Poor Greta was still sobbing.
Ben thought Winnie might start to cry too as she gazed around the gym in dismay.
"Who did this?" Winnie murmured.
"Why would somebody spill our paint?"
Greta sniffed. "I bet it was the same monster who drew the mustache on Mr. Freaky's poster.
That was funny, but this is mean!"
"It is mean," Ben thought.
He remembered that Mog had been with the Doppel Gang when they decorated Mr. Freaky's poster with a mustache.
Ben hoped Mog wasn't involved in this prank.
"You know what?" Winnie took a deep breath.
"It doesn't matter who did it.
We have to get the mess cleaned up so we can start painting."
"Right," a witch named Samantha chimed in.
"Let's get to work."
Nodding, Greta wiped her nose.
"I'll see if Mr. Bog can help us."
She hurried off to get the school janitor.
Winnie turned to Waldo.
"Our painting has to be ready for Leonardo da Creepy's visit on Friday night.
Do you think you can make more paints for us tonight?"
"Sure." Waldo was wiping some paint drops from his glasses.
"It should be okay. I mean, as long as my magic spell works again."
"Uh-oh," Ben thought.
Waldo's spells rarely worked the way they were supposed to.
A few minutes later, Mr. Bog arrived with his cart, and everyone began cleaning.
As Ben mopped the floor, he looked around for clues.
On the far side of the gym, he spotted something.
Tiny droplets of paint were tracked across the floor.
Ben put down the mop and followed the trail.
It led out a rear door of the gym and into the boys' locker room.
Near the row of sinks, the paint trail stopped.
"Huh," Ben murmured.
"Maybe the vandal stopped here to clean paint off himself."
Ben floated around the locker room, looking for more clues. Nothing.
Back in the hallway, he floated around, searching for signs of anything unusual.
As he passed the cafeteria, he halted.
There was something unusual—the three doppelgangers were inside with buckets and sponges.
They were wiping down the tables.
"What are you guys doing?" Ben called.
Larry moaned. "We got detention!"
The office ogre stood nearby, her arms folded.
"They drew a mustache on Mr. Freaky's poster," she snapped.
"I don't care what Ms. Van Ghoul says—that is not art.
It is vandalism, pure and simple!"
"How much longer do we have to clean?" Carly complained.
"You'll clean until I tell you it's time to stop.
Poor Mr. Bog had to help with some emergency cleanup in the gym.
I may send you down there to help him after you've finished this!"
Ben noticed that none of the doppelgangers reacted to the office ogre's mention of the gym emergency.
"Hmm," he thought. "Maybe they didn't spill the paint. Now, where's Mog?"
A few minutes later, Ben found his friend in the art room.
Several photos were spread out in front of Mog—they were pictures of Monster Academy teachers.
Ben told Mog about the spilled paint, watching his face carefully.
"Wow." Mog looked upset. "That's terrible. Can I help?"
"I think Winnie and her friends can handle the mess," Ben replied carefully.
"But do you have any idea who might have done it?"
"Nope." Mog shook his head.
"I've been in here since classes ended, working on an art project."
He held up a photo of the gym teacher.
He'd drawn a mustache and beard on the teacher's face.
"I call it Gwarg With Goatee," Mog said proudly.
He showed Ben several other pictures with mustaches and beards drawn on them.
"What do you think?"
Ben shook his head. "Sorry, Mog, but I don't call that art."
"What do you mean?" Mog said.
"Winnie said I needed inspiration.
I got inspired—by the Doppel Gang's art."
"It's not really art," Ben repeated.
"The Doppel Gang was just making trouble when they drew that mustache on Mr. Freaky."
"Ms. Van Ghoul said it was art!" Mog said indignantly.
"I think she just wanted to calm down Mr. Freaky, so he wouldn't ruin Art Week before it began."
"Well, I like these photos," Mog insisted.
"I'm going to give them to Ms. Van Ghoul to display for Art Week.
If she doesn't like them, she doesn't have to use them."
Ben sighed and then floated out of the classroom and back to the gym.
He still had no idea who'd tampered with the magic paints.
But he was a reporter.
So he knew how to keep his eyes and ears open for clues.