Chapter III
Suspect Mr. Jones

Callie woke up to wailing. She rolled her eyes.
“I wish whoever is doing that blasted wailing would knock it off,” she thought. “I can't barely sleep what with all the noise.”

She laid back down. After not being able to go to to sleep, she picked her blankets up and went in side. She lay down on the couch but couldn't sleep.
“I wonder who is pretending to be a ghost. And I wonder why you can't hear the wailing when your inside and the windows are closed, but outside its as clear as day?” She said quietly to herself.

She shrugged and walked over to the window. She opened the curtain slightly and looked out. All you could see on the other side was her eye. She could see the ghost. She had an idea.

“If its ready to leave, I'll be able to see where he comes from!” She thought. At that moment, the ghost went around the other side of the mountain. But Callie wasn't discouraged. She remembered it had done that more than once the other night. Presently, the ghost came back. Just then a little black car drove up. The ghost jumped into the car, and it drove off. But it was too dark to make out the drivers features. Callie could scarcely keep from crying out
with joy.

“That proves it!” She thought to herself. “He isn't really a ghost at all! I can't wait until Sally and Carrie wake up!”
She walked back to the couch and sat down. Before long her eyes were drooping. She woke up to her cousin and sister, sitting in chairs beside each other, talking quietly.

“Hi,” she said sleepily.

“Good morning, Callie.”

When Callie remembered what she had seen earlier that morning, she was wide awake.

“Carrie—Sally!” She said. “You won't believe what I saw last night!”

Sally and Carrie looked at each other, a questioning look in their eyes.
“What is it?” Sally asked excitedly.

“Last night I went inside because the wailing woke me up and I was sick of it,” Callie answered. “So then I looked out the window, and what do you think I saw?”

“I don't know,” Sally said.

"The ghost--!”

“Wait a second,” Carrie interrupted, annoyed. “Are you telling me that you got our excitement going like you did, just to tell us you saw the ghost?” Carrie
asked. “We've seen the ghost a hundred times already!”

“I wasn't done talking,” Callie defended herself indignantly, while at the same time making a face at her sister. “As I was saying, I saw the ghost, and he went on your side of the mountain, then he came back to the side facing the house, and a small black car drove up, and he got in it, and they drove off!. I couldn't make out the ghost or the drivers features, though.” She added, disappointed.

“You didn't let him see you, did you?” Sally asked.

“No. If he could see any of me, it would just be my eye. And with it being as dark as it was, I highly doubt that he could.”

“Good for you, Callie!” Her cousin praised her.

“That's terrific!” Carrie nodded.

“Should we tell Mr. Jones?” Callie asked. “Then maybe he won't believe in ghost anymore.”

“No, I don't think we should.” Carrie said, and went on to tell her of Sally's and her suspicion of the man, and why they were suspicious.

“I don't think he's in it. Or at least I certainly hope he's not.,” Callie said.

“So do we, but we think he is.”

“Wait. Then all the more reason we should tell him. We could see how he
reacts to it. We're supposed to meet him at eleven today, right? So why don't we tell him then?”

Sally hesitated. “What do you say, Carrie?” She asked.

“I don't know. If he is in on it, and we tell him we know that much, it could be trouble.” She said.

“Oh? Trouble?” Callie asked. “Just what kind of trouble?”

Carrie shrugged. “How am I to know? If he's a bandit, it could make trouble if he knows that we suspect he's in on the thing about the 'ghost'. I don't think we should.”

Sally shook her head. “I agree,” She said.

Callie rolled her eyes. “Really?” She said. “Maybe I'll tell him myself.” She said, trying hard to conceal her playful smile.

Carrie looked at her sister. “Don't you dare!” She exclaimed. “Now you have to promise not to or we'll leave you behind and not let you go.”

“Fine,” Callie said, placing her hand over her heart. “I promise,” She said.

“Good. If Sally or I decide we should tell him, we will.”

Callie rolled her eyes and smiled. At that moment Aunt Leah came downstairs. After saying good morning, she went off to make breakfast. After breakfast the three went into the kitchen and told Aunt Leah about their plans for the day, and she agreed.

“Just make sure your back for lunch,” She said.

“Don't worry Mom,” Carrie said. “We'll more than likely be eating out.”

“We're going to have roast beef,” Aunt Leah prodded.

“Oh, Aunty!” Sally exclaimed. “Won't you save that for supper? You know how I love roast beef!”

Sally's aunt sighed. “Alright, dear. But do be back soon!”

“Sally, why are we leaving so soon? Its only ten-fifteen. We're supposed to meet Mr. Jones at eleven,” Carrie reminded her as they walked into town.

“Carrie, I have an idea!” Sally said as they walked toward the cafe.

“Well?” Carrie asked, raising her eyebrows.

