“Yeah,” said Bess. “I thought she was our number one suspect.”

I shook my head. “I just have a hunch that it isn’t her,” I said. “Why would she donate all those photographs to the exhibit just to sabotage the museum later? Plus, I’m beginning to think that the interview Beverly did got blown way out of proportion. I don’t think she really meant that she hated her family. I’m thinking she just didn’t want to be famous.”

“But do we have evidence for any of that?” asked George. “It sounds like you’re just guessing.”

I stopped walking. George was right; I was mainly just speculating about all of this. That wasn’t how I preferred to solve mysteries. Normally, I would want to find a lot more evidence before jumping to conclusions. But I had a gut feeling about Beverly, and I felt like I should trust it.

“I am guessing,” I said. “But regardless, Susan is never going to tell us the combination. The police think this is all a publicity stunt, and Susan said that they already went through her security footage and didn’t find anything. Grace was the museum’s only employee, and she’s missing. The only other person who knows the combination is Beverly DeSantos. So I have to ask her.”

Bess and George both looked at me and eventually agreed. I could tell that they were skeptical about this plan. But luckily for me, they were also great friends who were willing to trust me and my ideas, even the ones that made them both nervous.

“All right,” said Bess. “So how do we find Beverly DeSantos?”

That was a good question. I had no idea where Beverly lived. But Shady Oaks was so small, and Beverly was such a local celebrity, that I felt confident most people living here must know. The only question was whether they would be willing to tell us.

“By asking around,” I said. “We’ll ask anyone from Shady Oaks that we come across. Let’s start with shop owners and employees.” I gestured toward the row of shops and stores ahead of us, and Bess and George nodded.

We started with the Bean and Briar Coffee Shop, followed by the local grocery store, a pet store, and the post office. We didn’t have much luck. Once we began asking about Beverly, no one seemed to want to speak to us.

The owner of the local grocery store, wearing a heavy white apron around his stomach, even said that he wouldn’t tell us anything because he didn’t want to be the next person to disappear.

“Do you really believe Beverly DeSantos is kidnapping people, though?” George asked him.

“Yes,” said the man seriously, before ushering us out of his store.

After we were back outside, George turned to Bess and me and said, “I think everyone in this town is terrified of Beverly DeSantos.”

“It sure seems like it,” said Bess.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “But let’s keep going. All we need is one person who is willing to talk to us. C’mon, let’s try this place next.”