Read Online The Secret of Willow Lane by Virginia Rose Richter - Free Book Online
Authors: Virginia Rose Richter
Tags: Young Adult Mystery
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space under the staircase.
From her hiding place, the running feet sounded like thunder. There was a tremendous crash followed by the sound of someone bouncing down the stairs. Oh, Daddy! Are you falling?
She heard a terrified cry and a loud THUNK as the falling person landed at the foot of the stairway.
Jessie peeked out from under the steps. The mean man was lying very still, his feet hopelessly entwined in her father’s suit coat. Well, I’ll be! thought Jessie. This is my lucky day!
Jessie’s dad bounded down the staircase. The doorbell rang. Loud pounding followed. “POLICE! OPEN UP!”
Her dad stepped over the fallen stranger and opened the door to the policemen. “Boy am I glad to see you!” he said.
“Evening, Mr. Hanson,” said one of the officers. “Emil Sorenson called. Said you had some trouble here.”
“Right!” said her dad. “I’m handling this house in an estate and this guy broke in.” He pointed to the intruder. “Wait! Where’s my daughter? JESSICA?”
“Here, Daddy.” Jessie came out of her hiding place and limped into his arms.
Father and daughter waited as the policemen picked up the stranger, handcuffed him and led him to the patrol car. “Okay, Jess,” said her dad. “We might as well finish this. Show me the Will.”
Somehow, Jessie made it to the third floor study with the wall map. Her dad still hadn’t noticed that she was limping. She dropped into a leather chair, unzipped her windbreaker pocket, handed the gold bookmark key to him and said, “You’ll need this.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“I’m sorry to say, I took it from your office. It’s a bookmark that was in the Atlas Mr. Johnson gave you.”
Jessie’s dad looked at her and shook his head. “I see. All right, now what?”
“You put the bookmark key into an opening on the map between Sweden and Finland. Then, turn it to the right.”
Her dad did as directed and in a moment was pulling the envelope from the little map door. He inspected the document. “It looks like you found the real thing, Jess. I don’t know whether to congratulate you or ground you.”
He leafed through the pages until he reached the end. “Hmm,” he said. “C.G.’s signature was witnessed by Mr. Simms and his wife. And there’s a letter in here too. Addressed to me.”
“I’ll bet that’s how his son knew there was a Will!” Jessie said. “His son’s been here snooping around this house. He even lied to Mrs. Winter and got into our house!”
“What?” said her dad. “What did he want in our house?”
“He saw me take his picture with my new detective kit camera,” she explained.
“So—he got into our house to…?” asked her dad.
“To steal the film!” said Jessie.
“Did he get it?” Now he was thoroughly intrigued.
“No!” said Jessie. It was wonderful to finally be able to tell someone. “Tina and I were downtown getting the film developed when he got into our house. But…” her voice trailed off.
“But—what?” her dad asked suspiciously.
“Well, Tina took the negative home and someone knocked her off her bike and stole it. The negative, I mean. She’s in bed—with a concussion,” said Jessie, hanging her head. “But she’s going to be okay.” She couldn’t look at her father.
He folded the documents, returned them to the envelope and shoved them into his back pocket. He closed the map door, removed the gold bookmark key and slipped it into his shirt pocket. Then he walked to Jessie and said, “Let’s go home, Jess. Your mom’s going to be worried sick.”
“There’s just one thing,” said Jessie. “I think you’ll have to carry me. My ankle’s pretty swollen.”
Her father knelt and checked her ankle. “Looks like we go to the emergency room before we go home,” he said.
Gently, he picked up Jessie and started down the stairs.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jessie lay in bed with her foot propped up on a pillow. The rain had stopped and the sun was setting. A soft
From her hiding place, the running feet sounded like thunder. There was a tremendous crash followed by the sound of someone bouncing down the stairs. Oh, Daddy! Are you falling?
She heard a terrified cry and a loud THUNK as the falling person landed at the foot of the stairway.
Jessie peeked out from under the steps. The mean man was lying very still, his feet hopelessly entwined in her father’s suit coat. Well, I’ll be! thought Jessie. This is my lucky day!
Jessie’s dad bounded down the staircase. The doorbell rang. Loud pounding followed. “POLICE! OPEN UP!”
Her dad stepped over the fallen stranger and opened the door to the policemen. “Boy am I glad to see you!” he said.
“Evening, Mr. Hanson,” said one of the officers. “Emil Sorenson called. Said you had some trouble here.”
“Right!” said her dad. “I’m handling this house in an estate and this guy broke in.” He pointed to the intruder. “Wait! Where’s my daughter? JESSICA?”
“Here, Daddy.” Jessie came out of her hiding place and limped into his arms.
Father and daughter waited as the policemen picked up the stranger, handcuffed him and led him to the patrol car. “Okay, Jess,” said her dad. “We might as well finish this. Show me the Will.”
Somehow, Jessie made it to the third floor study with the wall map. Her dad still hadn’t noticed that she was limping. She dropped into a leather chair, unzipped her windbreaker pocket, handed the gold bookmark key to him and said, “You’ll need this.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“I’m sorry to say, I took it from your office. It’s a bookmark that was in the Atlas Mr. Johnson gave you.”
Jessie’s dad looked at her and shook his head. “I see. All right, now what?”
“You put the bookmark key into an opening on the map between Sweden and Finland. Then, turn it to the right.”
Her dad did as directed and in a moment was pulling the envelope from the little map door. He inspected the document. “It looks like you found the real thing, Jess. I don’t know whether to congratulate you or ground you.”
He leafed through the pages until he reached the end. “Hmm,” he said. “C.G.’s signature was witnessed by Mr. Simms and his wife. And there’s a letter in here too. Addressed to me.”
“I’ll bet that’s how his son knew there was a Will!” Jessie said. “His son’s been here snooping around this house. He even lied to Mrs. Winter and got into our house!”
“What?” said her dad. “What did he want in our house?”
“He saw me take his picture with my new detective kit camera,” she explained.
“So—he got into our house to…?” asked her dad.
“To steal the film!” said Jessie.
“Did he get it?” Now he was thoroughly intrigued.
“No!” said Jessie. It was wonderful to finally be able to tell someone. “Tina and I were downtown getting the film developed when he got into our house. But…” her voice trailed off.
“But—what?” her dad asked suspiciously.
“Well, Tina took the negative home and someone knocked her off her bike and stole it. The negative, I mean. She’s in bed—with a concussion,” said Jessie, hanging her head. “But she’s going to be okay.” She couldn’t look at her father.
He folded the documents, returned them to the envelope and shoved them into his back pocket. He closed the map door, removed the gold bookmark key and slipped it into his shirt pocket. Then he walked to Jessie and said, “Let’s go home, Jess. Your mom’s going to be worried sick.”
“There’s just one thing,” said Jessie. “I think you’ll have to carry me. My ankle’s pretty swollen.”
Her father knelt and checked her ankle. “Looks like we go to the emergency room before we go home,” he said.
Gently, he picked up Jessie and started down the stairs.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jessie lay in bed with her foot propped up on a pillow. The rain had stopped and the sun was setting. A soft
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