Disappearing Staircase Mystery Read Online Free

his purchase, too. “Now I have a penknife to carve things with.”
    “I’m glad I won the dancing bear music box,” Violet said. “That was close. I just hope Brian doesn’t mind too much that I won it instead of him.”
    The Aldens strolled out to the storage area at the front of the stable. All the auction items people had bid on had stickers showing the final bid prices. The Gardiners seated themselves behind a table where the successful bidders lined up to pay.
    “But it can’t be the end of the auction,” the Aldens heard a man say to Louella Gardiner. “I drove all the way from Maplewood to bid on Mr. Bugbee’s collection of rare books. Why weren’t they in the sale?”
    “All you had for sale was fake jewelry,” someone else complained. “My great-aunt told me Mrs. Bugbee had inherited some valuable jewels from her family. But this was just junk.”
    Several other people in the crowd murmured that the auction wasn’t what they had expected.
    The Gardiners waited for everyone to calm down.
    Finally George spoke up loudly. “We put up everything that was left in the Bugbee House. You’ll recall that the house was sold to another owner. Anything could have happened to the Bugbees’ collection. We only had a few days to get everything organized. We did our best. We’ve raised a great deal of money for the House and Hands group today.”
    After the crowd scattered, the Aldens paid for their items. Some of the fun of the auction was gone.
    “At least I got my train set,” Benny said.
    “Louella,” Violet asked. “Did you see the music box I bid on? I came to pay for it.”
    “Which music box?” Louella asked sharply. “There were several in the sale. I can’t be expected to keep track of everything. Look where the toys are.”
    Violet checked the shelves. There wasn’t a single music box on it. She swallowed hard. The dancing bear box was nowhere to be seen.
    “Maybe somebody stole it,” Benny said. Now that the auction was over, he was ready for more excitement.
    “Nonsense!” George Gardiner told Benny. “That box was barely worth what your sister bid on it. Thousands of those boxes were made years ago.”
    “It was worth more than money to me,” Violet whispered, but the Gardiners didn’t hear her. “I love the tune it played.”
    Soo Lee held out her new toy. “You can play with my doll, Violet.”
    “We’ll keep an eye out for that box,” Henry told Violet after he and the other children left the stable.
    Violet looked back. Maybe someone would come running out with her music box after all. But the auction was over. Mr. Gardiner was pulling the doors closed. He and Louella were inside. There was no chance now that they would come out with Violet’s music box.
    “I think there’s something strange about those two,” Jessie said. “You’d think they would be interested in finding out more about the Bugbee collections from people who grew up here. They didn’t even ask any questions.”
    “Maybe we should look around and see if there’s anything in the house that should have been in the auction,” Henry said.
    “And maybe we’ll find Violet’s music box, too, in case somebody stole it,” Benny said, still hoping for an adventure.
    “Well, let’s look around when we’re working in the big house,” Jessie suggested. “We always find things when we’re doing jobs.”

CHAPTER 4
Footsteps Overhead
    The next morning Jessie woke up with cold feet. She was used to Watch sleeping at the end of her bed and warming her feet. Only now Watch was at home while Jessie was in her sleeping bag in the Bugbee playhouse.
    Soon everyone else’s eyes were opening, too. It took a few minutes for the children to figure out where they were.
    “It’s so cozy in here now,” Violet told Jessie as she stretched her arms out of her sleeping bag. “I like the way we fixed up this playhouse with the little table and our camp lamp. Maybe tonight Soo Lee can stay here, too.”
    The