“Maybe one of these upstairs rooms is where she hides all of her ghost props?” I whisper.

Then Aubrey clutches my arm. A door down the hall quietly shuts. Amelia’s got to be in there.

We rush down the hall and carefully twist the door’s knob. The door creaks open, and we peer inside. The room is dim. A single bulb burns in the corner. It’s filled with props, all right, but they’re props from Sadie Solves It’s first season. The monster head from the episode where the whole town thought there was a creature in the lagoon. Sadie’s witch costume from a Halloween episode.

“Ooh, I remember this,” Aubrey whispers, pointing down at a jewelry box. Inside had been a clue that led to a secret prince. “That episode was so much fun.”

“And here’s those masks we wore for that creepy masquerade,” I whisper, sad that they’re stored all the way up here. They should be on display somewhere.

Clang. A noise at the back makes us freeze. Amelia? Is she trying to find something ghostly in all this mess?

I reach for my phone, ready to pull up the video function. I want to have proof that we’ve caught Amelia doing something she’s not supposed to. I almost feel bad for her. Her mother is going to lose her mind.

“Come on,” I whisper to Aubrey, and we tiptoe around boxes and crates, big items like full-length mirrors, and a creepy portrait of a man whose eyes follow you around the room. I notice a light at the back of the room and head for it. To my surprise, it’s a small open window, almost like an escape hatch.

I peer out. It’s a two-story drop to the blacktop, but there’s a metal fire escape outside the window. The ladder is wobbling just a little bit as if someone has just climbed down. I also hear footsteps ringing on the pavement. Amelia!

“Let’s go,” Aubrey says, pushing past me and wriggling out the window.

“Uhhh…” I feel hesitant. I really don’t like ladders or heights.

Cody’s voice crackles over the radio. “Big Chicken! Mama Hen! What’s going on?”

“Amelia just gave us the slip!” I respond. “It’s super sketchy! She’s on the other side of the stage—heading your way!”

“Makeup can wait,” Cody says. “I’m on it.”

“Cody!” I hear Vee protest on his end. “Come back!”

With Aubrey halfway down the ladder and Cody heading Amelia off at the pass, I feel like they have it covered. “I’ll come down the stairs and meet you outside,” I shout down to Aubrey, happy I don’t have to climb down myself. “If you catch her, keep her there. Stall her.”

“You got it!” Aubrey grins.