Chpt 10: The Case of the Silent Chimes.

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Chapter 10: The Ringing of Hope

The storm raged outside the Dark Tower, the wind howling through the narrow windows like a warning. Thunder cracked so close, it rattled the heavy stones beneath Rita’s feet. The friends huddled near the base of the Carillon’s bell chamber, the giant brass bells looming above them, motionless in the flickering lightning.

Rita held a flashlight steady, casting a beam across the walls, when a sudden clang echoed through the tower. Everyone jumped.

“It’s her,” Kyle whispered, wide-eyed. “It’s Mrs. Garrison.”

As if in answer, the bells swayed gently, though no wind stirred inside the tower. The small brass plaque at the base of the largest bell glinted in the light:
"In loving memory of Eleanor Garrison — May her song forever ring."

A chill filled the room, and the faint scent of roses drifted on the air. Rita, heart pounding, stepped forward.
“Mrs. Garrison,” she said softly, “you loved this place. We know you just want it to be cared for. We’re here to help.”

The air grew warmer, and the bells stopped moving. A faint figure appeared—a gentle woman with silver hair and a kind smile, her hands clasped over her heart. Rita felt a tear slip down her cheek.

“Thank you,” the figure whispered, her voice like a fading chime. “Don’t let them silence the music.”

Then, as quickly as she came, the vision faded. The room seemed lighter, the air still.

Lane let out a shaky breath. “Did that really just happen?”

Kyle nodded, wide-eyed. “She wanted us to know she was here. That she cared.”

Suddenly, the heavy tower door burst open, the storm having calmed outside. In rushed Kyle’s father, drenched but grinning, holding a manila folder high like a trophy.
“Kids! You won’t believe this,” he called, panting. “I just came from the Capitol. The state’s approving the funding for the Carillon! We’re going to save the bells!”

Cheers erupted. Kyle whooped, hugging Lane and Georgia, who both laughed in relief. Rita felt a deep, quiet peace settle over her.

They had done it. They’d saved the Carillon, honored Mrs. Garrison’s memory, and uncovered a story that would become legend in their town. The tower wasn’t just stone and bells—it was the beating heart of their community, and now it would ring out once again.

As they stepped into the cool night, the storm clouds parted, revealing a star-studded sky. Far above, the bells gleamed in the moonlight, waiting for their next song.

Rita smiled, slipping her notebook into her backpack. The case of the silent chimes was closed—but the adventure wasn’t over.

Not by a long shot.

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Chpt 9: The Case of the Silent Chimes

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🌙 Chapter Nine: The Whisper in the Office

The next morning, the four friends huddled outside the Carillon Journal building—an aging brick structure across from the tower, its windows dark except for a dim light in the janitor’s closet.

“Let’s do it,” Rita whispered, and they crept inside.

The place smelled like old ink and lemon-scented cleaner. Dust motes danced in the sunlight. Kyle tiptoed past a stack of newspapers with bold headlines:

CARILLON SILENT: A TOWN MOURNS.
NEW OWNERSHIP, NEW VISION: THE JOURNAL’S FUTURE.

Rita paused, tracing her fingers over a framed photo on the wall—an older man and woman standing proudly in front of the tower.

“That’s Mr. and Mrs. Garrison,” Lane whispered. “The original owners. They built the Carillon.”

A soft clang echoed from the back of the office. The kids froze.

“Who’s there?” called a shaky voice.

It was Mr. Binks, the janitor—an older man with a shock of white hair, pushing a mop bucket. His eyes darted nervously between the kids and the shadows.

Kyle stepped forward. “It’s okay, Mr. Binks. We’re... doing research. For school.”

Mr. Binks’ hands trembled as he wiped them on his overalls. “You kids shouldn’t be here. She doesn’t like it when people snoop.”

“She?” Rita echoed, heart racing.

Binks lowered his voice, leaning in like a man sharing a terrible secret. “The old lady. Mrs. Garrison. I think her spirit’s still here... watching.”

He glanced over his shoulder, then muttered, “The bells—they were her pride and joy. After she passed, the auto-player stopped working... like it broke when her heart did.”

Georgia’s eyes widened. “Wait... are you saying the ghost of Mrs. Garrison is keeping the bells silent?”

Mr. Binks nodded quickly, tapping his temple like a nervous tic. “I hear the bells at night sometimes—just a few notes, like she’s trying to remind us. So I ring my little handbell while I clean... to keep her at bay.”

He pulled a tarnished brass bell from his pocket, its handle worn smooth.

