supermarket. But news travels fast in a small town.



“We want to ask you about that Tower House across the street,” Benny said.



“Oho,” said the clerk. “That is easy in one way. I know as much as anybody—but nobody knows very much. It’s a queer 4 sort of place.”



“I see,” said Benny. “Who lives there? Who owns it?”



“I don’t know who owns it. As to who lives there, I’ll tell you all I know. Most of the house is empty. But on the first floor of one of the back towers there is a woman living alone. She is about fifty years old. She says her name is Mary Smith, but I don’t believe a word of it myself. There is something funny about her.”



The Aldens looked at each other. This was beginning to sound more and more interesting.



“This Mary Smith never comes out except to buy things to eat and to go to the post office. That’s always on a Wednesday. She looks well, but she never smiles. And she won’t say a word unless she has to. She just picks up her vegetables and meat in the supermarket and pays for them. One thing makes you wonder about her. She buys a lot of cheap meat. I don’t see how she can eat it. Once in a while she comes in here for aspirin 5. That’s about it.”



“This is Wednesday,” said Jessie. “Maybe we can talk to her today.”



“She won’t talk,” said the man, shaking his head. “She’ll cut you off in some way. And you would have to wait a long time. She comes late in the afternoon, after the crowd has gone.”



“Maybe it would be better to knock on her door,” said Violet. “What would happen then?”



“She wouldn’t come to the door. You can be sure of that. At least she never has. A few people tried it long ago. They wanted to be friendly, but she never came to the door. So nobody goes now.”



“There’s always a first time,” Benny said. “I’d rather talk to her at her own house than in a store anyway.”



“Well, if you have something you really want to talk to her about,” said the clerk, “I suppose you can try. No harm done, unless you get your feelings hurt. I’d like to see you try, I really would.”



Benny was thinking to himself that the clerk must wonder why the Aldens wanted to see Mary Smith. But he was not going to say anything to explain.



“I think we will try to see her,” said Jessie. “We really want to. Thank you for your help.”



As the Aldens went down the street, Benny said, “He did help us, and he never asked us why we wanted to talk to Miss Smith.”



“But he was dying 6 to know,” Henry agreed. “And I don’t blame him. Let’s walk over and knock at that door at the side of the Tower House.”



As the Aldens came nearer, they could see that the house did indeed look empty except for the first floor of one of the back towers. There were curtains in the windows and at the door. They looked thick and were a dark color.



“I’m just as glad we are coming in the daylight,” Violet said. “There is something spooky about this old house.”



Henry said, “Do you have the locket, Benny?”



“It’s in my pocket, wrapped 7 in a paper,” Benny said. “I don’t want to show it until Miss Smith describes it.”



Jessie looked at the house and said almost in a whisper 9, “I have a feeling we are being watched. Don’t you feel that way, too?”



“There are four of us and just one Miss Smith,” Benny said. “There’s nothing to worry about.” But just the same Benny said, “Henry, you rap 8 at the door.”



Henry knocked. Nothing happened.



“Just what the man said would happen,” Benny said. “Try again, Henry.”



Henry tried a fancy 10 rap: Da-da-da-Dum-da.



The Aldens waited. Then to their surprise the door slowly opened and a woman looked at the visitors.



What a cold, grim 11 face, without a sign of a smile!



Benny thought, “She’d be nice looking if she was even the least bit friendly.” Her face was round and very fair. Her hair was light brown and curly 12, but pulled straight back into a tight 13 knot 14. She did not even ask, “What do you want?”



Henry spoke 15 for all the Aldens. “You are Miss Smith?” he asked. “Miss Mary Smith?”



The woman nodded.



“We found something down on the beach,” Henry went on. “It was buried in the sand. We think it has something to do with this house.”



Benny’s hand closed around the locket in the paper, but he left it in his pocket.



The woman looked quickly and sharply 16 from one of the visitors to the next. Then she said, “I haven’t lost anything. Please don’t bother me.”



She shut the door, and the Aldens heard the key turn in the lock.



“Well, that is too bad,” said Violet, really feeling hurt. “I’m sorry for anyone like that. She must be very unhappy.”



Benny was thinking fast. As they walked away from the Tower House he said, “Two things. First, the initials 17 on the locket are R.L. That doesn’t fit with Mary Smith. And second, did you notice that smell when the door was opened? What was it?”



Henry wrinkled 18 his nose. “You are right, Benny,” he said. “There was a strong smell—for a minute I thought of a zoo, or a circus. What could it be?”



“Maybe we’ll never know,” said Violet.



“Oh, yes, we will, Violet,” Benny said quickly. “You just wait. Have we ever given up on a mystery? And this one is the easiest of all. You’ll see.”



Henry looked at Benny and laughed. “All right, what do you plan to do next, Benny?”



“How about lunch?” Benny asked. “I saw two or three places on Main Street where they serve meals. I want a piece of apple pie. My head works 19 better when my stomach is full.”



Jessie looked back at the Tower House. Nothing was changed. No one was watching from a dark window. But Jessie felt uneasy 20 just the same.