

### The Mystery of the Red-Brick House

by

Betty Casbeer Carroll

Copyright 2002, 2011 by Betty Casbeer Carroll

Smashwords E dition 2011 Revision

License Notes:

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Dedication

Dedicated to my children (now grown)

who were models for the five siblings in the book.

Peggy Choka

Martha Scott

Jacquelyn Carroll

Richard Carroll, Jr. (deceased)

Michael Carroll

### Table of Contents

Part I: The Enigmas
Part II: Impending Danger

Part II1: The Mystery Unfolds

About the Author

Other Books by the Author

Author's Notes

Acknowledgments

Connect with Me Online

### Part I: The Enigmas

### Chapter 0: Introduction

This is a mystery involving five siblings (Jeanie, Ann, Liz, Ricky, and Neil). They move into a red-brick house for the summer that had been vacant for years. It is located on the back of a wooded lot populated with oak, maple, and pine trees, and surrounded by an iron picket fence with a rusty gate that squeaks and creaks when it's opened.

The neighbor kids think the place is spooky because it's been vacant so long, the red bricks are chipped and cracked, and the yard is full of tall weeds, except Cindy. She once lived in the house, and laughs at such rumors. The spider webs hanging on the eaves, in the doorways, and all through the house reinforces the children's initial impression when they first moved in, that the house is haunted.

Their mother hires a housekeeper, Miss Briggs, who has beady eyes that get red and watery when she's provoked. Her presence and eccentric behavior frighten them.

When the five children fuss about Miss Briggs to their mother, she assumes they just don't want to be supervised when she's gone, and ignores their complaints. She learns eventually how wrong she was.

### Chapter 1: Pancakes and Maple Syrup

"Hold it," a voice called from the end of the hall. "No pillow fights today."

"How did she know?" whispered Jeanie. After all, they weren't making that much noise. It didn't near compare with throwing balls against the wall like Ricky and Neil did when they were bored.

The five pillows dropped to the floor. Neil glanced at his older brother and mumbled under his breath, "I won."

Ricky dropped his jaw, and rolled his eyes in obvious disagreement. "I heard that," he said. "You can't win a pillow fight. Nobody keeps score."

Neil glanced sideways at his oldest sister Jeanie, and waited for her to say something, to come his rescue. But she just ignored him. "So-o-o," he said to his brother, not wanting to back down.

Ricky rolled his eyes again, and slapped the side of his own face lightly. "Duh-h." Then added, "So-o-o, who says?"

"Me. I say."

"That doesn't make it so. If anyone won, it was me."

Jeanie interrupted them. "Hey. Shut up. What's point?."

Neil turned to his sister Ann, but she was preoccupied fluffing pillows and putting them back on the bunk beds. His last hope was Liz, but he lost that when she spoke up next. "I won," she said, looking wide-eyed and solemn, like that settled the matter right then and there.

"Who cares?" asked Ann, plumping up another pillow and placing it on Neil's mattress.

"I do. 'Cause I won," repeated Liz, taking the pillow off Neil's bunk and throwing it across the room. It barely missed a lamp and landed on Ricky's bed.

"Get your pillow off my bed, Lizzie."

."Breakfast is ready," their mother announced, as she poked her head through the doorway. "Buttermilk pancakes and maple syrup." Tall, with ash blonde hair that barely touched her shoulders, she projected confidence and optimism, and commanded attention wherever she went. Her children knew her to be loving, but demanding. When she barked out orders, they seldom defied her, and only if they thought they could get away with it. She stayed so busy, she rarely remembered anyway. And when she stopped for her power nap shortly after lunch, they had a good two hours to do what they pleased.

After supper, when she would take a warm shower, brush her hair, and slip into a colorful shift or flowered chemise, the boys would climb on her lap and the three girls would flank her on each side. Bedtime was their quiet time. It was time to unwind, to talk or read or listen. Her voice seemed more serene, not hoarse and deep and impatient. But the same was true of her children. When dusk turned to night and bedtime was imminent, they became quieter. Less energetic. More subdued.

"We're coming. We're coming," yelled Neil and Ricky as they followed their mother down the hallway to the kitchenette.

Jeanie stepped into the doorway and turned around, facing her two sisters. She pushed a string of uncombed hair out of her face, and held up her hand like she was directing traffic. "Wait," she said and wrinkled her brow to get just the right effect--solemn and serious. "I have butterflies in my stomach." She paused for a moment, then continued, "It's a warning. It's an omen. Something exciting, maybe dangerous, is going to happen this summer."

"I'm kinda nervous myself," added Ann. "I think it's because we're moving." She held out her shaking hands as proof.

"Me, too. My stomach is turning somersaults," said Liz. She looked from Jeanie to Ann, then back to Jeanie. She pointed to her belly. "See how it jumps."

"It's just because we're moving," Ann explained a second time, with her usual logic.

"No. It's not," said Jeanie. She was forever apprehensive about something, conjuring up images of potential disasters. When her sisters expressed any skepticism, she reminded them about her prediction of the tornado last year that tore the roof off the barn, and pulled up the oldest oak tree in the cow pasture. Ann tried to explain over and over that anyone could predict a tornado coming when its funnel was already dropping from the clouds. She said it was a warning, even a happening, but not a real, honest prediction.

Jeanie lowered her voice so she could barely be heard. "I feel it in my bones. It's like a premonition."

"Of what?" said Ann.

"Who knows? Wait 'til you see the house," Jeanie whispered again. "If there was ever a haunted house, this one is."

"Haunted?" asked Liz, her face turning ashen. She drained the color from her face so often, her sisters either scoffed, or just ignored it.

"Yes. Haunted," repeated Jeanie, raising her voice. Her eyes dilated and flashed with excitement. She looked at her sisters, and waited for a response.

"Why?" asked Ann politely. She thought Jeanie was overdoing it.

"It looks spooky, that's why."

"Spooky?" repeated Liz as she immediately turned ashen again. The look of death, her sisters called it.

"The kids in that neighborhood think so."

"Did they tell you that?" asked Ann.

"Not exactly," said Jeanie. "But I can tell. These two little girls wouldn't get near the fence."

"You're making that up. I wish Mother had taken me to get the keys."

"She asked me first."

"It was your time to baby sit."

"That doesn't matter. Mother wanted me. I'm the oldest. "

"She never keeps track whose time it is. You shoulda told her."

"You coulda told her yourself."

Their mother called from the kitchen, "Girls, your pancakes are getting cold." There was a slight edge to her voice.

"Mother's getting impatient. Let's go before the boys eat up our pancakes."

"Okay by me."

"Liz, don't tell the boys or Mother what I just told you."

"Why?"

"Because I said not to."

"You're not the boss."

"Just this once keep your mouth shut. Could you please do that? Just this once?"

"Maybe."

"Liz, I'm warning you. If you say one word, I'll tape your mouth shut."

Liz ran out of the room, yelling," Mother-r. Jeanie's going to tape my mouth."

"Let her go," said Ann. "You really think it's haunted?"

"Yes. It's definitely haunted."

"Let's eat. I'm hungry."

"How can you eat at a time like this?" asked Jeanie.

"Because I don't believe in ghosts," answered Ann, which wasn't exactly the truth. Ann wavered between the rational and the irrational. She only believed in ghosts when she actually saw one herself, which didn't happen very often, if ever. She could never say with certainty that the ones she did see weren't just temporary illusions caused by Jeanie's fervor about things that go bump in the night.

Jeanie shrugged and followed Ann to the dining room. She sat down, poured hot syrup over cold pancakes, and felt just a little smug as she looked across the table at her skeptical sister. She'll believe it when she sees the red-brick house. It's haunted, that she was sure of. She took a bite of her pancake, and it stuck in her throat just thinking about it.

####

### Chapter 2: The Red-Brick House

Liz stared out the window at the two weeping willows by their pond, and daydreamed of lying under the shade of the billowing branches that swept the ground when the wind blew. Only today there was no wind, just a heavy, hazy fog that hid the barn and outbuildings. Squinting her eyes, she barely recognized the yellow-brown outline of Bossy. Was someone milking? She couldn't be sure. Maybe it was just the fog moving slowly across the field.

It was one of those sticky-hot days, clammy and humid. The kind of day when kids swim in shaded swimming pools or lakes.

Her mother's voice interrupted her daydream. "Liz, we could use some help with the packing."

"Oh, Mother. I thought you were milking Bossy."

"I finished that hours ago. Get a move on." She took a deep breath, and silently prayed for patience.

"I don't want to move." She continued to stare at the fog.

"It's just for the summer, Liz. You know that." She took another deep breath.

"Who's going to feed my gerbil?"

Exhaling loudly, her mother answered, "You can take it."

"What about my baby chickens?"

"We've gone over this a dozen times. Uncle Ben will feed your chickens. Now stop your procrastinating." She looked to the ceiling. Why me?

"I'm not 'crastinating." Liz looked up at her tall, attractive mother. "I love you."

She sighed. "I love you, too." She grabbed Liz by the hand and lead her outside where Jeanie and Ann were stacking boxes in the truck. "Here's your helper," she announced to the other girls. "Where are the boys?"

"In the barn."

"Liz, go get the boys. Tell them we're just about ready to leave."

"It's too foggy. I can't see"

"I'll go," offered Ann, trotting toward the barn. "Ricky. Neil. We're leaving."

The two boys came running up the hill from the cow pasture. "We told Bossy bye," said Ricky.

"She looks sad," added Neil.

They piled into the truck with the load of boxes, and headed down the winding driveway. Uncle Ben stood in the yard waving as they drove away. He was their great-uncle, the youngest brother of their maternal grandfather who died many years ago. But he was more like a grandpa. Neil and Ricky waved from the truck bed until they turned onto the highway and could no longer see him. "He looks sad," said Neil, wiping away his tears.

They rode past their country schoolhouse, and the homes of friends and people they knew before the country-side took on a newness, with ponds and silos and farms rarely seen. Flat, cultivated land stretched for miles and miles.

Neil was the first to see the tall buildings across the green and yellow fields of soybeans and corn. "There's a town," he said, pointing toward the east.

"What's its name?" asked Ricky.

"Redding," said Ann.

"Why do they call it that?" asked Liz.

"It's probably named after some famous person," said Ann.

"I don't know any famous person named Redding," said Liz.

"Me either," said Neil.

"Do you know any famous people?" asked Jeanie.

"George Washington," answered Ricky.

"I don't think they name towns after people," Ann reflected. "I mean, just name all the towns you know. Dallas. Anaheim. Los Angeles. Grand Rapids. None of them were people."

"Well, you said so," Liz reminded Ann.

"I changed my mind," Ann answered, as she continued to name towns. "San Diego. San Antonio. Fort Wayne. Lansing. Tulsa."

Their mother hardly noticed the chatter. The radio was playing classic country by Patsy Cline, George Jones, and Hank Williams. She was more tuned into the music than the repartee of her five children. When she neared the outskirts of the city, she scanned the landscape and interjected, "I think we're getting close. Jeanie, do you remember any landmarks near Chase Street?."

After driving a half mile or so, Jeanie called out, "I see it. It's just past the Conoco Station on the right." Jeanie was accustomed to navigating. Her mother relied on her until she had learned new landmarks. After that she did her own navigating. She turned on Chase Street, pulled up in front of an iron picket fence, and parked the truck.

