Mystery of the Suspicious Spices Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1 A New Mystery?

  Chapter 2 The City of Seven Islands

  Chapter 3 Deepak and Sani

  Chapter 4 An Unhappy Surprise

  Chapter 5 Trouble at the Market

  Chapter 6 On the Case

  Chapter 7 Colorful Clues

  Chapter 8 He’s Getting Away!

  Chapter 9 The Two Detectives

  Glossary

  “The Mystery Across the Secret Bridge” Excerpt

  About Harper Paris and Marcos Calo

  Chapter 1

  A New Mystery?

  “This is the coolest castle I’ve ever seen!” Ethan Briar exclaimed.

  “It’s not a castle. It’s a palace,” his twin sister, Ella, corrected him. “It says so right here in Dad’s guidebook. ‘Taj Mahal’ means ‘crown of palaces.’ ”

  Ethan shrugged. “Castle, palace, whatever. It’s still awesome!”

  “An emperor named Shah Jahan built it in memory of his wife back in the sixteen hundreds,” their dad, Andy, explained.

  “It has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world,” their mom, Josephine, added. “Millions of people visit it every year.”

  “Wow!” Ella stared in awe at the white marble building. It was really beautiful—and really big, too!

  The Taj Mahal was the latest stop on the Briar family’s trip across India. So far, they’d visited a tea plantation, a desert, and a snow-capped mountain. They had ridden on a small, old-fashioned train called a “toy train” that chugged up steep hills. They’d seen lots of temples, including one shaped like a giant stone frog. Tomorrow morning, they were flying to the city of Mumbai, which was on the Arabian Sea.

  Mrs. Briar was a travel writer for their hometown newspaper, the Brookeston Times. Her job was to write articles about interesting places all over the world. The Briars had already been to Venice, Italy; Paris, France; and Beijing, China. Their last adventure before India was a safari in Africa! While Mrs. Briar worked, Mr. Briar homeschooled Ethan and Ella in their second-grade lessons.

  Mr. Briar pointed his camera at the twins. “Let me get a photo of you kids standing on the steps. Wait. Why can’t I see anything?”

  “You forgot to take off the lens cap, Dad,” Ethan told him.

  Mr. Briar laughed. “Oh, right! Okay, here we go. Smile!” Click!

  Just then, Mrs. Briar’s cell phone rang. She answered it. “Hello? Yes, this is Jo Briar.”

  She spoke to the person on the other end for a few moments. When she hung up, she said, “That was Mr. Deepak Singh. He’s an old friend of Grandpa Harry, and he lives in Mumbai. He invited us to dinner tomorrow night.”

  “Is he an archaeologist like Grandpa Harry?” Ethan asked.

  “No. He’s a spice merchant,” Mrs. Briar replied.

  Ella looked thoughtful. “You mean he sells spices? Like the ones in the grocery store?”

  Mrs. Briar smiled. “Sort of. In India, spices are very special. They are incredibly pure and delicious.”

  “Deepak is going to call me back later with his address and directions,” Mrs. Briar went on. “He had to get off the phone rather suddenly. Apparently, there was some trouble at his spice store.”

  “What kind of trouble?” Ella asked curiously.

  “I’m not sure. Maybe we’ll find out tomorrow night.” Mrs. Briar pulled a notepad out of her pocket. “Let’s go walk around the Taj Mahal before it gets too late! I want to jot down some notes for my article.”

  Ethan nudged Ella as they trailed behind their parents. Ella knew what her brother was thinking. Sometimes “trouble” meant “mystery.” And the twins loved mysteries!

  Chapter 2

  The City of Seven Islands

  The following afternoon, the Briars checked into their hotel in Mumbai. They were tired after their journey but excited to be in the big city.

  Ella set her suitcase on the floor of her and Ethan’s room and glanced out the window. There was a lush green garden with a row of feathery palm trees. Just beyond were the gentle blue waters of the Arabian Sea. She could make out a row of skyscrapers in the distance.

