The Mystery of the Grinning Gargoyle Read Online Free PDF

again.”
    â€œJames Alden,” said the man, wiping what looked like white flour from his hands before patting the children’s grandfather on the back, “it has been years since you’ve eaten here.”
    â€œChildren,” Grandfather Alden said, “I’d like you to meet Izzy. His father owns the restaurant. Izzy was a student at Goldwin University at the same time I was. He studied art here, and is one of the best artists I have ever seen. He can draw, paint, or sculpt beautiful art pieces.”
    â€œI might know a thing or two about art,” said the man, “but I was never the student that your grandfather was. I spent more time with a paintbrush than I ever did in the library. Now let’s get you all something to eat.”
    â€œYou must have been baking something good,” said Jessie, who did much of the cooking and baking for her family. “That’s flour all over your hands, right?”
    Izzy wiped his hands a bit more. “Yes, yes,” he said nervously, “that’s flour on my hands. I’ve been baking bread, of course!”
    Since Benny loved eating so much, he knew the smell of baking bread. “Mmmm!” he said. “I can smell garlic and cucumbers and roasting meat! But I can’t smell any baked bread.”
    â€œOh, that’s right,” said Izzy, “my bread oven isn’t working, so I had to buy today’s pita and other baked goods from a bakery. Yeah, that’s what happened.”
    Henry and Jessie looked at one another. Something seemed strange with Izzy’s story.
    But all was forgotten for a moment when Izzy showed the Aldens to a table, where they sat down and began to look through the restaurant’s menu. Everything on the menu looked and sounded delicious.
    â€œWhere is your father?” Grandfather Alden asked Izzy. “He always made the best food.”
    â€œMy father retired a month ago and moved to Florida, where the weather is warmer,” said Izzy. “Now I’m running Goldwin Gyros. I’d be honored if you would try our latest and greatest specialty—the Gargoyle Gyro!”
    Benny’s eyes grew big when he heard the word gargoyle yet again. But they grew even bigger when he saw that particular item on the menu. “That looks good! But, wait, what’s a ji-ro?” he said, pronouncing the name of the food all wrong.
    â€œIt’s called a year-ro,” said Izzy, “pronounced to rhyme with ‘hero.’ And it’s a Greek sandwich. Sliced and roasted meat is wrapped up with vegetables like tomatoes and onions inside a freshly baked piece of pita bread. Then I slather the whole thing with creamy cucumber sauce. My gyros have always been the biggest and best in town. But the Gargoyle Gyro is even bigger and better!”
    â€œThe Gargoyle Gyro is huge!” Benny said, pronouncing the word right and pointing to the picture of a gigantic gyro sandwich. “But I bet I can finish the whole thing. I’ll take one Gargoyle Gyro, please, Mr. Izzy.”
    Benny’s family also decided what they wanted for dinner, and Izzy hurried their order to the kitchen in back.
    â€œThere sure are a lot of gargoyles in this place,” Violet whispered to Jessie.
    â€œViolet’s right,” Jessie whispered to Henry. “After what we saw earlier, all of these gargoyles are a little bit creepy.”
    â€œMaybe Izzy just really likes gargoyles,” Henry said. “And maybe he can help us with our gargoyle mystery. Let’s ask him when he comes back.”
    When Izzy came back out carrying a tray with five plates of piping hot food, he sat down with the Aldens and began to catch up with Grandfather.
    â€œThis is the same thing I ordered when I was a young man,” said Grandfather, biting into a juicy hamburger and washing it down with a thick vanilla milkshake.
    Henry had a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of cheesy broccoli soup.