Free The Ghost in the Third Row by Bruce Coville Page B

say about everything that came up. And they all wanted to say it at the same time as loudly as they could. And usually with their mouths full.
    No wonder Chris was so tough. She had to be to survive in that household! What a contrast to my own house, where my dad and I sit down to a quiet dinner together every night and just talk about our day.
    To tell you the truth, I kind of liked it. At least at Chris’s house no one was ever lonely. But then, as my grandmother always said, “If two things are equally pleasant, the one you don’t have will always be the one you want.” I’d probably have gone crazy if I really had to live at the Gurleys’.
    I started to feel a little nervous as Chris’s father drove us back to the theater. After everything that had happened there in the last few days, I wondered what would be next. Would there be more trouble? Would the ghost appear again? Would Pop still be mad at us?
    But it wasn’t just these questions. I also had a feeling that something horrible was going to happen. I couldn’t have explained it to anyone. It was just something inside me that kept insisting there was real trouble on the way.
    It didn’t take us long to find out that things had already gone from bad to worse. As we walked into the lobby I spotted Edgar sitting on the broad stairway that led up to the mezzanine. He was clutching his head in his hands. He looked like someone whose dog had just been run over.
    Chris and I made sure we took time to pat the brass elephant. Then we walked quietly over to where Edgar sat. Chris plunked herself down on one side of him. I sat on the other.
    I felt a warm tingle. This was the closest I had ever gotten to Edgar!
    â€œSo,” I said. “What’s wrong?”
    Edgar didn’t look up. “Do you want the list in alphabetical or chronological order?”
    He sounded so miserable I just wanted to reach out and hug him. But then, I had been wanting to do that since the first time I met him, so I supposed it didn’t count for much!
    â€œLet’s go for chronological,” said Chris. “Mostly because I don’t know what it means.”
    â€œTime order,” said Edgar. “Like this. One o’clock, Billy Klein calls to tell me he’s leaving the show. One-fifteen, Lizzie Cramer calls with the same message. A little after two it was Mark Jordan. Ditto.”
    â€œDid they say why?” asked Chris.
    â€œOh, sure, they gave excuses. But the real reason is they’re afraid of the ghost.”
    This seemed so outrageous to me I actually snorted. “What are they scared of?” I asked. “She wouldn’t hurt a soul!”
    Edgar shook his head. “Not everyone is as trusting as you are, Nine,” he said. He stood up. “You two go on in the theater. I have to talk to Gwendolyn for a while.”
    He started up the stairs, then stopped and looked back at us.
    â€œThanks for listening,” he said. “I appreciate it.”
    â€œWhooie,” said Chris, after Edgar was gone. “What a mess!”
    I nodded in dismal agreement. Mark Jordan was our best dancer. Lizzie Cramer was one of the better singers. And Billy Klein had an important speaking part. All of them gone in a single day, and all because they were afraid of a ghost that wouldn’t hurt a fly. No wonder Edgar was depressed!
    As for me, I was more determined than ever to get to the bottom of this mess. For one thing, I couldn’t stand to see what it was doing to poor Edgar. For another thing, my curiosity was driving me crazy.
    Rehearsal started right on time that night. At least everyone who dropped out had called and told Edgar. No one just didn’t show up.
    Edgar made an announcement that there were going to be some cast changes and that we would try to work around the missing people for a while. He didn’t say why the people were gone. But you could tell from the whispers that everyone had