  Ethan plopped down on one of the beds and opened up their dad’s laptop. After a moment he announced: “We got an e-mail from Grandpa Harry!”

  Ella sat down next to him. The twins always looked forward to Grandpa Harry’s e-mails. He lived near Brookeston, and they hadn’t seen him in months.

  To: [email protected]

  From: [email protected]

  Subject: Welcome to Mumbai!

  Hello, my dears. Mumba’ī mēm āpakā svāgata hai! (That means “Welcome to Mumbai” in Hindi!)

  Mumbai is made up of seven islands, including one called Old Woman Island. There are islands outside of Mumbai, too, like Elephanta Island. When I went there I explored its ancient caves and dug up some very old coins.

  My friend Deepak owns a spice store in the Kamala Market in Mumbai. His father used to own it. I hope you get a chance to visit the store.

  Love,

  Grandpa Harry

  PS Deepak has a younger brother named Tufan. I’m not sure if he still lives in Mumbai.

  Ethan reached into his pocket and pulled out his lucky gold coin. Grandpa Harry had given it to him just before the Briars left Brookeston. It had a hawk on one side and a globe on the other.

  “I wonder if Grandpa Harry found my coin on Elephanta Island,” Ethan murmured.

  “Maybe!” Ella got out her purple notebook and opened it to a blank page. The notebook had been her going-away present from Grandpa Harry.

  Ethan smiled to himself. His sister was always writing down notes about everything.

  Ella found a pen and wrote:

  Visit Deepak’s spice store.

  Deepak has a brother named Tufan.

  Ella closed her notebook and gazed out the window. In the beginning, she and Ethan had not been too happy about going on a trip around the world. They hadn’t wanted to leave Grandpa Harry or their friends—especially their best friends Hannah and Theo.

  The twins still missed everyone. But their trip had been pretty great so far. In fact, they’d had amazing adventures in every place they’d visited.

  Ella wondered what brand-new adventures awaited them in Mumbai!

  Chapter 3

  Deepak and Sani

  “Are we there yet?” Ethan asked. “I’m starving!”

  “Almost,” Mr. Briar replied as he squinted at a map. “I think we turn right at that movie theater.”

  “Actually, I think we turn left at that café,” Mrs. Briar said, pointing.

  The Briars were walking through downtown Mumbai. They were on their way to have dinner with Deepak and his wife, Sani.

  The twins liked the bustling city. Double-decker buses rumbled alongside motorcycles and bicycles. Neon signs in English and Hindi blinked against the twilight sky.

  “Look out for the cow!” Ella cried out suddenly.

  The Briars stepped aside as a brown and white cow walked past them on the narrow street. Behind the cow, several cars honked their horns.

  The cow wasn’t the first animal the Briars had seen in Mumbai. Earlier, they’d spotted goats weaving through traffic. They had even seen a monkey jumping around on the sidewalk!

  There was a long line of people waiting to buy tickets at the movie theater. “We should see a Bollywood film while we’re here,” Mr. Briar remarked.

  “You mean a Hollywood film?” Ethan asked, confused.

  “No, Bollywood. The word is a combination of ‘Bombay,’ which is the old name for Mumbai, and ‘Hollywood.’ Mumbai is like the Hollywood of India. They make lots of films here,” M
r. Briar explained.

  They soon reached the Singhs’ apartment building. They rode the elevator up to the top floor, found the apartment, and rang the bell.

  The door opened. A woman beamed at them. She had shiny black hair that was swept back in a ponytail.

  “Welcome!” she said. “I am Sani. You must be the Briars.”

  Mrs. Briar introduced everyone. “I love your sari,” she told Sani.

  Ella looked at the red and yellow silk cloths that were draped around Sani’s body. She had noticed that a lot of Indian women wore them.

  “Thank you, Jo!” Sani said. “I must take you sari shopping while you are in Mumbai. A blue one would look lovely with your blond hair. Now, please do come in! Deepak, our guests are here!” she called out over her shoulder.

