Ghost in the First Row by Gertrude Chandler Warner Read Free Book Online Page B

change to the script.”
    Tricia stiffened. “No one pays attention to that stuff. Do you honestly think anyone will notice?”
    “The Aldens did,” Ray reminded her.
    “And so did Alice Duncan!” Benny blurted out.
    Henry and Jessie exchanged glances. There was no going back now. They could only hope they were on the right track.
    “Alice Duncan noticed?” Fern’s mouth dropped open. “That’s strange.”
    “Not as strange as you might think,” Jessie told her. “You see, Alice made one last entry in her appointment book before she died.”
    “Yes, I remember seeing it.” Ray nodded his head slowly. “Something about returning a pair of shoes, wasn’t it?”
    “That’s what we thought, too,” said Henry. “At first.”
    “And now?”
    “Now we think Alice realized there was a mistake in the last act of Lady Chadwick’s Riddle,” said Violet. “That’s why she wrote, ‘Shoe won’t fit. Tell P.J. to make change.’ ”
    “P.J.?” Fern looked over at Tricia suspiciously. “Patricia Jenkins?”
    “Hang on a minute!” Ray put up a hand. “How would Alice know anything about a mistake in your play, Tricia?”
    Tricia swallowed hard. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on her. Finally, she cleared her throat and said, “Alice Duncan was giving me advice on my play. What’s wrong with that?”
    “Why would Alice give advice to someone she didn’t know?” demanded Henry.
    It was a good question. Tricia said she’d never met Alice. Everyone waited expectantly for an answer.
    “I never actually met Alice,” said Tricia. “But I did send my play to her in the mail.”
    The children looked at each another. Tricia seemed to have an answer for everything. But Henry wasn’t giving up so easily.
    “Are you sure there wasn’t more to it than that?” he asked, giving Tricia a meaningful look.
    “What are you saying?” Tricia snapped. “You can’t prove I’ve done anything dishonest.”
    Ray’s eyes narrowed as he looked over at Tricia. But he didn’t say anything.
    “I bet a tape of Alice’s play would prove it,” Benny said, his hands on his hips.
    “What?” Tricia shifted nervously. “But … I … I checked every one of those tapes and—” She stopped abruptly as if realizing she’d said too much.
    Henry and Jessie looked at each other in surprise. Benny’s remark had only been wishful thinking. Had Tricia misunderstood? Did she think they actually had Alice’s voice on tape—recording Lady Chadwick’s Riddle?
    Benny looked Tricia straight in the eye. “You stole the box of tapes from Aunt Jane’s shed, didn’t you?”
    “That’s ridiculous!” Tricia forced a tense laugh. “Why would I do something like that?”
    Henry spoke up. “You wanted to make sure there wasn’t another copy of Lady Chadwick’s Riddle. ”
    “What’s this all about, kids?” asked Ray, who was pacing around the room. “Surely you’re not suggesting Tricia stole Alice Duncan’s play?”
    When she heard this, Fern’s jaw dropped. She was too shocked to speak.
    “What do you have to say for yourself, Tricia?” Ray asked.
    Tricia opened her mouth several times as if about to speak, then closed it again. Finally, she sank back in her chair, looking defeated. “It’s true,” she confessed, burying her head in her hands. “I signed my name to Alice Duncan’s play.”
    “What?” Ray stopped pacing. “How could you do such a thing?”
    “I knew it was wrong,” Tricia admitted, “but when I heard about the contest, I decided to enter Alice’s play.” She lifted her head. “The funny thing is, I really didn’t believe Lady Chadwick’s Riddle would win.”
    Jessie guessed what was coming next. “When it did, you decided to keep the cash.”
    Tricia didn’t deny it. “I’ve always had to work so hard to put myself through school.”
    Ray looked at her, stunned. “That doesn’t make it okay to steal.”
    “How did you get hold of Alice’s play in the first place?” Fern wanted to