When the Aldens came downstairs the next morning, a pancake breakfast was waiting for them. Aunt Jane was having a cup of coffee and reading the paper. She looked up as the children came into the room.
“You’re not going to believe what’s in the paper,” she said, shaking her head.
The Aldens were instantly curious. As they crowded around, Aunt Jane read the headline aloud: IS THE TRAP-DOOR THEATER HAUNTED?
“Oh, no!” Violet cried.
Over breakfast, Aunt Jane read the article to them. It was all about the strange things that had been happening at the theater. It finished with the story of the spilled popcorn—and the spotlight shining on the first row.
“I don’t get it.” Henry lifted a sausage onto his plate. “We cleared all the popcorn away before anybody saw it. How did the newspaper find out?”
“I suppose somebody leaked it to them,” said Aunt Jane.
“But we were the only ones who knew about it,” Benny insisted, pouring syrup over his stack of pancakes.
“You’re forgetting about Ray,” Henry reminded them.
“Oh, right.” Benny licked a drop of syrup from the back of his hand.
“You think Ray told the paper?” Violet wondered.
Henry nodded. “That’d be my guess. After all, he said they wouldn’t do a write-up on the theater—unless it was sure to grab the readers’ attention.”
“But … will people still will buy tickets?” Benny wanted to know.
Aunt Jane sighed. “It could go either way.”
“Either way?” Benny repeated, not understanding.
“The Trap-Door Theater just made front-page news,” said Aunt Jane.
Henry understood what she meant. “Some people might think this is good publicity.”
Aunt Jane nodded. “Only time will tell if it brings folks into the theater or—”
“Scares them away,” finished Violet.
Everyone was unusually quiet as they ate breakfast. They were lost in thought about the mystery. It wasn’t until they stepped outside that Benny spoke up.
“Come on!” he said, breaking into a run. “Come and see what I made.”
Henry, Jessie, and Violet hurried across the yard behind Benny. They came to a stop outside the shed.
“It’s a mold of the prowler’s footprint,” Benny told them proudly.
Sure enough, a shoeprint in the dirt had been filled with plaster.
“So that’s what you were up to yesterday!” Jessie realized.
Benny nodded, beaming. “Now we can figure out who stole the box of tapes.”
“That’s good detective work, Benny,” Henry said, taking a closer look at the mold. “There’s only one problem … a prowler didn’t make this footprint.”
“How can you be sure?” Jessie asked.
Henry pulled off his sneaker. “Take a look at the tread on the bottom of my shoe.”
“Oh!” cried Violet. “It matches the markings in the plaster.”
Benny’s jaw dropped. “But …”
“I stepped in the mud yesterday,” Henry explained, “when I came out to get Alice’s appointment book for Aunt Jane.”
“That can’t be your shoeprint, Henry,” Benny insisted. “See? The mold’s too small for your shoe.”
“Benny’s right,” Violet said.
“There’s a reason for that,” Henry said. “The footprint was made when the ground was still wet from the rain. Remember what Ray told us? A footprint shrinks when the sun dries up the mud.”
“Oh, right. And Benny made the mold after the sun had been out all day,” Jessie realized.
Benny’s shoulders slumped. He looked crushed. Violet felt her little brother’s disappointment. “Never mind,” she said, as they walked their bikes across the yard. “It was a good try.”
“It sure was,” agreed Jessie. “Nobody else even thought of looking for footprints.”
Benny brightened. “Good detectives always think of stuff like that.”
“Come on, Benny,” Henry said, giving his brother a playful nudge. “We’ve got posters to put up.” With that, the four Aldens pedaled away.
When they arrived at the Trap-Door Theater, they spotted Ray giving directions to the crew on stage. As the children came down the aisle, the director looked up and gave them a friendly wave.
“Be right with you, kids!” he called out. “Why don’t you take a seat for a minute?”
“Ray won’t be very happy when he finds out about the missing tape recorder,” Henry said, as they sat down in the front row.
“And the missing tapes,” added Jessie.
Benny, who was bending over to tie up his shoe, suddenly said, “That’s funny.”
“What’s is it, Benny?” Jessie asked.
“There’s something under my seat.”
The others looked over as Benny pulled out a wooden box.
“Is that what I think it is?” Violet asked in disbelief.
As Benny lifted the lid, they all stared wide-eyed at Alice’s tapes.
“Look,” said Jessie. “The tape recorder’s in there, too.”
“Uh-oh!” Benny’s eyes were huge. “I bet I’m sitting in Alice Duncan’s seat!”
Just then, Ray hurried over with the posters. “Sorry to keep you waiting. These are the last of the posters.” He looked surprised when he spotted the tapes on Benny’s lap.
“I see you brought the whole box with you. Actually I only needed the tape recorder.”
“We didn’t bring the box with us, Ray,” Jessie said, handing him the tape recorder as he handed her the posters. “Somebody stole the tapes from Aunt Jane’s shed.”
Ray looked confused. “Isn’t that the box of tapes on Benny’s lap?”
“Yes,” said Henry. “But Benny just found it.”
“What?” Ray laughed a little. “You’re kidding, right?”
“It was under my seat,” Benny told him.
“But … how did that happen?” asked Ray.
Henry shrugged. “I guess it’s another practical joke.”
Ray stared at the box of tapes. Then he turned on his heel and quickly walked away.
“That was odd,” said Violet. “It’s just another prank, right? I wonder why Ray looked so shocked.”
Benny shrugged. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“Nothing about this mystery makes sense,” said Henry.
Nobody could argue with that.
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