The Black Pearl Mystery

  Jessie reached down, grabbed the pineapple crown, and tugged several times. “Ta-da!” she cried when she finally pulled a pineapple free.

  In no time, Jessie and Henry had picked several pineapples apiece. The younger children took turns carrying them down to the cart one by one.

  By late afternoon, the carts were half full of ripe, juicy-looking pineapples. The Aldens were tired, but they kept right on picking along with the other workers and volunteers. Several people sang Hawaiian songs as they went along — sad songs and happy songs.

  Singing makes the work go faster, doesn’t it, Jessie?” Violet said. “I wish I knew what those words were. Maybe Joseph can tell us when we see him at dinner.”

  At five o’clock, the Aldens heard a loud bell ring.

  Day is done,” a man named Luke from the next row over told the Aldens. “At six o’clock there will be a luau.”

  I hope that means food,” Benny said.

  A luau’s a Hawaiian feast, Benny — roast pork, sweet potatoes, all kinds of Hawaiian fruits and vegetables,” Luke said. “Some of the food is served on big banana leaves instead of plates. Mrs. Cook said she’d have a luau at the end of the day for the volunteers and workers.”

  Benny giggled.

  What’s so funny, Benny?” Violet asked.

  Benny couldn’t stop giggling. When he finally did, he shared his joke. “I hope Cousin Mary Cook is a good cook!”

  Everyone laughed. They hoped so, too.

  At six o’clock, the Aldens joined the other pickers on the porch. After a hard day, everyone had showered and changed. Most of the men and boys wore colorful flowered shirts. The women and girls wore flowered dresses called muumuus.

  A long table stretched along one side of the porch. The middle of the table was decorated with orchids and glass bowls of colorful, delicious-looking dishes the Aldens had never seen before. At the end of the table was a large square cake with coconut frosting.

  Don’t be shy,” Cousin Mary said, waving the Aldens in along with the other pineapple pickers. “A luau needs lots of hungry people. Now, please take a big banana leaf to use as a plate and help yourselves to the feast.”

  So the Aldens helped themselves. Spotting Luke and his five-year-old daughter, Hani, at a nearby table, the children came over with their food and sat down.

  Hi, Luke,” Benny said. “I like eating from a plate that’s made out of a leaf. I took lots of good things, but no pineapple. I had enough pineapple already!”

  Now have one of our famous fruit drinks,” Luke said. “It’s made out of crushed fruit, coconut milk, and ice.”

  Yum,” Soo Lee said when she took a sip of a colorful drink Luke had poured from a glass pitcher.

  The Aldens felt relaxed and happy. They were hungry and thirsty after a long day’s work.

  I hope you’ve all left room for my special coconut cake,” Cousin Mary said when she came around to the Aldens’ table later. “But first we have to have some dancing and songs and stories. You can’t have a luau without those.”

  Or without coconut cake!” Benny added.

  Everyone helped clear a space in the middle of the porch. First, a storyteller told tales about Hawaiian gods and goddesses and monsters who were said to live inside volcanoes. After the storyteller came several musicians. They played their steel guitars and ukuleles,which were like small guitars with just four strings.

  Several dancers in real grass skirts came out and began to dance the Hawaiian dance called the hula. Though the Aldens didn’t understand the Hawaiian words to the songs, they clapped and swayed when the music began.

  I know we don’t have grass skirts, but can we dance, too?” Soo Lee asked Jessie.

  Jessie turned to Luke when he got up to dance with Hani. “Do you think we should dance?” Jessie asked. “We don’t know how to do the hula.”

  Luke smiled. “Just follow what Hani and I do. The movements in the hula dance tell a story or describe beautiful places on our islands. We’ll get in front of you to show you the movements.”

  The Aldens were soon on their feet, waving their arms like Luke and Hani.

  That was fun,” Violet said after the music ended. “What was the dance that we just did about?”

  Luke leaned back and smiled. “It’s about a secret waterfall where a god and goddess met and fell in love. We have many stories and legends in Hawaii. If I lived to be a hundred, I couldn’t tell them all.”

