Prologue
Moments Before
Most detectives follow a trail of clues to solve a case, but sometimes the clues just don’t make sense. Like when a ghost runs through the thickets in sneakers, or when strange men start dashing out from behind trees to inspect a house being torn down. And what does a magical stone lying next to a skeleton dressed in night clothes have to do with a dragon?
Anyway, it turned out the leads weren’t red herrings at all. There was a ghoul, a missing stone, a kidnapped kid, an evil old guy with a nefarious plan and plenty of minions to carry out his orders. But I should start at the beginning, so you get to hear the whole story.
It all started when Miss Sims, a checker at the Root & Shoot Greengrocer said she saw a ghost in an attic window at Willaston Place, if you can believe it. Personally, I wasn’t …show more content…
. .” I racked my brain trying to think of a few of our skills. “We’ve spent hours watching people on TV unravel everything from murders to hauntings and we know what makes our ghostly visitors tick.”
“Whatever.” He shook his head. “Kids.”
With the beam of his light, he led the way inside.
The others crowded close to his heels. Two more flashlights cut bright paths through the gloom.
Seth and I silently slipped over the threshold behind them. We found ourselves in a dilapidated foyer covered with wrinkled wallpaper. An oak staircase curved around and up to the second floor.
Mr. Greene pointed to the staircase. “They say that years ago on a fine spring morning, Captain McBride was found dead at the bottom of these steps. Legend has it his spirit roams the halls, and some have even seen his blue afterglow in the windows.”
“I heard a couple of kids ran up the stairs last year, but they never ran down,” Hulk said ominously.
“The ghost ate them,” Specs agreed.
I shivered even though the night was warm.
“That’s enough,” Mustache snapped. “We’re not going to get anywhere talking. Let’s search the ground floor first. Then we’ll head
Moments Before
Most detectives follow a trail of clues to solve a case, but sometimes the clues just don’t make sense. Like when a ghost runs through the thickets in sneakers, or when strange men start dashing out from behind trees to inspect a house being torn down. And what does a magical stone lying next to a skeleton dressed in night clothes have to do with a dragon?
Anyway, it turned out the leads weren’t red herrings at all. There was a ghoul, a missing stone, a kidnapped kid, an evil old guy with a nefarious plan and plenty of minions to carry out his orders. But I should start at the beginning, so you get to hear the whole story.
It all started when Miss Sims, a checker at the Root & Shoot Greengrocer said she saw a ghost in an attic window at Willaston Place, if you can believe it. Personally, I wasn’t …show more content…
. .” I racked my brain trying to think of a few of our skills. “We’ve spent hours watching people on TV unravel everything from murders to hauntings and we know what makes our ghostly visitors tick.”
“Whatever.” He shook his head. “Kids.”
With the beam of his light, he led the way inside.
The others crowded close to his heels. Two more flashlights cut bright paths through the gloom.
Seth and I silently slipped over the threshold behind them. We found ourselves in a dilapidated foyer covered with wrinkled wallpaper. An oak staircase curved around and up to the second floor.
Mr. Greene pointed to the staircase. “They say that years ago on a fine spring morning, Captain McBride was found dead at the bottom of these steps. Legend has it his spirit roams the halls, and some have even seen his blue afterglow in the windows.”
“I heard a couple of kids ran up the stairs last year, but they never ran down,” Hulk said ominously.
“The ghost ate them,” Specs agreed.
I shivered even though the night was warm.
“That’s enough,” Mustache snapped. “We’re not going to get anywhere talking. Let’s search the ground floor first. Then we’ll head