TBC 055: The Mystery of the Secret Message by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Author:Gertrude Chandler Warner [Warner, Gertrude Chandler]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781453213599
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Published: 2011-03-19T06:00:00+00:00

“Oh, no!” Violet exclaimed.

“The phantom strikes again.” Henry picked up a twisted wreath. “Grandfather will have to go back to the nursery and buy more greenery.”

“Maybe we can save some of this,” Benny suggested.

He walked over to the trash can near the town hall and lifted out a pile of holly.

Then he gave a cry. The others ran over.

“Look what I found!” Benny reached in and pulled out a familiar gray bag.

“My camera!” Violet unzipped the bag. Her camera was still there. Even her rolls of film were still stored in special pockets along the padded sides.

Jessie set her tote bag behind the bench.

“Why would someone take Violet’s case and then put it in the trash?” she asked.

Henry was puzzled, too. “If the thief didn’t want the camera, then what did he want?”

Violet drew in a breath. “The message photograph! I put it in the pocket with my film.” She hastily checked the bag. “And it’s missing!”

Henry snapped his fingers. “That explains why our things were gone through yesterday. Someone wanted that photograph bad enough to steal it!”

“Was it the person who sent the photograph?” Jessie mused. “Or the person who was supposed to receive it?”

“How come no one ever sees anything?” Henry wanted to know. “The statue was painted, the door numbers switched, and our decorations were ruined — all by an invisible person!”

“It’s the phantom of Greenfield Square,” Benny said.

Jessie shook her head. “It’s no ghost. The person is too smart to get caught, that’s all.”

At that moment, Rick Bass sauntered up. “Hey, guys,” he greeted. “Isn’t it a shame about the decorations?” He clucked his tongue.

“Where were you yesterday?” Jessie asked.

“I got tied up,” Rick replied. “Sorry I couldn’t make it.”

Benny wondered why Rick kept his hands in the pockets of his denim jacket. Could he be hiding something, like red paint under his nails?

Henry noticed this, too. “I have a jacket just like yours,” he said to Rick. “I wore it yesterday.”

“I know,” Rick said, embarrassed. “I came out to mail a letter. I saw your jacket by the statue and thought it was mine. When I put it on, I realized it was too small.”

Part of the mystery was explained. But Henry still didn’t know who had taken Violet’s camera bag.

Jessie was thinking the same thing. “Did you see anybody around the statue yesterday afternoon?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Not a soul. Hey, I found something I want to show you guys.”

“Where is it?” Jessie asked. She wasn’t sure she trusted Rick.

“In the museum,” Rick replied.

“We have to meet Grandfather soon,” said Henry.

“This will only take a minute. Follow me.”

Rick led the way through a side door of the town hall. He pulled the door shut and skipped down a flight of steep stairs. At the bottom, the cement landing was musty-smelling.

Violet sneezed.

“It is kind of moldy in here,” Rick said apologetically. “Old buildings are damp.”

He unlocked a second door. Leaving this door open, Rick entered the shadowed interior.

The Alden children followed cautiously.

“Watch your step,” Rick warned.

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