  Hani pulled her father’s ear. “Tell about the black pearl, Daddy, and all the bad luck. I want to hear that story.”

  Suddenly the Aldens noticed everyone at the table was quiet. People poked at their desserts with their forks or stared into their coffee cups. A few people looked at Luke.

  Please, Daddy,” Hani begged. “Tell the story about the black pearl.”

  But Luke had no story to tell. “It’s too late for that, much too late. Only Joseph Kahuna knows the real story of the black pearl, and I don’t see him here tonight. It’s time to go home, anyway.”

  Cousin Mary’s luau was over. Everyone helped to clear the tables. No one spoke much.

  What was that all about?” Jessie asked Henry when the children went into the kitchen.

  Henry shook his head. “I don’t know, but everything stopped when Hani asked about the black pearl.”

  Cousin Mary turned around from the sink when she overheard this. “The black pearl?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Did Joseph tell you about it? I didn’t even see him tonight, did you?”

  The Aldens looked at each other. Why was Cousin Mary so upset?

  No, we saved some cake for Joseph, but we never saw him,” Henry explained.

  Soo Lee looked up at Cousin Mary. “Hani asked her daddy to tell the story about the black pearl. But he didn’t want to. Can you tell us?”

  Cousin Mary turned away. “The black pearl? I . . . really don’t remember it. Maybe another time. Not tonight.” With that, Cousin Mary put down her sponge, leaving the pots and pans in the sink.

  We’ll finish up,” Henry said. “Thanks for the good dinner.”

  One by one the children thanked Cousin Mary for the luau, too. But she stayed quiet. Soon she walked down the hall to her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

  CHAPTER 3

  A Mysterious Message

  Waking up in Hawaii was like waking up in a jungle. Just outside the Aldens’ guest cottage, several bright red honeycreepers twittered in the trees the next morning.

  Those birds are like little alarm clocks,” Violet whispered to Jessie, who was half awake in the next bed.

  Jessie yawned and looked over the side of her bed. “Where’s Watch?”

  The next thing Jessie felt wasn’t Watch but Benny bouncing on the bed. “Watch isn’t in Hawaii, silly,” Benny said with a laugh. “But I am. Time for breakfast.”

  Jessie pulled the sheet up over her head. “You did a good job waking me up, just like Watch. I forgot we were in Hawaii, not Greenfield.”

  Benny tugged Jessie’s covers. “Maybe our breakfast will be on banana leaves. Can I go now, Jessie? Cousin Mary said there’s breakfast on the porch for the volunteers. That’s what I am, right?”

  Jessie opened one eye, then the other. She yawned. “You sure are, Benny. If you’re really hungry, go ahead to breakfast now. We’ll come in a while. Do you have your pink cup?”

  Benny reached into his backpack. He took out the old cracked pink cup that he’d found when the children were all living in the boxcar. “It’s right here.”

  So Benny went ahead. He just knew his first Hawaiian breakfast was going to be good. When he stepped onto Cousin Mary’s porch, only one other person was there.

  Hi, Joseph,” Benny said to Mr. Kahuna.

  Joseph continued reading his newspaper without looking up.

  This didn’t stop Benny’s chatter. “I’m an early bird, just like those honeycreeper birds with the funny beaks.”

  Joseph Kahuna turned the newspaper page.

  Is it
okay to help myself?” Benny asked. He could hardly wait to try the juices, fruits, and breads spread out on the table.

  Go ahead,” Joseph said at last. “The food is for everyone.”

  Benny poured some yellow juice into his pink cup, then took a sip. “Hey, this isn’t orange juice!”

  It’s papaya juice,” Joseph said.

  Mmm, it’s pretty good,” Benny said. “What’s this?”

  That’s banana bread made from our macadamia nuts and bananas,” Joseph said. “Everything on this table comes from this plantation. Those pineapples come from our plants, the papayas from our papaya trees, and the coconut milk from our palm trees.”

  Did Cousin Mary’s coconut cake last night come from a coconut cake tree?” Benny said with a twinkle in his eye. “We saved you a piece. Did you get it?”

