The Ghost Light

by Sarah Rubin

  I paused. The knots seemed . . . sloppy.

  I gently pushed the nearest sandbag to one side, to see what was behind it. A wooden beam. Why would anyone untie a sandbag just to look at a wooden beam. I leant forward to get a closer look. There was a small hole in the wood. In fact, there were lots. A row of small wooden holes about the width of a pencil drew a line the entire length of the beam. They were fresh too, judging by the colour. I frowned and gently lowered the bag back into place.

  In the middle of the catwalk, I found the loose end of a rope, dangling where the fallen sandbag should have hung. Its end was still sealed with wax – it hadn’t been cut, or frayed with age. I was right. The knot hadn’t been retied properly and it had given way.

  I climbed back down to the stage into the middle of a hurricane. Vivian had recovered her voice and she was using it. Matthew was talking darkly into his mobile, while Frank flitted back and forth between the two stars like a butterfly having a panic attack.

  Jarvis and Pete were frantically sweeping the stage, trying to get rid of the sand. And Della stared down at me giving me her very best I told you so look. The look was so good it took me a moment to notice she was trying not to shake.

  I looked up at where my sister had been standing. Vivian hadn’t been anywhere near where the bag hit the railing, but Della had. It had cracked the railing right next to the safe as Della switched out the necklaces. If it had been another few centimetres to the left . . . I shuddered and my skin went cold. The sandbag had almost hit Della.

  ‘She wants to kill me,’ Vivian shrieked, eyes so wide I could see white all the way around. ‘Kittie Grace is trying to kill me.’

  Matthew Strange glared after her. ‘It almost hit me too, you know,’ he yelled. I wanted to snap at both of them that they should stop worrying about themselves and start worrying about my sister, but Della caught my eye and shook her head.

  Whatever force had been keeping Vivian together snapped. She screeched inartistically and sprinted from the stage, holding her hands over her head to ward off any other objects that might fly in her direction.

  Frank ran after Vivian, and Della followed right behind him, treating me to one more helping of I told you so on her way offstage.

  Matthew Strange stomped his foot. ‘Fine. If anyone cares, I’ll be in my dressing room.’ He stalked offstage yelling, ‘And will SOMEONE bring me a water.’ Then he disappeared into the wings.

  I stood alone in the middle of the stage. Pete and Jarvis had slipped away while Matthew Strange was making his grand exit. I could hear Linda on the other side of the curtain, trying to keep the audience under control. I shivered. I should have taken Della’s concerns more seriously, but I had never thought some silly problems with a show could be so dangerous. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to Della and I could have stopped it.

  I took a deep breath and peered up into the fly space above the stage. There was one good thing to come out of this disaster. Now I was certain the troubles inside the theatre weren’t about ruining the show. Loosening the knots of the sandbag and hoping they fell at just the right time was no way to plan sabotage.

  If someone had wanted a sandbag to ruin the show, they’d cut the rope themselves and make sure it did the job. But the holes in the beam? An original part of the Beryl? I finally understood. Someone was searching for a secret compartment. A compartment where a clever thief could have hidden the Midnight Star all the way back in 1927. It seemed like an odd place to search, but maybe they were running out of places to look.

  But my new discovery didn’t get me anywhere. I still had no idea how to catch the culprit. The knots could have been loosened days ago. I remembered the sand on the stage the night I’d almost fallen into the pit. It had probably happened then. It was just bad luck that the sandbag fell tonight.

  Della came storming out of the wings. Her honeyblonde hair bobbing with each step, emphasizing just how serious this situation was.

  ‘I told you this would happen,’ she hissed, pulling me towards the wings. ‘Come on. Matthew is sulking and Vivian’s locked herself in her dressing room.’

  ‘You want me to talk to her?’

  ‘I want you to convince her there’s no ghost out for her blood. Tell her about Rex Cragthorne and the sabotage.’

  I opened my mouth and then quickly shut it again. It didn’t seem like the right time to explain to Della that this wasn’t sabotage – it was a careless treasure hunter. I stumbled slightly and caught myself.

