PENNY FELT A rush of excitement. She’d just gotten the killer to confess, like a real detective!

Now they had to make an exit . . . JJ was glancing around too.

Uh-oh. This was going to be harder than they’d thought.

Penny looked for Emma, but their partner in detecting was nowhere to be found. Penny was starting to get panicked now, just like when she went scuba diving.

JJ was scared too, but they had to stall so that they could keep Fiona talking. He said, “But Mr. Clark—err, Hofstra—he was a killer first.”

Fiona nodded. “Exactly.” She paused and her eyes welled up. “My father was my best friend, you know? He was always there for me, even when I messed up.”

JJ knew a thing or two about that. His mom and dad always had his back, even when things were not going so well, like with this whole failing-class business. “You felt like you had to kill Mr. Hofstra,” he said.

Penny was beginning to panic big-time now. Fiona was a killer!

Fiona continued, “I forgot that Mr. Barclay had the script, which would be evidence of my guilt. So when the invitation came, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get rid of the one piece of evidence that could be my downfall. It was a chance I couldn’t resist. But when I searched Mr. Barclay’s office, the script wasn’t there.”

JJ said, “It was in the library. Mr. Barclay has a whole collection of scripts.”

Fiona nodded, and exhaled. “Of course, why didn’t I think of that?”

There was a definite shift in the mood of the room. It felt colder, icier even than the air in the maze just hours earlier.

Penny stepped back. She clutched the script.

But Fiona stepped closer. “I’ll take that script now.”

“No!” Penny yelled, and turned away. But Fiona lunged and tried to pry it from her fingers.

Penny tried to hold on, but Fiona was too strong. She snatched the script, leaving Penny holding just a few strips of torn paper.

Fiona hurried offstage. There was a rumble, and then a swoosh sound.

Penny and JJ stood together, onstage. Penny smelled perfume, strangely and out of nowhere.

“Look up!” Emma called from somewhere in the audience seats. JJ and Penny looked to the ceiling, only to see the stage light contraption up above them lowering.

No, it was dropping.

Right on their heads.