Ghost in the First Row Read online

  As they pulled up in front of the Trap-Door Theater, Aunt Jane glanced at her watch. “I’ll get my errands done, then meet you back here,”

  “Perfect!” said Henry as they climbed out of the car.

  Aunt Jane gave them a little wave, then drove away.

  Violet slowed her step. “What if we’re wrong?” She was having second thoughts about their suspicions.

  “Grandfather says we’re seldom wrong when it comes to hunches,” Benny reminded her.

  “And if we’re right,” added Jessie, “we can’t let Tricia get away with stealing Alice’s play, can we?”

  Henry held the theater door open. “Don’t worry, Violet,” he said. “We’ll just ask a few questions and see how Tricia reacts.”

  “That sounds fair,” agreed Violet.

  Inside the theater, the Aldens hurried backstage where preparations for opening night were in full swing. Stagehands were rushing about, testing the lights and setting up props. As the children passed an opened door, a familiar voice called out to them.

  “The Aldens!”

  Ray, who was sitting at his desk, motioned for them to come in. Across from him, Tricia Jenkins and Fern Robson had their heads bent over their scripts.

  “Did you forget we’re out of posters?” Ray asked, smiling as the children stepped into his office.

  “No, we didn’t forget,” Henry told him. “We were hoping you might have time to talk. It’s about Alice Duncan.”

  Tricia suddenly glanced up from her script. A look of shock crossed her face, but only for a moment. She quickly pulled herself together. “We’re in the middle of a script meeting,” she said, making a shooing motion with her hand. “The play opens tomorrow night. We don’t have time to chat.”

  “Speak for yourself.” Fern frowned over at Tricia. “I could use a break.”

  “Let’s take five,” Ray suggested. He put his feet up on his desk and leaned back with his hands behind his head. “What’s up, kids?”

  The Aldens looked at one other. They weren’t really sure how to begin. Finally, Violet spoke up.

  “The thing is,” she said in a quiet voice, “we noticed a mistake in the play.”

  Jessie nodded. “We thought we should mention it.”

  Tricia looked amused. “Well, aren’t we lucky we have the Aldens around to give us a few pointers,” she said, though it was clear from her voice that she didn’t think they were lucky at all.

  Henry squared his shoulders. “It’s true,” he insisted. “There’s a mistake in the last act.” He reminded Ray of what he’d told them—that a footprint shrinks after the sun dries up the mud. Henry finished by saying, “If Lady Chadwick made the mold when the mud was dry, the butler’s shoe would never fit exactly.”

  “Of course!” said Ray. “How could I miss that?” He shook his head. “Looks like we’ll be making a 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 know.

  Violet turned to Tricia. “Alice hired you to type her plays, didn’t she?”

  Tricia nodded. “I was finishing up the last act of Lady Chadwick’s Riddle when Alice died. I figured if I put my name on the play, nobody would ever catch on. I really couldn’t see the harm,” she added, trying to make light of it. “After all, Alice would finally have a play performed in public.”

  “And you could take the credit for it,” finished Fern.

  “And the cash,” added Jessie.

  “There was only one problem,” said Ray. “You hadn’t counted on the Aldens coming along and figuring everything out.”

  Tricia had to admit this was true. “I thought it was a foolproof plan, Ray. At least, until I overheard you talking about Alice’s tape recorder. You said it was in the box with her tapes. That’s when it suddenly hit me that Alice might have made an extra copy of her play.”

  “So you went out to Aunt Jane’s on that rainy night,” Benny said. “And you took the tap
es from the shed. I saw you.”

  “Yes, I did,” Tricia confessed. “I checked every one of those tapes, but I couldn’t find another copy of Lady Chadwick’s Riddle.”

  “That’s because there isn’t another copy,” Jessie informed her.

  “You … you don’t really have Alice’s voice on tape?” Tricia’s shoulders slumped. “I can’t believe I fell for your bluff.”

  “You almost got away with it, Tricia,” Ray realized. Then he added, “You left the box of tapes under a seat in the first row, didn’t you?”

  Tricia nodded. “I figured everyone would think it was just another prank.”

  “Let me get this straight,” said Fern, her eyes flashing. “You’re the one who staged all those ghostly pranks?”

  “No!” Tricia cried. “I took Alice’s tapes, but that’s all. I had nothing to do with anything else.”

  The Aldens exchanged looks. Was Tricia telling the truth?

  “I can’t believe you took credit for someone else’s work,” said Ray. “How could you tell such a lie?” He sounded more disappointed than angry.

  Tricia looked at the floor. “I wish I could go back and undo what I’ve done,” she said, her voice shaking. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Sorry isn’t enough,” Ray told her, his face grim. “You’ll have to return the prize money, Tricia. And it’ll be a long time before anyone will trust you again.”

  With that, Tricia walked slowly from the room, looking truly regretful.

  CHAPTER 10

  Taking a Bow

  “I just can’t believe it,” Ray told Aunt Jane and the Aldens on opening night. They were gathered in Fern’s dressing room during intermission. “Tickets have been selling like hotcakes!”

  “Isn’t it wonderful?” said Fern, who was sitting at her dressing table. “The play’s sold out right through the summer!” She pulled out a tissue and blotted her lipstick.

  Violet’s eyes were shining. “That’s great news!”

  “When the truth came out about Tricia Jenkins,” said Ray, “I was afraid nobody would come near the theater.”

  “That worried me, too.” Aunt Jane nodded. “But, thank goodness, the newspaper put a great spin on everything.”

  The Aldens grinned as Henry pointed to the headline: TWO MYSTERIES FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!

  The report described how Tricia tried to steal Alice Duncan’s play—and how the Aldens had pieced together clues and cracked the case.

  Fern powdered her nose. “That article really caught the public’s interest.”

