Mystery Behind the Wall Read Online Free Page B

loose boards.
    “We could see if anyone had nailed a loose board down,” Benny said thoughtfully. “I think the nail would be different. But how about under the bed, Rory?”
    “It’s probably all dusty,” Rory said.
    Benny laughed. “You don’t know Mrs. McGregor then! Come on, help me push the bed over. You’ll see.”
    “It’s more fun to crawl under the bed,” Rory said. “Hold up the edge of the spread.”
    “Here we go,” Benny said.
    Pretty soon there were two pairs of boys’ shoes sticking out from under the bed.
    “See anything?” Benny asked.
    “Not even dust,” Rory said. “You’re right about Mrs. McGregor.”
    “No dust, no sneezes,” Benny said. “And no hiding place for coins, either.”
    The boys crawled back out from under the bed. They stood up and stretched.
    “Where else shall we look?” Rory asked.
    “I think the furniture is new,” Benny said. “At least I think Grandfather had it put in here.”

    “But what about the picture?” Rory asked. “That is old.”
    Benny said, “You’re right. Maybe there’s a secret place in the wall behind the picture.”
    Rory went over and looked. Then he said, “Oh, Benny, you’re trying to fool me! You know there is nothing to find. We would have seen anything when we looked at the picture the other day.”
    But the boys took the picture down again just to be sure.
    “Look,” said Benny, “the little nails that hold the cardboard backing for the picture are all rusted.”
    “Well, let’s hang the photograph back on the wall,” said Rory. “Where can we look now?”
    Benny shook his head. “I give up,” he said. And that was something that Benny Alden almost never said about anything.

CHAPTER 5
    A New Clue
    V iolet came to the door of Rory’s room. She had put Stephanie’s journal away. It was time to call Benny and his guest to dinner.
    “What’s wrong?” she asked. “You two boys look as if you haven’t a friend in the world.”
    Benny said, “We thought maybe Stephanie had some other hiding places in her room. But we can’t find a thing.”
    “Not even any dust under the bed,” Rory said.
    “Well, it was a long time ago,” Violet said. “I’m not surprised. But dinner is ready. Maybe you’ll have some ideas later.”
    But no one had any new ideas even though they talked about the mystery at dinner.
    Jessie said, “I wonder who Miss Rachel was. Do you suppose she’s still living in Greenfield?”
    “I guess she’d be an old lady now,” Benny said.
    Mr. Alden smiled at Benny and Rory. “Why don’t you boys go for a bike ride and forget about mysteries?” he asked. So the boys did that.
    But the next morning Rory and Benny began to think about hidden coins again.
    The boys stood around in Rory’s room.
    Suddenly Benny said, “Rory! There might be something we missed.” He rushed back to the closet.
    Rory stared. He didn’t have any idea what Benny meant.
    “Let’s push the clothes out of the way,” Benny said. “Now where’s that loose board? Here it is.”
    Rory watched while Benny poked his fingers up into the space. The boys had already looked in the space below the hole. But they hadn’t tried to reach up. Now Benny was reaching upward instead of downward.
    Henry came in Rory’s room just then. “Need help?” he asked.
    “Ouch!” Benny said. “I’ve hurt my finger. Something got under my fingernail.”
    “Be more careful,” Henry said.
    “Something’s up there where I can just reach it,” Benny said. “Something with a sharp corner, I’d guess.”
    Before anyone could stop him, Benny was trying again to move his fingers around in the small opening. All at once he touched something.
    “It’s a little card!” Benny exclaimed as he pulled a small piece of cardboard out of the wall.
    “A card,” said Rory. “Is anything written on it?”
    “Don’t rush me,” said Benny, breathing hard. “I have to get the card in the light.”
    Rory and Henry crowded around Benny.