Ghost of the Chattering Bones by Gertrude Chandler Warner Read Free Book Online Page A

Aldens breathed a sigh of relief. “Can you believe it?” said Jessie. “One day she’s making fun of us for being detectives, and the next she’s—”
    “Pumping us for information,” finished Henry. “How weird is that?”
    “Maybe we should forget about Annette for now,” advised Violet. “We have a mystery to solve, remember?”
    “You’re right, Violet,” said Jessie. “Time to check out the photograph of Stone Pool. I’m sure Norah won’t mind.”
    “The album’s in a cabinet somewhere in the living room,” Benny recalled. “At least, that’s where Pam was supposed to put it.”
    Sure enough, the Aldens found the album on the bottom shelf of an old pine cabinet with frosted glass doors. They made themselves comfortable on the sofa, then leafed through the album until they came to the old photograph. Jessie read the words at the bottom aloud one more time. “The village of Stone Pool as it appeared on a summer afternoon in 1810.”
    “That’s funny,” Violet said, looking over Jessie’s shoulder. “The date’s been underlined three times.” She wasn’t sure but she thought it might be some kind of clue.
    But Jessie had a feeling the photograph itself contained a clue. She held it at arm’s length, tilting her head to one side and then the other. “I don’t get it,” she said at last. “I can’t spot anything unusual, can you?” She passed the photograph to Henry.
    Henry bent over to examine it. “It’s just a picture of a village in the olden days. Nothing strange about it.” He passed the photograph to Benny.
    “I can see lots of people going in and out of stores,” observed Benny. “Nothing strange about that, either.”
    Violet took the photograph that Benny handed her and studied it closely. “There’s something wrong here,” she said. “But I can’t figure out what it is.”
    “There must be something we’re not seeing,” said Jessie.
    But Henry was having second thoughts. “Maybe we’re on the wrong track.”
    Without taking her gaze off the photograph, Violet said, “I think we’re on the right track, Henry. I’ve got a strong hunch about it.”
    “Well, right now we’re going nowhere fast,” Henry pointed out.
    “And I think better on a full stomach,” added Benny.
    Henry grinned. “We get the hint, Benny. Let’s get some lunch.”
    “We’d better not take the photograph into the kitchen with us,” Jessie said. “We might get food on it.”
    As Jessie placed the photograph on the coffee table, she thought she heard something—a slight shuffling sound in the hall. Was it just her imagination? Or was someone listening to them?
    Violet swallowed a mouthful of soup. “It’s so strange.”
    “What’s strange, Violet?” Henry asked, helping himself to a grilled cheese sandwich.
    “I can’t put it into words, but there’s something about that photograph of Stone Pool that bothers me.”
    “It’s a really old photograph, Violet,” Benny pointed out. “It’s kind of faded.”
    “That’s true, Benny.” Violet poured more lemonade. “It’s more than that, though. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something’s not right.”
    “When it comes to mysteries,” Jessie said, “your hunches are seldom wrong, Violet. We’ll check it out again after lunch.”
    After the delicious cookies had been sampled, and the dishes done, the Aldens made a beeline for the living room.
    “Where’s the photograph of Stone Pool?” Benny demanded.
    “It’s gone!” Jessie said. “It ought to be right here on the coffee table.”
    Violet nodded. “I remember seeing you put it there.”
    “Then … what happened to it?” asked Henry, glancing around in bewilderment.
    Violet had a thought. “Maybe somebody put it back in the album.”
    “I sure hope that’s the explanation,” said Jessie. She quickly checked it out, but it was no use. The photograph of Stone Pool wasn’t there.
    “I can’t believe it,” said Violet. “Who could have taken