Haunted Clock Tower Mystery Read Online Free Page A

in,” Joel remarked. “Very modern buildings, don’t you think, Don?”
    Don seemed lost in his own thoughts.
    “Don?” Joel asked after a moment.
    “I’m sorry, Dad. What did you say?” asked Don.
    “I was just noticing how modern these buildings are compared to the rest of the campus,” said Joel.
    “What? Oh, yes,” Don said. But he didn’t really seem to be paying attention.
    A moment later, Ethan had led the tour to a group of very old-looking dormitories. “A Civil War battle was fought not far from here, and troops were housed in some of these buildings.”
    “What’s the Civil War?” asked Benny.
    “That was a war fought between the northern and southern parts of our country,” said Grandfather. “It happened a long time ago, in the 1860s.”
    “Really? There was a war in the United States?” asked Benny.
    “Yes, and lots of young men and boys left their families to go and fight,” Grandfather said. “Many people were killed, or lost their homes and all their money. It was a terrible war.”
    The tour continued past many more interesting buildings and a large statue of James Goldwin, founder of the college. Finally they found themselves back at the clock tower.
    “We’ll go up to the top of the tower now, for anyone who wants to see the view,” Ethan said.
    “Great,” said several people in the crowd as they headed into the tower and started up the steep, winding staircase. The Aldens followed, even though they’d already seen the view the day before. Ethan pointed out several more sights from the top of the tower. When he was finished, he said, “And that concludes our tour. Thanks so much for joining me.”
    “Thank you,” said Jessie, and others on the tour echoed her.
    The Aldens waited as the rest of the group headed back down the stairs. Just as they were getting ready to leave, a young woman came hurrying up the stairs. She was wearing blue jeans, clogs, and a bulky red sweatshirt with the word GOLDWIN stitched across the front in large white letters. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail that bounced as she walked.
    “Hello!” Benny said as she entered the tower room. “You missed the tour, but I can tell you what we saw.”
    “Thanks,” the woman said with a big smile, “but I go to school here. I probably could have given the tour.”
    “I bet you don’t know all the stuff about the carillon,” Benny said.
    “I bet I do,” the woman said, her smile growing larger. “I’m the assistant carillon player.”
    “You are?” Violet said. She remembered how upset Ezra had been when he talked about his assistant. This young woman seemed nice and friendly. How could she make him so angry?
    “You must be Andrea Barton,” Henry said.
    “That’s right. But you can call me Andi—all my friends do. How did you know my name?” Andrea asked.
    “We met Ezra yesterday,” Jessie said. “He told us all about the carillon, and we watched him play a concert.”
    “Pretty cool, isn’t it?” Andrea said. “I’m giving the concert at noon. I came a little early to get ready.” She looked around at the stacks of papers everywhere. She lifted a few piles and frowned.
    “What are you looking for?” asked Henry.
    “My glasses,” Andi said. “I’m sure I left them here. And the other day I bought some new pieces of music to try out, and they disappeared, too. Then again, I’m not sure Ezra liked the idea of new music anyway.” Andi opened a few drawers in the desk and looked inside. “It’s almost as if there’s a ghost in here, moving my things around!”
    Benny’s face lit up. “See? I told you there was a ghost,” he said to his brother and sisters.
    Andi laughed.
    “Here are some glasses,” Jessie said, picking up a pair that was lying on the windowsill. She handed them to Andi.
    “Those aren’t mine,” Andi said. “They look like they belong to someone older. See, they have a little line in the middle of the glass. That means they’re