  Instead of laughing, Joseph just stirred his coffee. “I was called away last night. I missed the luau and the coconut cake.”

  Benny put down his cup. “It was fun. I liked eating, then dancing the hula and listening to scary Hawaiian stories.” Benny took another sip of papaya juice before he continued. “And we almost found out about the black pearl. Luke and Cousin Mary said you know that story. Can you tell it?”

  Joseph Kahuna put down his coffee cup so quickly, some of the hot liquid spilled over. He wiped it with a napkin. “The black pearl story is just an old made-up Hawaiian tale. Nothing to tell. Now I have to get to work.”

  But . . . but . . . Cousin Mary said you knew about it,” Benny said.

  Joseph Kahuna stood up. “I know about pineapples. That’s what I know about.”

  With that, Joseph Kahuna rose from his chair and left for the fields.

  Benny loved to eat, but now he wasn’t too hungry. He went back to the cottage.

  When Benny arrived there, Jessie was reading aloud from a small piece of paper:

  Please call me. I have something to discuss with you. No need to mention anything to Mary Cook or anyone else.

  Norma Kane

  This was jumbled up with Jessie’s travel books in the van,” Henry explained to Benny. “We think something about this note upset Joseph after he dropped off Mrs. Kane.”

  What do you think it means, Jessie?” Violet asked.

  Jessie reread the note. “Do you suppose Joseph was at Mrs. Kane’s last night? Why would he go there?” Jessie asked Henry.

  I don’t know,” Henry answered. “Let’s just put the note back in the van. He might be upset that we saw it. I’ll return it, then meet you at breakfast.”

  After Henry left, the other children strolled to the main house for breakfast. Several volunteers and workers were seated on the porch when the Aldens met up with Henry and joined the buffet line.

  Over here,” Luke said when he saw the Aldens. “We saved you some seats.

  Last day of picking,” Luke told the children. “Then Mrs. Cook and a couple of our workers will drive the pineapples to the cannery. These pineapples are nearly ready now. We were lucky to save as many as we did. Too bad the pineapples in the back field aren’t ripe yet. They’ll be a loss because the plants’ roots will rot in the muddy fields.”

  Henry put down his plate next to Luke. “Our grandfather had a good idea. He went back to Honolulu to help Cousin Mary get a loan. She’d like Pineapple Place to be a guest farm, too. That way she wouldn’t have to depend only on pineapples.”

  Cousin Mary wants to turn some of the workers’ cottages into guest cottages like the one we’re staying in,” Jessie told Luke.

  Luke took a sip of juice and thought about this. “Well, good luck to her. It’s hard for visitors to get out this way. The roads are bad. Even the taxis and buses don’t get out here much. And tourists don’t always want to drive out so far in their rented cars.”

  Benny had an opinion about this. “My grandpa knows everybody, even Hawaiian people. I bet he can get the roads fixed.”

  Luke laughed. “You seem very sure of that, Benny. Fixing roads is a pretty big job. The government does that.”

  Grandfather has an old friend in the state capital. That’s where he is now,” Jessie explained.

  Luke smiled at the Aldens. “If anybody can do it, the Aldens can, I guess. You folks were picking pineapples yesterday like old hands.”

  Benny held up his hands. “But we have new hands! We’re kids!”

  Everyone around the table laughed.

  Luke and Hani pushed back their chairs. “Well, time for picking. Coming along?”

  The Aldens headed to the kitchen to drop off their plates.

  See you in a few minutes,” Henry said to Luke. “Maybe we can have a race to see who picks more pineapples.”

  Henry was wrong. When the Aldens arrived at the fields, there was no work for the children.

  Joseph Kahuna avoided the Aldens. “I don’t need you for picking today,” he told them after they followed him into the fields. With that, Joseph walked to the back of a row of bushes, leaving the Aldens behind.

  What was that about?” Jessie asked.

  Violet watched the other pickers working hard. “Didn’t we do a good job?” she asked.

  Jessie put her arm around Violet. “I think we did. Let’s check with Cousin Mary.”

  The children found her in the parking area. She was supervising several workers who were loading pineapples into a pickup truck.