The children remained in the truck bed and stared at the three-story house. It was partly-hidden in a grove of tall pines, looming above the trees on the back of the lot, far from the street. Its red-brick exterior was chipped and cracked, and surrounded by dry weeds that the blistering sun had scorched to a dark brown. A rock walkway lead to the narrow porch that wrapped around the front and left side of the house.

"That's our summer home," said their Mother. She smiled proudly. "Isn't it enchanting?" She could barely contain her excitement. She'd rented it for very little money while their farm house was being remodeled. It would give her children their first experience living in a city neighborhood, something she never had herself as a child.

"It's spooky," said Neil. "I don't like it."

"Come on. Hop down."

They jumped from the truck, lined up outside the gate, and continued to stare.

"Fraidycat," said Ricky to his younger brother, as he pushed the rusted gate. Being the older brother, he tried to act brave, whether he really felt that way or not. The gate creaked and rattled, and wouldn't budge. "It's stuck."

Jeanie stepped forward and gave it a strong shove, knocking Ricky to the ground. She reached over and pulled him up by his collar as he yelled, "Ouch, you knocked me down."

"Get your cleaning stuff out of the truck," their mother yelled. "I'm going to get some groceries, and do some other shopping before the moving van gets here. While I'm gone, you kids sweep up the dust, then mop the floors. Somebody wash the windows. I'll be back in a couple of hours. And don't forget the lunch basket."

"Can I go with you?" asked Neil, looking toward the red-brick house, then back at his mother.

"No. We talked about this last night. Remember? Everyone has to pitch in, including you."

"Come on, Neil," Ann said. "Big sister will help you."

They stood at the gate with their cleaning paraphernalia. Brooms, mops, buckets, window cleaner. After their mother drove off, they continued to stand and stare at the red-brick building. Tall oak and maple trees overhung the long walkway. Green pines nearly camouflaged the house, giving it a kind of lonely and mysterious facade.

Ann was the first to speak. "Come on gang, time's awasting." She stepped on the rock walkway and started forward. Jeanie followed, with the littler kids tagging behind, hovering close as they edged toward the porch.

Ann stepped cautiously up the front steps, pushing spider webs out of the way as she went. They hung everywhere. Under the eaves, on the windows, over the door.

Jeanie put the key in the front door, flinching ever so slightly, and glancing around for the spiders. "The door is stuck. Give me a push."

They lined up. "Okay, one, two, three, push," said Ann.

The door opened. Live spiders and dead crickets and Japanese beetles scattered in all directions. Neil stumbled to the floor, blocking their path. Ricky fell on him, with Liz on top.

Jeanie and Ann couldn't hold back their giggles as they stared at the stack of arms and legs and heads, until Neil screamed, "Scorpions."

Liz and Ricky jumped up and ran in circles. They'd been at the mercy of a scorpion sting more than once. It was something to avoid for sure. Ann reached down and pulled Neil up by his collar just as two scorpions scooted out nearby and fled across the floor.

"Scorpions," Ann yelled, running back outside.

They all followed, screaming, "Scorpions, scorpions."

Jeanie glimpsed several people strolling down the street turn to watch their bizarre behavior. She calmed down instantly and looked away. "We can't stay out here and jump all day," she said, then whispered, "Get inside. The neighbors are gawking."

They filed back in, one at a time, like kids in kindergarten returning from play. Neil held on to the edge of Jeanie's shorts, and Ricky did the same with Ann's. The room was still dark and dank and dusty. It smelled strongly of musk and mildew. Jeanie shuddered as she peered into the murky dark, sure scorpions were still running all over the place. "Where's the light switch?" she asked.

Ann groped along the wall until she found one. A tiny beam of light cast its stream of yellow color on to the walls. She sighed with relief. "At last."

Jeanie inspected the room for a moment and said, "Why don't we look over the house first?" They were standing in the foyer, next to a mahogany staircase that went to the second floor.

"Okay by me. Let's go," said Ricky as he raced into the next room. His enthusiasm spurred the others into action. They raced after him, forgetting for the moment the hanging spider webs and the colony of scorpions that inhabited the place.

The foyer, or entrance hall, separated the living room from the dining room, and housed the stairs to the second floor. A kitchen and back stairs were located behind the dining room. A door behind the back stairs descended into the cellar.

Anxious to see the six bedrooms on the second and third floors, they hurried through the three rooms on the first level, and bounded up the back stairs to the second level. Thirteen-year-old Jeanie, her pony tail bobbing up and down, lead the way. Just as she reached the top step, Jeanie stumbled, and nearly knocked them all back down the staircase.

"Pick up your feet," Ann yelled from below.

"I did," Jeanie called back. She could feel the heat in her body rising from her feet right up to her face. She had this bad habit of falling up (and never down). It had become the family joke, and was so embarrassing to Jeanie, she turned scarlet no matter how many times it happened. She lost her coordination, and fell in a heap on the landing.

Ricky and Neil started laughing. "Jeanie fell up the stairs, " Ricky announced, pointing to his sister.

"Are you hurt?" asked Liz.

"Just my feelings."

Jeanie got up, dusted off her jeans, and continued their tour. Two small rooms in the back of the house faced a narrow hallway leading to adjoining rooms at the front of the second floor. The staircase landing from downstairs separated the front and back rooms.

"Oh boy," yelled Neil, as he slid down the banister to the first floor.

Ricky yelled from the landing. "Hey dummy. You're back where we started." He turned to his right and took two steps up to another hallway. "Hey, you guys. Here's another hall."

Liz followed Ricky into the unlighted hallway. "I can't see. Where's the light?" She groped around in the dark and stumbled over Ricky. "You're in the way," she shouted indignantly. She turned around and went back to the landing where she could see. "Neil," she shouted. "Wait for me. I'm coming down."

"Come on, Liz," said Jeanie as Liz zoomed down the banister. "We've already seen that floor."

"No," she shouted up the stairway. "It's too dark up there." She slid across the dusty floor. "Come on, Neil. Let's go see the cellar."

"I'm telling Mother," Jeanie yelled back.

"Tell her, tattle-tale. I'll tell her you said this house is haunted." She grabbed Neil's hand and ran through the dining room to the cellar door.

"I'll tape your mouth shut," Jeanie yelled after her.

Liz opened the door very cautiously, wondering if she was a little hasty to do this without her older sisters. She listened. The door creaked as she opened it wider. She stopped and listened again. Not a sound. She ran her fingers along the side paneling for the light switch. She felt it jutting out of the wall, and flipped it up. A tiny bulb flickered, giving barely enough light to see down the stairway.

"Come on." She nudged her little brother, who was standing ahead of her, quiet as a red fox with a bunch of hounds on his trail. They slowly edged down into the darkened cellar with its flickering shadows. When they reached the bottom, a field mouse scurried across the floor and up into the coal bin, its tiny feet crunching on the coal as it disappeared.

"Yikes," screamed Liz as she darted back up, leaving Neil alone at the bottom of the stairs.

"Jeanie," she yelled out breathlessly. "Ann. Where are you?"

Ann, Ricky, and Jeanie came bounding down from the third floor where they discovered two more rooms and a trapdoor leading into the attic. Ricky and Ann were trying to open the trapdoor in the ceiling by standing on Jeanie's shoulder, but kept falling.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Jeanie yelled, frantically shaking Liz.

"Something in the cellar tried to bite me." Salty tears rolled down her rosy cheeks from round, wide eyes. "Right here," she added, touching her ankle.

Ann ignored the melodrama and asked, "Where's Neil?"

"The cellar," she said, bursting out with a fresh flow of tears.

"Oh, .for gosh sakes, Liz," said Ann. She plunged down the back stairs to the dining room. She jerked open the cellar door and started down cautiously. The light was still flickering shadows around the darkened room.

"Neil," she called out softly. "Neil. It's me. Ann."

He popped up from the coal bin. "Hi, Ann." he said without concern. He was polishing his hands on the shiny anthracite. She grabbed her brother, shook the coal dust off his clothes and lead him back upstairs.

They continued the inspection, looking in closets, under loose boards and stairways for secret hiding places. "I wish we could open the trapdoor to the attic," Ann kept muttering. "I just love dusty old attics."

"They're full of old treasures," added Jeanie, although neither of them had any personal experience in digging through attics themselves.

"When the movers get here, we can put a table under the trap door and climb up," suggested Ann.

"Oh-my-gosh, the movers," cried Jeanie. "We better start cleaning. It's so dusty and smelly, we'll never get it done in time."

"I'll sweep," said Liz.

"No, you won't," said Jeanie, as she grabbed the broom and began knocking down spider webs. A black widow fell at her feet and scurried across the floor. "Never mind. You can have the broom," she said, handing it back to Liz.

Ann pushed the bucket and mop toward Jeanie. "Here, Jeanie, why don't you mop?"

Liz grabbed the bucket and mop from Ann, and ran to the kitchen. Someone else could knock down spider webs. Besides, she enjoyed mopping and making floors clean and shiny.

Jeanie sent Neil outside to wait for the movers, but mostly to get him out of the way. She couldn't understand why their mother thought he would be of any help. He just caused more work. "When the sun is right over your head, let me know," Jeanie said. "Then we can eat."

Neil laid on his back on the soft grass, where the sun hadn't parched it, and watched a string of fluffy white clouds move slowly across the sky until the sun was directly overhead. He ran in the side door yelling, "It's time to eat, Jeanie. It's time to eat. The sun is over my head."

Mops, brooms, and buckets dropped as they heard his call. The stairs creaked and the house shook when Ann, Ricky, and Liz descended the back stairs and rushed into the kitchen.

"Where's the lunch basket?" asked Ricky, sure that Neil had eaten it already.

"Outside, on the table," Neil said, the added, "And I didn't eat anything." He crossed his fingers in the pockets of his jeans, and under his breath, he whispered, "Just the grapes." Ricky told him it was okay to fib if your fingers were crossed when you did it.

"We might as well go outside," said Jeanie.

They sat under the cool shade of a chinaberry tree that resembled a large umbrella, with its branches hanging over a picnic table, eating peanut butter and jelly, and drinking pink lemonade.

Liz found a couple of red grapes in the bottom of the basket, and popped them into her mouth. "Where are the rest of the grapes?" she asked.

Neil looked away at some swallows flying nearby, like he hadn't heard. Jeanie, Ann and Ricky were already headed toward the house. Liz shrugged and shouted, "Hey, wait for me."

Neil watched his three sisters and older brother disappear into the side of the house. He continued staring long after the door had closed and he could no longer see them, and became intrigued with the thick vines that climbed each side of the doorway, clinging to the windows and the protruding bricks that were chipped and cracked.

He shivered. Why did the vines scare him? Ivy grew all over the place at the farm. He kept staring, in spite of his discomfort. The vines even covered parts of the roof with flowing leaves.

It reminded him of something, but what? He kept thinking. Finally, it

came to him. Jack and the Bean Stalk. He shuddered. If he climbed up the vines, will he find a giant?

####

### Chapter 3: A Dark Shadow

Their mother arrived just as the movers were ready to leave. She signed the papers the driver handed her, and plopped down on the nearest chair.

"I'm beat. Get me a stool."

