The Statue Walks at Night by Joan Lowery Nixon Read Free Book Online

freezer.”
    Brian began to look through the pictures, which gave Sean a chance to attack the brownies.
    â€œDad left a message, too,” Brian said. “He’s going to be in a meeting.”
    As Sean stuffed half a brownie in his mouth, Brian held up one photo. “That’s weird,” he said. He pointed at something in the photo. “What’s this blurred, lumpy thing off to the side?”
    Sean leaned over Brian’s shoulder and squinted at the photo. “Oh,” he said, “that’s Debbie Jean Parker’s nose.”
    â€œWhat’s it doing in the picture?”
    â€œDon’t blame me. I tried to keep it out.”
    Brian held up another photo. “Is this part of Debbie Jean, too?”
    Sean studied the picture. “It might be her ear.”
    â€œWho’s this guy?” Brian asked.
    Sean picked up a photo he’d taken in the Egyptian room. Half a dozen kids from his class were bending over the exhibits. A man stood in the doorway watching them.
    â€œThat’s Dave Brandon,” Sean said. “I didn’t notice him when I took the picture. Debbie Jean kept distracting me. You can see in the picture that his left hand is bandaged.”
    â€œI wonder why,” Brian said.
    â€œI didn’t take the time to ask,” Sean told him. He spread out some of the photos on the table.
    â€œLook,” Sean said around a mouthful of brownie. “There he is in the picture I took in the California history room. And there— he’s standing in the doorway to the early weapons room.”
    â€œI wonder if he was following you,” Brian said. “Maybe he was afraid you’d take flash photos of the art when you weren’t supposed to.”
    Sean told Brian about how Mr. Brandon nabbed him in Mr. Vanstedder’s office and how he had let go of Sean in a hurry when he found out who he was.
    â€œIt could be he wanted to make sure I didn’t take pictures of something he wanted to hide,” Sean said.
    Brian looked through the other photos. “Hey! Great! You were able to get some pictures in the office area. Here’s Hilda Brown’s desk with some cartons and…what’s this big brown thing?”
    Sean sighed. “Debbie Jean’s shoe.”
    Brian studied the rest of the pictures. “There’s Mr. Vanstedder,” he said. “And I suppose this thing in the corner is another part of your friend Debbie Jean.”
    â€œShe’s  not my friend. She’s something weird that was dumped here by hostile aliens from outer space.” Sean pointed at the photo. “That’s Mr. Vanstedder’s cane,” he said. “I accidentally knocked it down, and he got really mad at me.”
    Brian frowned. “Wait a minute,” he said. “Mr. Vanstedder’s seated behind his desk, but his cane’s way across the room, near the door to his office. He needs the cane for support, so why would he prop it so far from his desk? How would he get to it?”
    â€œHop on one foot?” Sean suggested.
    Brian’s eyes lit up as he remembered the hollow cane with the sword in it and Sam’s joke about a vampire keeping his lunch money in a hollow cane. “Was the cane heavy or light?” he asked Sean excitedly.
    Sean thought for a minute. “Real light,” he said. “It’s made out of aluminum.”
    Brian jumped up, pushing back his chair. “Sean!” he said. “We’ve got the answer! Mr. Vanstedder stole the sketches and paintings. He knew that Mrs. Gomez would call the police, but it would take a while to work out the sale of the stolen art. He didn’t want to take the chance that the police would search the employees’ homes and find the stolen art there, so he hid the art inside the statue of Anubis in the museum.”
    Sean was confused. “OK, but what