were surprised.
âWow, that was great!â Aly said.
âAn awesome song,â AJ agreed. âHis lyrics have definitely improved.â
It was time for Aly and AJ to narrow the six contestants down to three finalists. They looked at their notes.
âClaire is definitely in,â Aly said.
âRight,â AJ agreed. âAnd Henry is definitely out.â
Aly nodded. âFor sure. He needs to branch out a little more. What about Amber?â
âSheâs good, but I canât imagine singing one of her songs,â AJ said. âSo that leaves Bree, Austin, and Josh. We can only pick two of them.â
Aly studied her notes. âI thought Austin and Josh were both great.â
âMe too,â AJ said. âBut Austin . . .â
âThereâs no proof,â Aly said. âAnd I really liked his song.â
Aly sighed. âOkay. Are we on the same page?â
AJ nodded.
âThen letâs call everyone out,â Aly said.
The six contestants filed onto the stage. Aly and AJ stood up.
âThis was a really tough decision,â AJ said. âEven tougher than the last round. Youâre all great songwriters. But weâre also trying to pick someone who can write a great song for us.â
âSo, our first finalist is Claire,â Aly announced. âGreat job.â
Claire let out a happy squeal and hugged Amber.
âOur next finalist is Josh,â AJ said. âJosh, you wowed us with your lyrics today.â
Josh pumped his fist in the air.
âThat leaves our third finalist,â Aly said. She saw that Henry and Bree were holding hands tightly. âAustin, weâll see you in the finals.â
Austin let out a whoop and jumped in the air.
Henry and Bree hugged.
âYou so deserve this,â Amber told Claire. âI hope you win.â
Aly and AJ watched them from their seats.
âNo Heather-like outbursts this time,â Aly said. âThatâs a relief.â
âMaybe,â AJ said. âBut I wonât be relieved until we solve this mystery.â
Aly shook her head. âAJ, everythingâs working out fine. Maybe we should just let it go.â
âWe canât,â AJ insisted. âThe winner of this contest is going to get a great prize and lots of attention. I donât want to crown a thief by mistake!â
CHAPTER TEN:
LOST AND FOUND
Aly and AJ were beginning to get their stuff together to leave when Henry and Bree approached them.
âWe just want to thank you for the opportunity,â Henry said. âThis was a great experience.â
âIt was so nice to meet you both,â Bree said. âBut before you go, Iâd love to get some advice.â
Aly and AJ chatted with them about writing songs and finding inspiration.
âI think it always helps to write about things you know about or have experienced,â Aly told them. âPeople can always tell when a song comes from your heart.â
Henry glanced at Bree. âI think I know what my next song will be about,â he said, smiling shyly. Bree blushed.
They talked for a few minutes more, and then Henry and Bree left.
âThey are so cute,â AJ said to Aly as Henry and Bree walked away, holding hands. âItâs nice that even though they didnât win the competition, they found each other.â
Aly swung her purse over her shoulder. âYou know, before we leave, Iâd like to say good-bye to Amber, too.â
âShe might be backstage,â AJ suggested. âLetâs go.â
They walked onto the stage and headed toward the backstage area. They could hear the contestants talking and AJ spotted a figure walking in the shadows, away from the stage door. The person had a sweatshirt on with the hood pulled up over his or her head.
âHey,â AJ murmured to Aly. âWho is that?â
âI donât know,â Aly replied. She raised her voice. âExcuse me, can
Major Dick Winters, Colonel Cole C. Kingseed