  How had the thief known to look for the necklace in the original parts of the theatre in the first place? All the stories I’d heard said the necklace had disappeared in the confusion after the fire. It wasn’t until I’d read the original police files that I’d thought it might be possible that the necklace was hidden somewhere onstage.

  I didn’t have time to finish my train of thought. Della sped through the darkness with the sure feet of someone who’s lived half of her life in the wings. I followed her blindly until we came through the door into the low amber light of backstage.

  Frank and Mom stood outside Vivian’s door. Frank had his mouth pressed against the wood and was speaking in soothing tones. Mom flashed us both concerned looks as we came round the corner.

  ‘Any luck?’ Della asked grimly.

  Mom shook her head.

  Frank knocked on the door again, wringing his hands. He kept glancing over his shoulder and I realized he had another star throwing a tantrum as well.

  ‘You go deal with Matthew,’ Mom said. ‘He’ll be easier to handle than her.’

  ‘You’d better bring him a water as well,’ I said, remembering Matthew’s exiting line.

  Frank threw up his hands and spun on his heel, disappearing down the hall to Matthew’s dressing room. ‘Prima donnas, I’m surrounded by prima donnas.’

  ‘Della, I thought I told you to go lie down,’ Mom said as she knocked on Vivian’s door again. ‘Come on, Vivian, the show must go on.’

  ‘I won’t!’

  Mom sighed and turned back to Della. ‘Use the spare dressing room. You’ve had a shock too.’

  Della shook her head. ‘I’m fine. Besides, that place is filthy. I couldn’t relax if I tried.’

  Mom didn’t look convinced. She gave me a pleading look. I could have told her Della was tougher than that, but then I had a better idea.

  ‘I’ll sit with her,’ I said, and grabbed Della’s wrist before she could protest. Mom smiled at me gratefully and I pulled Della down the corridor into the dressing room next door.

  ‘I can’t rest now, Alice.’ Della twisted her wrist free and glared at me. ‘We need to get Vivian to finish the dress rehearsal. You need to explain it to her. If you can show her the facts—’

  ‘It won’t make any difference,’ I said. ‘You saw her, she’s so freaked out she wouldn’t listen to reason if it bit her on the nose.’

  ‘So what, you’re just going to give up?’

  ‘No,’ I said with thin smile. ‘We’re going to fight fire with fire.’

  I pointed up at the vent that shared the wall with Vivian’s dressing room. Della followed my finger and then she looked at me, confused.

  ‘How good is your ghostly apparition voice?’ I asked.

  ‘Passable,’ Della said slowly, her eyes widening in comprehension. ‘But what should I say? Even if I pretend to be Kittie Grace, she’s not going to believe me if I just say I’m not trying to kill her.’

  ‘I don’t know, you’re the dramatic one. Tell her you want her to have the part and someone else is trying to stop the show. Tell her there’s an evil spirit and only performing The Curse of the Casterfields can save the day. Tell her the show must go on.’

  Della nodded. She closed her eyes and her face went blank as she got into character, and when she opened her eyes they were wild and haunted. She glanced around the room like it might close in on her at any moment.

  ‘Got it?’ I asked.

  Della nodded.

 
; I dragged a large steamer trunk underneath the vent and held Della’s hand as she climbed on top of it, bringing her eyes level with the vent.

  And then I left my sister to scare Vivian Rollins back onstage.

  I walked out of the dressing room and ran into Kevin. He must have managed to slip past Jarvis in the confusion.

  ‘Is everyone OK?’ Kevin asked.

  I nodded. ‘Della’s pretty shaken up, and Vivian’s locked herself in her dressing room, but no one got hurt.’

  ‘What about Matthew Strange?’

  ‘He’s fine too.’

  ‘Phew, that’s good.’

  I didn’t respond. It wasn’t good. It was lucky. That sandbag had almost hit Della. It was one thing when it was just messing around with props and searching dressing rooms, but whoever was looking for the Midnight Star had gone too far. They needed to be stopped. The problem was, I still had no idea who the culprit was.

  I scowled. I needed my notes. There had to be a clue, something I’d missed. Some detail I’d overlooked that would make the whole equation fall into place.

