THERE WAS ANOTHER whoosh, a movement of air. Penny and JJ felt themselves being pushed, but they couldn’t see anyone else there.

Penny was mesmerized by a white shape floating around the stage.

But JJ was too busy looking up. Whoever (or whatever? A ghost?) had pushed them out of the way of the falling stage lights had saved them both. JJ’s backpack got caught on the end of one of the lights and was ripped right off his shoulders. Penny had a scratch on her arm, but otherwise, they were safe. And the ghost (of Emma’s mom, they guessed) was gone.

Luckily, Penny and JJ weren’t the only ones with detective skills. It seemed like Detective Walker, Ms. Chelsea, JJ’s mom, and even the chef had a hunch that something was up, because they all came running through the double doors at the same time.

Emma had warned them. She made the lights flicker all over the hotel. Although they couldn’t see her, Emma managed to make a mess everywhere, sending papers flying (and even the potted plants), hoping they would follow. Thankfully, the detective did. And the other guests followed him, from their rooms all the way to the theater.

“What’s going on?” Detective Walker asked as he got to the stage.

“Fiona Fleming is the murderer!” Penny called. “She’s back there.” Penny pointed backstage. “Be careful when approaching her, because she’s very angry.”

Her grandpa nodded. He went backstage, only to find Fiona wrapped in thick ropes, the ones that held back the theater curtains. Buck Jones was tying them.

Fiona screamed, “Let me go!”

Buck Jones said, “You need to be quiet, ma’am.”

The detective smiled. “Nice lasso job, Mr. Jones.” The cowboy did win that rodeo competition after all.

“I’m innocent!” Fiona called. “You have no evidence.”

“Oh, I think we have plenty,” Detective Walker said.

Penny added, “That script you’re clutching, for one. Your motive is right there in your hand.”

“Plus, we have your confession on tape,” JJ said.

Buck Jones added, “And you stole my boots.”

Penny said, “So that’s how those prints ended up in the snow. That explains a lot!”

The detective led Fiona out of the theater, and everyone else followed behind them. JJ was clutching his broken backpack, while Penny couldn’t stop smiling.

“That was very dangerous,” JJ’s mom said, scolding him a little. “Fiona Fleming is a murderer. What if she’d . . .” Her voice trailed off. It was too scary a thought to finish.

“I’m fine,” JJ said, lying a tiny bit. His ankle felt extra painful, and he was shaking from the close call with the theater lights. “We caught the criminal.”

“We did!” Penny said. They high-fived, because that’s what you do when your team wins. Emma followed along, feeling pretty good about herself as well.

And Buck Jones sauntered off, happy to have his boots back.