“But who sits in that seat?” asked Edward.
“Melanie does sometimes, but so does Iona and even Dorsey,” answered Violet.
“I didn’t — ” Dorsey began.
At that moment, they all heard a thump.
“Help!” came a muffled voice.
“It’s coming from the hall!” Benny exclaimed.
They all rushed into the entryway.
Thump, thump!
“It sounds like someone is in the big cabinet!” declared Violet.
Edward grasped the wooden handles. “It’s locked. I always keep it locked.” He produced a small brass key from the ring in his pocket.
“Help me!” cried the voice. “Please!”
Edward quickly unlocked the doors and opened them wide.
But the cabinet was empty!
Chapter 10
Benny Figures It Out
“Please get me out!” begged the voice.
“The magician’s ghost is in there!” Dorsey exclaimed.
“It’s not a ghost,” Benny said firmly. He looked up at the tiger perched on top. The tiger seemed to be looking back at him…
“Help!” the voice cried.
Benny noticed the interior of the cabinet seemed smaller than the outside. Was there another door at the back of the cabinet? He began feeling along the inside for a latch or switch.
His search was rewarded. Suddenly a panel slid back, revealing a secret compartment.
Melanie Preston stumbled out of the compartment, pale-cheeked and in tears. “Thank you!”
“What were you doing in there?” Edward demanded.
“After the Aldens found Houdini’s note, I knew this was one of his special cabinets,” she answered. “I figured it had a place for him to hide. I was right.”
“Melanie is your secret prankster,” Henry told Edward.
Edward stared at her. “Is this true?”
“It’s a long story,” said Melanie. “May I sit down?”
“I think we all need to sit down,” said Iona. “I’ll make fresh coffee and some cocoa for the young people.”
Soon they were all settled in the parlor with hot drinks and a plate of peanut butter cookies.
After a few sips of Iona’s strong coffee, Melanie looked better. She took a deep breath and began talking.
“I take drama classes at school,” she said. “But I’m really a magician.”
“You’ve been practicing your tricks in this house,” Violet accused. “Trying to fool Mr. Singleton.”
“I practice whenever I can,” Melanie said defensively. “Practice makes perfect, they say. But not in my case. When I do a card trick, the cards always land somewhere else.”
“You made the cards fly in the kitchen!” said Benny.
Melanie nodded. “The flying card trick actually worked that time. I’d never been able to get them to stay together before. The secret is gravity.”
“Show us how it works,” Henry said.
Melanie drew a deck of cards from her pocket. She held them in her hand with her thumb on top, fingers beneath.
“The jokers are on the top and bottom,” she explained. “I press the cards together to get the air out. Watch carefully.” She pulled the top and bottom cards back about an inch. Then she threw. The cards flew in a solid block about ten feet, landing in a neat stack as before.
“You’re still holding the jokers,” Henry observed. “That’s why they were missing from the deck we found.”
“I know what you’re thinking,” said Melanie, as if she could read minds as well. “How can anybody as shy and awkward as me ever be an entertainer? But I want lots of friends and people to admire me.”
Iona spoke gently. “You don’t need to hide behind a magic act. You have friends right here.”
“If I were Uncle Edward, I wouldn’t be your friend!” Dorsey blurted. “You haven’t been very nice, sneaking around playing tricks.”
Melanie hung her head. “I know. But I had a reason.”
“Please explain,” said Edward. “We’re listening.”
“Last year I did my term paper on Harry Houdini,” she began. “I learned a lot about him. I even found out about how he used to be hired for private parties. Then I found out he and his brother had been in this very house.”
“You got a job here,” Violet said, “so you could look for whatever Houdini had left behind.”
“Yes,” said Melanie. “I figured it was a formula for a terrific trick. If I found it, I could be a great magician like Houdini. Maybe even greater.”
Edward looked confused. “I gave you free run of my house and all my collections. Why did you play tricks on me? You could have found Houdini’s secret and I would never have known.”
“I didn’t know what I was looking for,” Melanie admitted. “It could have been a piece of paper or a magic item — anything. I practiced my tricks here. If I could fool you, I could fool an audience. But I still had to hunt for Houdini’s secret.”
Benny spoke up. “You sneaked in at night, didn’t you? I saw your flashlight outside the other night.”
“I used my key to slip in after everyone was in bed,” Melanie said. “While I looked, I moved pictures and stuff, so Mr. Singleton would be spooked. I hoped to make him nervous so he wouldn’t notice I was almost finished with my job.”
“You pushed books out of bookcases — ” Iona said.
“And rigged the clock and saltshaker in the dining room,” said Jessie.
“Along with the fortune-teller,” added Henry. “You used your typewriter to type that last fortune card. I recognized the l from the labels in your workroom.”
“You moved the mirror the first night we were here,” said Violet. “You act like you aren’t very strong, but we caught you lifting that heavy box in the attic.”
“I work out at the college gym,” Melanie confessed. “I’m a lot stronger than I look. Yes, I did all those things.”
Edward shook his head. “Why did you pretend to leave tonight?”
“These kids were getting close to the truth,” said Melanie. “While you were all looking at the birds on the deck, I came back in the house.”
“You believed Houdini’s secret was in the carved cabinet,” Violet guessed. “How did you get in it?”
Melanie pulled a bent paper clip from her pocket. “Not very magical, I’m afraid, but it worked. I thought there might be a hidden compartment in the cabinet. It was the only place I hadn’t looked yet. And I got trapped.”
