Midnight Mystery Read Online Free Page B

already have a clock inside me that says it’s lunchtime. If we’re quiet, you can hear it.”
    But the Aldens heard something else.
    Tap. Tap. Tap.
    “Where’s that coming from?” Jessie asked.
    Tap. Tap. Tap.
    “It’s going faster,” Violet said. “What’s on the other side of this wall?”
    Jessie scrunched her forehead. “Either the big coat closet or the entryway, I’m not sure. Let’s go find out. It’s the same sound we heard last night, but now it’s not windy out. It must be something else.”
    The children left the library. The tapping sounded closer.
    Henry pointed to the closet door. “It’s coming from in there,” he whispered. “See? There’s light coming from under the door.”
    Jessie went up and knocked.
    “I’ve got my hands fall!” a voice answered. “Just push if you need to come in here.”
    When Henry opened the door, the children found themselves facing Mr. Percy. He was huddled over a small table in the closet. He held a tiny hammer in his hand. On the table lay a bent iron hinge next to an open jewelry box, with a circle of dancers in the middle of it.
    “What is it?” he asked without turning around. “This is delicate work. The hinge to one of Alice Putter’s jewelry boxes is bent, and I mean to unbend it. Dust will get into the parts if I can’t get the top to fit tight. What do you need in here?”
    “Nothing,” Henry said. “We heard tapping and wondered where it was coming from. I guess it was you with that little hammer.”
    Violet stepped closer to Mr. Percy. “That hinge is so small. Is it hard to tap it into shape without breaking it?”
    Mr. Percy looked at Violet. For a second, he almost seemed as if he were going to show her how to fix the hinge. “Not if you know what you’re doing and you don’t have four children barging in. Yesterday, it was dogs, now it’s kids. Can’t a man work in peace around here?”
    “We’ll be quiet and still,” Violet said in her sweet way. “I would just like to see how you fix things.”
    Mr. Percy pushed his magnifying glasses up on his bald head. “There’s not enough light for a man to work around here with four other people looking on,” he grumbled.
    Benny took off his hat to show Mr. Percy. “Know what? You could borrow my flashlight hat. I made it by myself ... well, almost by myself. Violet helped me sew on the mirror.”
    Mr. Percy put his glasses back on his nose. “Hmm.” He studied the flashlight hat. Now he didn’t seem in such a big rush to send the Aldens away. “Hmm,” he repeated. He handed Benny back the hat. “I don’t need to borrow it. I suppose you can stay.”
    “Thank you,” Violet said. “I would love to watch what you’re doing. I made a crayon saver for the invention convention. I think I need a thinner, longer screw to go inside the lipstick tube I’m using to hold the crayon stub. The screws from Grandfather’s toolbox are too big. It would be fun to have lots of supplies and tools like you have.”
    Mr. Percy didn’t skip a beat with his tapping. “Well, why would a child have tools like mine? They cost a pretty penny.”
    Benny reached into the pocket of his jeans. “I have a pretty penny.” He hoped Mr. Percy would get the joke. “Here.”
    Before Mr. Percy could take it, the penny rolled off the table into an open cardboard box on the floor.
    Benny bent down to find his coin. “Hey why is this here?” he asked. “It’s one of the invention boxes from the garage.”
    Mr. Percy stepped in front of Benny. “Leave that be!” He reached into his own pocket, then put a penny on the table. “Take this one. Now we’re even. I don’t want anyone going through that box or anything else in here.”
    Benny’s mouth fell open, but nothing came out.
    “No, now you all have to leave. I need to finish with this,” Mr. Percy said. “You’re blocking the light with all your heads and hats and such.”
    The Aldens turned to go out.
    Violet looked back. She hoped Mr.