  ‘Where are we going?’ Kevin asked as he followed me through the backstage corridors. I could hear the low murmur of the journalists and other guest as we passed the lobby. Linda must have moved them in there to enjoy the snacks and drinks that were meant for intermission.

  I stopped suddenly and whirled around to face him. ‘Where’s Benji?’

  Kevin shrugged. ‘He thought the pyrotechnics were cool, so I introduced him to Pete.’

  I took a few deep breaths and told my shoulders to stop hanging out with my ears, then I kept walking. I didn’t have time to worry about Benji and explosions.

  I’d left my things in the costume workshop, the cloakroom being reserved for the VIPs. I grabbed my bag and turned it upside down. A black and white snowfall of paper blanketed the floor. I knelt down beside it, spreading the pages out as if that would help me see the whole picture. Now that I knew the motive was finding the Star, maybe I’d see something I’d missed before.

  I scanned the pages desperately, waiting for the pieces to start falling into place. They didn’t. It didn’t matter that the motive was different. I still had the same problem, the equation had too many variables. All the incidents happened late at night, or at a time that was impossible to pin down.

  I practically growled in frustration. ‘It just doesn’t add up,’ I said, and flopped back against the wall.

  Kevin sat down on the floor next to me. ‘Maybe you should try working backwards.’

  I looked up at him blankly. ‘What?’

  ‘That’s what you told me to do when I couldn’t solve a problem. I mean, you know what the bad guy is after, so maybe it would be easier to just find that.’

  I snorted. ‘The Midnight Star isn’t here,’ I said. ‘They just think it is. How am I supposed to find something that doesn’t exist?’

  And then it hit me. I didn’t need to find the real necklace. Just like Della and Vivian and the ghost, just like the lobby display, all I needed to do was tell them a story they wanted to believe.

  ‘Where’s Benji?’ I asked.

  Kevin looked at me like I’d finally lost it.

  ‘There isn’t time to explain. Just get him and meet me back here.’

  Kevin raised an eyebrow at me.

  ‘And tell him to bring his spray paint.’

  I found one of the five fake Midnight Stars in Linda’s desk in the theatre office. It was heavy and cold and sparkled in my hand. I wondered, for a moment, what made the real Midnight Star different. I mean, a diamond is just a really dense lump of coal. What’s so great about that? Besides if no one knew the jewels were fake, did it even matter? I slipped the necklace into my pocket and snuck back to where Kevin and Benji were waiting in the costume workshop.

  Della’s spooky voice must have worked, because dress rehearsal was back on track. The Beryl was filled with the electric tension of a live performance. Linda’s drinks and snacks must have helped too. Every now and again, I could hear the muffled sound of the audience laughing and gasping in all the right spots.

  Benji sat on the couch with his arms crossed. ‘You want me to what?’

  ‘I want you to show me how your booby trap worked. Show me how to set it up.’

  ‘No way, that is need-to-know information and you do not need to know. I can’t believe you’re making me miss the ending. Pete said there’s an epic explosion.’

  I gritted my teeth. Kevin stood up and glared down at Benji. Benji didn’t even flinch.

  ‘Look,’ I said. ‘If you help me out tonight, I’ll get you tickets for tomorrow. There’s going to be a party, and lots of free food,’ I added quickly, to sweeten the deal.

  Benji tipped his head to the side, thinking it over.

  ‘And,’ I said, ‘if this works, you’ll have helped catch a dangerous criminal.’

  Benji nodded appreciatively. ‘Fine, I’ll show you how it works, and I’ll give you the can. But if we get a reward, I want half.’

  ‘Fine,’ I agreed quickly. Fifty per cent of zero was still zero.

  Benji ran me through the basics of booby-trapping a spray can and then hurried back to his seat. I guess he really didn’t want to miss that last explosion. Which, given Benji’s love of booby traps, was a little worrying. I hoped Pete wasn’t trusting enough to let the kid have any flash powder of his own.

  I looked at the clock. Thirty minutes until the curtain came down. I worked quickly, prepping Benji’s emergency can with strong black thread from my mom’s sewing box and some supplies from Pete’s toolbox. Kevin stood guard at the door.

  ‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ he asked.

  I shrugged. ‘Not really, but it’s the best thing I can come up with. We’re lucky that sandbag didn’t kill someone. Who knows what else might happen if we don’t put a stop to it now.’

  ‘OK,’ Kevin said slowly. ‘But once you hide the necklace and set up the trap, how is the thief going to know about it?’

  I finished stringing the thread through the can and hid it inside my shirt.

  ‘After dress rehearsal, there’s always a small party. Everyone who’s had access to the Beryl for the past few weeks will be there. All we need to do is let a few people overhear that I found the trapdoor and the room underneath when the sandbag hit the stage. If we make everyone think the builders are coming in the morning to seal it up, then the thief will have to search there tonight.’

  Kevin looked sceptical. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Gossip spreads like wildfire backstage. Trust me, the thief will get the message.’

  ‘If you say so.’

  ‘I do,’ I said. And tried my best to sound like I meant it.

  ‘This is insane,’ Della said as she crouched in the sooty darkness beside me. ‘Do you really think this will work?’

  I’d had to tell Della about the plan because I needed her to help spread the rumour. And once Della knew we were staking out the stage, there was no getting rid of her. She told Mom she was sleeping over with me and Dad. I felt horrible for lying, but it was the only way.

  We’d hidden up on the catwalk until everyone else had gone home. I’d set up the trap as quickly as possible and then the three of us took up our position in the wings to wait and watch in silence. Or we should have. Della kept asking questions. She always talked a blue streak when she was nervous. I turned to her and tried to keep my voice level.

  ‘Whoever wants the Midnight Star is desperate. They won’t take the risk that one of the builders might find it.’

  ‘And you’re sure it’s a person and not a ghost?’ Della asked, her voice a whisper.

  I rolled my eyes in the darkness. ‘Very sure,’ I said. ‘Now keep quiet.’

  Minutes ticked by. Nothing happened.

  Onstage the ghost light shone, its soft light making the shadows around the stage even darker. I crouched on my heels, ready to stand up and make a run for it when the culprit came in. The idea wasn’
t to catch them red-handed. I wasn’t that reckless. The idea was for the paint to leave its mark, the way a dye pack marks a bank robber.

  Time stretched out and every shift and creak of the ancient building sent my heart racing. Kevin fidgeted with the toggles on his coat, clicking them against each other until I elbowed him into silence.

  Nothing.

  And then, I heard it. The unmistakable sound of footsteps. They were coming from the other side of the stage. I strained my eyes in the darkness. A figure stepped out of the wings across from us. I couldn’t tell who it was since he wore all black, a cap pulled low over his head. The ghost light cast his long shadow down the stage and threw his profile into darkness as he opened the trapdoor and dropped inside.

  Kevin tensed like he was getting ready to spring and I grabbed his arm. We needed to wait. There was no point in setting a trap if we didn’t let the culprit spring it.

  ‘Wait for it,’ I said under my breath and started counting primes. My hand was sweating and the heavy metal handle of the torch slipped against my palm.

  Two, three, five, seven, eleven, thirteen . . .

  There was a yelp of shocked surprise followed by spluttering coughs and a low hissing sound. Benji’s trap had hit home.

  ‘Now?’ Kevin asked.

  ‘Now,’ I said, and we rushed on to the stage.

  Della and I pointed our torches into the hole and Kevin held his phone ready.

  ‘Come out now,’ I said, and hoped I sounded more confident than I felt.

  A large round face stained deepest indigo blinked into the beam of my torch. He raised his hand to shield his eyes and the Midnight Star flashed between his fingers.

  ‘Pete?’ I couldn’t believe it. ‘It was you?’

  Pete blinked a few times, still disoriented from finding a spring-loaded can of spray paint along with the Midnight Star. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked, blinking at the bright light.

  I sighed and clicked it off. ‘Pete, I know you’ve been looking for the Star. You’ve been scaring everyone senseless. You almost killed my sister.’

  ‘What!’ Pete’s voice snapped out in disbelief.