Chapter 3 -- INSIDE THE ENVELOPE.

"Who was she?" Claire asked Miss Williams. She seemed to ignore Claire's question completely and turned her attention to her phone. 
"I, er, need to... umm, get the, the phone." she stammered and hurried into he next room. Claire frowned in thought. Something isn't right. She thought silently to herself, Why was she scared of that woman? What doesn't she want anyone to know about I wonder? And why did she ignore me? I don't like it!
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The cheery September sun cast evening shadows across the now-green grass. In Morton*, NZ, the snow and ice would only stay for a few days at a time. Claire's cousins in the North Island had never seen snow, so she would tell them in letters. Claire was walking home from a party along Main Street and she began to hum a tune she had just learnt from Macy. As she neared the Grand Hotel her singing stopped short and she froze in her tracks. A woman was running towards the Hotel. She looked over her shoulder, stooped down and pushed something under the door quickly. The woman looked around again, then fled in to the shadows. Claire sucked in her breath sharply. That was the woman who had knocked on the Hotel's door just that afternoon! The one who had 'frightened' Miss Williams!
"What did she put at the door?..." she wondered. Silently and stealthily she crept over and squinted in the fading light at the doorstep. Half shoved under the door was a white envelope sealed with
cello-tape. Claire, half of her wanting to run home, tore it carefully open. Inside was a small slip of paper. She gingerly read the messy writing;
                              Grace, u cant keep it hiden forever Plese!
It didn't make sense! Why would she be leaving notes on the doorstep that don't mean anything? You can't keep what hidden forever? Claire was to tired to care so she tucked it back into the envelope, slid it half under the door and turned to go home.
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"Well most likely it is connected to Miss Williams' weird behavior," 
Lily-Anna guessed."And the thing she doesn't want anyone to know about." 
It was Tuesday afternoon and Claire had rushed over to Lily-Anna's house to tell her what she had seen last night.
"Probably," Claire answered eagerly, "It was definitely the same woman woman from yesterday."
Just then the voice of Mrs. Bullard - Lily-Anna's mum - came from the kitchen window.
"Girls!" she called, "Are you going to go to the Hotel or not? It's almost dinner-time!"
"Crikey!" Claire exclaimed and jumped up, dragging Lily-Anna with her. "Bye!"
Town was a bustle of cars, people and noise. As a red sports car blaring rock music zoomed through a puddle of melted snow, Claire had to bound aside to avoid being soaked. She stared glaring after it and followed Lily-Anna to the Hotel's door. As they stepped inside, her friend collided with Miss Williams. She was dressed up all fancy and had that hard frown on her face that seemed to ruin her looks. 
"I need to go to a meeting, you two tidy up the place!"
With that she flounced out the door. As she did, a piece of paper gently floated down from her pocket to the floor. Claire picked it up and opened her mouth to tell Miss Williams, then quickly shut it. It was the note from the envelope!
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*Morton does not exist; I had to make up a town that had all the places in it :)
Next chapter; Little Creek!!!