“I’m so sorry to hear that!” Jack and Brooke pressed their ears to the crack in the door. Their mother continued, “Yes, I completely understand. I’ll tell the kids. I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to help.” Mrs. Hall hung up and continued washing the dishes. “I know you were listening!” she called to Jack and Brooke. “I don’t think your uneventful sleepover with Ethan is going to happen after all. His mother just called and said that this strange phantom horse has been showing up at their ranch during the past week.”
“Really?” Brooke exclaimed, “But that’s so exciting! Maybe we could help figure out what’s going on!” Mrs. Hall smiled knowingly. “What about you, Jack?” “Sure,” said Jack, “as long as we can bring Scout and extra snacks. Scout was a great help when we solved the mystery of my missing socks. He sniffed them out right away!” “Typical teenage boy,” Brooke groaned, “always thinking with your stomach.” “I’ll pack you plenty of extra food,” said Mrs. Hall, “you guys go call Ethan’s mom back.”
Thus the two young detectives set off to offer their services to their friend. Ethan was delighted to see them. “Mom’s really freaking out. The phantom comes every night without fail and drives our horses crazy. The whole house has been thrown into chaos.” “When does the phantom usually come?” asked Brooke. “Always right at seven, after we’ve finished dinner.” “Oh, speaking of dinner…”Jack said eagerly. “Can we wander towards the kitchen while we’re talking? Scout and I are starving.” “Sure thing, mate,” said Ethan. The three friends and Scout headed down the hall to the kitchen.
“Oh, by the way…I almost forgot! I have something here which should help us get started.” Ethan pulled out an old folded piece of paper. “It’s a letter that my Mom found in a chest of drawers in the second bedroom upstairs.” Brooke and Jack opened the letter carefully. The message was addressed to “Dear Joyce,” from “Your Tom.” “Listen!” exclaimed Brooke. “Tom said that he was leaving his money to Joyce, and he’ll show her at their usual meeting place when she shows him the light…” “Shows him the light?” wonders Jack. “Do you know who these people are?” Brooke turned to Ethan. “Yes actually,” he answered. “Joyce was my great-grandmother. She had this romance going on with Tom who was an outlaw on the run. Obviously, Joyce’s parents didn’t approve so the couple met in secret. I’m pretty sure they met in this house late at night, but the whole house was searched and the money hasn’t been found.”
The friends stepped into the kitchen and two men came up to them. “This is Bert, who helps a lot with the horses, and Sam, who is our excellent cook. Greetings were exchanged and everyone sat down to eat. “I’m surprised you kids decided to come, even with this phantom running around,” said Bert. “I’m figuring that we’ll all have to move out if it keeps showing up.” “Is Johnny watching for it outside?” asked Ethan. “Yep, he can’t wait to see the phantom. He thinks that he’ll be the one to catch it,” said Bert. “Johnny is 16 and really mean,” explained Ethan, “but he’s handy to have around so….”
“Look!” yelled Bert, jumping up from the table. The floor creaked loudly as everyone except Sam scrambled outside. There it was…the phantom horse. The huge white stallion glowed with a fierce light and ran among all the horses, scattering them and almost starting a stampede. Bert and Johnny were whooping and yelling, trying to herd the horses together again. “Scout! Hey, Scout, come back!” Jack suddenly shouted at his dog. Scout had shot out of the kitchen and was sprinting after the phantom stallion. “He’s catching up to the animal!” shouted Ethan. Scout ran up alongside the phantom and sank his teeth into it. The horse didn’t stop and both the phantom and the dog disappeared into the trees. “Scout!” Jack called. “Scout?” The dog vanished. Everyone joined in the search for Scout, but it was no use. “He was an ugly dog anyway,” muttered Johnny. “It’s a shame he didn’t catch the phantom though.”
Distraught, the kids returned to the house where Sam was washing the dishes. “Don’t worry. I’m sure your dog will turn up,” said Sam comfortingly. Jack walked over to the window by the sink, the floor creaking with every step, and he looked towards the woods longingly. He noticed a funny hook stuck in the wall above the window. “Hey, what’s this?” asked Brooke. She knelt down next to the window and pointed at a glowing white spot of paint next to a large crack on the floor. The siblings looked at each other for a minute. “I think I’ve just seen the light,” whispered Brooke. Suddenly the two announced that they were feeling tired and pulled a slightly confused Ethan upstairs.
Late that night Ethan woke up and heard some very loud shouting coming from the kitchen. Ethan bolted down the stairs. “Did you catch somebody? Please tell me it’s Johnny!” He skidded to a halt. “What the…?” Jack and Brooke were trying to pry Scout off of Sam’s arm. Ethan stared at Scout, not believing his eyes. The dog’s teeth were glowing in the dark! “Wicked!” exclaimed Ethan as Jack and Brooke finally broke the dog’s hold.
Ethan’s mom and Johnny arrived on the scene. “What is going on?” “I’m afraid Sam and Bert are the guilty men, ma’am. Sam was trying to cover up this evidence,” explained Brooke. “He and Bert have been using the phantom horse as a diversion so they could smuggle your grandmother’s money out of the house. I found the trapdoor into the secret passage because the spot of white paint was next to the sealed door.” “But where is the money?” asked Ethan. “It’s in this secret compartment right here at the beginning of the passageway,” said Jack. “When Joyce and Tom wanted to meet, Joyce would hang a lantern on this hook by the window. Tom would then come through the passageway from a hideout in the woods and see her. Unfortunately, Tom died before he could tell Joyce exactly where the compartment of money was.”
“Why wouldn’t the guys do this at night instead of creating this whole phantom horse thing?” asked Johnny sullenly. “The floor creaks too loudly,” said Brooke. “Sam and Bert had to take a chance tonight in order to check on Scout and clean up their mess.” “I just have one more question,” said Ethan. “Why was Scout dognapped?” “Phosphorous paste,” said Jack. “It made the phantom horse glow. When Scout bit the horse, the paste rubbed off on his teeth. Bert and Sam didn’t want us to see him.” “I still can’t believe that the phantom isn’t real!” groaned Johnny. “Hey Johnny,” said Ethan’s mom, “do you think you could help us nab Bert in the woods? He’ll be at the end of the passageway where the ‘phantom horse’ was kept.” “He probably already ran for it,” said Johnny. “Not on the phantom because it might still glow in the dark,” continued Ethan’s mom. “You can take the phantom on the chase. Bert couldn’t have gone far, and you can keep the phantom as a reward if you catch the criminal.” “I’m on it, ma’am!” yelled Johnny, grinning in excitement. He shot down the tunnel. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him smile,” said Ethan. Jack and Brooke laughed. “Well, another mystery solved,” sighed Brooke, “I can’t wait until the next one!” “Can we at least have a snack before you go hunting for more trouble?” asked Jack. “You’d better hurry up,” said Ethan, pushing a plate of lemon bars towards Jack. “Mysteries just seem to find you guys.”
Jack dug in while Ethan’s mom went to answer the phone ringing in the next room. She came back a couple of minutes later. “That was your mom,” she announced. “She got a call from Italy. Something about a Loch Ness Monster and stolen jewels.” Jack choked on his lemon bar, spraying powdered sugar. “Another mystery?!!” Jack and Brooke exclaimed together. “Yes, what do you think?” asked Ethan’s mom, “oh, and I’m supposed to tell you, Jack, that free food is included.” “Free food???” whispered Jack, speechless. “I believe that is a definite ‘yes’ from both of us,” Brooke laughed.
No comments:
Post a Comment