Liz and Ann both dashed to the kitchen, knocking down Neil, who let out a yell as he fell to the floor. Jeanie leaned over and pulled him up by his collar. Ann returned with the stool and placed it under her mother's feet.

Liz came in after her, screaming, "She said for me to get it. Pig.."

Mrs. Grayson clapped her hands. She waited a few seconds before speaking. "Lizabeth, I don't like tantrums."

"You told me to get the stool," she explained solemnly.

"No. Liz. I said 'get me a stool.' That meant anyone," her mother answered patiently. "Go to your room and think about your tantrums."

Liz threw a dirty look at Ann, as she stomped out of the room.

Jeanie and Ann couldn't contain their amusement, and started giggling.

Liz turned around and came back. "They're laughing at me."

"Just go to your room, please."

"How long?"

"One hour."

"A whole hour?"

"I might shorten it for good behavior."

Liz trudged out slowly and up the stairs to her bedroom. She sat in the bay window next to her bed, and peered down into the yard below. "Maybe my fairy godmother lives in that orchard," she said to herself, just as a dark shadow suddenly appeared out of the cellar door, and moved swiftly across the yard.

Liz froze. She tried calling for help, but her throat tightened, and nothing came out. She tried to get up, but she couldn't move. She was like petrified wood with arms and legs. Then she heard Jeanie call from the bottom of the stairs. "Liz, supper's ready."

Liz couldn't answer. She let out a gurgling noise, instead.

Jeanie heard the gurgle and went in to see if she was all right. "Come on, Liz. Mother said to come down. It's time to eat." She reached out and took Liz by the hand. Liz was able to get up and go down the stairs with Jeanie. After she began eating and laughing at Neil's jokes, she relaxed, and her voice came back. She began talking, very casually, like she hadn't been at all frightened. "I was looking out the window and saw this really weird-looking man coming out of the cellar. He ran across the back yard."

"Oh-h-h," Neil cried out. He was no longer in the mood for his dinner jokes. "Burglars," he cried.

"For gosh sakes," said Ricky. "I'm not afraid."

Mrs. Grayson looked startled. "Liz. What are you talking about?"

"I saw this man coming out of the cellar door."

Mrs. Grayson's eyes doubled in size as she stared at Liz. "You mean just now? When you were upstairs?"

"Yes'm," Liz said, exultant over all the attention. She looked around the table. Every set of eyes was staring at her.

Mrs. Grayson put her fork down, and scooted her chair back, like she was leaving the table. When she stood up, her expression changed and she sat back down. "Oh. It was probably the meter man." She smiled and picked up her fork.

The faces around the table relaxed. The followed suit, picked up their forks and began eating the home-grown potatoes, squash, zucchini, and corn on the cob.

Then Jeanie popped a question. "What did he look like, Liz?"

"Well," began Liz, "he had this old beat-up hat on his head. And he wore coveralls and clod-hopper shoes."

"Really?"

"Yes, His face was all wrinkled and he had whiskers all over his chin and neck."

"And what color were his eyes?" asked Ann, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Blue," Liz answered. Jeanie and Ann began giggling.

Liz realized she had been entrapped. "Pigs. Pigs." she cried. "Mother. They're picking on me." She flounced out of the room, yelling over her shoulder, "Mean old stepsisters."

"Lizabeth," her mother called out. "It's your time to do the dishes."

"Fiddlesticks," said Liz. She turned around and went into the kitchen. Ricky followed. It was his time to wipe.

After Liz and Ricky finished cleaning up, they all scrambled upstairs with their mother to select their bedrooms. Neil asked for the back room on the second level and Ricky the one adjoining it. Liz requested one of the front bedrooms, which she hoped would be next to her mother's. Jeanie and Ann settled for the two rooms on the third level. They had already decided to share a bedroom, and use the other one for a club house. Mrs. Grayson took the large bedroom next to Liz.

Tired from the move, they went to bed early without fussing. Mrs. Grayson tried to read, which was her habit, but fell into a deep sleep almost immediately. Her magazine slid off the bed onto the floor with a soft thud. Around midnight, the pitter-patter of tiny mice running between the walls and under the floors awakened her. She got up and wandered through the house,. stopping at all the bedrooms to see if her children were sleeping peacefully. When she returned to her room, even the mice had stopped their play.

She went to the window, and looked up at the full moon. It peeked through a thicket of oak and maple trees that lined the front yard. Their leaves fluttered softly, while shadows danced on the lawn, giving an illusion the ground was moving. She shuddered, pulled down the shades, and went back to bed. She couldn't sleep. The house was too quiet. But when sleep finally came, she dreamt that the red-brick house was covered with a heavy gray moss that grew and grew, until it tangled the house and the trees, trapping them all inside.

####

### Chapter 4: The Trap Door in the Attic

Mrs. Grayson woke up the next morning with Liz at the foot of her bed, untying the sheet that was knotted around her ankles. "I heard you moaning," Liz explained. "I think you had a nightmare."

"Yes. I certainly did, Liz." She got dressed, and they went downstairs together. "I'm so glad you have a room next to me."

Liz smiled brightly. "I love you."

Jeanie and Ann had already prepared breakfast. When they saw their mother, Ann said, "Oh, Mother. We heard something in the attic last night." As she talked, her eyes widened like two blue marbles. She turned to her sister Jeanie for confirmation. "Didn't we, Jeanie?"

"Yes-s-s," stammered Jeanie, thinking of the wakeful hours when they cuddled together, hiding their heads under the top sheet. "We were too scared to sleep."

"We didn't sleep a wink," added Ann.

Mrs. Grayson smiled broadly, and continued to sip her morning coffee. She looked over at Jeanie, then at Ann. She was still smiling. "I checked on you during the night, and you were both sleeping soundly."

"Well, we didn't sleep very long," Jeanie said. "And we did hear noises in the attic."

"I'll stop those noises," Mrs. Grayson responded. She handed some change to Jeanie. "Get some mouse traps and some hard cheese."

Jeanie turned to Ann. "I guess we heard mice."

"I'll go with you, Jeanie," said Ann. "Let's go now before Mother leaves for the farm."

"You better get going, then." Mrs. Grayson poured herself another cup of coffee, and picked up the morning paper. She tried reading, but her mind wouldn't let go of the dream about the red-brick house. She shuddered, recalling her nightmare. She didn't have a good feeling about living here after all. It' so old and crumbling, she could almost believe it was haunted.

When the two girls returned with the mice traps, she put Jeanie in charge, and told the other children to mind her. "I'll be back in time to cook supper," she said when she left.

Ricky and Neil wasted no time. They scurried through the house, running from room to room like a couple of mice themselves. While they were sliding down the banister from the second level to the first, Liz sneaked into her mother's room, and put on one of her dresses.. She painted red rouge on her cheeks, brushed mascara on her eyelids, and slid into a pair of black high heels. She placed a lacy veil across her hair, and stood in front of a full length mirror that hung from the back of the closet door. She smiled at her image. She was ready for the Royal Ball. All she needed was her Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming.

"Hey, you guys," shouted Jeanie, after she and Ann put the hard cheese in the mouse traps and hid them in the kitchen. "Go out and play, and don't come back 'til I call."

Liz wobbled in, smiling. "I'm Cinderella. You're the mean old stepsisters."

"Liz," they both screamed. "Get out of Mother's clothes."

"Right this minute," Jeanie added.

Ricky and Neil hurried out the side door. "Let's get out of here," said Ricky.

"Come on, Liz," Neil called out to his sister.

Liz followed the boys, slamming the door as she wobbled out in her mother's high heels.

"Little kids are a pain," commented Ann, as she ran up the back stairs after her older sister.

They went to their club room. Jeanie stood in the middle of the room with Ann at her side, and stared at the ceiling. "How can one little trap door cause so much trouble?" Jeanie asked.

"Well. We're not giving up. Help me push this table."

Jeanie climbed on the table, and stretched her arms toward the ceiling. She could barely touch it with the tips of her fingers. "Get me a broom," she said.

"I'll get that stick out of the window," said Ann. She took the stick, and the window closed with a loud bang. "You're lucky it didn't break," Jeanie commented.

"Yeah. I guess it was there for a reason." Handing the stick to Jeanie, she added, "What do you think we'll find?"

"Mother's probably right. Lots of mice," answered Jeanie.

"Watch out when you push it open."

Jeanie placed the stick against the trap door, and pushed. It opened wide, with little effort. "That was easy," she commented.

"Yeah, finally. Can you climb in?"

Jeanie looked into the dark space above her head. "How?"

"Maybe you can lift me," Ann said. She climbed on the table, and stood next to her sister.

"Ann," said Jeanie with exasperation. "You're nearly as big as me. I can't lift you."

"We need a ladder."

Jeanie jumped down. "Let's get Mother's vanity chair, and put it on top of the table."

They rushed downstairs. "My gosh," cried Ann. "Look at this mess. Mother's best things scattered everywhere."

"We better clean it up right now."

Just as they finished putting the room in order, Liz wobbled in, still wearing the lacy veil, and the high heel shoes.

"You're in big trouble, Miss Priss."

They left and hurried back upstairs. Jeanie put the stool on the table, and with help from Ann, climbed on it.. Just when she reached for the open trap door, the stool slid off the table. Jeanie hit the floor with a loud thud. "Oh-h-h," she cried out in pain. "My leg is broken."

Ann helped her to their bedroom. Ann felt the bones on her ankle. "I don't think it's broken," said Ann. "It's swelling up, though. See if you can move it."

Luckily, it was only sprained. Ann bandaged it, and told Jeanie to stay in bed the rest of the day. "You'd make a great nurse," said Jeanie.

"Maybe I'll be a doctor someday," Ann responded.

"I thought you wanted to teach school."

"And be with little kids all day. No way."

"I see your point," Jeanie responded. "But kids get sick."

"Then I definitely won't be a pediatrician. Does your leg feel any better?" asked Ann.

Jeanie sighed. "I guess. I just don't want to stay in bed all day."

Ann took the vanity stool back downstairs. Her mother's room was in shambles, and Liz w nowhere around. She hung up her mother's best dress that Liz had been wearing, and put the costume jewelry back in her box. Then she went to fix lunch.

"Time to eat," she called out the kitchen window to Ricky, Neil, and Liz. They were romping under the cherry trees at the edge of the orchard.

"Coming," they responded, running to the house, like a pack of hungry wolves.

"Where's Jeanie?" asked Ricky, when they sat down to eat.

"Glad you asked. Take this tray upstairs. She hurt her ankle." She handed him a tray with an apple, a peanut butter sandwich, and a glass of milk. "And don't spill the milk going up those stairs."

"Okay," he said reluctantly, wishing he had never asked. "Don't let Neil eat my lunch."

"Go on. Go on."

"I'm gone," he said. He lumbered up the stairs, spilling milk down the front of his blue jeans.

After lunch they went outside, except for Jeanie, and sat on the front steps of the red-brick house, quietly staring into space.

Ann looked at her three siblings. They were usually so restless and noisy. It was kind of nice for a change, having everyone so quiet. It seemed to her that the whole neighborhood was the same way. Tranquil. Waiting for something. Then she recalled an old saying, and shuddered. Was this the calm before the storm?

