The Mystery of the Black Raven Read Free

smiling. “I can tell.”
    “Well, I’m not,” Monique said sourly. “I wanted to order room service. It’s cold out here.”
    “We’re in Alaska,” Violet said. “It’s supposed to be cold.” She wondered why the older girl only had on a sweatshirt. As Grandfather had warned them, springtime in the northernmost state could still be chilly.
    They trooped down Broadway with other groups of tourists. Excitement crackled in the crisp air. Shop windows glittered with souvenirs, and old-time music bubbled from restaurants. People laughed and talked.
    Grandfather stopped at the corner of Broadway and Third Street in front of a building called the Golden North Hotel.
    “Here we are,” declared James Alden. “This is the oldest hotel in Alaska. Every year the Four Rock Miners met here. And this is where we hold part of our reunion.”
    A blast of cold air swept them all inside.
    Jessie gasped. Above her head arched a golden dome. The lobby was richly decorated with red velvet chairs and curved-back sofas. Antique mirrors with gilt frames hung on the walls. Heavy drapes covered the windows, but twinkling lamps in glass shades threw off an inviting glow.
    “Wow!” breathed Benny. “This is the fanciest place I’ve ever seen!”
    Grandfather laughed. “Yes, it is fancy. The hotel was built in 1898 during the Gilded Age, a very fancy time in our history.”
    “The Golden North has been restored to its original splendor,” added Miss Parker. “The antiques are authentic. And it even has a ghost!”
    “A ghost!” Benny exclaimed, looking around. “Where?”
    “Can we eat?” Mark broke in. “Or are we going to stand around all night?”
    “I believe our table is ready,” Grandfather said as the headwaiter came up to them.
    Their group was escorted to a large white-clothed table in the back, away from the other diners. The dining room was as grand as the lobby. Violet wished she had brought her sketchbook. She loved to draw interesting places.
    Menus were passed around.
    “Too expensive!” Earl Pittman complained loudly.
    “Well, we won’t have to eat here after tonight,” James Alden told the other man. “The original miners stayed here, you know. And this is where they ate dinner.”
    “They weren’t feeding a family of four,” Earl grumbled.
    “We should thank James for arranging this trip,” said Miss Parker. “Making the reservations at the Totem Lodge, having this special table here.”
    “The Totem Lodge is cold,” Edie Pittman argued. “I wish we were staying somewhere else.”
    “But we have the entire floor of that hotel,” Miss Parker said. “It’s perfect for a reunion.”
    Monique closed her menu with a disgusted sigh. “There isn’t one single thing on here I like!”
    Henry wondered why the Pittmans were so disagreeable. It seemed as if nothing pleased them. Henry certainly liked his food when it came—a delicious salmon burger.
    Over dessert, Grandfather explained more about the purpose of the reunion.
    “As I mentioned in my letters to all of you,” he began, “I’m the only one of us who has been attending the reunions for some years.”
    “My aunt used to come,” said Miss Parker. “But she’s too ill for such a long journey.”
    Grandfather nodded. “Our relatives who have been making the trip are either too elderly or have health problems. So you all are new to the tradition.”
    Steve and Jennifer Wilson held hands across the table. “I love it here,” said Jennifer. “It’s so romantic.”
    “Well, we decided the trip would be our vacation,” said Mrs. Pittman. “So far it hasn’t been much of a vacation.”
    “It’s dull here,” put in Mark, stirring the chocolate sauce of his brownie sundae into a mess.
    So what else is new? Jessie thought. She wondered why Mark ordered a sundae if he was only going to waste it.
    “You won’t be bored for long,” Grandfather told Mark. “We have lots of activities planned.”
    “I want to hunt for gold,”