“Do you know anything about the auto-player? Or Mr. Halloway’s last song?” Rita asked.

Binks hesitated, then shuffled toward an old filing cabinet. He fumbled with the lock and pried it open, revealing a thin folder labeled Halloway, L. – Final Composition.

“I found this years ago, buried in a stack of invoices. Nobody cared. The new owners—bah! They don’t want to fix the Carillon; they want to sell it off piece by piece. Scrap the bells, flatten the tower for condos. That’s why they’re not repairing the auto-player.”

Rita’s stomach turned cold. “So... the Foundation, the new owners... they’re trying to erase the Carillon?”

Binks nodded grimly. “Unless someone stops them. Unless...” He trailed off, staring at the sheet music in Rita’s hands.

“Maybe it’s not a ghost. Maybe it’s just... an unfinished song waiting to be heard.”

The bells in the tower let out a faint, almost imperceptible chime—a single note in the afternoon breeze.

The kids exchanged wide-eyed glances.

“We need to get this music to Kyle’s dad,” Rita whispered fiercely. “And we need to find a way to play that song—before the Foundation silences the Carillon forever.”

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Chpt 8: The Case of the Silent Chimes

 

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🌙 Chapter Eight: Broken Music

That night, the four friends crept back toward the Carillon, flashlights bobbing in the darkness.

Kyle whispered, “My dad’s at the State Capitol all week—he’s trying to convince the state to fund the tower repairs. If we could prove the auto-player is broken, maybe he’ll get the money faster.”

Rita nodded. “Let’s find the player mechanism. We’ll take pictures and show them to your dad.”

Inside the tower, the air smelled like dust and old stories. The winding staircase groaned under their feet as they climbed. At the top, the bell chamber loomed—silent and eerie.

Lane shivered. “I don’t like it up here.”

Georgia swung her flashlight around. It landed on a strange contraption: a rusted, gear-filled box mounted to the wall, its wires snaking across the floor. A faded label read:

AUTO-PLAY SYSTEM – DO NOT OPERATE MANUALLY

Kyle leaned in, inspecting the wires. “Looks like someone tried to fix it... and gave up.”

Rita ran her fingers over the dusty control panel. The buttons were cracked, the lights dead. She found a switch labeled ‘Start’ and pressed it.

Nothing.

Then...

BANG!

A loud metallic clunk echoed through the chamber. The kids jumped, hearts racing.

“It’s jammed!” Lane yelped, peering at a jammed gear.

“Or maybe...” Georgia’s voice trailed off as she pointed to a scrap of paper wedged in the gears. Rita carefully tugged it free.

It was old—yellowed, with faded ink.

A music sheet.

“Is this... one of Mr. Halloway’s songs?” Rita whispered.

Kyle’s face went pale. “My dad said Mr. Halloway was working on a new piece when he got sick. He never finished it.”

Georgia’s brow furrowed. “So... the auto-player’s broken, the song was never played, and now we’ve got a ghost who won’t leave until he hears it?”

Rita’s mind raced. “If we can fix the player or find another way to finish the song, maybe we can help Mr. Halloway rest... and save the tower before the Foundation cuts it off for good.”

Lane tapped Kyle’s shoulder. “What if your dad doesn’t get the funding in time?”

Kyle’s eyes darkened. “Then... the Carillon goes silent forever.”

The bells above them swayed slightly in the night breeze, and a soft, almost imperceptible chime floated down the staircase—just one single note, like the ghost of a song that wanted to be heard.

Rita folded the music sheet gently. “We’ll find a way,” she whispered. “We have to.”

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Chpt. 7: The Case of the Silent Chimes

 

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🌙 Chapter Seven: A Song Unsung

The next afternoon, Rita, Kyle, Georgia, and Lane huddled around a small table at The Crown Diner, their heads close together over a crumpled newspaper.

“I found it in the archives,” Rita whispered, tapping a finger on the headline:
‘Carillon Foundation Announces Budget Cuts: Music Program on Hold’

Kyle let out a low whistle. “So they did stop the music on purpose.”

Georgia frowned, stirring her soda absentmindedly. “But why? The Carillon’s part of the town’s history. People love the bells.”

Lane leaned back, his arms crossed. “Yeah, but if they think it saves money...”

Rita’s eyes narrowed. “It doesn’t add up. Mr. Binks believes the ghost is real. He rings that bell like his life depends on it. But if the Carillon Foundation shut down the music... maybe the ghost needs the bells to stay at rest. Maybe the bells were more than just music.”