  There was a wonderful smell in the air as the Briars walked into the apartment. Ethan couldn’t figure out what it was, exactly. It smelled like a mixture of tomato soup, buttery popcorn, and Grandpa Harry’s herb garden back home.

  A tall, slender man strolled into the living room. He wore a white tunic that almost went to his knees and baggy pants. “Hello! Hello! I am Deepak. Please, come and sit. Dinner is ready. I hope you like vegetables.”

  Vegetables? Ethan made a face. He wasn’t exactly a fan of them.

  Everyone sat down at the table. Ethan dug into his food. To his surprise, it was delicious!

  “What are we eating? It’s fantastic!” Mr. Briar told Deepak and Sani.

  “We’re having lentils with spiced vegetables and basmati rice,” Sani explained. “The yogurt with almonds and spices is called shrikhand. The flatbread is called chapati. We’re also having mango chutney, which is like relish, and koshimbir, which is a cucumber and carrot salad with mint.” She added, “The spices are from Deepak’s store.”

  “My father told me that you have the best spice store in all of Mumbai,” Mrs. Briar said.

  Deepak frowned and looked away. Sani touched his arm.

  Mrs. Briar looked startled. “I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?”

  “My store is no longer the best spice store in Mumbai. In fact, it is far from it,” Deepak said with a sigh.

  Chapter 4

  An Unhappy Surprise

  “What do you mean?” Mrs. Briar asked Deepak, concerned.

  “Yesterday, when you and I were talking on the phone, Mrs. Gupta came by the store,” Deepak explained. “She is one of my oldest and most loyal customers. She had bought some saffron from me for an important dinner she was preparing.”

  “And?” Mr. Briar asked.

  Deepak’s face turned red. “She said that my saffron was terrible and that it ruined the meal!”

  “She said she would never shop at Deepak’s store again,” Sani added.

  “Oh no. That’s awful!” Mrs. Briar exclaimed.

  “Have any of your customers ever complained before?” Ella piped up.

  Deepak shook his head. “Never. My spices are the highest quality. People come from far away to shop at my store.”

  “What is saffron, anyway?” Ethan asked. It sounded like the name of a planet—or a superhero.

  “Saffron is a very valuable spice. It has a honey flavor. The spice is red, but it turns foods yellow,” Deepak replied.

  Ella pulled her purple notebook out of her bag. “What other spices do you sell?” she asked Deepak.

  “I sell many, many spices,” Deepak said. “In addition to saffron, I sell turmeric, tamarind, ginger, coriander . . . .”

  Ella flipped to a blank page and began writing as Deepak described his spices.

  Saffron: Very valuable. Honey flavor. The spice is red, but it turns food yellow.

  Turmeric: Slightly bitter. Golden-orange color.

  Tamarind: Sweet and sour. Used in desserts.

  Ginger: Good in curries.

  Coriander: Tastes like oranges.

  Cinnamon: Dad always puts it in our hot chocolate. It’s yummy!

  Ella stopped writing and flipped to the previous page. It said: Visit Deepak’s spice store and Deepak has a brother named Tufan.

  Ella wondered if Tufan worked at the spice store too. She also wondered if there was a mystery here that needed to be solved. What had happened to Deepak’s saffron to make it taste so bad?

  Ella turned to her parents. “Can we visit Deepak’s spice store?”

  “Of course!” Mr. Briar replied.

  Mrs. Briar nodded.

  “Why don’t you come tomorrow morning?” Deepak suggested. “Hopefully, there will be no more unpleasant surprises—or unhappy customers!”

  Chapter 5

  Trouble at the Market

  It was already hot and muggy out when the Briars took a taxi to the Kamala Market. Ethan liked the taxi, which was not a car but an electric rickshaw. It looked like a combination of a golf cart and a motorcycle!

  The Kamala Market was near the water. The twins had never been to a market like this before. It wasn’t like a farmers’ market or a flea market. It wasn’t like a shopping mall, either.

