Read Online The Castle Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner - Free Book Online

space to put down the notebook.
    Jessie tried to make some room on the desk to write Tom a note. She moved over several books and picked up some bunched-up balls of paper.
    â€œWait a minute!” she cried. “Look at these!” She held up two colored cellophane candy wrappers. “Aren’t these the wrappers from the candy Violet and I hid yesterday?”
    Benny found one or two other wrappers in the wastebasket. “Lemon, cherry.”
    â€œLime and grape,” Violet finished. “Those are exactly the same flavors Jessie and I hid by the blue door because we knew they were your favorites!”
    â€œThe ones that were missing along with the key!” Henry realized. “Do you think Tom took them, Jessie?”
    Jessie didn’t answer. She ran out of the room and came back a few minutes later. She waved a piece of notebook paper at her brothers and sister.
    â€œLook at this! It’s the map!” She laid the paper next to Tom’s notebook. “I can’t say for sure that the candy wrappers came from the candy we hid. But this map exactly matches the paper in Tom’s notebook.”
    â€œSo does the handwriting,” Violet added.
    â€œIt is the same,” Benny said proudly. Even though he hadn’t been reading for long, he was sure of that.
    The children looked at each other. What was going on with Tom Brady?
    Jessie made up her mind about something. “Let’s show the map to Tom. Maybe there’s a good reason he drew it. It could be a set of directions he wrote up for someone, then put in that book by mistake. He might be glad to get it back.”
    Henry agreed. “Jessie’s right. Let’s see what Tom has to say when we show him what we found.”
    â€œAw, shucks,” Benny said. “I thought we solved a mystery.”
    â€œSorry, Benny, not just yet,” Jessie said with a laugh. “Now let’s get up to the secret room. Maybe there’s a mystery to solve up there.”
    â€œI sure hope so,” Benny said as he raced ahead up the tower stairs.
    When they got to the top, the children waited for Henry to open the door with Mr. Tooner’s keys.
    â€œHere we are,” Henry said.
    Benny paid no attention to all the treasures in the room. “Can we go to the secret room first, Henry?”
    Henry laughed. “Why not? Carrie said we could go anywhere in the castle today. We might as well start sorting things out in there as well as in here.”
    Benny got right inside the fake fireplace. He leaned against it just the way he had the day before. Nothing happened. He turned around then pushed so hard he grunted. “This wall is stuck!”
    â€œHere, Benny. You give a push on the bottom, while I push hard on top,” Henry said.
    But try as they might, the boys couldn’t get the fireplace to turn. Then Benny noticed something. Right at his eye level, there was a keyhole. He looked in.
    Just a few feet inside was Tom Brady! And in Tom’s hand was a violin. “Tom?” Benny called through the wall.
    Suddenly the wall panel gave way and the Aldens pushed through into the secret room. There was Tom Brady — but his hands were empty.
    â€œI was wondering when you children would find me,” Tom said with a laugh. “This was a good game of hide-and-seek, wasn’t it?”
    The children were confused. One minute Tom had been trying to keep them out of the secret room. Now he was telling them he had been playing a game!
    â€œCarrie said you left to meet some antique dealers this morning,” Jessie said. “Why are you here instead?” Now that she was facing Tom, Jessie wasn’t so sure it was the right time to mention the notebook. She decided to wait.
    â€œUmm … well, yes, I was going to do just that but … uh, first I had to get something up here,” Tom said without looking at Jessie.
    â€œLike a violin!” Benny said. “I saw you holding a