Kyle’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait—you’re saying the ghost is mad because the music stopped? That’s why we keep hearing those weird sounds?”

“Or,” Georgia added, “maybe the sounds we hear are the ghost trying to play the bells. Like... a warning.”

A chill ran down Rita’s spine. What if the old bell ringer, Mr. Halloway, was still trying to finish the songs he’d started? What if the unfinished music was keeping him here?

Lane snapped his fingers. “Didn’t Mr. Binks say something about the air feeling heavy? Like something’s waiting?”

Rita nodded, her mind racing. “We need to get back into the tower. If the Foundation isn’t playing the bells, maybe we can find a way to turn them back on. Or... at least figure out how they work.”

Georgia hesitated. “Isn’t that... I don’t know... illegal?”

Kyle grinned. “It’s only illegal if we get caught.”

Lane rolled his eyes. “Famous last words.”

Rita folded the paper, her resolve hardening. The Carillon wasn’t just an old tower with rusty bells. It was the heartbeat of the town. If the Foundation wanted to silence it, they’d have to get through her and her friends first.

As they left the diner, the wind shifted, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible sound—the distant echo of a bell’s chime. Soft. Faint. Almost like a sigh.

Rita stopped in her tracks.

“Did you hear that?” she whispered.

They all turned toward the tower, its silhouette dark against the dusky sky.

And just for a moment, it seemed as if the tower itself was listening.

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Chpt 6: The Case of the Silent Chimes

 

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🌙 Chapter Six: The Bell Keeper’s Secret

Rita, Kyle, Lane, and Georgia ducked back into the tunnel, crouching low behind the heavy door. Their hearts pounded in unison, breaths ragged and quick.

“Did you see that?” Kyle whispered, gripping the flashlight so hard his knuckles turned white.

“He’s... like a ghost whisperer or something,” Georgia muttered, eyes wide.

Lane leaned in. “No way. He’s just a janitor, right?”

But Rita wasn’t so sure. She peered through the crack again, watching Mr. Binks shuffle around the basement. Every few steps, he’d ring the small brass bell dangling from his belt, as if on autopilot.

She caught a glimpse of something pinned to the wall—a faded newspaper clipping framed in cheap plastic. “Carillon Ghost Story: Fact or Folklore?” The photo showed a shadowy figure silhouetted against the bell tower, the headline screaming in bold letters.

“Guys... look,” Rita whispered. “He knows about the ghost.”

Kyle nodded slowly. “Maybe that’s why he rings the bell. To keep the ghost away while he’s working.”

Georgia frowned, skeptical as ever. “Or he’s just superstitious. People get weird about old buildings.”

Lane shook his head. “Either way, we need to ask him.”

Before they could debate further, the door creaked open wider—and there was Mr. Binks, standing in the tunnel, his mop in one hand and the bell in the other.

The kids froze.

“Well, well,” Mr. Binks said, a thin smile twitching beneath his mustache. “Looks like I’ve got company tonight.”

Kyle swallowed hard. “Uh... hi, Mr. Binks.”

Mr. Binks tilted his head, eyes twinkling behind his glasses. “You kids think you’ve found a secret, haven’t you?”

Rita hesitated, then stepped forward. “We’re just... curious, sir. About the bells. And the tower.”

Mr. Binks sighed, shifting his weight as the bell on his belt gave a soft chime. “Curiosity can be dangerous in an old place like this. The Carillon’s got stories, sure. Ghost stories. Folks say the old bell ringer—Mr. Halloway—never really left.”

Lane’s eyes widened. “You believe that?”

Binks rubbed his chin. “I don’t know what I believe. But I do know that every time I clean down here... I feel something. Like the air’s too heavy. Like someone’s watching. So I keep my bell handy.” He lifted it, the sound sharp and clear in the dim tunnel.

“Bells clear the air, see? Chase the spirits away.”

Rita’s mind raced. Could the ghost of Mr. Halloway really still linger in the Carillon? Was he the one the pigeons were afraid of? Could he be... waiting for someone to finish his song?

Mr. Binks’s gaze darkened. “The tower’s been quiet too long, kids. When the chimes fall silent, that’s when you ought to worry.”

He stepped aside, motioning them back toward the stairs. “Go on home now. Let the bells do their job.”

But as they climbed the steps back toward the tower’s main level, Rita paused, her heart pounding. There had to be more to this. Why had the bells really stopped ringing? And was Mr. Binks the only one who knew the truth?

