The case of disappearing signs
Mrs. Stearns had taken the signs.
There was no evidence to show that Paul had actually used his truck to transport the signs. The boards used for Freddie’s tree house were too old and worn to have been recently used for the signs. But Mrs.Stearns had a fire in her fireplace on a hot July day. She didn’t want neighbors close by, and so she had taken the signs and was burning them in her fireplace so nobody would know the house was for sale.
The case of broken window
Max knew David was not telling the truth because he said “porch window.” Max had not mentioned which of Mrs. Zenitt’s windows had been broken.
The case of surprise visitor
The clock was behind the man as he was walking, so he could not have seen it. He turned around at the sound of the chimes, so he obviously heard them.