The letter from Edward Thorn explained that he had staged his own disappearance to protect the Midnight Star from being stolen.
Thorn had discovered that a rival thief, using the alias
"The Phantom’s Puzzle," was planning to steal the pendant during the
fair.
To prevent the theft, Thorn had hidden the pendant and gone
into hiding, hoping to mislead the thief.
Evelyn took the letter to the local authorities, and with
their help, she apprehended Marcus Gray, who had been working with the thief.
Gray’s greed and desperation had driven him to conspire with
The Phantom’s Puzzle, but their plans had been thwarted by Thorn’s foresight
and Evelyn’s investigation.
Edward Thorn was eventually found safe and sound, having
been hiding in a small cottage outside the village. The Midnight Star was
returned to its rightful place, and the mystery of Thorn’s disappearance was
solved.
Evelyn’s keen observation and determination had saved the
day, and the village of Eldridge returned to its peaceful existence, with a
newfound respect for the detective who had solved the case.