Read Boxcar Children 54 - Hurricane Mystery for Free Online Page A

shop. Seeing their surprised looks, he said, “Someone tried to break in last night. He got scared away, but better safe than sorry.”
    “It would be hard to steal your ironwork,” said Violet. “It’s so heavy.”
    Mr. Farrier shrugged.
    “I guess we’d better go meet Mrs. Ashleigh,” said Jessie. “Thank you, Mr. Farrier.”
    “You’re welcome,” said Mr. Farrier. He gave them directions to the bank and the Aldens left.
    They’d almost reached the bank when Jessie grabbed Henry’s arm. “Look,” she said. “It’s him!”

CHAPTER 8
The Mysterious Stranger
    U p ahead, Forrest Ashleigh, Mrs. Ashleigh’s son, had just come out of the bank. He looked like a banker himself in his dark suit and tie.
    But it wasn’t Mr. Ashleigh that Jessie was pointing toward. It was the person in the gray raincoat. He — or she — was in the shadows, leaning against the side of a building. The person raised a hand and signaled Mr. Ashleigh to come over. Mr. Ashleigh looked around, scowled, and then walked toward the stranger.
    “We have to get closer,” said Henry. “We have to see who that is.”
    Trying to act as if nothing were wrong, the four children walked casually toward the bank.
    “Don’t stare, Benny,” said Jessie. “It looks suspicious.”
    “I’m not,” said Benny, keeping his gaze fastened on Mr. Ashleigh and the stranger.
    “So Mr. Ashleigh knows the stranger,” said Jessie. “Hmm. Very interesting.”
    “Very suspicious, if you ask me,” said Henry.
    Violet said, “I don’t think Mr. Ashleigh ever smiles. He is always frowning when we see him.”
    Mr. Ashleigh shook his head. He folded his arms. The stranger pointed toward the bank. Mr. Ashleigh shook his head again.
    Just then a voice said, “Henry! Jessie! Violet! Benny! Over here!” Mrs. Ashleigh came down the steps of the bank toward the Aldens.
    As she did, the stranger turned and ducked quickly down the alley by the building. Mr. Ashleigh looked over his shoulder at his mother.
    She saw him and waved. “Forrest! Come over here. I want you to meet someone.”
    Grudgingly, her son came over to join them. “Forrest works in this bank,” she said. “He’s vice president!”
    Forrest Ashleigh shook hands with each of the Aldens and said hello. “I hear you’ve been helping my mother with Hurricane Heap,” he said.
    “Hurricane Heap?” asked Violet.
    Forrest smiled unexpectedly at Violet. When he did, he looked a lot like his mother. And a lot nicer than he had seemed earlier. At least, that’s what Violet thought.
    “It’s what I call the old house. Oh, it’s a nice old house and I love it. But sooner or later it’s going to blow away in a hurricane and then what will be left?”

    “It’s been around a lot longer than you or I have,” said Mrs. Ashleigh.
    Forrest looked as if he wanted to argue, but he didn’t. Instead he said, “Well, nice to meet you. Thanks for helping Mother with Hurricane Heap. I just hope another hurricane doesn’t come along and blow you away before you finish cleaning up the mess from this one!”
    Henry cleared his throat. “Mr. Ashleigh? Who were you talking to just then?”
    Forrest Ashleigh paused. He frowned again. Suddenly he didn’t look so friendly. “Nobody,” he said, after a long moment. “That is, nobody I knew. It was just someone who asked me the time.”
    Still frowning, he turned on his heel and left.
    The Aldens painted the railings of the porch all afternoon. As they painted, they talked about the mystery.
    “I think someone is definitely after the pirate’s treasure,” Benny insisted. “The gold that Mr. Ashleigh buried. Not Mrs. Ashleigh’s son,” he added. “Mr. Ashleigh the pirate.”
    “I think so, too,” said Jessie. “This all started when we were helping Mrs. Ashleigh go through those boxes of papers for the museum.”
    “But there is no map in the papers,” said Henry. “We have been all through them. There is nothing that looks like a treasure