####

### Chapter 5: Footprints on the Porch

It was three o'clock when the gathering storm clouds eclipsed the mid-afternoon sun. The skies darkened and the rumbling thunder shook the distant hills like exploding dynamite. A flash of lightning cracked through the sky, zig-zagging its way to earth. The five siblings huddled together on the third floor, putting aside their rivalries for the moment, and watching tensely as the rains came down and deluged the dry, cracked ground with a relentless force.

It was still raining at bedtime. The roof sounded like it was ready to blow off. An electrical power line was knocked out by the fury of the fighting winds. The lights flickered, then went out completely, leaving the house in darkness, except for an occasional flash of lightning. Their mother, who returned from the farm during the storm, lit two tall candles and put them on the mantle over the fireplace.

"Let's tell ghost stories," suggested Jeanie, who was still limping from her ankle injury. She curled up on the sofa next to her mother.

Neil ran to his mother's side before responding. "Okay. You tell one."

"Let me," interrupted Liz. Then she began, "Once upon a time these five kids went to live in a haunted house for the whole summer. One day a storm came and thunder roared and lightning flashed across the sky and scared all the kids. The roof blew off, and the rain came in and the two oldest girls drowned. The other girl had to take care of her little brothers, who were so scared they started crying. She hid them in a secret passage in the fireplace until the storm was over. They lived happily ever after."

"Wishful thinking," said Jeanie, when Liz finished.

"Then you tell one, smarty-pants."

"I will," said Ann. "Once upon a time two sisters lived alone in an old, haunted house. The ghost who roamed the house at night was murdered there over two hundred years ago. He only came out on stormy nights when the lightning cracked through the sky and the rains poured out of the storm clouds in large gushes. The last time he came out was very much like tonight. It was storming and the winds were blowing tree limbs against the old house. The sisters heard footsteps in the hallway. 'What's that?' asked one sister. "Sh-h-h,' said the other sister. 'Let's listen.' Creak, crack, pitter-pat, went the footsteps. Over and over and over, they heard the same sound: Creak, crack, pitter-pat." Ann dropped her voice to a whisper and drawled out the footstep sounds real slow.

Neil couldn't contain himself, and let out the first scream, "Agh-h-h." This set off a chain reaction, and Ricky and Liz began screaming and rushed to their mother.

Even Ann, who was telling the story, got the jitters when tiny shadows flickered from the candle across the walls. With each flicker, they all jumped and held their breath.

Their mother suggested they sleep on pallets in her bedroom, since there wasn't any electricity and they were all hyper. But they didn't get much sleep. Between the mice running in the walls, and the thunder and lightning cracking through the sky, they were awake most of the night.

The storm finally stopped in the wee hours, and the mice got tired of running. They got up later than usual, and had a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast with hot chocolate. Their mother assigned their chores, then left for the farm. But when she stepped outside, she noticed muddy footprints on the front porch, like someone had walked to the middle of the porch, then turned around and left. They weren't near the door or any of the windows.

She looked closer. They were large, the size of a grown man. Whoever it was, didn't try to get in. But, why was anyone on the porch in the first place? And who would be out in such a storm? Was it someone in trouble? If so, why didn't he ring the doorbell?

She decided to file a complaint after she got to the farm. The police decided it was worth an investigation and sent two officers. By the time they arrived at the red-brick house, with their sirens blaring and their lights flashing, the children had finished breakfast and some of their chores. Ricky and Neil bolted out the front door to see the police car when it whizzed by.

Only it didn't whiz by. It stopped right in front of their house.

Two officers in blue uniforms got out and strolled up the walkway. "I'm Officer Dalton," the first one announced in a loud voice. "I hear you got some muddy footprints on your front porch."

"Oh," they both said, looking from one officer to the other.

Jeanie, Ann and Liz stood gawking from the doorway. "Who sent you?" Ann said when she finally found her voice.

"Let's see," he answered, glancing down at his pad. "Now Mrs. Grayson, if you'll excuse us, we need to look around."

The other officer, who followed Officer Dalton to the porch, said under his breath, "I didn't know anyone lived here."

"I think they just moved in for the summer," Officer Dalton replied. "That's what I heard."

"It's been vacant for years."

"Yeah, I know."

"Well. Well. They must be desperate."

"Hey, you kids," Officer Dalton called out. "Come here."

They scrambled forward, nearly knocking him down the steps. "Hold it. Hold it," he commanded. "Where are the footprints?"

"I don't know," they replied, looking around the porch, except Liz. She stood near the door, watching quietly.

"Well. I don't see any," said the other officer. "This porch looks pretty clean, if you ask me."

Liz smiled proudly, and stepped from the doorway. "I mopped it all by myself."

The officers looked over at Liz. "What did you say?"

"I mopped it by myself."

"Did you see any muddy footprints?" asked Officer Dalton, looking from Liz to the other officer and back to Liz.

Liz pondered the question by wrinkling her forehead like they do in the movies, and answered, "No-o-o. I didn't see any."

"But you did see mud?"

"Yes sir. I mopped it all by myself."

"Well, we can't do anything now," said the other officer. "Let's get on."

"Thank you very much," said Officer Dalton. He turned and headed toward their shiny, black police cruiser. Ricky and Neil waved when they drove off down Chase Street.

The sidewalk outside the gate was lined with children of all ages and sizes, peering through the iron picket fence like caged animals at the zoo. Neil and Ricky ran out to greet them.

"Hi. Do you want to come in and play?"

Neil shoved the gate open. The peering eyes blinked, and the children all jumped back like Neil was a mad dog with rabies. "Come on in," he said again.

They moved back a little further. Someone whispered hoarsely, "Don't go. That house is haunted." Then they scattered in all directions, like frightened animals.

"Did you hear that?" asked Neil, He watched them run down the street. "This house is haunted."

####

### Chapter 6: A Friend

The neighbor kids ran down the street and scattered in all directions, except for one girl. She had wavy, brown hair that was cropped short around a perfectly molded head. She looked regal, standing next to a tall oak tree just outside the gate. She smiled and called out, "Hi. I'm Cindy."

"Hi," Jeanie and Ann responded in unison, smiling back.

"Would you like to come in?" Ann asked, pushing on the gate.

"Thank you," she answered politely, when she entered the yard. Her movements were slow and graceful.

"Where do you live?" asked Ann after they sat down on the cool, crisp grass at the edge of the orchard.

"Over there," she responded, pointing toward a brownstone mansion across the street. It was nearly obscured by moss-laden oaks and weeping willows that offered protection from the probing eyes of neighbors.

"Oh-h-h," the three sisters sighed.

"It's a mansion," Ann commented.

"Are you rich?" asked Liz.

Cindy smiled. Her braces glistened in the sunlight. "Oh. Not really. I think Grandpa has a lot of money."

"How old are you?" asked Jeanie.

"Thirteen. And you?"

"I'm nearly fourteen," answered Jeanie. "Ann is twelve and Liz is ten." She pointed to her brothers, who were playing tag nearby. "Ricky is nine and Neil is seven."

No one spoke for a few moments, each waiting for the other to say something. Finally Ann broke the silence. "Is our house really haunted?"

Cindy looked amused. "No-o. It belongs to my grandpa."

Jeanie looked at Ann and then back at Cindy. "Your grandpa is our landlord? He owns this house?"

"Yeah."

"Have you ever been inside?" asked Ann.

"Many times."

"And you know for sure it isn't haunted?" asked Jeanie.

Cindy laughed. "No-o-o. What makes you think it's haunted?"

"Then why did those kids say it was?" asked Liz, who had been listening quietly. She was convinced that ghosts and goblins were real.

"Why did they run away?" Ann added.

"Your guess is as good as mine," answered Cindy.

"I think it's haunted," said Liz, turning around and staring at the dissipated exterior.

"Really, it isn't. In fact, I was born in that house," she said with finality, as though that fact settled the matter altogether.

"Let's go inside," suggested Ann. "I'll make some lemonade."

The next day Cindy came back, then again the day after that. She continued to come over every day, bringing tennis rackets, volley balls, or her croquet set.

Liz thought Cindy had everything a little girl could possibly need or want: A beautiful home, lovely clothes, and dozens and dozens of toys and games.

Liz day-dreamed about living in such a mansion when she grew up, married Prince Charming, and lived happily ever after. She would let her little girl dress up in her clothes and jewelry anytime she wanted to.

One afternoon, shortly after Cindy went home, the sky clouded abruptly and a slow drizzle chased them indoors. Liz disappeared into her mother's bedroom, while Ricky and Neil drew animal pictures on the foggy windows.

Jeanie and Ann plodded up the two flights to their bedroom. "Hey, Jeanie," Ann said. "I know what we can do while it's raining."

"Fix up our club room?" Jeanie answered.

"Why not?"

"We need some furniture."

"Let's look in the junk pile in the cellar," said Ann. When she headed out the door, Jeanie turned and followed.

In the cellar, they found several pieces of furniture in usable condition, though worn and dusty from setting dormant in the basement for many, many years.

"You know what this reminds me of," said Jeanie, staring at the collection of antiques. "That poem Mother read when we were little, Little Boy Blue. Remember?"

"The little toy dog is covered with dust, but sturdy and staunch he stands," began Ann.

"How could we ever forget. Mother must have read it a hundred times."

Ann continued, "The little toy soldier is covered with rust, but his musket molds in his hands."

"Time was when the little toy dog was new," Jeanie added. "And the soldier was passing fair. But that was the time when the little boy blue, kissed them and put them there."

"That was my favorite poem for years," said Ann. She lugged out an old table from the pile. "Hey, Jeanie, look at this. Let's take it upstairs."

"How about this stuffed chair?" asked Jeanie.

"It's a little ragged. But if you want it, I don't mind. "

They continued rummaging until they had a small end table, an oblong table, two stuffed chairs, and a small desk.

After struggling up three flights of stairs with their dusty furniture, they plopped down on the two chairs, exhausted. Puffs of dust blew up to the ceiling.

Jeanie started coughing. "Guess they could use some hard pounding," she said.

"Think we can get this junk cleaned up?" asked Ann. They didn't look so good in the bright daylight.

"We better. Before Mother sees it, and makes us take everything back to the basement."

They scrubbed and dusted, and rearranged their furniture the rest of the afternoon. They hadn't even noticed that the rain had stopped, and the sun was shining brightly. Ann went to the window, and looked down. Ricky, Neil, and Liz were running around the yard, playing tag in the damp, clean air.

"Come on," said Ann. "Let's get some fresh air." They bounded down the two flights, and out the door.

"Hey," shouted Jeanie. "Can we play?"

"Okay," answered Ricky, hitting Ann on the back. "You're it."

Ann chased Neil into the orchard just when Liz appeared in full view. "Liz," she yelled, "get out of those clothes right now."

"Oh-my-gosh," said Jeanie, when she caught a glimpse of Liz. She had on two silk scarves tied together, five bracelets jangling from her arms, and a necklace of imitation pearls around her forehead. Her face was plastered with rouge, lipstick and mascara in grotesque shapes.

A truck drove up, and their mother got out and waved. Ricky and Neil ran to the gate. Jeanie and Ann followed, but Liz froze in her tracks.

"Mother-r," they all yelled happily. Except Liz. She ran inside and up the stairs, two at a time. She quickly slipped out of the scarves and jewelry, and rushed to the bathroom where she washed off the makeup and put on her sundress. She descended the stairs just when her mother entered the front door. She smiled benignly, and purred like a kitten, "Hi, Mother. How was your day?"

