Mystery on the Ice Read Online Free PDF Page B

ahead with my surprise. I asked Alex to meet me here.”
    “She’ll be thrilled,” Jessie said. “I’d love to see her face.”
    “Not me!” Benny said, shaking his head. “There will be kissing and hugging and all that gooey stuff!”
    “That’s true, Benny,” Violet said with a shy smile. “We don’t want to be in the way. This is between Carl and Alex.”
    Jessie nodded. “We were just leaving.”
    “Good luck, Carl,” Henry said.
    On the bus the children talked about mistaking Carl for a burglar.
    “Now we can scratch Carl off our suspect list,” Jessie said.
    “Maybe we should concentrate on Janet O’Shea and the Mystery Man,” Violet said.
    “Yes!” Benny said in a loud voice. “Especially Janet O’Shea — because she’s always frowning!”
    “And we know she needs money to keep the troupe going,” Jessie said.
    The next morning, the Aldens arrived at the rink where Alex was skating. After finishing a figure eight, she skated over to the children. “I understand you knew about this before I did,” she said, giving a silvery laugh and holding up her left hand. The diamond ring sparkled and glistened.
    “Were you surprised?” Benny asked.
    “Very surprised!” Alex replied. “I guess I’m the happiest person alive.”
    Jessie and Violet leaned over to study the beautiful ring.
    Henry admired Alex’s pretty, glowing face. “You and Carl make a good pair.”
    “And not only on the ice!” Jessie added, smiling. She was happy for Alex.
    At the far end of the rink, Ollie was practicing his clown routine. He leaned forward in a lopsided spin.
    “We forgot about Ollie!” Benny said. “Maybe he stole the diamonds!”
    “Maybe,” Alex said. “But he doesn’t have much time. He practices a lot. He seems more interested in skating and making people laugh.”
    “I’m glad!” Benny said. “He’s a funny clown!” But he wondered. How long did it take to crawl in a window and steal a bagful of jewels?
    “There’s Miss O’Shea,” Henry said. “I wonder if she’d tell us who the man in black is.”
    “I hope you find what you’re looking for,” Alex said, skating backward. “You’re good detectives!” She smiled. “I’m glad you know Carl is innocent!”
    The Aldens left Alex and hurried over to Miss O’Shea.
    “Hi, Miss O’Shea,” Henry said.
    Janet O’Shea turned. “What is it? I’m a busy woman!”
    “We wondered about the man in black,” Jessie said.
    “The man in black?” She paused. “What do you want to know about him?”
    Benny squinted up at her. “Maybe he’s the robber.”
    “Oh!” The short plump woman sank down onto a seat.
    “Is he with the troupe?” Violet asked. “We’ve seen him spying on people.”
    Janet O’Shea gazed at her fingertips. “I don’t know who he is!”
    Jessie thought this was strange! They had seen Janet talking to this man. Maybe Janet and the man had planned the robbery together!
    Suddenly Jessie had a thought that hadn’t occurred to her before. “Have there been other robberies besides the Murrays’?” she asked.
    “Yes,” Janet O’Shea answered. “In every town where we’ve performed, one of our wealthy patrons has been robbed.”
    “So,” Jessie reasoned, “if anyone joined the troupe after the other robberies, that person would be in the clear.”
    Janet O’Shea’s finger tapped her chin. “No one is that new to the troupe.”
    Janet O’Shea stood up. “Time to go to work. I’ve a pile of bills to go through.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how I’ll pay my skaters.”
    She left, the Aldens staring after her.
    “Hi, everyone!” Marcia hobbled toward them. “I’ve been working on my costume.”
    “Are you going to be off your crutches soon?” Benny wondered.
    Marcia gazed at Benny. “Why?”
    “I want to see you skate,” he replied, folding his arms.
    “I’d like to see you skate, too,” Jessie said, taking a deep breath. There was no easy way to say what was on her mind.