lunch.â
âOkay,â said Benny. âAs long as you bring some back for us!â
CHAPTER 9
A Scary Surprise
The Aldens used Peteâs office to make their phone calls.
Henry had already spoken to a man at the local television news station. Now he was calling the local radio station. âHello, Iâm calling from the Greenfield Museum,â Henry said, just as Pete had told him to. âI wanted to remind you about the opening tomorrow night of our latest exhibit, âEnter the Mummyâs Tomb.ââ
âWeâll have someone there to cover it,â said the man on the other end.
âGreat,â said Henry, hanging up the phone. Jessie checked the radio station off her list.
âNext is the Greenfield Daily News ,the local paper,â said Jessie. âThe number is 555-6444.â
Henry dialed and listened to the phone ring a few times. Then a woman answered.
âHello, Greenfield Daily Newsâ she said. âCan I help you?â
âHello,â Henry said. âIâm calling from the Greenfield Museum to remind you of our opening tomorrow night.â
ââEnter the Mummyâs Tomb,ââ said the woman. âDonât worry, weâll definitely send a reporter and a photographer.â
âYes, thank you,â he said, sounding puzzled. He hung up the phone.
âWhatâs the matter, Henry?â Benny asked.
âThat was strange,â he said.
âWhy? What did they say at the newspaper office?â Violet asked.
âIt wasnât what the woman said,â Henry said slowly. âIt was her voice. It sounded so familiar.â
âMaybe it was some friend of Grandfatherâs,â Benny suggested.
âMaybe,â said Henry, puzzled.
âAnyway, we have a few more names to call,â Jessie reminded him.
The children were finishing the phone calls when Dr. Snood came in.
âWhereâs Pete?â he asked.
âHeâs getting lunch,â Jessie said. âHe asked us to make some phone calls about the opening.â
Dr. Snood turned and started to leave. He called over his shoulder, âDoes Dr. Dickerson have everything ready?â
âYes, she does,â Henry said.
Dr. Snood stopped abruptly and turned around. He looked at Henry strangely. â She? â he repeated. âSam Dickerson is a woman?â
âHavenât you met her?â Jessie asked.
Dr. Snood shook his head. âIâve been so busy the past two weeks. Whenever Iâve gone up there, Dr. Dickerson hasnât been in. Pete scheduled a meeting for the three of us and ...â He paused and then said awkwardly, â she couldnât come. Anyway, it doesnât matter. I saw the exhibit and it looks excellent.â He walked slowly out of Peteâs office.
âThatâs weird he never even met her,â said Violet.
âWell, Sam did keep some pretty strange hours,â Jessie pointed out as she placed the list on Peteâs desk. âSheâd come in late, leave all of a sudden, you know.â
The Aldens left the office and went back upstairs. As they entered the prep room, Sam was there, talking on the phone. âOh, youâll love this little cat,â she was saying to the person on the other end. When she saw the children, she quickly stopped talking. âIâll speak to you later.â
She hung up the phone.
âI was telling my friend about the new kitten I just got,â Sam explained.
â Another one?â Jessie said.
âI couldnât resist,â said Sam. She picked up her bag and put it over her shoulder. âEverythingâs ready for tomorrow. Iâm heading home now.â
âHey, wait a minute,â Benny said, noticing the coffin at the back of the room. âWhat about the mummy? Isnât that going to be part of the exhibit?â
âOf course,â Sam said. âWell move the coffin in tomorrow and
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