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

map.”
    “Maybe there’s some other clue,” said Violet. “A clue that leads to the map. Or the treasure.”
    “Maybe the map is drawn in invisible ink!” said Benny.
    “Maybe, Benny,” said Jessie. “But I don’t think so.”
    “As soon as we finish painting, we’ll go through the papers again,” said Henry. “Maybe we will see a clue that we missed.”
    They had just finished painting for the day when Mr. Farrier’s red truck pulled up in front of the house. “Hello,” he said. “I finished repairing the gate and brought it back. Is Mrs. Ashleigh here?”
    “No,” said Violet. “But she will be back soon. She just went to the post office and the grocery store.”
    Mr. Farrier didn’t look happy when he heard that.
    “You could hang the gate while you wait,” suggested Henry. “We can help you.”
    Shaking his head, Mr. Farrier said, “No. I think I’ll put the gate around back.” He hoisted the gate out of the truck and put it on a hand truck. Then he wheeled it around to the back of the house.
    “What happened here?” he called a few minutes later. He stopped at the fence where the gate had hung and pointed at the hinge.
    “Someone came in the night and vandalized the fence,” Jessie explained. To her surprise, Mr. Farrier didn’t seem at all shocked.
    He took his glasses off and polished them on his shirtsleeve. “Hmmm,” he said. “Interesting. Well, I can fix that hinge in no time.”
    The blacksmith was as good as his word. In no time at all, the hinge was like new. “But don’t hang that gate up until I talk to Mrs. Ashleigh. Don’t even touch it,” he warned. He looked at his watch. “I can’t wait any longer. Please tell her to call me as soon as possible. It’s urgent!” He got into his truck, slammed the door, and drove away.
    “Mr. Farrier is acting weird ,” said Jessie.
    “Yes,” said Violet. “As if he thinks we’ll hurt the Pirate’s Gate. But why would we do that?”
    “Did you notice that he wasn’t at all surprised when we told him about the vandal?” Jessie asked.
    Henry nodded. “I noticed that, too. You don’t think Mr. Farrier did it, do you?”
    “Why would he do that? He just had to fix it again,” said Benny.
    Jessie said slowly, “Maybe we are wrong. Maybe the mystery didn’t start when we began to go through those old papers. Maybe the mystery started before that.”
    “What do you mean, Jessie?” asked Violet.
    “I mean, maybe the mystery started when we solved that first mystery — when we found the Pirate’s Gate,” she answered. “Come on. I think it’s time we looked at those papers again.”
    The Boxcar Children cleaned the paintbrushes and put everything away. Then they washed up and went back to the study.
    “What are we looking for?” Henry asked Jessie.
    “I’m not sure,” said Jessie. “But someone really wants the Pirate’s Gate. Maybe there’s something in these papers that will tell us why.”
    “Do you think a clue to the buried treasure might be hidden in the gate?” asked Violet.
    “Maybe,” said Jessie.
    “A treasure gate,” said Benny. “Like that bridge where Diana used to live.”
    “What are you talking about, Benny?” asked Henry, pulling a folder out of a pile on the desk. “Here. Here are the plans for the house and the gate.”
    “What bridge, Benny?” said Violet.
    “You know. That gold bridge,” said Benny. “With the earthquakes.”
    “Oh.” Jessie laughed. “You mean the Golden Gate Bridge, Benny. The Golden Gate . . .” her voice trailed off. Her eyes got wide.
    “That’s it,” she cried.
    “It is?” asked Benny. “Have I solved another mystery?”
    “I think you have,” said Jessie, giving him a hug.
    She bent over the plans spread out on the desk. They all stared at them.
    “What is it, Jessie? Have you found the treasure?” asked Henry.
    “Yes,” said Jessie dramatically. She pointed at the design for the Pirate’s Gate. “Right there!”

CHAPTER 9
A