"Lizabeth," her mother drawled back. "You've been in my things?"

Liz looked at the four passive faces behind her Mother, trying to guess who tattled. "Yes'm," she confessed.

"Go to your room," her mother said quietly. She was too tired to get angry.

Liz looked down at the floor. "How long?" she asked.

"I'll let you know. Now go."

She looked at her two sisters and two brothers, trying to figure out who tattled. They all looked guilty. "Tattle-tale, Tattle-tale," she yelled, turning on her heels and bounding up the stairs to her room.

That night Liz dreamed she had become a very famous child actress, and everyone was sorry they'd tattled on her. When she woke up the next morning, she was in a very serene mood, and virtually danced into the dining room for breakfast. Her hair was piled high on her head, held up with combs and bobby pins and cluttered with small colored bows. She had two small pencil marks on each cheek, and a big smile on her face.

"Your face is dirty, Liz," said Ricky.

"That's not dirt. They're dimples. Like Shirley Temple." She looked at the platter of biscuits in the middle of the table, and started to reach for one, but paused instead. Batting her eyelashes caked with mascara, she said very, very politely, "Pass the biscuits, please."

####

### Chapter 7: The Trap Door Closes

The morning after the storm, Mrs. Grayson once again noticed muddy footprints on the front porch. Like before, they only went to the center of the porch, then back down the steps. She inspected them closely. They appeared to be the same size as before.

She called into the house, "Children. Come outside. Right now."

She pointed to the mud prints. "We lost our phone connection during the storm last night. I'll be back as soon as I call the police from the Conoco Service Station."

They all looked from the muddy porch up to their mother's face.

Jeanie knew this was very serious. Who would walk on their porch, then just turn around and leave? Why was the person there in the first place?

"Look. I'll be right back." She could tell her children were frightened. They still hadn't spoken, just looked at her, waiting. "Jeanie, take the kids in and lock the doors. Don't answer the door for anyone. I'll use my key when I get back."

Jeanie locked and bolted the door. Her hands shook so much she could barely turn the knob. Neil started crying. Ann put her arms around his shoulders, but that just started a greater flood of tears.

Jeanie suggested going upstairs to the club room. "Can I go?" asked Liz, with wide and unblinking eyes.

"Sure. All of you."

Usually the club room was off limits to the smaller kids. Ann pulled out coloring books and crayons, and they settled down quietly, happy to be included.

Jeanie plopped down on her overstuffed chair and looked up at the ceiling. She jumped up, and began stammering, pointing to the ceiling.

"What's wrong with you?" Ann asked nervously. "For-gosh-sakes, what's the matter?"

Jeanie continued to point. Her finger was shaking. Her whole body trembled. "Look," she finally shrieked.

Ann looked up at the ceiling. "I don't see anything."

Ricky, Neil, and Liz, sensing something was wrong, screamed and jumped up, knocking over their table and scattering crayons and coloring books across the room. Then chairs crashed to the floor. Liz grabbed her brothers and shuttled them out into the hallway.

"Now look what you've done."

The chaos seemed to calm Jeanie, like a slap in the face. She pointed to the trap door. "See. It's closed."

"So-o."

"We left it open, remember?"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I fell off the table after I opened it."

"It couldn't just close by itself."

"That's the point, Ann. That's what I said."

Ann stared up at the trap door, and tried to remember how it looked the day Jeanie fell. She could almost see Jeanie climbing up and pushing the door open with the stick she pulled out of the window. The color drained from her face. "Oh-my-gosh. You're right. We left it wide open."

"Let's get out of here," Jeanie said, grabbing her sister's hand and plunging down the stairs. They paced the living room, waiting for their mother to come home. When Jeanie saw her walking up the steps, she ran out to greet her. "Did you call the police?" Jeanie called out.

"I told you not to open the door."

"I forgot. Are they coming?"

"Yes. Yes. They're coming."

Ann went to the edge of the porch and stared at the mud prints. "They're definitely footprints."

"I'm staying home today," Mrs. Grayson announced. Jeanie and Ann grabbed her around the neck, nearly knocking her to the ground.

"I'll do some baking. Maybe some cookies," she added wistfully, thinking of the little time she had for homemaking. "But first, we're going to do our own investigation. There has to be some explanation for those mud prints. She was reluctant to call them footprints yet."

"Oh-h-h," Jeanie moaned, remembering the trap door to the attic. She looked over at Ann. "You tell her."

Ann explained in exacting detail how they left the trap door open after Jeanie fell off the table. "Now it's closed,." she said.

When Ann finished, their mother furrowed her brow while she thought about what Ann just told her. After a long silence, she suggested they go upstairs while she looked at it herself.

"No-o," said Jeanie. "I won't ever go in that room again, not ever."

"Come on, Jeanie. Mother's with us," said Ann.

Jeanie reluctantly followed. Just when they got to the second level, the door bell rang. "That must be the police," their mother said. She turned and headed back down. "Let's go see."

She opened the door. No one was there. She looked toward the street. No police cruiser. Her heart began throbbing in her throat, and her hand began to tremble. She had to get hold of herself. She couldn't let her children see her unravel. She glanced around the porch one more time, then out toward the yard and driveway. Whoever it was, was now gone.

She was about to close the door, when a head with short-cropped hair jumped out of the tiger lilies next to the porch.

"Hi," came a greeting from a girl about Jeanie's age. Mrs. Grayson stared at the well-dressed child. She had on a white tennis outfit with a skirt the swirled around her legs and hips when she jumped up.

"Are you Cindy?" she asked. Without waiting, she added, "Would you like to come in?"

"Thank you," she responded.

"Cindy," Jeanie and Ann called when they saw her.

"Can you come outside to play?" She was uncertain since their mother was home.

Ann and Jeanie forgot the trap door for the moment, and asked to go outside. "We'll do our chores this afternoon," Ann offered before her mother could say anything.

Mrs. Grayson sighed. "Go on."

The three girls skipped off the porch toward the shade at the edge of the orchard near the apple trees. Cries of pleasure rang out in the early morning sunlight. Mrs. Grayson watched for a minute, then smiled. She went inside, and up the stairs to her bedroom. She guessed the trap door wasn't all that important after all.

"Lizabeth," she said upon entering. "What are you doing in my room?"

Liz stood quietly, her round eyes staring up at her tall mother. She stood immobile and silent.

"What's scratching under my bed?" Mrs. Grayson asked. She leaned over and looked. Two pair of eyes peered back. She jumped, then laughed at her own nervousness. "Ricky. Neil. Get out right now."

The two boys crawled out. They grinned sheepishly. They had red lipstick scrawled across their faces like Indian warriors, but didn't feel too brave at the moment.

"Well, this does it," Mrs. Grayson said "It's time to hire a housekeeper. It's too much to expect your sisters to control you three, when I can't even do it myself."

Liz quickly got her voice. "Oh-h, please. I'll be good. My word of honor."

"I don't like housekeepers," said Neil.

"Me either," said Ricky.

"I'm sorry, kids. I have no choice. I've got to work at the farm during the summer. It's our busiest time."

"Can we please have one more chance?"

"May we. And the answer is no. Now clean off your faces before the police get here," she said. "Right now."

"Are you going to the farm today?" asked Liz.

"Not today," she answered.

When the children left her bedroom, she went upstairs, and looked at the trap door. She climbed on a table, and pushed a broom against the door. It wouldn't budge. She tried several more times, pushing even harder. Still nothing. It was closed tight. She got down and put the furniture back where she found it. She looked up one more time before leaving. If the girls opened the trap door, how did it close? Why is it locked? Who locked it?

She stood quietly at the door and pondered her own questions. Oh, quit fretting. They probably never opened it all the way, and it just fell shut. And now it's stuck. But with that settled for now, she still had other unanswered questions. Who made the footprints on the porch? And what does that person want?

####

### Chapter 8: Miss Briggs

The ad in the newspaper read: WANTED: Experienced Housekeeper to run home for family with five children. Apply in person at 1022 Chase Street.

Miss Briggs, a tall, thin woman with short red hair, was hired after Mrs. Grayson checked out her references. Later that same evening, she arrived with her clothes and some personal possessions. Mrs. Grayson moved an extra bed into the club room on the third floor.

Jeanie and Ann liked the idea of a housekeeper, until she was given one of their rooms. They moved their personal things out before Miss Briggs arrived, including the large posters of Elvis Presley that covered three walls. They also took one table and one overstuffed chair.

I don't see why she has to be next to us," Jeanie said.

"Tell me about it," Ann answered, sitting down on the edge of their bed, and stretching out her legs.

"Wait 'til she hears those noises from the attic in the middle of the night," Jeanie said.

"She'll ask Mother to move her downstairs before the week is out."

"Let's get out of here," Jeanie suggested.

They sat at the top of the basement stairs, and continued their discussion.

"I hope she's a good cook," said Ann.

"Did you see those beady eyes?" asked Jeanie.

"Yeah, they're all red and watery."

"She gives me the creeps. There's something strange about her."

"I can't put my finger on it. But you're right."

"I don't see why Mother didn't hire someone younger. That first girl looked really neat."

"Mother said she was a teenager."

"So what's wrong with being a teenager? I'm a teenager."

"That's the point. Mother doesn't think a teenager can take care of another teenager."

"I didn't know she was hiring someone to take care of me."

"How do I know?"

"Gripes. Now we have someone to boss us around all day. Do this. Do that."

Ann started laughing. "Like we do to the little kids."

Jeanie didn't see the humor. "So?"

Mrs. Grayson called from the other room. "Girls, Miss Briggs is here. Come to the living room. She wants to get acquainted."

"Jiminy Crickets," they muttered. "Okay, we're coming."

They entered the living room, and greeted Miss Briggs graciously. "Miss Briggs wants to get to know you, so I'm going upstairs while you all talk."

Their mother left the room. Jeanie and Ann looked at each other, and tried to avoid eye contact with Miss Briggs, and those red, beady eyes.

"Why don't we make some house rules?" Miss Briggs said in a high, shrieking voice. "First of all, let's settle on a bedtime. I firmly believe children need lots of rest to have good dispositions for--."

"Oh, gripes," Jeanie whispered out of the corner of her mouth to Ann. "A sermon yet."

Miss Briggs bristled, and stopped in mid-sentence. "Never interrupt your elders," she admonished. "Who's whispering?" She looked around at each child, asking with her eyes. Was it you? Are you the culprit?

They responded with complete silence. Not a tattle-tale in sight.

"Well, then," she continued in the same, shrill monotone, "Either tell me who did, or you all go to bed right now." She looked around the room one more time. "Okay, then. Get up and march to your rooms right now."

She belongs in a courtroom, Jeanie thought as she rose to leave.

Liz opened her mouth to speak, but decided not to. Ricky and Neil were both scared out of their wits, and couldn't say anything if they tried.

"Now go," Miss Briggs ordered the startled children. They very quietly tiptoed out of the room and up the stairs. "And sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite."

"Corny. Corny." whispered Ann, when she was out of earshot.

Their mother had just got out of the shower when she heard her children patter by in complete silence. She glanced at her watch in amazement. It was only seven o'clock. Surely they weren't going to bed.

