Read Backstage with a Ghost for Free Online Page B

the open trapdoor and the short folding ladder that stood open beneath it.
    â€œShine your spotlight down there,” Sean told Debbie Jean. “I want to take a picture.”
    â€œLook at all the footprints in the dust!” Brian said. “There are a lot of big ones Miss Beezly didn’t make. And ghosts don’t leave footprints!”
    â€œThat’s weird,” Sam said, and pointed. “Do you see those places where the ladder’s glowing?”
    Brian climbed down a few rungs to take a closer look. “It’s green phosphorescent paint,” he said.
    â€œI bet it’s the same stuff that was on whoever was pretending to be a ghost,” Sean said.
    â€œYou mean the ghost isn’t real?” groaned Debbie Jean. Sean thought she sounded disappointed.
    â€œ That ghost may not have been real. But don’t forget,” said Sam, slipping into his scary voice, “Horatio’s supposed to be hanging around here somewhere.”
    â€œDon’t do that!” Sean snapped nervously.
    â€œWhat’s the matter, Sean?” asked Debbie Jean. “Are you scared?”
    â€œNo,” said Sean defensively. “And anyway, I’m not the one who practically set a world record running away!”
    â€œOh yeah?” said Debbie Jean.
    â€œYeah!” said Sean.
    â€œCut it out, both of you,” Brian said as he climbed up the ladder of the trapdoor onto the stage. “We’re dealing with somebody who’s pretending to be a ghost, and we don’t know why.”
    â€œSo what do we do now?” asked Sam.
    â€œWe look for a motive,” Sean said, and Brian nodded. Sean knew how Brian’s mind worked when they were investigating a case.
    â€œYou’ve got a motive,” Sam said. “I could see those women from the historical society being real interested in the idea of a ghost that would lure tourists to the theater after it’s restored.”
    â€œBut why would the ghost want to scare us away?” Sean asked. “We’re not working for Mr. Marconi.”
    â€œBut we are working to help Dad on this case,” Brian said. He stared at Sean. “And some of us might believe in ghosts and spread the word that the theater is haunted. You saw how interested that reporter was about Horatio.”
    â€œYeah,” Sean agreed. “Since that article came out I bet most of Redoaks believes the Culbertson is haunted.”
    Brian pulled out his notebook and turned back a few pages. “Let’s go over some of what we already know.” He began reading. “A heavy flat almost hit Mr. Marconi. A stair railing broke, and he fell. Then on Saturday a sandbag landed on his inspector’s shoulder.”
    â€œAnd don’t forget that today the battens nearly clobbered me!” Sean said.
    â€œAnd don’t forget that both Mr. Marconi and Mrs. Hemsley have big investments in the land around the Culbertson,” Debbie Jean added.
    â€œWhat’s really strange,” Brian said, “is that the ghost didn’t appear to Mr. Marconi or the inspector. We were the first—and only—ones to see it.”
    â€œAha!” Sam said, jabbing a finger into the air. “That sounds like a clue.”
    â€œThe answer might be an important clue,” said Brian as he tucked his notebook into his pocket. “But before we can know for sure we’ll need to see more of this theater, like the dressing rooms and all the backstage places where someone could hide and put on costumes and paint. It might make it easier to learn who our ghost is.”
    â€œYeah,” Sam said. “Mr. Peabody said somebody had disturbed the theater stuff.”
    â€œAre we going back there now?” Sean asked.
    â€œSure. Now,” Brian told him.
    Sean turned to Debbie Jean. “I’ll trade you my flashlight for your superspotlight.”
    â€œNo way,” Debbie Jean said.
    Brian walked toward