  But the children knew the mystery wasn’t fully explained. They still weren’t sure who was behind all the ghostly pranks at the theater.

  Henry had a question. “There’s something I don’t understand, Fern. If you really believed the theater was haunted, why did you keep coming here?”

  “Oh, it wasn’t easy, Henry,” Fern told him. “I even broke out in a nervous rash. See?”

  She pushed up her sleeve. “But you know what they say—the show must go on!”

  Henry looked at Jessie. Jessie nodded. Fern really believed the theater was haunted. It wasn’t just an act.

  “I knew you wouldn’t let everyone down, Fern,” said Ray. “And you must admit, we sure got some good publicity out of those ghostly pranks.”

  “Is that why you told the newspaper about the popcorn, Ray?” asked Henry.

  “Yes.” Ray nodded. “When I met the reporter—that morning at the diner—I told him everything. I figured I’d give him something worth writing about. I didn’t want the article buried somewhere in the back pages. And it did the trick, too,” he added proudly. “That story made front-page news.”

  Benny, who had been listening with a puzzled frown, suddenly spoke up. “But you met with the reporter before we even saw the spilled popcorn.”

  The Aldens looked at each other. Something didn’t add up. How could Ray mention something he hadn’t even seen?

  “Well, I, um …” Ray struggled to find something to say. Then he took a deep breath and said, “I guess you found me out.”

  “What are you saying, Ray?” Aunt Jane looked puzzled.

  “I’m saying I was behind all those practical jokes.”

  “What?” Fern stared at the director. She paused as if she couldn’t quite believe what she had heard. “You tried to scare me?”

  “It’s not what you think, Fern,” Ray told her. “I never meant to scare you. I even made sure you wouldn’t be at the theater to see the spilled popcorn.”

  “That’s why you wanted Fern to get her beauty sleep that morning,” guessed Jessie.

  “But why?” Aunt Jane questioned. “Why would you try to fool everyone?”

  “I love my job,” Ray said. “And I was afraid I’d lose it if the theater shut down.”

  “I don’t understand.” Aunt Jane shook her head in bewilderment. “What does that have to do with fooling everyone?”

  Henry was ready with an answer. “It was a publicity stunt, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, I thought it’d make headlines—and it did.” Ray shrugged a little. “So there you have it. I’m guilty as charged.”

  “Honestly, Ray!” Fern rolled her eyes. “Alice wrote a brilliant play. Tickets would’ve sold without any help from you.”

  “And Fern’s wowing the audience,” put in Aunt Jane.

  Ray couldn’t argue. “You’re right,” he said. “We didn’t need gimmicks to drum up ticket sales. I know that now.”

  “You did everything then?” asked Benny, who still couldn’t get over it. “The popcorn, the hat hanging from the chandelier, the—”

  “Not quite everything,” Ray corrected. “I wasn’t responsible for the missing tapes. That was all Tricia’s doing.”

  Jessie nodded. “No wonder you looked so shocked when Benny found the tapes under his seat.”

  “I knew I hadn’t put them there,” Ray said, chuckling to himself. “It had me wondering if the theater really was haunted.”

  “I guess you got a taste of your own medicine.” Fern gave him a sideways glance. “Didn’t you, Ray?”

  “Yes, I guess I did.” Ray turned to the actress. “Can you ever forgive me for what I’ve done, Fern?” he asked sheepishly.

  Fern folded her arms in front of her and looked away without answering.

  “Come on,” Ray pleaded. “Don’t be like that.”

  “For the life of me,” Fern said, shaking her head, “I don’t know why I should forgive you.” Then a slow smile began to curl her lips. “But … all’s well that ends well, I suppose,” she said, softening a little.

  Just then, there was a knock at the door. A muffled voice announced, “Two minutes, Miss Robson.”

  While Aunt Jane and the Aldens watched the rest of the play from the wings, Ray whispered, “I’m glad the truth is out about those pranks. It’s a load off my mind.”

  “The truth is out about Alice Duncan, too,” added Aunt Jane. “Now everybody knows who really won the contest.”

  “Thanks to the Aldens!” said Ray.

  When the curtain went down, Aunt Jane turned to the director. “I think you have a real hit on your hands,” she said, while a thunder of applause filled the theater.

  As Fern took a bow, she gestured for the Aldens to join her on center stage.

  “That’s your cue, kids,” Ray said, urging them on.

  The four children came out from the wings just as Fern announced, “I give you … Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny!”

  With the audience cheering, the Aldens took a bow.

  About the Author

  GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book, The Boxcar Children, quickly proved she had succeeded.

  Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family
home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car — the situation the Alden children find themselves in.

  When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.

  While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner’s books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens’ independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.

  Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

  The Boxcar Children Mysteries

  The Boxcar Children

  Surprise Island

  The Yellow House Mystery

  Mystery Ranch

  Mike’s Mystery

  Blue Bay Mystery

  The Woodshed Mystery

  The Lighthouse Mystery

  Mountain Top Mystery

  Schoolhouse Mystery

  Caboose Mystery

  Houseboat Mystery

  Snowbound Mystery

  Tree House Mystery

  Bicycle Mystery

  Mystery in the Sand

  Mystery Behind the Wall

  Bus Station Mystery

  Benny Uncovers a Mystery

  The Haunted Cabin Mystery

  The Deserted Library Mystery

  The Animal Shelter Mystery

  The Old Motel Mystery

  The Mystery of the Hidden Painting

  The Amusement Park Mystery

  The Mystery of the Mixed-Up Zoo

  The Camp-Out Mystery

  The Mystery Girl

  The Mystery Cruise

  The Disappearing Friend Mystery

  The Mystery of the Singing Ghost

  Mystery in the Snow

  The Pizza Mystery

  The Mystery Horse

  The Mystery at the Dog Show