The next morning, their mother left for the farm earlier than usual since Miss Briggs was already in the kitchen cooking breakfast. On the way to the farm, she kept thinking how obedient and polite her children were the night before. She was so proud of them. Even Liz was on good behavior. She smiled happily as she drove down the highway. She knew she had hired the perfect housekeeper to look after her children, and run the household.

When their mother left, Miss Briggs woke everyone with a cheery, whiney song. "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealth, and wise." She went from room to room, knocking on doors, and startling them out of deep sleep. "Time to get up, time to get up. The early bird gets the worm."

"Gee willicuns," Jeanie commented. "What a way to wake up."

"I'm not an early bird, and I don't eat worms," added Ann.

"It's only six o'clock," added Jeanie, looking up at the clock. She climbed out of bed, anyway.

Neil was slightly defiant. "I'm still asleep," he yelled in his sleep.

"Then tonight we'll see that you get to bed early," Miss Briggs answered. "How about six o'clock?"

He crawled out of bed. "I'm awake. I'm not sleepy." He walked out of the room in his pajamas.

"Get dressed, young man," Miss Briggs called after him. "We dress for breakfast in this house."

After serving a breakfast of sausage links with buttermilk pancakes and maple syrup, Miss Briggs assigned their daily chores. She began yelling in her high, shrill voice, "No. No. Let me show you." Then she would jerk the broom or dish cloth out of their hands.

"Ann," she said firmly. "Swing that broom. Stir up dust when you sweep." Then to Jeanie, "Put some elbow grease on that woodwork." And Liz, "Push down on that mop until the floor shines."

At ten o'clock, the doorbell rang, and Miss Briggs rushed to the front door and cracking it just enough to peek out.

"Hi," said Cindy, though she couldn't see who was there..

Miss Briggs quickly slammed the door, and ordered the three girls to go outside. "You have a visitor," was all she said. "You can finish your chores later." With that, she practically scooted them out of the house, slamming the door behind them.

"Well," said Cindy, after they emerged all at once on the front porch. "What was that?"

"You mean who," corrected Jeanie. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "That's our housekeeper."

"Did she mean to slam the door right in my face?" said Cindy.

"Her name is Miss Briggs," Liz said. "She's mean."

"Huh," said Cindy. "I used to have a nanny called Miss Griggs. Daddy fired her for wearing Mother's jewelry."

"Their names rhyme," said Liz. "Maybe they're sisters."

"Oh, really, Liz," said Jeanie. "What kind of logic is that?"

"Did she return the jewelry?" asked Ann.

"Yeah, thank goodness. They're priceless antique jewelry that belonged to my grandmother's family. I think they came from Germany."

"Are you rich?" asked Liz, thinking of all that beautiful jewelry.

'Not really," she answered, embarrassed. "What does Miss Briggs look like?"

"Didn't you see her?"

"No. She only opened the door a crack."

"She's real tall and skinny."

"Her eyes are like glass marbles. All watery and red," added Liz dramatically.

"Sounds like Frankenstein," commented Cindy with a smile.

"And her voice whines like an out-of-tune violin," added Ann, holding her arms like she was performing.

"She sounds awful," said Cindy.

At one o'clock, the bell from the house across the street rang several times. "Time for me to go," Cindy said reluctantly.

"Maybe you can come back after lunch," suggested Liz.

"I can't. I have French lessons, then piano," she answered.

"Then tonight?" asked Ann.

"Tonight I have elocution."

"Elo-o...what?" asked Liz.

"Elocution."

"Oh." Liz still didn't understand, but she didn't feel like pursuing it right this minute.

"Well. Bye now."

"Bye, Cindy," they called as she hurried to the mansion across the street.

Miss Briggs watched them from behind the living room draperies. After Cindy left, she opened the front door and called, "Lunch is ready, girls."

They trudged slowly up the rock walk way, and onto the front porch before entering the house. Even the boys, who were usually ravenous with hunger from playing cowboys, didn't want to go inside.

"Gee whiz," Neil commented to Ricky. "Miss Triggs is mean."

"Her name is Miss Briggs," said Ricky, then added, "She sure is."

They ate fried bologna sandwiches and French fries. The potatoes were burned on the bottom. Neil spit out a mouthful, and blurted out, "The potatoes are burned."

Jeanie nearly choked on her bologna. Ann just kept on eating, like she hadn't heard a thing. Liz held her glass of lemonade halfway to her mouth, waiting for an eruption of some kind. Ricky slid under the table, out of sight.

Miss Briggs, sitting at the head of the table, jerked her tall frame up and stared down at Neil. The table shook, and Jeanie thought she saw foam running out of the side of her mouth. Neil tried not to look up from his plate, but the silence flustered him. Her small, watery eyes met his, but it seemed like she looked right through him. He stuttered, and his eyes remained focused on hers like he was hypnotized.

"Young man," she finally spoke. "You will eat those potatoes without another word." Then she sat down and sternly looked around the table at each child.

"Yes'm," he answered. He gobbled the rest of the potatoes, just like she ordered. He never criticized her cooking again, even when she wasn't around. He knew she had antennas that could hear everywhere.

She continued staring around the table. Then she noticed Ricky was missing. "Where's your brother?"

No one spoke. Under the table, Ricky began to tremble.

She stood up again and waited for the right words. Then she announced, "Cindy Ralston can't come over any more." She glared at Jeanie and Ann, her watery eyes bulging out of their sockets. They both winced at the same time.

"But, why?" blurted Liz.

Miss Briggs turned to Liz. Her pupils dilated with anger. "Because I say so," she said angrily, pounding the table. "Because I say so, that's why."

####

### Chapter 9: The Message

"How did she know Cindy's name?" Jeanie asked later, when she was alone with Liz and Ann.

"Golly. I don't know. We didn't even know her last name ourselves. I know she didn't hear it from us," Ann said.

"I'm going to tell Mother," Liz added, pleased to be the tattle-tale for once.

Miss Briggs walked in very quietly. "What's all the whispering?"

They quit talking and stood looking at each other.

"All right, then," she commented. "I'll just separate you girls. Jeanie, go wash the windows on the third floor. Ann, you go to the second floor. And Lizzie, you can do the first floor, right now. Now go."

Jeanie looked at Ann. Ann looked at Liz. Liz looked at Jeanie

"Right this minute," she yelled. Startled, they rushed from the room without a word. But Jeanie gave Ann and Liz a look that said not to worry, we'll get even.

They went their separate ways, while Ricky and Neil took a nap, their first in years.

The ringing of the doorbell startled them. Liz ran to the front door, just in time to see Miss Briggs crack it open, and peek out. Someone greeted her by name, and slipped an envelope through the doorway. She read the message inside the envelope, and put it in the pocket of her apron. Liz noticed a big smile on her face when she went back to the kitchen.

The boys got up from their nap, and joined the girls in the kitchen where Miss Briggs treated them to hot butter cookies. She even smiled at them, her beady eyes gleaming brightly.

They took their cookies and went outside. "She smiled at me," Neil said.

"Sh-h-h," said Jeanie, holding her fingers to her lips. "Listen."

"She's singing," said Liz.

"These cookies are good," added Ricky, as he stuffed another one into his mouth.

"Something's not right," said Ann. "Something is definitely not right." They all looked at Ann, waiting for her to say more. "She's too happy. And those eyes, "She shuttered, thinking how red and watery they were. "They're just too weird."

When their mother drove up and parked the truck, they ran to greet her. They all yelled out their complaints about Miss Briggs at the same time. Most of it was too garbled to understand.

"Hold it, kids," she yelled over their chattering voices. "One at a time, please."

When they finished, she shocked them, saying she would not listen to any more complaints about Miss Briggs. "No one is perfect, and that goes for grownups, too. Miss Briggs comes with excellent references."

They looked at each other in despair. They could only hope that she would eventually see how mean Miss Briggs really was, at least to them. But to their dismay, Miss Briggs was a completely different person when their mother was in the room. The two of them chatted easily, and Miss Briggs even bragged how good they were. She even bragged about Liz.

"She's a first cousin to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," Jeanie commented later to Ann.

"She definitely has two personalities," said Ann. "But what can we do? Mother thinks she's so great." Her heart pounded at the thought of living all summer in the same house with those beady eyes.

"Just keep your mouth shut and your eyes open," said Jeanie. "We'll figure out what her game is."

"Girls, boys,." their mother called from downstairs. "Miss Briggs wants to play some group games before bedtime, to help you rest. Come on down to the living room."

"Oh, gripes," Jeanie whispered.

They played 'doggy with a bone' and Jeanie and Ann half-heartedly participated. Ricky, Neil, and Liz were a little wary at first, but put aside their feelings toward Miss Briggs and joined in with some enthusiasm. Besides, it was one of their favorite inside amusements.

When Miss Briggs tired of that, she switched to 'I Spy', hiding a small thimble with obvious delight. Their mother played also, and Jeanie and Ann felt a tinge of guilt watching her have such fun. They eventually got into the spirit of the game, though reluctantly, and put aside their apprehensions for the moment Soon the house was filled with laughter.

Their mother prided herself again on hiring Miss Briggs. She was absolutely convinced her children were in good hands for the summer. They just needed time to get use to each other.

They finished the evening piled on their mother's bed while she read 'The Sugar-Plum Tree' and 'Seein' Things'. They snuggled against her as she read these old-time favorites from her own childhood. It was a way of connecting.

When they got into their separate beds, they went into a deep sleep almost immediately. Even their mother, who started to read, fell asleep instead. Her magazine slid out of her hands, off the bed, and to the floor. Its pages flapped silently she slept.

Miss Briggs was right. The games were restful. She puttered around downstairs until the wee hours. No one heard a sound, nor did they know what time she finally came upstairs to bed. They were fast asleep.

####

### Chapter 10: Voices in the Night

Jeanie and Ann hid in a corner of the cellar the next day so they could discuss Miss Briggs in private. Besides, if she saw them without anything to do, she'd assign them some tedious chore. Ann was talking and stopped in mid-sentence when she heard the cellar door creak. The overhead light flashed on, and shadows began to dance around the walls. They sank back into the darkened partition, out of view until they knew who it was. It didn't sound like any of the little kids.

Jeanie recognized Miss Briggs' tall frame as she cautiously came across the room toward them. She held her breath, hoping that Ann wouldn't panic and start coughing or sneezing. When she got about half-way across the floor, she stopped in front of the coal furnace, opened the door, and dropped something inside. Something she took from her apron.

Ann felt a sneeze coming on, but held her nose until she heard the door close at the top of the stairs. Then she sneezed. Not once, but three times.

"Oh-h, I hope she didn't hear that," Jeanie whispered. She waited, her eyes dilating as she tried to see in the unlighted cellar.

"Let's see what she threw away," said Ann, as she found her way to the furnace. Jeanie held on to her shirt tail when she glided across the floor.

"You have cat eyes."

Ann peered inside, but it was too dark. "My cat eyes don't see anything."

"Let's get out of here," said Jeanie. She was beginning to feel squeamish. "Suppose she comes back."

Ann wasn't ready to give up. "I think it was a piece of paper." She reached into the furnace again, but only got a handful of ashes from the unburned coal..

