he planned how to play it off as a sort of game.
Then the door opened and Alden came in.
Both boys held their breath, not daring to so much as breathe.
Alden walked to the wall next to a bright window, where a small
board Arthur had made hung. It held keys to every room in the
house, neatly labeled in Cora’s precise handwriting. It had been a
Christmas gift for Mrs. Johnson, who was forever fumbling for the
right key or misplacing spares.
The kitchen was locked all the time unless the cook or Mrs.
Johnson were in here.
Except when Arthur opened it this morning and neglected to
lock it behind himself.
Reaching up, Alden slipped the key to Cora and Minnie’s
room free, replacing it with his own similar-looking one. He
tucked the key into his jacket pocket, humming softly to himself,
and slid back out of the kitchen.
“Did he just take the key I think he took?” Thomas whispered.
Arthur pushed out past him, taking Alden’s key off the hook
and putting his own kitchen key in its place. Thomas followed
him out into the hall.
“Where are you going?”
“To sit in front of Cora and Minnie’s room until they wake up.”
“But what are we going to do about Alden? He has their
key now!”
Arthur’s face darkened. “We steal it back.”
Thomas suggested a game of croquet on the front lawn that day.
Charles sat in a chair, a blanket over his legs as he cheered Minnie
on. Cora chided Minnie for cheating and complimented Thomas
on his form. Arthur leaned in a shadow against the side of the house,
watching the front door.