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“Unless DeeDee is just fooling with us.”
    “DeeDee is new to Deer Crossing, right?” Henry said.
    “She just moved here,” said Gwen, nodding. “Nobody knows much about her.”
    “How long has she worked at the station?” Violet wanted to know.
    “About two months,” Gwen replied.
    “When did the ghost first show up?” Benny asked.
    “A little over a month ago,” said Gwen. “What are you getting at?”
    Henry looked thoughtful. “Did the ghost ever appear before DeeDee came to the station?”
    “Funny little things would happen,” Gwen said. “Like, the mike cords would get tangled. We’d joke that it was Daphne’s ghost.” She stopped. “Do you think Dee-Dee is the ghost?”
    “She knows her way around the station,” Henry said. “And she seems pretty intent on spreading the ghost story.”
    “Yes, but it would be harder for her to pull these pranks now that she doesn’t work at the show,” Violet pointed out.
    “Still,” said Jessie. “She does seem awfully interested in this mystery.”
    “We can’t rule out anyone as a suspect,” Benny said. Not even Gwen, he thought.
    While the children were eating, Avery walked into the diner. He was dressed in running clothes. Without looking around, he headed straight to the back and sat down across from the man in the dark suit. The two men began talking.
    “He didn’t even see us,” Benny commented.
    “Do you know that man Avery’s with?” Jessie asked Gwen.
    Gwen shook her head. “I’ve never seen him before.”
    DeeDee, who was refilling the salt shaker at the next booth, said, “That man has been coming in here a lot this month.”
    “Who is he?” asked Violet.
    “He told me he’s a businessman,” Dee-Dee replied. “He doesn’t live in Deer Crossing. Sometimes he and Avery eat dinner together.”
    But that night, the men were not eating. The waitress named Gayle brought them a pot of coffee and poured two cups. When she left, Avery and the dark-suited stranger returned to their quiet discussion.
    “I wonder what they’re talking about,” Violet said. “They look awfully serious.”
    DeeDee put one hand on her hip. “Once when I waited on them, I overheard the man telling Avery, ‘I could make you a star.’”
    “How could he make Avery a star?” asked Violet.

    “I don’t know,” DeeDee replied. “They quit talking when I served their food. My theory is, the man is really a talent scout, like the one that visited the radio station years ago.”
    “Avery is just a DJ,” said Jessie. “How could a talent scout make him famous?”
    “There are famous DJs,” Gwen said. “But they usually work at radio stations in big cities.”
    “Maybe the man is just an old friend,” Henry said.
    “Maybe,” said DeeDee. “But he and Avery don’t ever laugh or anything. They just talk very seriously.” She glanced at the two men, who still hadn’t looked over at the Aldens’ table. “Well, I’d better get back to work.”
    Gwen finished her burger in silence. Then she stood up. “I left my backpack at the station. I’ll see you guys back at the house.”
    Through the side window, Violet watched Gwen cross the parking lot. “That’s funny,” she said. “I don’t remember Gwen taking a bag this morning.”
    “Maybe she wanted to go back to the station to catch the ghost all by herself,” Benny suggested.
    “Maybe,” said Henry. “Or maybe Gwen is the ghost.”
    “If that’s true,” said Violet, “Gwen could be going back for the turntable.”
    “But why would she do this to her own grandmother?” Jessie asked.
    The door opened, jingling the cowbells tied to the handle. Frances St. Clair walked in and claimed a stool at the counter.
    Shielded by the high leather sides of their booth, the Aldens were hidden from Frances’s view. But they could hear her clearly.
    “Coffee, please,” Frances told DeeDee. “Make it strong. I’ve still got to finish tomorrow’s script.”
    “I thought you wrote the