Jeanie grabbed her sister's hand, and headed toward the outside stairwell that lead into the back yard. The sunlight blinded them for an instant, and when they regained their sight, Jeanie saw a curtain flutter from the kitchen, and a quick glimpse of Miss Briggs. "Come on, Ann. Let's go," she whispered. She headed around the side of the house to the orchard where the trees would shield them from those probing eyes inside the red-brick house.

Just when they reached the orchard, they saw Cindy coming through the gate with her croquet set. Ricky, Neil, and Liz were playing tag nearby.

"Hello," Cindy called out in her friendly manner.

"Hi," they responded, running to the front yard.

Ann looked at the croquet set. "Are we playing croquet today?"

Before Cindy could answer, Miss Briggs screeched in her high voice, "Lizzie. Come here, child. Come here."

Liz looked up at the red-brick house. Her knees shook and knocked she ran up the walkway to the front porch. Miss Briggs met her at the front door, and glared with wide, watery eyes. "You tell that Ralston brat to get out of this yard right now, and never come back."

Liz was too scared to argue. "Yes'm," she answered hastily, running down the steps. She told her sisters what Miss Briggs said, her arms flailing around in all directions when she talked.

"Calm down," said Ann.

"I'll go," said Cindy. She kicked at the green grass with the toe of her tennis shoes. When she reached the gate, she turned around to wave. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Jeanie and Ann couldn't hold back their own tears, feeling a pang of loneliness as they watched their only friend cross the street back to the mansion where she lived.

### *****

That night Jeanie and Ann were awakened by the sound of a strange voice coming from their club room where Miss Briggs slept. They listened from their bed, trying to make out the conversation. From a distance, it sounded like loud mumbling. The thick walls that separated the rooms muffled their words.

"Do you hear that?" Ann asked. "Someone's in there with Miss Briggs."

"Sh-h-h," said Jeanie. "I think they're arguing."

"Why don't you get closer, so you can hear them?" suggested Ann.

"Why don't you?"

"You're the oldest."

They finally got out of bed together, and tiptoed to the adjoining wall. But now all they heard was raspy snoring.

"Why didn't you go when you first heard them?" Ann asked. She was too exasperated to sound civil..

"Why didn't you do it yourself?" Jeanie responded impatiently.

Ann got back into bed without answering. Jeanie was wide awake, but crawled into bed anyway. Not that either one slept much. They moaned and groaned and kicked each other the rest of the night.

####

### Chapter 11: Devising a Plan

The hot summer days rolled by slowly. The ground became parched and burnt, and the air gritty with sand. The sky was clear except for an occasional dark gathering of clouds that dallied for awhile, offering possible relief, but dissipating before the hoped-for precipitation.

Then, for days, it seemed more like weeks, the sky was completely clear, with its livid blue color contrasting sharply with the hot yellow sunlight that had free access to the earth below. It was one of the hottest summers on record.

In early August, dark clouds gathered again for their usual game of coquette. They were hardly noticed. Even the Weather Bureau ignored their presence. When the storm broke, though, it was with a frenzy, drenching everything in sight. The red-brick house, old and dissipated like it was, somehow withstood the deluge with a vengeance of its own. The roof shook and rattled endlessly, the shutters blew back and forth defiantly, and water spattered against the window panes in a continuous stream. This continued for two days and two nights before it finally subsided.

The ground was wet for days. Miss Briggs wouldn't let anyone outside to play. "You'll drag in all that mud and water on your shoes," she complained. They all had a bad case of 'cabin fever' from staying inside too long.

They congregated in the third-floor bedroom when Jeanie happened to look out the window just a messenger boy drove up on his motor scooter. She slipped quietly out of the room and down to the second-floor landing, and watched Miss Briggs snatched a note that the boy slipped through the front door, read it, then put it in her apron pocket, smiling broadly as she went from the foyer into the living room.

Jeanie tiptoed up to the third floor, holding her breath all the way back to the bedroom. If I could only get that note, she kept telling herself, then I'll know what she's up to.

After the smaller kids left their bedroom, and went downstairs to play in Ricky's room, Jeanie told Ann what she had seen, and they began devising a plan to get the note away from Miss Briggs. They went downstairs together and offered to help with some cleaning. Miss Briggs looked up from her mending and smiled. "Like what?" she asked suspiciously, since they had never offered to do anything to help her before now.

"Well-l-l," stuttered Ann. "Maybe we could wash woodwork."

"We're bored," added Jeanie. "Could we polish the silver?"

"The woodwork is clean and the silver is polished," she answered sarcastically, her eyes and fingers still on her sewing.

"Good try," Jeanie said later.

Their plan to get Miss Briggs to lend them her apron failed. But it wasn't out of the question, because she had let Jeanie use her apron the day she cleaned the banisters.

"Do you think she can read our minds?" Jeanie asked her sister. "She seemed awfully distrustful right off."

"Yeah. I noticed that, too. The minute we walked in the room."

Later that night, both girls were again awakened by voices coming from the adjacent room. "Hear that," Jeanie said, shaking her sister, who was already awake. This time they didn't hesitate, but jumped out of bed and crept across the room in the dark, and leaned their heads against the wall. The sounds were too muffled to understand, but they were definitely voices from two people.

Jeanie cautiously opened the door leading into the hallway. "Sh-h-h," she warned her sister. They hid in the hall closet for a long time, waiting for someone to come out of her room. But they waited in vain, for no one ever left. Eventually they heard Miss Briggs' labored snoring, and returned to their bed.

They couldn't get back to sleep. There were too many unanswered questions. "If we know for sure someone else was in there," reasoned Jeanie, "and yet no one ever came out, where did they go?"

The next morning, after hearing Miss Briggs open her door into the hallway, they again hopped out of bed and slipped across their room to the door, peeking out just they saw her descend the stairs by herself. When they were certain she was in the kitchen, they sneaked into her bedroom and looked around for evidence that someone had been there the night before. Unable to find anything suspicious, Ann said to Jeanie, "Maybe we just dreamed we heard noises."

Jeanie looked at her sister, thinking.

"Is it probable?" asked Ann, really wanting to know if they could just be dreaming. Maybe hoping it was all a dream, or a bad nightmare.

Jeanie pondered the question again. It was becoming dreamlike. The footprints on the porch, the trap door that closed all by itself, the two notes that Miss Briggs got from a messenger in the middle of the day, and now voices in the night. Twice. It was just too bizarre to even think about.

Jeanie knew she had to bring them back to reality. "How could we both have the same dream at the same time?" she asked her sister.

"You have a point," said Ann, still skeptical. "But could we anyway?"

They went downstairs to eat breakfast, still pondering what was real and what was imagined.

When their mother left to drive to the farm, she again noticed mud prints on the porch, just like before. They went to the middle of the porch, and then back to the steps and down the walkway. She called the police, and insisted they come immediately.

Neil and Ricky watched quietly as two burly police officers made a plaster of one of the footprints. "It's a size eleven," one said, adding, "Pretty big feet."

After they left, the two boys played police officers all morning, and investigated footprints in the front yard until a tall, lanky telephone repairman arrived to repair the telephone on the second-floor hallway outside their mother's bedroom. They watched him just as intently, and when he left they became telephone installers the rest of the day.

It was an eventful day for the whole household. Even Liz had a good time, dressing up in her mother's jewelry and makeup, undisturbed while everyone was occupied elsewhere in the house.

####

back to top

### Part II: Impending Danger

### Chapter 12: Watchful Eyes

A feeling of mystery continued to haunt the red-brick house. Miss Briggs became more tense and harder to please as the summer came closer to ending. Her watery eyes flashed angrily over the least infraction. Jeanie and Ann felt her unease, and knew that something was about to happen. But what? When? The waiting seemed endless.

Liz was dawdling in her mother's room as usual, rummaging in her costume jewelry, when she heard the creak-creak of shoes in the hallway. She held her breath for fear she'd be caught. The footsteps stopped just outside the door. She froze.

Liz heard someone dialing the telephone in the hallway, then the receiver being slammed down. She heard Miss Briggs mutter something, then heard her redial. On the second try, she reached the correct number. Liz heard her whisper, "I'm telling you. These brats drive me batty. Get the job done and get me out of here." She banged the receiver down and left.

Liz waited until she heard Miss Briggs climb the stairs to the third floor and slam her bedroom door before slipping quietly down the stairs to her sisters. She told them what she had just heard.

Jeanie and Ann were ecstatic. "Wait until Mother hears this," said Ann. "Now she'll listen to us."

"Wonder what job she's talking about?" Jeanie pondered.

"What did she mean?" Liz asked, her big round eyes flashing, hoping for an answer.

"We're proud of you, Liz," Ann said, hugging her sister.

Ricky interrupted by asking, "Maybe it's a bank robbery?"

Neil tried to speak. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He tried again, but his vocal chords just weren't working. He tried waving his hands, but all he could do was stand there shaking.

Ricky pointed at Neil, and they all broke out laughing. That seemed to do the trick. He finally spoke. "What's a job?"

Ann put her hand on his left shoulder. "Don't worry, Neil. Your big sisters are going to find out."

Liz pushed out her lower lip. "I was the one who heard her."  
"Well, don't pout about it. You can help us," Jeanie said, trying to placate her.

Neil's eyes began to fill with tears. He was really getting scared. . Ann noticed his tears, and took his shirt tail and wiped them off his cheeks. No one chided him for being afraid. Jeanie and Ann knew they could all be in grave danger. If Neil was just a little afraid, well, that was okay. He had a right to be scared.

Jeanie began pacing the floor. "Let's go outside," she suggested. "Let's do something."

They went out into the fresh air and made a big display of being carefree children without a care in the world. "Red Rover, Red Rover," yelled Ricky loudly. "Won't you come over?"

Neil dashed across the sidewalk, stumbling on a large boulder. His head hit the ground first, and the sky began to spin around and around. He just laid there, looking upward, as a large group of cumulus clouds circled above.

"Neil," cried Liz. "Get up. Let's play." They ran across the walk, yelling and laughing.

Neil, who was still staring up at the sky, cried out, "Oh-h-h," pointing to the sky. "Looky there."

"What?" they all asked. "What is it?"

"It's an atomic blast," he said, pointing to a cloud shaped like a huge mushroom.

"Gee. We better hide from the radiation," said Ricky with a smirk.

"Hey. It does look like a blast," Jeanie agreed, pointing at the apparition.

"Look at it now," Liz announced. "It's changing into an elephant. See the tusks."

"Look over there," yelled Rick. He jumped up and down. "That one looks like a white polar bear."

"Yeah, it does," agreed Ann.

"I think it looks like Krushchev," added Jeanie. She knew a bear was the symbol for the Soviet Union.

"Oh-h-h, that one looks like a bank robber. See the kerchief over his nose."

"Ay-e-e-e," Liz cried hysterically. She pointed to the upstairs window where Miss Briggs stood watching behind the lace curtains, her watery eyes peering down intently at the scene below. Liz lowered her voice, "She's staring at us."

"Don't look," Jeanie warned.

"Oh-h-h. That woman scares me," said Ann, forcing herself not to look up. "I wish we could find a way to search her room."

"What do you think you'd find?" asked Jeanie. They already searched it once, and didn't find anything out of the ordinary.

"Some clues," Ann answered.

"Please talk about something else," begged Liz. She wrinkled her brow to feign deep thinking.