----

“Hi, Mr. Jones!” The three girls said when they saw him sitting in at a table next to the door.

“Hello,” he replied. The three girls sat down, and started a conversation about the ghost. A waitress came and took their orders, then they went back to talking.

“Mr. Jones,” Callie said presently.

“Yes?” He asked.

“I have to say I think you may very well be involved in the ghost mystery. Not the ghost yourself, of course. But I've heard that people who lived in the house we lived in got things stolen from them, and they thought it was from the ghost.. Maybe it was you.” Carrie shot a glance at her sister, pretending to be amazed at what she had just said. It was all part of Sally's plan.

“Callie, how could you say that?” She said, feigning surprise. “Why, what a rude thing to say!”

Mr. Jones only stared, but finally managed to stutter, “I—I'm nothing like that at all! Why, only the other day you I told you I hadn't heard of the g—ghost since I was a boy! And besides, there are millions of people at the time houses were robbed that could have done it. Why should suspect me?”

“Oh, but who says you haven't heard of the ghost since you were a boy? I know someone who lived in that very house only fourteen years ago, and you yourself look to be in your late thirties. You were old enough to be in on thief racket. She had several hundred dollars stolen from her, and she never did get it back. Maybe you were the thief. ” Callie took a deep breath. "And, I realized that my wallet was missing the night you came over."

Mr. Jones looked shocked, as he thought he had stolen Carrie's wallet, not Callie's.
Carrie's and Sally's eyes widened, as though shocked, but at the same time they were staring at his face, looking for any kind of guilty look.

“But—But, I—I'm nothing of the sort! Why would I want to steal your purse?” Mr. Jones stammered.

“Callie!” Carrie made an assumed gasp. “How could you say that? You know Mr. Jones is no thief!” At the same time Carrie said this, she was studying Mr. Jones face.

“I'm not a thief at all! I've never been one, and I never intend to be one!” There it was! He looked guilty. Carrie and Sally looked at each other and nodded. This was all they needed to know. Just what they had hoped for. At that moment the waitress came up. Mr. Jones looked pale. She set the tray down, then walked away.

“Mr. Jones?” Callie said. “Tell me. Are you the thief?” Although she knew very well he wouldn't tell the truth.

“Of course I'm not!” He said in a voice very near a shout. A few people looked his way. Mr. Jones looked down, his face red with anger at how Callie might have guessed he was a thief, and embarrassment.

After they had eaten, they walked out.
"I'm sorry about Callie," Carrie said, faking sympathy.

"It's alright."
Mr. Jones went his way, alone.

“You were wonderful, Callie!” Sally praised her cousin, while pounding her on the back.

Callie grinned, and Carrie said, “I think I got all I needed. He sure looked awfully guilty when you accused him, Callie.”

Callie grinned again.

“How did you get the idea to ask the lady if she had ever lived in our house before?” Carrie asked.

“I saw her and Aunt Leah talking recently, and when I asked Aunt Leah about her, she said that the lady had once lived in your house, about fourteen years ago, and had been robbed when she was out one day, so I decided we might pay her a visit.”

Callie and Carrie smiled.

"Awful smart.” Callie stated.

“I know,” Sally replied flatly. “That's why I did it.”

“Why don't we go talk to Ms. Fiona and tell her that her information paid off?” Carrie suggested.

Fiona Carter was the former owner of the Wolfpen Ridge house they were talking of.

“Fine with me, if Callie doesn't care,” Sally said.

“I'm game,” Callie agreed.

“Good. Then we're off.” Sally said. They soon came upon the house, and Carrie rang the doorbell, and a moment later the elderly woman answered the door. When she saw the girls, she asked them to come in.

When they were all seated in chairs in the living room, Callie said, “We just wanted to come by and tell you how grateful we were for that information you gave us earlier, Ms. Carter. It was really helpful.”

They had told the elderly woman of why they needed to know about her living there earlier, and she had understood and said she was ready to help with whatever she could.

“I'm glad it did,” the kind woman replied, smiling. “And what did you say your suspects name was? Jones? Was it Jones?” Ms. Carter asked.

“Yes, Allen Jones,” Carrie said.

"His name sounds very familiar, like he was someone I knew. No, it seems like someone who I knew that went to jail once for burglary." She through her palms upward. "Oh, well. I'm sure there are plenty of Allen Jones, since Jones and Allen are such common names."

"And I think he stole my wallet, which is why we're so suspicious of him," Carrie said, and explained all that had happened.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I do hope that you get your money back."

“We'd better be going now, though, Ms. Carter. We just wanted to thank you for your help. Maybe we'll drop by another day and say hi," Callie said.

Ms. Carter walked them to the door, and as they walked down the porch steps, she said, “And I hope you find the scoundrel who stole my money. And your money, too, Carrie!” They smiled, waved, and walked home.