Mystery at Skeleton Point Read Free

over to Skeleton Point.”
    “That’s what he did with us,” Henry said. “Disappeared right under the water.”
    As Charlotte led the children to a greenhouse in back of her house, she told the children more about Greeny. “I suppose I should be glad that he and Max do such a good job of guarding the property. The problem is, he chases off everyone, including the locksmith I sent over last week! Maybe the four of you will have better luck getting to know him and Max.”
    “We like dogs,” Jessie said. “Especially watchdogs. Our dog, Watch, guarded us when we lived in a boxcar we fixed up in the woods after our mother and father died. Now Watch watches out for us at Grandfather’s house.”
    Charlotte put her arm around Jessie. “I’m so glad Watch — and Cousin James — found you. Now, here’s another house for you to live in while you’re here — my old greenhouse. I didn’t need all of it for plants, so I turned the rest of it into a guest cottage. See?”
    “Oh.” Violet was so pleased when she walked into the all-glass building, she hardly knew what to say. “We’ll be able to see the stars and moon at night.”
    “And the moon and stars will be able to see you — at least when this foggy weather blows away.” Charlotte led the children to the far end of the greenhouse. “You can put your sleeping bags down on these camp cots. You’re also welcome to sleep out at Skeleton Point anytime. There are several decent beds in the tower of the house. Just bring your sleeping bags.”
    “Too bad the rest of us have to sleep in a house with a roof you can’t see through,” Grandfather joked. “You’ve done a wonderful job with this greenhouse, Charlotte. We certainly spent a lot of happy hours in here when we were children. Now it’s my grandchildren’s turn to have some fan in here.”
    “I hope so,” Charlotte said. “Now come inside my real house for some cookies and lemonade. You children must be starving.”
    “I sure am,” Benny said as if he had completely forgotten the ice cream cone he’d polished off just a little while before.
    The children followed Charlotte through the back garden and into her kitchen. Just as everyone sat down, the phone rang.
    “Help yourselves,” Charlotte said before she went to answer it.
    The children passed around a basket of oatmeal cookies. While they munched, they could hear Charlotte speaking with someone about Skeleton Point and the Aldens.
    “You’ll love Cousin James’s grandchildren,” they heard Charlotte say. “They are very grown-up and love hard work. They once fixed up an old boxcar in the woods and lived in it.”
    Charlotte looked a bit more thoughtful when she returned. “Sorry I took so long. That was Hilda Stone. She’s an artist who just opened a studio in Shady Lake. William hired her to assist with the artworks that came with the Skeleton Point property,” Charlotte said. “I must say, the two of them have some very definite opinions about the work out there and how it should be done. Sometimes they forget that I’m the owner!”
    “Violet’s an artist, too,” Henry said. “If you need any drawings or pictures, Violet’s the one to ask.”
    Charlotte nodded. “That’s just what your grandfather told me on the phone. I’d love to have you children photograph and draw some of the artworks at Skeleton Point so I can have some before-and-after pictures. The statues are just crumbling to pieces, especially lately. That’s how all the Walking Skeleton stories got started.”
    Benny put down his cookie. “A lady at the general store said the Walking Skeleton takes arms and hands from the statues so it can turn into a person again!”
    “That’s one of the tales going around, but, of course, it’s just a story,” Charlotte said. “I really don’t know how the statues got damaged recently. They are quite old and already worn away by the weather. But now a few pieces are missing — not just falling off, but