The Sea Turtle Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Author:Gertrude Chandler Warner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Published: 2019-05-05T16:00:00+00:00

The Expert at the Restaurant

“I hope this restaurant is a good one,” Grandfather said when they got into the car. “The owner of the inn recommended it to me. It’s supposed to have wonderful food and a great view of the ocean.”

As they drove, the children told Grandfather all about the turtles. They had so much to tell they were still talking when Grandfather got to the causeway.

“Is that the restaurant?” Jessie asked, noticing a big white building close to the water. “The Laughing Gull? A woman we met on the beach mentioned it.”

“That’s it,” Grandfather said. “It has quite a view. The side that faces the water is almost all windows.”

Grandfather parked at the back of the building, and together the Aldens walked around to the entrance. “Look,” said Henry, pointing to a small building across the street. “That must be Tommy Fischer’s office.” The small wooden building had a big sign across the top with the picture of the leaping fish. Henry explained to Grandfather about Mr. Fischer and his driving.

“He doesn’t seem very nice,” Benny said. “He yelled at us.”

There was a light on inside the building, and they could see Mr. Fischer sitting behind a counter. He had his head propped up with one hand and his eyes closed. “It looks like he’s asleep,” Violet said.

“That’s funny,” Benny said. “He should go home.”

“It looks like he’s in the middle of doing some work, judging by that big stack of paper in front of him,” Grandfather said. “I suppose he’s tired at the end of the day. It’s hard work running a business.”

When the Aldens reached the entrance of the restaurant, a big group had just gone in but had stopped on the other side of the doorway. One of the men said, “This restaurant is too fancy. Let’s eat someplace more casual.” He pointed down to his flip-flops. “I don’t think they’d want us in here.”

The hostess said, “Please, stay. We don’t have a dress code. You’re fine.”

“No,” the man said. “This wasn’t the kind of restaurant we were looking for.” The group walked out.

“Is it too fancy for us too?”’ Benny asked Grandfather.

“No, we’re fine,” Grandfather said.

The hostess gave the Aldens a big smile when they came in. “You can pick where you’d like to sit. As you can see, we’re not busy.”

The Aldens picked a table. “It is a fancy restaurant with the white tablecloths and chandeliers,” Violet said. She didn’t say it out loud, but she didn’t like the way the restaurant had been decorated. The walls and the chairs were gray, and it made the whole place seem gloomy.

The back section of the restaurant was roped off, and there were stacks of supplies sitting on the floor. A glass tank covered a big stretch of the wall.

“It looks like they are putting in a big aquarium,” Henry said.

Grandfather picked up his napkin. “An aquarium will be a nice touch. It will brighten up the place a bit.”

A woman carrying menus came over to their table.

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