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expensive?”
    â€œNo. Though they are costly. No, the problem is that I’ve written some personal things in the journal, private things.”
    Oh. “You don’t have to answer this, but what kind of private things?”
    She hesitated. “Things I wouldn’t want anyone to read. It’s hard to explain.”
    â€œI’m sorry. I don’t want to pry.”
    â€œYou’re not prying. You’re being a good friend. I’m going back in to look again. Maybe it got kicked under another pew. Or tucked in with the hymn books on a shelf.”
    I offered to go in with her and help her search. She said no. She’d taken up enough of my time. I should go home. She’d email me if she found it.
    â€œThanks for listening,” she said. “I know I’m making too big a deal out of this. And after I told you I was low-profile compared to the other choir people! Forgive me.”
    I said there was nothing to forgive, and goodnight, and I let her be.
    And for all the tv crime shows I’d watched in my time, I’m sorry to say that thoughts of blackmail didn’t even cross my mind. They crossed hers though.

CHAPTER TEN
    A nna emailed me later that night. She said:
    Hi Steph:
    I searched all over the church and didn’t find the notebook :(
    As promised, I’ve attached the on-camera checklist.
    Good luck with the filming.
    Anna
    I printed off her checklist, read it over and spent an hour rehearsing my script in front of the mirror. I laid out my clothes for the next morning, and at eleven o’clock, before Joanne even got home from her post-practice drinks, I went to bed. I wanted to look rested when I woke up.
    To be honest, in the time between practice and going to sleep, I didn’t think much about Anna’s journal. If someone in the choir had found it, they would have told her by now. And if a random stranger found it, they’d probably throw it away. So what if her notes went into the garbage? How important could things like the word spicier written on a page be?
    The next day, Joanne and I were up and getting ready for work at the same time.
    â€œYou look beautiful,” she said when I came out of my room, hair and makeup done. “Like a TV star.”
    â€œMo-om,” I said and rolled my eyes.
    â€œMy bad. I forgot I’m not supposed to act proud of you. Ever. Do you want a lift to the mall? I have enough time to make the detour on the way to school.”
    In the car, I asked how the pub night had gone.
    â€œIt was fun. About fifteen people from the choir came, men and women both. A group of them go out for drinks after every practice.”
    â€œDid you meet any cute guys?”
    She shot me an Are-you-kidding? look. “No. But the conversation was lively. The first topic of the night was your friend Anna Rai. That was weird, wasn’t it? That tearful announcement she made about the missing notebook?”
    â€œYeah. I talked to her about it a bit afterward. It was her private journal that was lost. She doesn’t want anyone reading it.”
    She chuckled. “Wendy was making Nancy Drew jokes. She kept referring to it as The Mystery of the Missing Notebook .”
    I didn’t say anything.
    She said, “Nancy Drew? The teenage detective?”
    â€œWasn’t that a movie a few years ago?”
    â€œI was talking about the Nancy Drew books. As you know. Anyway, a man at the table who’s a psychologist said the oddest thing about the incident was that Anna looked guilty when she stood up in front of the choir. As if she’d done something wrong.”
    â€œYeah? What does he know?”
    â€œProbably nothing. I’m just telling you what I heard. They sure like to gossip, that crew.”
    â€œGod, the choir really is like high school.”
    Joanne took that as a cue to start singing “High School Musical,” one tune that was not on the choir’s playlist. And that was the end