What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I think I read this book in middle school (so, 2005-2008) and it was a young adult mystery. The main character was female and made friends with another (new?) girl, I think?

I remember that the resolution of the mystery hinged on the main character realizing that the surname of the man who committed the crime (Heron) and an alias he was using both referred to the same kind of bird--two different words for the same animal.

I'm afraid I don't remember much besides that!

What was the other word for heron? Bittern? Egret?

I want to say "egret," but to be honest I'm not sure.

Herons are also called "waders."

Marci, can you tell us about the crime and victim?

Is this part of a girl detective series?

What's the time period and location - country, region, big city/small town?

Was it new at the time? I have read a book where heron was a clue (Who stole Kathy Young? By Margaret Goff Clark) but it doesn't match the second paragraph. You can read the heron references online in the PDF scan on openlibrary.org.

Who Stole Kathy Young? for the link.

Hi guys! Wow, I was not expecting this many responses. Thanks for being so helpful!

For now, I'm inclined to think that Cupcakedoll found it--an older cover of that book looked familiar to me. I requested it recently from my state's interlibrary loan program in order to confirm, but it's taking a while to show up.

The ghost in the third row by Bruce Coville
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=...
A preview. Heron and crane.

Be sure to let us know if you found your book when you get the interlibrary loan book. We like to know yes or no!

I think the answer is yes: The Ghost in the Third Row is it!