“That was a foolish thing to do,” Iona chided. “The doors locked behind you.”
“I know,” Melanie said glumly. “And I didn’t even find Houdini’s secret.”
Benny bit into his third cookie. “I know what Houdini’s secret is.” While the others had been talking, he had figured it out.
Everyone stared at him.
“You do?” asked Grandfather, his eyebrows raised.
“Yeah. It’s not in the cabinet,” he said. “It’s on the cabinet.”
“What are you talking about?” Jessie asked her brother.
Benny stood up. “Come in the hall. I’ll show you.” In front of the cabinet, he pointed to the tiger. “The thing Houdini left behind is on the tiger. But we can’t reach.”
“I’ll get a ladder.” Edward was back in a few minutes with a stepladder. He brought the tiger down and set it carefully on the marble floor.
“What did Houdini leave behind?” Grandfather asked Benny.
Benny touched the right eye of the tiger. It popped out in his hand. When he held it up, they could all see the eye was really a gold ring set with an amber-colored stone. The stone had a dark stripe down the center, like the pupil of a cat’s eye.
“The ring in the photograph!” Violet exclaimed. “It’s the ring Houdini is wearing in that picture we found!”
“I’ll get the picture,” Jessie offered, racing upstairs. She returned with both the book about Houdini and the photograph.
Mel
anie couldn’t believe it. “I studied that picture, but I never noticed the ring!”
Iona examined the tiger. “The left eye is amber glass. The stone in this ring is tiger’s-eye, an actual stone. I have a bracelet in my shop made of tiger’s-eye.”
Benny nodded. “I saw it when we were in your shop. Every time I came in here, I felt like the tiger was looking at me.”
“Is the ring magic?” Dorsey wanted to know.
“There are those who say that tiger’s-eye makes its wearer feel confident and independent, but also lonely,” said Iona. “Maybe that’s why Houdini put his ring in the eye of the tiger.”
Edward compared the ring to the one Houdini was wearing in the photograph. “They seem to be identical. Do you think Houdini put his ring in the tiger so everyone in the house would be lonely? Or was it truly a gift?”
“I don’t think we’ll ever know,” said Grandfather. “But the ring is a nice addition for your collection.”
“Now, what about you?” Edward asked Melanie. “Do you think I should fire you?”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did,” she said sadly. Then she lifted her chin. “But you and Iona are my friends, the closest friends I have. I’d like to finish cataloging your collections, Mr. Singleton, without pay. I’m very sorry for the trouble I caused.”
Edward sighed. “Well, I always believe in giving people a second chance. But you’ll have to hand over the key to this house.”
Gratefully, Melanie surrendered her key. “Thanks for not being mad. You’re terrific!” She looked at Dorsey. “Too bad you can’t see that.”
To everyone’s surprise, Dorsey burst into tears.
“I know Uncle Edward is great,” he sobbed. “I wish I didn’t have to go to that school!”
Edward looked at him in surprise. “But you’ve acted like you can’t wait to leave Cliffwalk Manor.”
“I love Cliffwalk Manor,” Dorsey sniffed. “It’s the neatest house I’ve ever seen.”
Violet spoke up. “I think Dorsey was afraid to tell you because he thought everyone expected him to go to boarding school. He didn’t know how to tell you he wanted to stay here.”
“And you didn’t tell him you wanted him to stay,” Jessie said to Edward. “It’s a big misunderstanding.”
“I’ll say!” said Edward. “Dorsey, of course I want you to live with me. If that’s what you want. We’ll call your parents tonight.”
“Can I keep Houdini?” asked Dorsey. “The rabbit, I mean.”
His great-uncle laughed. “You bet! And tomorrow we’ll send for your things from that school.”
“Sounds like Cliffwalk Manor won’t be so lonely anymore,” said Grandfather.
Edward turned to Iona. “You’ve been dropping hints about how this house is too much for me.”
“Are you planning on moving?” Iona said, her blue eyes twinkling.
Edward smiled. “James is right. A house is not a home without a family. No matter how many things I have, I need more people in my life. A long time ago I asked you to marry me.”
“I thought you were kidding,” Iona said.
“I wasn’t kidding then and I’m not now.” Edward held her hand. “Will you marry me, Iona?”
“Yes, Edward, I will marry you,” Iona said, hugging him. “And I’ll be happy to live in this great big house. Cliffwalk Manor does have a special magic.” She turned to Dorsey. “Is this okay with you?”
“You bet!” he said. “You’re a better cook anyway!”
“This calls for a celebration!” said James Alden, going into the kitchen.
Soon he produced a bottle of bubbling ginger ale, which he poured into antique glasses. He raised his glass to the ceiling, preparing to give a toast.
“Wait!” cried Dorsey. “We’re not all here.” He rushed off and came back with Houdini, the rabbit. “Okay, now everybody is here.”
“To the family in Cliffwalk Manor,” said Grandfather. “May they find the magic of happiness always.”
“Hear, hear!” said Henry.
They all clinked glasses, then sipped the ginger ale.
“How about a toast to the Alden detectives?” said Edward.
“Hear, hear!” Dorsey cheered.
Everyone lifted their glasses once more.
“I have a toast,” said Benny. “I hope the next mystery will be as fun as this one!”
“Hear, hear!” chimed Jessie, Henry, and Violet.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Illustrations by Hodges Soileau
Copyright © 1996 by Albert Whitman & Company
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Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Mystery of the Tiger's Eye
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