Mystery at the Crooked House Read Online Free Page A

Mystery Lady?”
    “Exactly,” replied Mrs. McGregor. “I suppose it might seem odd that we would welcome an imposter into our home. But she was so gracious and kind. After a while, it just didn’t matter who she really was. We called her the Mystery Lady, and she seemed to enjoy it,” Mrs. McGregor had a faraway look in her eyes. “The Mystery Lady loved Riddle Lake. She even painted a picture of how she imagined it would look in the winter. She was only a beginner, but the painting is quite lovely. As a matter of fact, that painting’s still hanging in her old room at the top of the stairs—the room that looks out onto the lake.”
    “Oh!” said Violet in surprise. “That painting’s in the room Jessie and I are sharing!”
    Mrs. McGregor gave a little nod and smiled. “She liked the view from that room. Actually the lake was the reason the Mystery Lady and I became such good friends. I remember we had a long discussion one day about how it came to be called Riddle Lake. Of course, that’s a mystery no one will ever solve. But that day, we realized we shared a common interest in riddles. Madeline always kept her distance, but the Mystery Lady and I soon became the best of friends!”
    “Why did Madeline keep her distance?” asked Jessie curiously.
    Mrs. McGregor sighed. “My sister likes everything to be out in the open. She’s always been rather suspicious of anyone who has a ... a hint of mystery about them. And our guest from long ago had far more than just a hint of mystery about her!”
    “Did she ever tell you her real name?” asked Benny his eyes round.
    Mrs. McGregor shook her head. “No, we never discovered her true identity. It remains a secret to this very day. I guess I was always hoping that one day she’d tell me about her life away from Riddle Lake. But it never happened.” A shadow seemed to pass over Mrs. McGregor’s face. “One summer, the Mystery Lady suddenly just stopped coming to the Crooked House.”
    The Aldens were surprised to hear this. “You never heard from her again?” inquired Henry.
    “She never got in touch?” asked Jessie at the same time.
    “Just once, the winter after her last visit,” said Mrs. McGregor. “I received a short note in the mail from the Mystery Lady. A note with a riddle and a promise that the answer would lead to a hidden treasure!”
    Benny was jiggling up and down. “What was it, Mrs. McGregor? What was the riddle?”
    Smiling at the youngest Alden’s enthusiasm, Mrs. McGregor went over to a cupboard with glass doors. She took out a battered old shoe box and came back to her chair by the fire. Lifting the lid of the box, she fished out a folded piece of paper, yellowed with age.
    As the Aldens leaned forward to catch every word, Mrs. McGregor unfolded the note and read the riddle aloud.
    “‘What is the thing that
    You never need fear
    Though teeth like a dragon
    It grows every year?
    You’ll find that its bark
    Is much worse than its bite,
    Though its dragonly teeth
    Are a most scary sight!’”
    “Teeth like a dragon?” echoed Benny in amazement.

    Mrs. McGregor nodded. “There’s also a P.S. at the bottom of the note. It says, ‘It will take a second to uncover a hidden treasure.’ And then it’s signed ‘The Mystery Lady’ ”
    After hearing the riddle one more time, Henry said, “That’s a tough one!”
    “Yes, indeed!” agreed Mrs. McGregor. “And it certainly didn’t take me a second to uncover the hidden treasure! My goodness, I must have spent hours and hours trying to figure it out. Finally, I searched the house from top to bottom. I was hoping I just might come across the treasure that way.”
    Benny looked puzzled. “I wonder what grows dragon teeth every year.”
    “Something that won’t do any harm!” Violet reminded her younger brother.
    “That’s right.” Henry nodded. “The riddle says its bark is worse than its bite.”
    Benny shoved the last few crumbs of cake into his mouth. “That’s just