Mystery of the Orphan Train by Gertrude Chandler Warner Page B

reached for the light switch, there was a terrible crash. The Aldens could hardly believe their eyes when they saw Vanessa standing over a broken lamp, a flashlight in her hand.
    “Now you’ve done it!” she snapped, as doors opened upstairs. “I almost jumped right out of my skin.”
    There was a sudden rush of footsteps on the stairs. Then Kate appeared in the doorway, struggling to put an arm into her robe. Lindsay was close behind, followed by Josh and the professor. All eyes turned to the lamp on the floor.
    “Yes, I broke that,” Vanessa told them. “Thanks to the Aldens snooping around down here. They scared me half to death.”
    “We weren’t snooping!” Benny said indignantly. “We were just … just …” His voice trailed away. He didn’t know what to say.
    Henry squared his shoulders. “You’re the one with the flashlight, Vanessa,” he pointed out, looking her right in the eye.
    Josh spoke up. “Yeah, what’s with that, Vanessa? What are you doing down here with a flashlight?”
    Vanessa looked embarrassed, and then angry. “I’m in no mood for this right now,” she told her husband. “We’ll discuss it in the morning.”
    Benny thought he knew the answer. “You were trying to steal Kate’s painting, weren’t you? The one of the Emerald Isle.”
    “What … ?” Vanessa stared at Benny in disbelief. “You think I’m a thief?”
    “Well, you stole Kate’s necklace, didn’t you?” Benny said accusingly, his hands on his hips.
    Kate looked horrified. “Benny what a terrible thing to say.”
    Vanessa opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. Finally she went over to the window and stared out into the night, looking defeated. After what seemed like forever, she finally spoke. “I am responsible for the missing necklace,” she confessed. “But I didn’t steal it.”
    Kate looked over at her, stunned. “Please turn around, Vanessa,” she said in a strained voice. “I’d rather not talk to your back.”
    Vanessa turned around. “I was walking by your room, Kate, and I noticed the necklace on your dresser. I just wanted to try it on, that’s all. Before I had a chance to take it off, Lindsay called me downstairs to the phone.” Vanessa’s voice wavered. There was a long silence while she tried to compose herself. “The next thing I knew, the necklace was gone. I looked everywhere for it, but …”
    “The clasp was loose,” Kate told her. “I imagine it slipped off.”
    Josh, who was crouched down by the broken lamp, looked over at his wife. “Why on earth didn’t you say something, Vanessa?” He sounded more disappointed than angry.
    “I was ashamed,” she answered, looking close to tears. “I thought I could find the necklace if I just looked around.”
    Jessie nodded. “That’s why you were using a flashlight. You didn’t want anyone to notice the light on.”
    Vanessa didn’t deny it. “The last thing I expected was to run into the Aldens in the middle of the night,” she said, sinking into a chair.
    Josh was busy trying to fit the pieces of the lamp together. “Looks like a clean break,” he said, moving everything off to the side. “A bit of glue should do the trick. If not, we’ll buy you a new lamp, Kate.”
    “I’m not worried about the lamp, Josh,” Kate assured him. “I can replace it easily.”
    “But that’s not true of the necklace, is it?” Vanessa buried her head in her hands.” I’m so sorry, Kate.”
    “If you mean that, Vanessa,” replied Kate, “you’ll learn a lesson from this, and respect what belongs to others.”
    Vanessa nodded, looking truly regretful.
    Violet spoke up. “I’m sure we’ll find the necklace if everybody looks around for it tomorrow.”
    Henry nodded. “The secret is teamwork.”
    Josh perched on the arm of the chair beside his wife. “Henry’s right,” he told her. “Maybe it’s time you and I started acting like a team, Vanessa.”
    “I’d like that, Josh.” Vanessa looked up and