Ghost of the Chattering Bones by Gertrude Chandler Warner Page A

Henry?” asked Violet
    “The clock tower in the background says ten o’clock. The photograph couldn’t have been taken in the afternoon. It was taken in the morning!”
    “You’re right, Henry,” Violet cried.
    “I just noticed something else.” Jessie looked up from the photograph. “There’s no way this picture was taken in the summer.”
    “What makes you say that, Jessie?” asked Violet.
    “Look at the trees.”
    With their heads close together, the others took another look.
    “No leaves!” Benny exclaimed in amazement. “The trees are bare.”
    “And there’s smoke coming from the chimneys,” added Henry. “Did you notice?”
    Violet bent closer. “Now that you mention it …”
    “Let’s go over everything.” Henry ticked off what they knew on one hand. “This picture wasn’t taken in the afternoon. It wasn’t in the summer. And it wasn’t 1810.”
    The children looked at one another. How did Meg get so much wrong?
    “I guess Jon Eton wasn’t the only one who made mistakes,” Benny pointed out.
    “Jon Eton?” Henry gave his little brother a questioning look.
    “He made a mistake about the bridge,” Benny explained. “Remember?”
    The Aldens suddenly stared at each other. “Jon’s Blunder!” they all cried out in unison.
    “I can’t believe it!” said Violet. “Meg made all these mistakes on purpose. Her blunders were supposed to point the way to the bridge!”
    “It all adds up,” said Jessie. “Norah said the brooch disappeared around the time the men were working on the bridge. We’re lucky Benny mentioned Jon’s Blunder.”
    “Do you think …” Henry paused for a moment to sort out his thoughts. “Do you think Meg’s brooch is hidden behind one of the stones?”
    Jessie bit her lip. “If so, we have a big problem on our hands.”
    “What do you mean?” asked Henry.
    “Remember what else Annette said on the phone?” Jessie looked around at them. “She said, ‘We’ll leave no stone unturned’.”
    Benny nodded. “And then she laughed.”
    Violet caught her breath in sudden understanding. “She knows!”
    “Knows what?” Benny looked confused.
    “Annette might have meant that the brooch could be hidden somewhere in Jon’s Blunder,” Henry informed his little brother.
    Benny’s jaw dropped. “Uh-oh.”
    “That would explain Spence’s interest in the bridge,” Violet realized.
    Jessie said, “There’s only one thing to do.”
    The others looked at her. “What’s that, Jessie?” Benny said.
    “Find the hiding place first!” she said.
    “Well, what are we waiting for?” The youngest Alden was already heading for the door.

CHAPTER 9
Thief!
    As they stepped outside, Henry was about to say something when Benny grabbed his arm. “What’s that?”
    Everyone turned to see where Benny was pointing. At the top of the bridge, a light flickered and vanished. There wasn’t time to decide what to do. On the spur of the moment, Henry clicked off the flashlight and they made a dash for the nearby bushes.
    The children crouched in the long grass, their eyes fixed on the shadowy figures standing in the middle of the bridge.
    The muffled sounds of conversation reached their ears, but they were too far away to make out what was being said.
    Benny whispered, “Maybe it’s Annette and Spence! They might be looking for the secret hiding place.”
    Before anyone had a chance to comment, they heard a noise—it sounded as if someone were hacking away at the bridge!
    “Oh, no!” Violet’s eyes were huge.
    Benny jumped up to peer over the bushes, but Jessie stopped him in time. “Stay down, Benny.”
    “But … somebody’s tearing the bridge apart!” he cried, almost shouting. “What should we do?”
    Henry said, “I don’t know what’s going on, but I think it’s time to find out.”
    “Let’s get closer,” Jessie suggested. “Maybe we can hear what they’re saying.”
    Keeping down, they crept cautiously forward. Then in a sudden burst of