She looked back once, catching the faintest glint of a bell swinging on Mr. Binks’s belt—like a silent guardian against the secrets of the Carillon.

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Chpt 5: The Case of the Silent Chimes.

 

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🌙 Chapter Five: The Whispering Stairs

The hidden staircase creaked beneath their feet, spiraling down into the earth like a coiled snake. The air grew colder with each step, and the sound of their breathing seemed to echo in the tight space. Kyle’s flashlight beam jittered across the stone walls, revealing cobwebs, old bricks, and what looked like an old pulley system.

“I feel like we’re in a movie,” Kyle whispered, clutching the flashlight like it was a sword.

“Yeah,” Georgia muttered, “a horror movie.”

At the bottom of the stairs, the passage opened into a small stone chamber, with a narrow wooden door set into the far wall. Above the door, carved into the lintel, was the same swirling keyhole symbol.

Rita’s heart raced. She reached for the latch—but the door swung open by itself, creaking on ancient hinges.

Inside was a dimly lit corridor, lined with bricks that seemed to stretch on forever. The air smelled faintly of old paper and ink.

Lane sniffed. “Is it just me, or does it smell like... a printing press?”

Rita’s eyes widened. “The newspaper office! The Carillon Journal! My grandpa said the old office used to connect to the tower back in the day.”

Georgia raised an eyebrow. “Wait—you’re telling me there’s a secret tunnel from the bell tower to the newspaper?”

“Looks like it,” Kyle said, shining the flashlight ahead. “Guess the headline tomorrow will be: Local Teens Discover Secret Passage.”

They followed the tunnel, which sloped upward slightly, until they reached another small wooden door. Faint light flickered from beneath it, and they could hear... music? No, not music exactly—more like the soft, rhythmic clinking of metal.

Rita slowly pushed the door open a crack—and froze.

In the dim light of the newspaper’s basement, an older man shuffled across the floor, a mop in one hand and a dustpan in the other. His gray hair stuck out in wild tufts, and his heavy work boots clomped as he moved. But the oddest thing was that every few steps, he’d pause... and ring a small bell on his belt, like a habit. Clink. Clink. Clink.

Kyle whispered, “That’s the janitor! Mr. Binks!”

Georgia’s eyes narrowed. “Wait a sec—does he even know he’s doing that?”

They watched as Mr. Binks hummed softly, the bell’s chime echoing in the empty space. He didn’t seem to notice the sound at all. His gaze was vacant, like he was lost in thought... or maybe something else.

Lane nudged Rita. “Do you think... he’s the ghost bell ringer?”

Rita’s mind raced. Could Mr. Binks, in his quiet routine, be echoing the old melodies from the tower? Was it just a habit—or was something pulling the strings?

She turned to her friends, a spark of determination in her eyes.

“This isn’t over,” she whispered. “We’ve got a mystery to solve.”

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🎵 End of Chapter Five

Chpt 4: The Case of the Silent Chimes

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🌙 Chapter Four: The Chimes at Midnight

The night air was sharp, with a faint scent of lilacs drifting from the churchyard. Rita, Georgia, and Kyle huddled under the shadow of the tower, staring up at its dark, looming shape. The bells hung silent in the moonlight, but Kyle swore he’d heard them—chiming on their own.

“It was like a whisper at first,” Kyle said, shifting nervously. “Then... it was like someone was playing a tune, but soft. And then it stopped.”

Rita frowned. “Did you tell Lane?”

Kyle nodded. “He went to get a flashlight. He’s coming.”

Just then, Lane jogged up, breathless, with the flashlight beam bouncing across the grass. “Got it! What’s the plan, detective?”

Rita glanced up. The bell tower’s iron door was shut tight, but the small side window—barely big enough for a kid—was cracked open. “We’re going in.”

Georgia groaned. “I knew you’d say that.”

Kyle gave a crooked grin. “Adventure’s calling, G.”

Lane boosted Kyle up, and with a grunt, Kyle slipped through the window. Rita followed, feeling the scrape of the windowsill on her elbows. Georgia sighed dramatically before climbing in last.

Inside, the air was damp, filled with the faint scent of old wood and metal. The floor creaked beneath their feet. They tiptoed toward the stairs, the flashlight beam sweeping over dusty beams and ropes.

Kyle stopped suddenly, pointing the flashlight upward. “Look!”

The gold symbol from the photo—the swirling keyhole surrounded by ivy—was carved into the wooden beam above the bell rope. Rita’s heart leaped.

