Copycat Mystery Read Online Free Page B

mudroom—just a place to leave muddy boots and coats. But now it’s used as an office and lunchroom.”
    The children glanced around at what appeared to be a modern kitchen, complete with a refrigerator and stove. In the corner was a desk with a computer, and beside it, a filing cabinet and a bulletin board full of notices.
    “As you can see,” Gwen went on, “the room’s a bit cramped, but it gives me a place to do my paperwork. And it’s a quiet spot for the volunteers to come and put their feet up and maybe have a cup of tea. There’s a washroom, too, and a little changing room.”
    Jessie slipped her backpack from her shoulders. “Is it okay if I put our sandwiches in the refrigerator?”
    “Sure thing,” said Gwen. “I always keep a jug of cold lemonade in there, too. Feel free to help yourselves anytime.”
    As Jessie put their lunches away, Gwen pointed to the far end of the room. “That door leads directly into the Victorian kitchen,” she told them. “But I’d like to take you in the front way. That’s where the visitors come in, so you might as well have the same tour you’ll be giving them. How does that sound?”
    It sounded wonderful. Without wasting another second, the Aldens filed out of the office. As they headed back along the porch, Benny’s smile disappeared for a second.
    “Do we have to remember everything you tell us?” he asked Gwen.
    She shook her head. “All the information’s kept in folders in the filing cabinet. You can always brush up on anything you forget.”
    Benny looked relieved.
    “The Victorians liked to impress their visitors,” Gwen said as they stepped through the front door. “Especially when they first entered the house.”
    “It is impressive,” admitted Jessie, and the others agreed as they gazed around a huge entrance hall with a winding staircase.
    Violet, who had brought her camera along, snapped a picture.
    “On your right is the parlor,” Gwen went on, stepping aside so they could see through the doorway. “It was used on important occasions.”
    The shadowy room was overflowing with old-fashioned furniture. Portraits in fancy frames covered the walls and the top of the piano, while faded red curtains kept out the morning sun.
    “Wow!” said Benny. “There’s hardly room to move in there.”
    Gwen laughed. “To the Victorians, there was no such thing as too much furniture.”

    “Those chairs don’t look very comfortable,” said Henry, thinking about the big, cozy chairs in Grandfather’s house.
    Gwen said, “The parlor shows how prim and proper the Victorians could be. It probably wasn’t easy sitting on those stiff-backed chairs for long.”
    Jessie spoke up. “There wasn’t any electricity back in the Victorian era, was there?”
    Gwen shook her head. “No, there wasn’t, Jessie. They used coal-oil lamps back then. The lamps were usually on all evening and that meant there was a lot of smoke in the rooms. But smoke rises, so the high ceilings helped.”
    Henry said, “I was wondering why the ceilings were so high.”
    “Was the smoke from the lamps really that bad?” asked Violet.
    “It sure was,” replied Gwen. “If the lamps weren’t cleaned every day, the smoke around the glass would dim the light.”
    Just before they went on their way, Gwen gazed around the room with a troubled look on her face. “I’ve got the strangest feeling,” she said.
    “Is anything wrong?” Violet inquired in her gentle voice.
    Gwen shrugged a little. “Something just doesn’t look quite right in here. But I’m not sure what it is.” After one more glance around, she said, “Anyway, let’s see the rest of the house, shall we?”
    They followed Gwen into the sitting room, where chairs with clawlike feet looked a little more comfortable than the ones in the parlor. Violet guessed from all the books on the shelves that the Victorians must have enjoyed reading. And she was right. Gwen told them the Victorians were very fond of books.
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