  Instead, it was a long, narrow alley crammed with tiny stores and stalls. Awnings stretched overhead and provided shade from the sun. Workers carried large boxes and burlap sacks on their heads. Delivery trucks came and went, revving their engines noisily.

  The Briars got out of the taxi and started down the busy alley. It was so jam-packed that it was hard to move. Ella remembered when she and Ethan had gotten lost in the Forbidden City in Beijing. She reached for her mother’s hand. She noticed that Ethan was holding their father’s hand, too.

  As the Briars made their way through the market, they saw many incredible things for sale. They saw glittering jewelry and saris in rainbow colors. They saw towers of pine-apples, baskets of purple eggplants, and fruits and vegetables they couldn’t even identify. They saw buckets of exotic flowers and garlands of blossoms hanging from wooden rafters.

  Mrs. Briar stopped in front of a rack of gold silk slippers. “Aren’t these lovely?” she gushed, snapping a picture.

  Nearby, Mr. Briar tried on a big straw hat. “How do I look?” he asked with a chuckle.

  The family finally arrived at Deepak’s store. It was wedged between a clothing boutique and an electronics shop. The sign said: SINGH & SONS SPICE COMPANY.

  Like all the other stores, Singh & Sons opened up to the alley. Out front, neat rows of spices in metal bowls were lined up on a table. Some spices were bright orange; others were golden yellow; and yet others were emerald green.

  Deepak and Sani appeared in the entryway and waved to the Briars.

  “Good morning! I am very glad you made it!” Deepak called out.

  Deepak and Sani gave the Briars a tour of the store. Shelves were crammed with jars of spices. Bins on the floor held even more spices. The air smelled like gingerbread cookies, autumn leaves, and dried flowers.

  “By the way, I am happy to report that I have had no more complaints from my customers,” Deepak told the Briars. “I suppose what happened with Mrs. Gupta must have been an unfortunate accident.”

  Mrs. Briar’s phone beeped with a message. She glanced at it quickly. “My editor wants me to interview some of the other shop owners here,” she announced. “Do you all mind if I slip away for an hour or so?”

  “You go on ahead, Jo. I want to check out a stall of antique maps that we passed back there,” Mr. Briar said. “Kids, do you want to come with me? The maps might come in handy for our history lessons.”

  Antique maps? History lessons? The twins exchanged a frown.

  “Ella and Ethan are welcome to stay with us,” Sani spoke up.

  “Yes!” Ella said immediately.

  “Can we? Can we?” Ethan asked their parents.

  Mrs. Briar turned to the Singhs. “Are you sure they won’t be in your way?”

  “Of course not! They can help me weigh spices,” Sani replied.

  “Stay right here until we get back, okay?” Mrs. Briar told the twins. “Promise you won’t go anywhere.”


  “We promise!” the twins said in unison.

  Mr. and Mrs. Briar said good-bye and headed out into the market. Deepak greeted some customers. Sani led Ethan and Ella to the back of the store. She showed them the special scale for weighing spices.

  Sani was scooping some cinnamon out of a glass jar when a man burst into the store.

  “You are the worst spice merchant in all of India!” he yelled.

  Chapter 6

  On the Case

  Sani and the twins rushed to the front of the store. The man now stood in the alley, his arms in the air.

  “What is going on?” Sani cried out.

  “I will tell you what is going on!” the bearded man burst out. “I bought some turmeric from this store yesterday. I was making my wife’s favorite dish. But the turmeric was terrible!”

  “B-but that’s impossible!” Deepak sputtered.

  A small crowd had gathered in the alley. Everyone was whispering.

  “I was about to buy some ginger here. But perhaps I should buy it elsewhere,” one woman said to another.

  “I think that is a good idea. I know another spice store in this market,” the other woman said.

  The two women walked away. The bearded man left too, as did the rest of the crowd.

  “This is a disaster!” Deepak moaned. “What happened with Mrs. Gupta was not a fluke, after all. Word of this will get around, and no one will come to Singh and Sons anymore. I am ruined!”

  “Oh, Deepak!” Now Sani sounded worried, too.