Ghost of the Chattering Bones by Gertrude Chandler Warner

track.”
    “Exactly,” said Henry. “So nobody would suspect him.”
    Violet tucked her brown hair behind her ears. “Maybe it isn’t the bridge he really wants.”
    “What do you mean, Violet?” Benny wondered.
    “It’s possible Spence is after Meg’s brooch.”
    “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that!” said Benny.
    Just then, Jessie remembered something. She quickly told her sister and brothers about hearing someone in the hall outside the living room.
    “Do you think somebody was spying on us?” Benny said.
    Jessie had to admit it was possible.
    “I wonder how much he—or she—overheard,” said Violet, sounding a little uneasy.
    “Enough to know the photograph was an important part of the mystery,” Jessie responded.
    The others nodded. No one would go to the trouble of stealing the photograph unless they knew it would help them find the brooch.
    Henry had something to add. “Remember Annette saying on the phone, ‘They won’t be a problem anymore’?”
    Benny nodded. So did Jessie and Violet.
    “You think Annette was talking about us, Henry?” Violet asked.
    “Yes,” said Henry. “I have a hunch she was.”
    “I guess she thinks we can’t solve the mystery without the photograph,” added Jessie.
    Henry nodded. “It’s possible she took it without realizing there were copies.”
    “There’s something I don’t understand,” Benny said thoughtfully. “Annette was the one who found the picture in the attic, right? If she wanted to steal it, why didn’t she just take it then?”
    “Maybe she didn’t think it was important at the time,” offered Violet.
    “First thing tomorrow we’ll get hold of one of the copies.” Henry stretched and yawned. “Right now I’m too tired to think straight.” With that, they decided to call it a day.
    When Violet climbed into bed, her thoughts turned once again to the photograph of Stone Pool. She still had the nagging feeling that something was wrong. But what was it? She tucked the thought in the back of her mind as she drifted off to sleep.
    In the middle of the night, Violet cried out, “That’s it!” She sat bolt upright in bed as the answer suddenly came to her. “That’s why it was underlined three times!”
    “Hmm …?” Jessie looked over at her sister.
    “I just figured out what’s wrong with the photograph!” Violet threw back her covers and jumped out of bed. “Come on, Jessie. This can’t wait until morning.”
    After rousing Henry and Benny, Jessie and Violet led the way down to the den. Sure enough, they found copies of the Stone Pool photograph tucked into Norah’s desk drawer.
    “So, what’s going on, Violet?” Henry wanted to know.
    “Think about this,” Violet said, as they sat down on a little sofa. “The photograph’s supposed to be from 1810. Right?”
    Jessie, who was sitting in a circle of light from the lamp, glanced at the words in the old-fashioned script. “That’s what it says.”
    “The problem is,” Violet told them, “photography didn’t come into use until the 1820s!”
    Jessie blinked in surprise. “Then the photograph couldn’t have been taken in 1810.”
    Violet nodded. “Meg got the date wrong.”
    “That’s kind of weird.” Benny wrinkled his forehead. “Do you think we found another clue?”
    “I sure do!” Henry slapped Violet a high-five. So did Jessie and Benny.
    “But … what does it mean?” put in Benny.
    Nobody said anything for a while. They were all lost in thought. Finally Henry spoke up. “Are there any other mistakes?”
    “I’m not sure,” Violet said. “That was the only thing I noticed.”
    Bending over the photograph, Henry said ‘hmmm’ several times.

    “What do you see?” Jessie asked, looking over his shoulder.
    Henry didn’t answer.
    “Henry?” Jessie asked again.
    “This is getting weirder and weirder.” He ran his finger under the words in white ink. “It says the photograph was taken in the afternoon.”
    “What’s weird about that,