Secret Admirer by Ron Roy

Author:Ron Roy [Roy, Ron]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2015-12-22T00:00:00+00:00

The kids headed down Main Street toward the Shangri-la Hotel. Snowflakes covered their hats and shoulders. The Green Lawn Savings Bank had a red heart in the window. A message read: TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS, A BIG VALENTINE’S DAY THANK-YOU!

The kids reached the hotel and shoved open the thick glass door. Inside, it was warm and smelled good.

A fire crackled in the fireplace. In front of it, a man and woman sat reading. They each held a cup of tea. A plate of cookies sat on the table between their chairs.

Josh sniffed the air, the way Pal did when he was hungry.

“Peanut butter cookies!” Josh whispered. “My favorite food in the world!”

“Josh, you just had cookies at my house!” Ruth Rose said.

“But that was a half hour ago,” Josh said, putting his hand to his forehead again. “Do you want me to starve?”

“Quit faking,” Dink told his friend.

They walked up to the counter, where Mr. Linkletter stood watching them. He was a tall man with a thin mustache. His eyes looked sad, but the kids knew he was happy inside.

“Young people,” Mr. Linkletter said. “What brings you out on such a snowy Sunday?”

They told him about the notes and cards they’d been finding. “We want to figure out who our secret admirer is!” Ruth Rose said.

“The last note asked where pigeons fly in and out,” Josh said.

“So we went to Mrs. Wong, and she told us your aunt and uncle used to have pigeons,” Ruth Rose added.

“So we came to see them!” Dink said.

Mr. Linkletter shook his head. “There are no more pigeons, and my aunt and uncle are in Florida on vacation.” He looked at a small calendar on his desk. “They’ll be back on Tuesday.”

“But is the coop still up there?” Dink asked.

Mr. Linkletter looked toward the ceiling, as if he could see through it, all the way to the roof. “I believe so,” he said. “But the pigeons stopped coming back some years ago.”

“Could we see the coop, though?” Dink asked. “Because the note said where do pigeons fly in and out, and they flew in and out of the coop, right?”

Mr. Linkletter sighed. He picked up his desk calendar and gave it a quick polish with his sleeve. He straightened his tie and looked around the quiet lobby. Finally, he said, “I’ll take you up.”

He put out a small sign that said BACK IN FIVE MINUTES and motioned for the kids to follow him. They crowded into the elevator, and Mr. Linkletter pushed a button that took them to the top floor.

The elevator car opened into a dark, dusty hallway. There were no guest rooms, just some old furniture and cobwebs. It was cold, and Dink shivered.

Halfway down the hallway, Mr. Linkletter stopped and opened a door. He pointed up. “At the top of these stairs, you’ll find another door,” he said. “That door lets you into the attic. I believe the coop is next to the windows on the south wall.”

Josh peeked up the stairs. “It’s pretty dark up there,” he said.

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