"I know," said Kristy. "But I think she's still got it in for you. And she wants that role so badly she can almost taste it." "I don't agree," said Dawn. "I mean, if she was going to get it automatically, fine. But she'll have to audition just like everybody else, and even I can tell that there are plenty of better dancers in the class." We argued back and forth for awhile, but by the time we had reached Stoneybrook we'd narrowed it down to three suspects: Katie Beth, Carrie, and Hilary. Now all I had to do was to keep a close eye on all of them. My friends were sure it'd be a snap to catch the guilty party.

    Charlie dropped me off at my house, and as I waved good-bye, I felt grateful to my friends. I also felt relieved. I wasn't positive that we were any nearer to identifying the 'phantom of the dance school/ as Claudia had begun to call her. But I felt a little more in control of the situation. At least we'd begun to work on the mystery. And I knew that with everyone's help, I could solve it eventually.

    Ill Chapter 11.

    I watched the three suspects as closely as I could during the next few rehearsals, but things went pretty smoothly. Our practice was starting to pay off. The performance was coming together, and I was feeling more and more confident as I danced the part of Princess Aurora.

    I began to think that maybe the phantom really had been just in my mind. Then, mysterious things began to happen again.

    First, I reached into my dance bag after one rehearsal, and I found my old leotard - the one that had been stolen. But there was no way I could wear it again. It had been cut to shreds. Somebody had gone after that leotard with a sharp pair of scissors. That was creepy.

    Then, during another rehearsal, I got shoved - by .someone I didn't see - into some scenery that was being painted. My leotard was covered with red paint, and Mme Noelle wasn't pleased. Neither was I. I had spent all my savings to replace my dance outfit when it was stolen, so I had to borrow money from my parents to replace it again.