“It’s real,” she whispered.

Lane tilted the flashlight, revealing a small latch hidden in the wall beneath the carving. Kyle pressed it—and with a soft click, a panel in the floor shifted.

They exchanged wide-eyed looks. Georgia muttered, “This is so not in the building plans.”

Rita knelt and gently lifted the panel. Below was a narrow staircase, descending into darkness.

Kyle gulped. “Anyone else hear that?”

They froze. A soft, distant chime echoed up from the hidden stairwell—one note, then two, then silence.

Rita’s pulse raced. “The bells…”

Lane took a step back. “Guys, this is way more than we bargained for.”

Rita looked at her friends—faces pale, eyes wide, hearts pounding. She knew they were scared.

But she also knew this was the clue they’d been waiting for.

“Let’s go.”

And one by one, they slipped down the hidden stairs into the shadows—toward the secret that had been waiting beneath the tower all along.

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Chpt 3: The Case of the Silent Chimes

 

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🌙 Rita Logan and the Dark Tower: The Case of the Silent Chimes

Chapter Three: Whispers in the Library

Rita stood in the hallway, watching as Kyle and Lane trailed behind Principal Grayson like two kids being marched to the guillotine. Her gut twisted. She knew they were only trying to help, but rules were rules. And if the council found out about the break-in, it could mean more than detention—it could mean losing the tower altogether.

She tugged Georgia’s sleeve. “C’mon. We’ve got to figure out a way to help them.”

“Help them?” Georgia echoed, exasperated. “Rita, they broke into the tower. They could get expelled. And you want to help them?”

Rita nodded. “Exactly. We need to prove they weren’t trying to vandalize anything. And I have a feeling…” Her eyes drifted toward the old library wing. “There’s more to this tower than we think.”

Georgia sighed. “I knew you’d drag me into this.”

They ducked into the library, weaving between the rows of dusty shelves. Rita beelined for the Local History section, pulling out a thick, crumbling book titled The Carillon: A Town’s Timeless Treasure.

Flipping through, Rita’s fingers paused on an old, faded photograph: the Carillon under construction in 1928. Beneath it was a note:

“Dedicated in honor of Thomas Carlyle Sr., benefactor and founder of Carlyle Industries.”

“Wait a second…” Rita murmured. “Carlyle? As in… Kyle’s family?”

Georgia leaned in. “So his great-grandfather helped build the tower?”

“Looks like it.” Rita flipped the page—and gasped.

There was a second photo, hidden beneath a loose scrap of paper. This one showed the tower’s bell chamber, but in the corner of the picture, almost too faint to see, was a symbol etched into the wall: a small, swirling design that looked like an old-fashioned keyhole surrounded by ivy.

“What is that?” Georgia asked, pointing.

“I don’t know.” Rita’s mind raced. A secret symbol… an old family connection…

She carefully folded the loose paper and tucked it into her backpack. “But I’m going to find out.”

Just then, the library doors creaked open, and a familiar voice whispered from the shadows.

“Rita. Georgia. We need your help.”

It was Kyle, breathless and pale. “Something’s wrong with the bells.”

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🔎 Clues for the Reader

1. The Carlyle family connection to the tower—could there be an inheritance or hidden responsibility involved?

2. The secret symbol in the bell chamber—what might it unlock?

3. Kyle’s urgent message—why are the bells acting strange?

4. What does Tommy, the homeless man, know about the tower’s secrets?

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Chpt 2: The Case of the Silent Chimes

 

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🌙 Rita Logan and the Dark Tower: The Case of the Silent Chimes

Chapter Two: Secrets in the Tower

Rita’s mind buzzed as she and Georgia walked home. The midnight chimes. The birdseed. The broken latch. Something wasn’t adding up.

The next morning at school, she found Kyle and Lane whispering in the corner by the lockers. They looked nervous—like they were hiding something.

“Hey,” Rita called, dropping her backpack. “What’s going on?”

Kyle tried to grin, but it looked forced. Lane rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh… nothing. Just talking soccer stuff.”

“Right,” Rita said, raising an eyebrow. “Does this soccer stuff happen to involve midnight chimes?”

Kyle’s face turned red. “How did you know about—”

“Gotcha!” Rita crossed her arms. “You were in the tower last night.”

Lane sighed, glancing around the hallway. “Okay, fine. But it’s not what you think. We were… helping someone.”

“Helping?” Georgia appeared at Rita’s side, arms folded.

