The Mystery of the Purple Pool Read Online Free

whirlpool over there. It’s not purple, too, is it?”
    â€œNo, it looks fine,” said Henry. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

    â€œNo, thanks,” Mike answered. “I’ll take care of it. But I’m glad you found this box of dye, Jessie. Who knows, it might be an important clue.” He smiled at her as he left the pool room.
    Again, Jessie blushed, and gazed after Mike.
    The Aldens slipped out of their T-shirts and shorts, and placed them with their towels on a deck chair next to the whirlpool. Benny was the first to dip his foot in the water. “Gosh!” he said, pulling it out quickly. “This is really hot!”
    â€œYes,” Henry said. “It’s not for swimming. It’s just for relaxing.”
    One by one, the Aldens stepped cautiously into the steaming water and sat down on the ledge around the whirlpool. The water was shooting out of little jets in the sides of the pool, swirling and bubbling all around them.
    â€œI think Jessie has a crush on Mike …” Henry teased, after a moment.
    Jessie’s face, which was already flushed from the steaming water, turned even redder. “Oh, Henry, I do not ,” she said. “He’s just … nice, that’s all.”
    â€œI think he’s very cute,” Violet said.
    â€œAnyway, we’ve got more important things to talk about,” said Jessie, quickly changing the subject. “Like who would dye a swimming pool purple?”
    â€œIf I didn’t know better, I’d think it was Violet,” Henry said with a smile. “After all, purple is your favorite color, isn’t it?” he asked his sister.
    â€œYes, but not for a swimming pool!” Violet said, grinning.
    â€œWhat about that mysterious man? He was up here before us,” Jessie said. “He might have dumped the dye in.”
    â€œHe did seem in an awful hurry to leave,” Henry pointed out.
    Just then, Mike and Don Parker burst through the doors. “Oh, my goodness!” Mr. Parker said when he saw the pool. “It really is purple! How could this have happened?”
    The children couldn’t hear everything the two men were saying, but they saw Mike showing Mr. Parker the empty box of dye that Jessie had found.
    â€œI’m getting too hot,” Benny complained. “Isn’t it time for breakfast?”
    â€œIt’s almost nine o’clock. Let’s go meet Grandfather in the coffee shop,” Jessie suggested.
    The Aldens dried off and gathered up their clothes. Walking past Mr. Parker, they overheard him telling Mike, “We’ll just have to drain the pool, clean it, and refill it. But I’m going to find out who did this, and why. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
    The children went to their rooms to change, and then took the elevator down to the lobby. Grandfather was standing in front of the coffee shop, chatting with a dark-haired woman.
    â€œLook, Jessie,” Violet whispered, grabbing her sister’s arm. “That’s the same woman we saw last night, peeking out of her door.”
    â€œYes, it is,” Jessie agreed.
    â€œThese are my grandchildren,” Grandfather said. “This is Karen Walsh. Her room is a few doors down the hall from ours.”
    Karen wasn’t any friendlier than she’d seemed the night before. “Yes, I saw you all coming in last night, and I was a bit worried. Children can be so noisy sometimes.”
    â€œWe’re not,” said Henry, a bit offended by her remark.
    â€œMy grandchildren are very grown-up,” said Mr. Alden, but Karen looked unconvinced. She stood with her arms crossed and her lips pressed tightly together. “How was your swim?” Grandfather asked the children.
    â€œYou were up at the pool this morning?” Karen said. Suddenly she seemed very interested in the Aldens. “How was the water?”
    â€œIt was purple!” Benny blurted