Mystery at Skeleton Point by Gertrude Chandler Warner Read Free Book Online

there. He’d heard they’d turned the cave into a hideout or a clubhouse. They called it Dead Man’s Cave to scare other kids away.”
    “But we’re not scared,” Benny said. “We can go there this afternoon, right, Henry?”
    “You bet,” Henry said. “But first let’s see what Hilda is doing with all those skeletons and statue parts from Skeleton Point.”
    When the children returned to the studio, the STUDIO CLOSED sign was still on the door. This didn’t stop the Aldens.
    “Hi, Hilda! It’s the Aldens,” Jessie yelled as she rapped on the window.
    Hilda whirled around, startled to see four pairs of eyes staring at her. She opened the door slightly. “What are you doing here? My studio is closed right now.”
    Violet looked past Hilda. “Oh, so you have the Clover Dodge statue,” she said before the young woman could block her view. “Are you fixing it? I’d love to see how.”
    Hilda stared at Violet. “I’m not here to teach art classes, Violet. I’m here to... well, I haven’t time to explain.”
    Henry, who was taller than Hilda, peered right over her shoulder. “Are you fixing the arm from the angel statue, too? Charlotte will be glad you got started on that.”
    Hilda studied the Aldens’ faces. “What do you mean? William was the one who got me working on the angel statue, not Charlotte. He told me she left most of the decisions up to him.” Hilda pushed the door to keep the children back. “I really must get back to my work. I’ll see you at Skeleton Point later this afternoon.”
    The Aldens had a lot more to say, but they never got the chance. After she slammed the door, Hilda walked over to the windows and pulled the shades down one by one.

CHAPTER 8
Locked Out!
    As soon as the children got on the bike path again, they tried to figure out their conversation with Hilda.
    “We didn’t get any answers about the Clover Dodge statue,” Violet said.
    Henry disagreed. “Oh, but we did. Now we know Hilda definitely took things from Skeleton Point and that she doesn’t want us to see them. That’s got to be the reason she didn’t let us in her studio.”
    “I guess you’re right, Henry,” Violet said. “I sure wish the statue was back where it belongs. Since it wasn’t broken, why did Hilda bring it to her studio?”
    The children pedaled along the lake and thought about what to do next.
    “Let’s have lunch!” Benny suggested. “That helps me figure out things.”
    “Lunch always solves everything for you, Benny,” Jessie said with a laugh. All the same, she slowed down when she came to the sign for the Shady Lake General Store. “You know, if we stop here, we can — ”
    “Have an ice cream cone for dessert!” Benny said.
    Jessie smiled. “Exactly!”
    The children rolled their bikes to a picnic grove close to the dock that belonged to the general store. As soon as the Aldens took out their sandwiches, a flock of ducks decided to join the children for lunch, too. Not a crumb was wasted as the birds waddled under the picnic table. The children hadn’t been seated long when another visitor showed up.
    “Max!” Jessie said when Greeny’s dog raced over to chase the ducks away. “You smelled our ham sandwiches, didn’t you? Where’s Greeny?”
    Benny slid over to pet Max. “Sorry, the ducks ate the rest of my sandwich. Hey, you’re as wet as a duck, too. Were you playing in the water?”
    “Greeny’s boat is docked out there,” Henry said, looking at the marina. “He must be at the store getting supplies. Jessie, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
    Jessie nodded. “There’s nothing wrong with just going for a walk on the dock, is there? And if we happen to pass Greeny’s boat, we might be able to see if he still has that mysterious crate we saw him carry down from Skeleton Point.”
    The Aldens didn’t waste any time. They gathered up their trash and threw it into a nearby basket. Max followed along, hoping to catch a few forgotten crumbs the ducks