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Suspects: Gary Benton, mischievous 8th grader
Sharon Cargill and friends
Mrs. Hersch's ghost
Mr. Hersch

Clues: Unlocked windows
Gary Benton, the prankster, whispering to his friends
Sharon Cargill passing notes
The valentines were just like Mrs. Hersch's

On the morning of February 14th, some very unusual things were noted in Elkrose Middle School. The first was that all the lights in the building were on. This is what brought the Police to check out the building, long before any teachers had arrived.

The second strange thing was an unlocked window in each first-floor classroom. This was more alarming and caused the Principal to call a "late opening" notice, while police thoroughly searched the building for anything or anyone that shouldn't be there. But, all they found was the third and strangest thing strings of shiny red hearts festooning the hallways, the stairwells, the offices and every classroom, and a Valentine card on each and every desk.

As the first arriving school bus opened its doors, Tracy and Taylor piled off, ahead of the crowd. Known as T'n'T to their friends (and "the Terrible Two" to a few non-friends), they were looking forward to the shorter day without a morning Geography test. They went through the front door, where two remaining policemen stood talking to Mr. Herriot, the principal. One of the policemen nodded, saying "- just a prank, probably one of the older students. We'll have someone coming in later to speak to them. We're considering offering a small reward to anyone who helps us with information."

A reward?!?

T'n'T walked through the halls, looking at the decorations and listening to the chatter of their fellow students. As they neared their sixth grade homeroom, Gary Benton, an eight grader, walked by, whispering and laughing with a couple of his friends. The girls looked at each other Could Gary be the culprit? He was a notorious practical joker and he sure looked like he had a secret.

They continued into the classroom and headed to their desks. At the back of the room, Sharon Cargill and her pals were already sitting at their own desks, passing notes and smiling - Another good possibility.

Then, Tracy spotted the valentine on her desk. She picked it up. It was a simple paper valentine, like the ones her favorite teacher, Mrs. Hersch, used to give everyone. Gee, she missed Mrs. Hersch, who had been the wife of the school custodian. She had finished the last school year and then passed away over the summer. Everyone missed Mrs. Hersch,

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