Read Online The Gatehouse Mystery by Julie Campbell - Free Book Online
Authors: Julie Campbell
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dark."
"Is that so?" Trixie demanded. "Mice don't live in lairs, smarty. We did so find a valuable diamond. Wait until you see it."
Just then Honey appeared at the top of the path. "Trixie! Jim!" she yelled as she raced down the hill. When she caught sight of Brian and Mart, she skidded to a stop and added shyly, "Oh, your brothers came home from camp sooner than they expected."
"That's right," Trixie said. "The one on my left with the funny-looking crew cut is Mart. The other odd-looldng creature is Brian. I hate them both at the moment. They don't believe we found a real diamond, Honey."
Honey shook hands with the boys, smiling. "But it is a read diamond," she told them. "You can see for yourselves. I brought it with me." She reached into the pocket of her shorts and brought out the stone. The facets glittered in the early morning sunlight as she handed it to Brian.
"Holy cow," Mart gasped. "I asked for bread and she gave me cake. Where on earth did you girls ever find it?"
"That's not so important now," Honey said soberly, "as where were going to hide it. I don't dare keep it in xny jewelry box any longer."
"Why not?" Trixie asked. "What's happened?"
"Nothing's happened," Honey said. "Not yet. But when I woke up this morning, I remembered what you'd said yesterday that gave me goose pimples. You said that Nailor might be one of the gang that stole the diamond. Why, Trixie, if he is, he could have sneaked into my room last night when we were asleep and taken it. The jewel box, I mean. If he knew the diamond was in it, it wouldn't take him long to find the secret compartment."
"Wait a minute, puh-leeze," Mart interrupted. "You're moving too fast for me. Let's start with where you found the diamond and then decide where we're going to hide it."
"Oh," Trixie cried excitedly, "then you don't think we ought to turn it over to the police?"
"Not me," Mart said, arching his sandy eyebrows. "If there's a mystery lying around loose waiting to be solved, I want a crack at it before the experts take over."
"How about you, Brian?" Trixie asked her older brother.
"We-ell," he said thoughtfully. "When I know more about it, I might feel the way Mart does. We were going to have a swim before breakfast, but I guess that can wait." He stretched out in the long grass by the chicken coop. "Let's hear it, Trixie. And don't exaggerate any more than you have to."
A Black Eye • 7
TRIXIE PERCHED on a big rock, and the others sprawled in the grass around it. She told the story from beginning to end.
"Oh, Trixie," Honey gasped. "Then Nailor did try to sneak into my room last night?"
"Nailor or Dick," Trixie said. "I frankly suspect Dick. Bobby told him which windows were yours."
"Are you sure you heard someone last night?" Jim asked. "Sure you weren't dreaming?"
"I'm positive," Trixie said. "When a door handle is turned, it makes a special sort of grating sound. And when I dashed out into the hall, I saw enough to be sure that someone had just disappeared around the corner where the back stairs are."
"What did you see?" Mart asked.
"I don't know how to explain it," Trixie admitted. "But there was something there, and half a second later, it wasn't. It might have been part of a man's jacket or bathrobe. But it was something, all right."
"Too bad you and Jim didn't check to see if the back door was unlatched when you were in the kitchen last night," Brian said. "Now it's too late, I guess. Too many people have already gone in and out of the house by now."
"That's right," Jim said. "It would be hard to find out who first opened the back door this morning, and even if we did, he probably wouldn't remember whether the latch was hooked or not." He tinned to Trixie. "I'll go along with you, although I don't suspect either Dick or Nailor. Let's try to catch the prowler ourselves."
"Oh, wonderful," Trixie cried. "He should walk into our trap tonight. If only I'd stayed awake last night, we'd know now who he is."
"The first step," Jim
"Is that so?" Trixie demanded. "Mice don't live in lairs, smarty. We did so find a valuable diamond. Wait until you see it."
Just then Honey appeared at the top of the path. "Trixie! Jim!" she yelled as she raced down the hill. When she caught sight of Brian and Mart, she skidded to a stop and added shyly, "Oh, your brothers came home from camp sooner than they expected."
"That's right," Trixie said. "The one on my left with the funny-looking crew cut is Mart. The other odd-looldng creature is Brian. I hate them both at the moment. They don't believe we found a real diamond, Honey."
Honey shook hands with the boys, smiling. "But it is a read diamond," she told them. "You can see for yourselves. I brought it with me." She reached into the pocket of her shorts and brought out the stone. The facets glittered in the early morning sunlight as she handed it to Brian.
"Holy cow," Mart gasped. "I asked for bread and she gave me cake. Where on earth did you girls ever find it?"
"That's not so important now," Honey said soberly, "as where were going to hide it. I don't dare keep it in xny jewelry box any longer."
"Why not?" Trixie asked. "What's happened?"
"Nothing's happened," Honey said. "Not yet. But when I woke up this morning, I remembered what you'd said yesterday that gave me goose pimples. You said that Nailor might be one of the gang that stole the diamond. Why, Trixie, if he is, he could have sneaked into my room last night when we were asleep and taken it. The jewel box, I mean. If he knew the diamond was in it, it wouldn't take him long to find the secret compartment."
"Wait a minute, puh-leeze," Mart interrupted. "You're moving too fast for me. Let's start with where you found the diamond and then decide where we're going to hide it."
"Oh," Trixie cried excitedly, "then you don't think we ought to turn it over to the police?"
"Not me," Mart said, arching his sandy eyebrows. "If there's a mystery lying around loose waiting to be solved, I want a crack at it before the experts take over."
"How about you, Brian?" Trixie asked her older brother.
"We-ell," he said thoughtfully. "When I know more about it, I might feel the way Mart does. We were going to have a swim before breakfast, but I guess that can wait." He stretched out in the long grass by the chicken coop. "Let's hear it, Trixie. And don't exaggerate any more than you have to."
A Black Eye • 7
TRIXIE PERCHED on a big rock, and the others sprawled in the grass around it. She told the story from beginning to end.
"Oh, Trixie," Honey gasped. "Then Nailor did try to sneak into my room last night?"
"Nailor or Dick," Trixie said. "I frankly suspect Dick. Bobby told him which windows were yours."
"Are you sure you heard someone last night?" Jim asked. "Sure you weren't dreaming?"
"I'm positive," Trixie said. "When a door handle is turned, it makes a special sort of grating sound. And when I dashed out into the hall, I saw enough to be sure that someone had just disappeared around the corner where the back stairs are."
"What did you see?" Mart asked.
"I don't know how to explain it," Trixie admitted. "But there was something there, and half a second later, it wasn't. It might have been part of a man's jacket or bathrobe. But it was something, all right."
"Too bad you and Jim didn't check to see if the back door was unlatched when you were in the kitchen last night," Brian said. "Now it's too late, I guess. Too many people have already gone in and out of the house by now."
"That's right," Jim said. "It would be hard to find out who first opened the back door this morning, and even if we did, he probably wouldn't remember whether the latch was hooked or not." He tinned to Trixie. "I'll go along with you, although I don't suspect either Dick or Nailor. Let's try to catch the prowler ourselves."
"Oh, wonderful," Trixie cried. "He should walk into our trap tonight. If only I'd stayed awake last night, we'd know now who he is."
"The first step," Jim
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