Kyle nodded quickly. “There’s this guy—Tommy. Homeless. Been around town for months. We saw him sleeping in the park, and it was freezing last night. So, we… let him stay in the tower. Just for a couple of nights.”

Rita’s heart softened a little. She’d seen Tommy before—an older man with a scruffy beard and kind eyes. He often sat by the grocery store, humming old tunes.

“We left some birdseed for the pigeons to keep them from bothering him,” Lane added. “And the wedge was to keep the door from locking behind us.”

“But the bells?” Rita asked. “Why were they ringing?”

Kyle looked sheepish. “That was me. I… I couldn’t resist trying it. Just a few pulls to see if it still worked. I didn’t think anyone would hear.”

Rita sighed. “You do realize the Carillon is a landmark, right? If the council finds out someone’s been inside…”

“I know,” Lane said quietly. “But we couldn’t just leave Tommy in the cold.”

Rita glanced at Georgia, who still looked skeptical but a little less angry.

“Okay,” Rita said finally. “We’ll help you figure this out. But we have to make sure Tommy’s safe—and the tower isn’t damaged. We can’t risk losing it.”

Kyle grinned, relieved. “Thanks, Rita.”

But just as they were about to leave for lunch, a voice boomed across the hallway:

“Lane Larson! Kyle Carlyle! In my office. Now.”

It was Principal Grayson. And from the look on his face, someone had definitely heard the bells.

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🔍 Clues for the Reader

1. Lane’s family is always busy helping at church—maybe they know resources for someone like Tommy.

2. The Carillon is an old building with strict rules about access—why would someone break in without permission?

3. Kyle’s dad is a prominent businessman who’s out of town.

4. Tommy, the homeless man, might have his own story to tell.

5. The bells themselves—could they have a hidden meaning?

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Chpt 1: The Case of the Silent Chimes

 

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🕰️ Rita Logan and the Dark Tower: The Case of the Silent Chimes

Chapter One: The Mystery at Midnight

The fog curled thick around the base of the Carillon tower, swallowing the streetlights and casting long shadows across Willow Creek’s town square. Rita Logan zipped up her jacket tighter as she walked home from the library, her best friend Georgia Bailey at her side.

“Did you hear that?” Georgia stopped, eyes wide. A faint ding... dong... echoed through the fog.

Rita paused. The Carillon bells had been silent since Mr. Franklin, the town’s beloved bell player, had passed away. Yet here, in the middle of the night, the bells seemed to whisper across the rooftops.

“No way,” Georgia breathed. “They’re ringing.”

Rita narrowed her eyes at the dark shape of the tower. “Come on. Let’s check it out.”

“Now?” Georgia’s voice squeaked. “It’s past curfew!”

But Rita was already crossing the street, her mind racing. The Carillon was supposed to be locked up—off-limits while the town council figured out how to fix the aging ropes and gears. If someone was ringing the bells, it meant they’d gotten inside. But how?

Kyle Carlyle was waiting on the bench by the square’s fountain, fiddling with a yo-yo. “You two look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he joked, but his grin faded when Rita told him about the chimes. Lane Larson, the athlete of the group, joined them a few minutes later, his soccer bag slung over one shoulder.

“I heard it too,” Lane said. “Midnight chimes. Nobody’s supposed to be in the tower.” His eyes gleamed. “Let’s investigate.”

Inside the tower’s entryway, the air smelled of old stone and musty wood. They moved quietly, their footsteps muffled by the thick layer of dust on the floor. Rita shined her flashlight beam across the walls. The bell ropes dangled in the center of the room, motionless.

“Wait—look at this!” Lane crouched down, pointing. A small rubber wedge lay near the ropes.

“And this.” Georgia held up a half-empty bag of birdseed, stuffed behind a dusty chair. Kyle, meanwhile, tugged at the window latch. It wobbled, bent and broken, as if it had been forced open.

“Someone’s been sneaking in,” Rita murmured.

“But who?” Georgia asked.

“And why are the bells only ringing at midnight?” Kyle added. “Ghostly prank, or...?”

Rita’s eyes sparkled. A mystery was unfolding, and she was determined to solve it.

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🕵️‍♀️ Clues So Far

1. A rubber wedge near the ropes.

2. A bag of birdseed hidden behind a chair.

3. A broken window latch.

4. Bells ringing at midnight, even though the tower is supposed to be empty.

5. Lane’s new drone controller sticking out of his bag.

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Reader Challenge:
Can you figure out what caused the midnight chimes?

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