Mystery of the Runaway Ghost Read Free Page B

best, Cora,” Fran said, forcing a smile. “No reason for anyone to be upset.” But it was plain that Fran was upset.
    “Sure nice to meet everyone!” Cora was already steering her daughter toward the door. She suddenly seemed eager to get away. “See you later.”
    As the door closed behind them, Fran mumbled, “If Cora thinks I’m going to sit back and do nothing, she should think again. I mean, really!”
    The Aldens exchanged worried looks. What was Fran planning to do?
    “Now,” said Fran, who was back to her cheery self, “are you ready to hear about that mystery?”
    The Aldens nodded eagerly. They were sitting in the living room, sipping apple cider and eating ghost pie and ice cream.
    “All the clues are right here,” Fran said. She reached for a small wooden box on the table beside her. “But, for the life of me, I can’t make head nor tails of any of it.”
    “We’ll do our best to help,” Henry promised.
    “We’re good detectives,” added Benny.
    “Detectives?” echoed Lottie.
    “These children have a real knack for tracking down clues,” Fran told her. “They’ve offered to help me solve a mystery.”
    “Oh?” Lottie raised her eyebrows.
    “Yes, indeed. The mystery fell into my lap a few weeks ago, when I was having repairs done in the front hall. Some of the floorboards were warped and needed replacing.” Fran looked around at each of the Aldens. “One of the workmen found this under a loose floorboard.” She gave the mysterious box a little shake.
    Violet knelt down beside Fran’s chair to get a closer look. “Oh, the box is decorated with pressed flowers.”
    “Yes, it’s quite lovely, really,” Fran responded. “And very old, too. I would guess that it’s been hidden away for a long time.”
    Jessie looked questioningly at her. “What makes you say that, Fran?”
    “Take a good look at the box, Jessie. See how faded the flowers are? Time takes its toll on pressed flowers, I’m afraid. The colors eventually fade.”
    “That’s good detective work,” praised Henry.
    Violet ran her fingers gently over the box. A little shiver went down her spine as she made a discovery. “The flowers are buttercups!”
    The others gathered round to check it out. Sure enough, the entire box was covered with nothing but buttercups.
    “Is that why you think the mystery has something to do with the runaway ghost?” Henry asked Fran.
    Nodding her head, Fran said, “There must be some kind of connection. I can feel it in my bones.”
    “But what’s inside the box?” Benny asked, his mouth full of ghost pie. He could hardly stand the suspense.
    With a quick motion, Fran flipped open the lid and removed a single sheet of paper, yellowed with age. “There’s a riddle inside,” she said. “And a rather strange one at that!” Putting on her reading glasses, Fran began to read aloud:
    “The thing you hold
    Is the thing you seek,
    A treasure waits,
    Shadows speak.
    Solve this riddle,
    And you will see,
    You’re ready to solve,
    Riddle three.”
    The Aldens stared wide-eyed at Fran. Then Benny said, “Riddle three?” He looked confused.
    “I guess there was once a riddle one that led to the secret hiding place under the floorboards,” Fran said.
    “Well, one thing’s for sure,” said Jessie, “nobody ever figured it out.”
    “What makes you say that, Jessie?” Benny asked.
    “Because the box was still in its hiding place, Benny,” she explained.
    “Oh, right!” Benny said.
    “Just think,” put in Fran, “if I hadn’t decided to spiff up the front hall, the box would still be there.”
    Benny was deep in thought. “But shadows can’t speak, can they?” he asked, his mind still on the riddle.
    Shaking his head, Henry said, “I’ve never heard of it.”
    Fran leaned close, as though about to share a secret. “It might have something to do with the elephants.”
    “Elephants?” Benny almost choked on his pie. “ What elephants?”
    Fran reached into the box