Mystery at Peacock Hall Read Free

children went outside to check where the prowler had been.
    Henry showed them several dents in the soft earth near the foundation. “Whoever Violet saw used a ladder to look into the second-story window.”
    “But why?” asked Violet.
    Henry shrugged. “Maybe to scare us.”
    “Who knows we’re here?” Jessie pulled her hair off her neck. The day was warming up fast.
    “Nobody, except that great-nephew,” Henry replied. “And I don’t know why he’d try to scare us.”
    Benny was staring up at the first-floor window just above his head. “Look!” he said, pointing to something blue caught on the sandstone ledge.
    Since he was the tallest, Henry reached up and plucked the scrap of fabric free.
    “That’s denim,” Jessie said. “The material jeans are made out of.” She compared the scrap to Violet’s jeans.
    “A clue,” Henry said. “Nice work, Benny. Now we know the prowler is wearing ripped jeans.”
    “I knew we’d find a mystery here,” Violet said.
    “Two mysteries,” Benny corrected.
    “What’s the other one?” Jessie wanted to know.
    “The secret in this house,” Benny reminded them. “Cousin Althea was going to tell us about it, but we had to go to bed. Let’s ask her now!”
    He ran ahead, leaping up on the front porch and through the wide front door.
    Jessie called after him. “Save your energy, Benny! We have some serious housework to do.” She looked at Henry and Violet. “You don’t mind, do you? I feel sorry for Althea. The house is so big.”
    “I like old houses,” Henry replied. “And this one is neat.”
    Althea was delighted with Jessie’s plan. She gave them mops, brooms, and cleaning supplies.
    But before Benny lifted a dust rag, he had to know about the secret. “You said you’d tell us.”
    “Oh, that!” said Althea. “It’s just a silly story, passed from one generation to the next. Grayson told me there’s something in Peacock Hall that’s priceless.”
    “What is it?” asked Violet. She was curious, too.
    “I have no idea,” their hostess replied. “Grayson didn’t know, either. It’s truly a secret!”
    “It must be a hidden treasure,” Benny declared. “We’ll find it for you!”
    Althea laughed. “If anybody can, I believe you will, Benny Alden! You remind me of Celia when we were growing up. She was so full of life, just like you.”
    Benny flushed. “We haven’t seen the peacocks yet. Where are they?”
    “They wander the grounds,” Althea told him. “Don’t worry. You’ll know when they’re around,” she added with a grin.
    The kids started on the top floor. Jessie had never seen so many rooms.
    Althea followed them slowly up the steep stairs. “Don’t feel you have to scrub every room spotless. I want you to have fun. This afternoon I’ll take you to Monticello. I work there two days a week.”
    With the promise of a treat, the children set to work. Dust vanished from dressers and lamps; windows shone. Soon it was lunchtime. After eating Virginia ham sandwiches, chips, and lemonade, they set off in Althea’s ancient car to Monticello.
    As they drove down the road, Althea told them a little about Thomas Jefferson.
    “As Henry said last night, Jefferson was our third president,” Althea said. “He was a great statesman. Jefferson was governor of Virginia. He wrote most of the Declaration of Independence. He was the minister to France, the secretary of state, and the vice president.”
    “Whew!” Benny remarked. “He was a busy man!”
         Althea laughed. “Yes, he was! Besides all that, Jefferson founded the University of Virginia, built a great mansion, gardened, read, and wrote all his life.”
    Violet noted the signs they were passing. “What does ‘Monticello’ mean?”
    “It’s Italian for ‘little mountain.’ ” Althea turned onto another road that led up and up. “Back when Jefferson was alive, people had to walk up this mountain. It didn’t seem so little then! But they agreed it was worth