  Why, hello, Aldens!” she said. “What brings you here? I bet you needed a break. I’ve been feeling so guilty. You young people should not be picking pineapples in the hot sun.”

  Benny answered first. “But we weren’t picking pineapples. Joseph wouldn’t let us.”

  Now it was Mary Cook’s turn to be puzzled. “Really? You know, Joseph isn’t himself these days. Last night he missed the luau and didn’t even tell me. I wonder what’s going on. I wish he wouldn’t worry so much about the plantation. Well, never mind. I have an even better idea.”

  What’s that?” Violet wanted to know.

  Cousin Mary said, “We’re dropping off most of our crop at the cannery. After that, there’s a good time ahead. We’ll set aside some of our pineapples to sell at the farmers’ market in town. It’s great fun. There are lots of food booths. I know you’ll like that, right, Benny?”

  Food booths? I know I’ll like that!” Benny answered.

  Cousin Mary went on, “You can help me set up our booth, then you can take turns selling fresh pineapples to the tourists who visit the farmers’ market. There are crafts, hula dancing, music, storytelling — all kinds of fun activities for children. You’ll love it.”

  We love it already,” Jessie said. “As long as we’re here, why don’t we help you load this truck. The sooner we do, the sooner we can leave for the farmers’ market.”

  So the Aldens set to work. They formed a line to pass the pineapples from the carts to the truck. They were very careful with the pineapples and held them as if they were babies. With five Aldens at work, the truck was soon filled.

  Done!” Cousin Mary said an hour later before she went into her house to change. “I’m glad Joseph didn’t use you in the fields after all. This was a much better plan.”

  After Cousin Mary left, the children returned to their cottage to change from their work clothes, too.

  What I can’t figure out is why Joseph didn’t want us in the fields today,” Jessie said. “He told us what a good job we did yesterday.”

  Benny pushed his straw hat back from his head. He was thinking. “Do you think I said something wrong?”

  What do you mean?” Jessie asked.

  Benny swallowed hard. “At breakfast I asked him to tell me about the black pearl. He didn’t like that. He turned away from me and everything. He wouldn’t talk much. Was I being too snoopy?”

  Jessie patted Benny’s head. “Not to worry. You’re just curious and not too snoopy. You can’t help it.”

  You know,” Henry said, “this black pearl legend is a sore subject, that’s for sure. Even Cousin Mary won’t talk ab
out it. Maybe Joseph didn’t want us asking about the black pearl with Luke or any of the other workers around, so he kept us away from them.”

  Or maybe he’s just not himself these days, like Cousin Mary said,” added Violet.

  I wish we could ask him,” Jessie said.

  But when Joseph Kahuna came by to drop off one more pineapple cart, he didn’t give the Aldens a chance to ask him anything. He helped unload the last cart into the truck, then went back to the fields without even speaking to the children.

  CHAPTER 4

  Pineapples for Sale

  After Joseph left, Cousin Mary slid behind the wheel of the plantation van. She called over to the Aldens, “Time to go. First stop is the cannery. Then on to the farmers’ market in town. Hop in.”

  The Aldens crowded into the van. Cousin Mary followed the Pineapple Place fruit truck out of the plantation.

  My teeth are ch-ch-ch-chattering,” Soo Lee said when the van hit one bump after another along the country road ahead.

  You can see the problems we’re having,” Cousin Mary said to Henry and Jessie, who were in the front seat. “It gets harder and harder to get my pineapples out and to get tourists to travel in this far.”

  A bumpy old road doesn’t stop us!” Benny cried.

  Several empty trucks pulled away from the cannery parking lot when the Pineapple Place truck and Cousin Mary’s van arrived. A worker with a clipboard waved the truck toward the warehouse in back. Cousin Mary followed the truck.

  Then something strange happened. When the manager saw the van, he motioned it to stop.

  Why is he stopping us?” Jessie asked.

  When Henry and Jessie took a second look, they noticed a familiar face. Norma Kane was in the loading area, too. She marched over to the van. “We’re not taking any more pineapples, Mary. I bought the last load from the truck that just left here. You’ll have to unload your pineapples elsewhere.”