The Dinosaur Mystery Read Free

the Entomology Room.”
    â€œEntomology is the study of …” Mrs. Diggs began to explain to the children.
    â€œBugs!” Benny and Soo Lee shouted together.
    â€œPete told us when he took us to the bug room,” Violet said.
    Mrs. Diggs looked surprised. “Took you to the bug room? Whatever for?”
    â€œHe thought it was a shortcut to get to your apartment,” Henry said. “But we came here a different way, over by the dinosaur room.”
    â€œYou were in the dinosaur room, too?” Mr. Diggs asked. “How on earth did you get inside? I hope Pete didn’t fool with that lock. He’s still finding his way around, I’m afraid.”
    â€œI was afraid, too,” Soo Lee said, biting her lip. “The big dinosaur made big shadows way, way up.”
    Mrs. Diggs patted Soo Lee on the shoulder. “Well, you needn’t be afraid. We’ll get Titus to give you a tour during the day. My goodness, I wonder what Pete was doing over on that side of the museum at this late hour? Well, let’s get you all off to bed and figure this out in the morning. You children have a big day ahead.”
    â€œAnd a big dinosaur ahead, too!” Benny said in an excited voice.
    With Mr. and Mrs. Diggs leading the way, the children followed the couple up a short set of stairs to two rooms off a landing.
    â€œNow that Dino World is nearly ready,” Mrs. Diggs explained, “we’ve had to move a lot of things wherever there’s room. You’ll even find a few interesting things in these guest quarters. Usually we have scientists and museum people staying there, so it’s all decorated with specimens from the museum. I hope you children don’t mind.”
    The children stepped inside a small room with a second room connecting to it. Just like the rest of the apartment, these rooms were jammed with all kinds of objects from the museum.
    Mr. Diggs pulled down a tiny, stuffed animal with huge eyes to show Benny and Soo Lee. “Now this little fellow is a marmoset monkey. He’s about thirty years old. There was no room for him at the museum, so we adopted him.”
    Benny stroked the stuffed animal, which looked as if it had just jumped down from a tree.
    â€œI can move some of these things to a closet,” Mr. Diggs offered. “If they bother you.”
    â€œOh, but we like all this stuff,” Benny said. “Soo Lee and I take walks and find things — like my cicadas. I keep them in my room.”
    Soo Lee showed Mrs. Diggs her special box. “Violet and I found it in the woods. It’s a bird’s nest.”
    â€œA fine hummingbird’s nest,” Mrs. Diggs said as she turned back the covers on the beds. “You Aldens are all such curious children. I know our staff will enjoy showing you the Pickering’s wonderful treasures.”
    In no time, the Alden children were fast asleep, all except Jessie. Without Watch at the foot of her bed, she couldn’t fall asleep right away. The guest room faced the street, and the street lamps and traffic sounds kept her awake.
    â€œToo noisy,” she whispered to herself as she smoothed her covers, then her pillow, and tried to get comfortable.
    â€œToo bright,” she whispered more loudly. She finally got out of bed and went to the window.
    The big museum, straight ahead, was completely dark. Jessie watched the cars go by and the traffic lights change from green, to yellow, to red. Even at night, the city streets were so bright. Jessie reached for the windowshade to darken the room. As she did, she heard a faint buzzing sound in the distance. Was it traffic or a radio or a television or just ringing in her ears?
    â€œI wish Watch were here,” Jessie said to herself as she pulled down the shade. Then she stopped. Why was a light moving across some of the museum windows?

    â€œHuh!” she cried suddenly. There was a large dark shape in the tall windows across the