"I'll tie her up with my cowboy rope," said Neil with bravado.

"Why don't we just be real mean so she'll leave," Liz suggested.

"I'll gag her with my kerchief," added Ricky.

Jeanie was beginning to get exasperated. "Get serious, you guys."

Ann spoke up. "I think Liz has a good idea. Let's run her off."

Jeanie nixed the idea. "She won't leave. She'll just tell Mother how bad we are."

"Not if we're all bad. We'll stand together. We'll deny everything, if Miss Briggs says anything about any of us. Don't plead guilty to anything."

"You sound just like a defense attorney. Never plead guilty. But that's lying," Jeanie reminded her sisters.

"Just little white lies," Ann answered.

"White lies are just as bad as black lies."

"What's a white lie?" Neil asked.

"What's a black lie?" Ricky asked.

"Well, we could all take turns being bad, and take our punishment," Ann countered, trying to compromise.

"Me first," cried Liz with complete rapture.

"Yeah. It's your biggest talent. It comes natural to you," added Jeanie.

Neil waved his lasso in the air. "Tie her up," he yelled.

Ricky waved his red-checkered kerchief behind him. "Here's the gag."

"Why don't you guys go play cowboys for awhile so we can think?" suggested Jeanie, tossing the rope and kerchief back to her brothers.

"Come one," Ricky said to his little brother. "We're in the way." They walked away with heads hanging down.

"Boys," Liz exclaimed loudly, waving her hands in the air. "So much trouble."

Jeanie and Ann looked at each other and started laughing. It was just too much, with Liz complaining about anyone else being so much trouble.

"You're a tomboy," Jeanie couldn't resist saying to Liz. "That makes you part boy."

"I am not," Liz yelled back.

"Come on, you two," said Ann.

"She started it."

Ann flopped down on the soft grass, spreading her arms and legs out, "Hm-m-m, this feels so good."

Jeanie and Liz stopped their argument, and followed suit. "I love the cool grass," said Liz, smothering her face in it. "It smells so grassy."

"Now, listen," Ann whispered. "Let's plan our strategy right now, while there's still time." She had a feeling deep inside, an intuition that it was imperative they act right away.

"Do you have a strategy in mind?" asked Jeanie.

"I have a concrete plan," answered Ann.

Liz looked at Ann quizzically. "Can we use bricks? I know where we can get some."

Jeanie laughed. "Okay. Let's have a brick plan."

Ann looked at Liz. "She's being facetious."

"She's making fun of me. I'm going to tell Mother." With that, she jumped up and ran off to find her two brothers.

"Now we can plan in peace. What do you have in mind?" Jeanie asked Ann, as she watched Liz disappear into the orchard.

"Do I have to do all the thinking?" Ann replied. "You're the oldest. You think of something."

"Don't get so touchy."

"Well. don't be such a deadhead all the time."

Their mother drove up, ending that discussion for now. Ricky, Neil, and Liz got to the truck first, grabbing her hands and jumping around like squirrels.

Liz began first. "Do you know what Miss Briggs did today?" she said.

"Now, Liz," her mother responded immediately. "Let's not get into that subject again today. It's off limits."

Liz knew it was taboo to complain. "Yes'm," she said obediently, hoping that Jeanie and Ann would have better luck.

Mrs. Grayson called to Jeanie and Ann. "What are you girls so involved in you can't even say 'hello' to your own mother?"

They waved a hand in greeting, blushing with guilt for planning to chase off Miss Briggs. "They're probably talking about boys," Liz interjected, trying to cover for them.

"You look like you're conspiring," laughed Mrs. Grayson, not realizing that was exactly what they were doing.

They followed their mother up the walkway toward the red-brick house. When they reached the front door, they pulled back instinctively, reluctant to go inside just yet. They could hear Miss Briggs bustling about and weren't ready to encounter her beady stares. "I think we'll play outside until dinner is ready," said Ann.

They watched through the window as their mother entered the foyer, then into the living room where Miss Briggs greeted her with a warm smile. Why couldn't she see how evil Miss Briggs really was? It was so plain to see. It was in those beady, watery eyes.

####

### Chapter 13: The Challenge

The day began like any other summer day--bright, sunny and hot. Liz hopped out of bed when she heard her mother stirring. "Mother," she called from her bedroom. "Can I have a cup of coffee with you?"

"May I have a cup of coffee?" her mother answered, correcting her.

"May I have a cup?" she repeated.

"No, you may not. Pour yourself a glass of Vitamin C."

"Okay," she responded, pushing her lower lip out in a feigned pout. She returned to the table with a glass of orange juice, singing loudly, "A glass of Vitamin C, a glass of Vitamin C. Hi-ho the dairy-oh, a glass of Vitamin C."

Her mother's last words when she left for the farm were, "Liz, please stop that racket." Liz waited until she was gone, then stomped up the stairs singing her vitamin song. Miss Briggs yelled from the kitchen, "Child, shut up that singing. It jangles my nerves."

Liz hushed, and for an instant, lost her early-morning confidence to be really bad. She went to the third floor and complained to her two sisters, who were still in bed. "Miss Briggs told me to shut up."

"Don't let that stop you, Liz," Ann responded. Egging her on, she said, "Keep it up. You're doing great."

"Yeah, Liz," Jeanie interjected. "We could hear you all the way up here."

"Those beady eyes scare me. They get all watery when she's mad," Liz explained.

"Come on, Ann," said Jeanie, getting out of bed and slipping on her shorts and some sandals. "Let's go downstairs with Liz. We'll hang out nearby." She turned to Liz. "You won't be afraid now, will you?"

Liz nodded, even though she wasn't that sure. Her eyes dilated and flashed with excitement rather than fear. "Just wait 'til you see what I do next," she stated confidently.

They went to the boys' rooms and shook them. "Come on. Get up. This is our big day," Jeanie reminded them. They rubbed the sleep from their eyes. "Come on."

They all stomped down the stairs together, with Liz at the rear singing loudly. "This old man, he played one. He played knick-knack on my thumb. With a knick-knack, paddy-whack. Give a dog a bone. This old man came rolling home."

Miss Briggs placed a steaming bowl of thick oatmeal in the middle of the table. "Child," she yelled, looking at Liz with disgust, "I told you once already to shut up."

"Yes'm," Liz replied, wide-eyed, flashing her favorite innocent look.

Miss Briggs returned to the kitchen to eat alone in the breakfast nook. Liz started humming softly, then singing softly, "This old man, he played two. He played knick-knack on my shoe. With a knick-knack, paddy-whack, give my dog a bone, This old man came--."

Miss Briggs shuffled in, her eyes wild with anger. Liz stopped singing and spooned some oatmeal into her mouth. Miss Briggs started to scold Liz, but was so angry all she did was growl, turn abruptly, and go back to the kitchen.

Jeanie winked at Liz, her signal she was doing great. Liz blinked back with both eyes, not having mastered the one-eye wink yet. Just knowing she was really upsetting Miss Briggs encouraged her to continue. She half sang, half hummed, "Dum-de-dum, dum-de-dum, dum-de-dum-dum on my knee. With a knick-knack, paddy-whack, give a dog a bone, dum-de-dum come rolling home."

Miss Briggs slammed down her rolling pin, and stomped back into the dining room. She stood over the table and stared belligerently at each child. "Do the dishes," she demanded, to no one in particular before stomping from the room in a puff of dust. She flurried up the stairs to her bedroom, mumbling all the way.

Liz continued singing, "This old man. He played four. He played knick-knack on my door, with a knick-knack, paddy-whack. give a dog a bone--" and on and on until they all wanted to yell "shut up Liz', but refrained from doing so.

Ann offered to do the dishes. "Liz. Sing in your room where she can hear you."

Liz happily skipped away, and hopped up the stairs on one foot, making loud thuds as her foot hit the next tread, the whole time singing, "This old man, he played six. He played knick-knack on my sticks--." She went up another flight of stairs to her sisters' bedroom, and slammed the door. Then she took a chair, and dragged it across the floor, making scraping sounds that could be heard two floors below. She heard Miss Briggs muttering to herself in the adjacent room. It's working. It's working, Liz thought, smiling broadly and laughing to herself.

With her confidence growing, she opened and closed the closet door, slamming it each time as hard as she could. If it wasn't loud enough, she did it again.

Eventually Miss Briggs bolted into the room, arms flailing and beady eyes flashing with rage. "You girls shut up," she screamed. When she saw it was only Liz, she became unglued, nearly uncontrollable. "Oh-h-h, it's you. You need a good licking."

"You can't touch me," answered Liz, openly taunting her. Inside she wasn't feeling so brave, and her knees began knocking together.

"Insolent brat," she shouted at Liz. "Get downstairs right this minute." Her watery eyes were bulging, lready to pop out of their sockets. Liz quickly ran out the door and skipping down the stairs two at a time. Her heart was beating frantically when she reached the second floor landing.

Liz stopped and looked up. Miss Briggs wasn't there, and feeling more secure, she started singing again, mostly to show she wasn't scared. "This old man, he played seven. He played knick-knack in my heaven--."

Jeanie interrupted her. "How did it go?" she whispered. "Did she get mad?"

"What did you do?" asked Ann, eager to know every single detail.

"Well-l-l," Liz drawled slowly, obviously enjoying the special attention her sisters were bestowing on her. "I slammed the closet door, over and over. She about had a seizure."

"No kidding," Jeanie and Ann said, looking at each other with big smiles.

"What else did you do?"

"I dragged a chair across the floor, back and forth. It made these real loud scraping noises. It was worse than chalk on a blackboard. That really got her goat."

"How do you know?"

"She came in and said she was going to hit me. Her eyes were all watery and her face was full of red splotches."

"Were you scared?"

"Plenty scared. I ran down the stairs so fast I thought I was flying."

"That's the last straw," Jeanie declared. "When Mother hears about this, she'll throw Miss Briggs out on her ear."

"No, she won't, Jeanie. She'll tell Mother I'm lying. And Mother won't believe me. It's her word against mine."

"Yeah, you're probably right," answered Ann.

"It's because you're always exaggerating," Jeanie added, exasperated that her plan to get rid of Miss Briggs wasn't working.

Liz stomped her feet. "I don't 'zaggerate."

"Let's tell Mother we saw Miss Briggs try to hit Liz," Ann offered.

"That's lying," Jeanie reminded her.

"Is it a white lie or a black one?" Liz asked.

"It doesn't matter," Jeanie answered impatiently.

Ann pointed a finger at Liz. "Look, this is your big day to shine. You can be bad all day, and no one's gonna tattle. So get with it. Go on."

"Miss Briggs will tattle," said Liz, correcting her sister. She left the room and went outside to sit in the orchard where she could think of something really annoying to do without being interrupted. She laid down and stared at the red-brick house, wishing she was back on the farm.

Whenever the wind would blow, long branches from a beech tree swept across the windows in Miss Briggs' bedroom \--back and forth, back and forth. The slow movements of the limbs lulled her into a dreamlike sleep.

Then it hit her like a thunder bolt and she jerked awake. If the branches brushed against those windows continuously, the scraping would drive Miss Briggs crazy.

Liz strode nonchalantly over to the beech tree, and quickly crouched close to the trunk where she couldn't be seen from above. She stretched her arms upwards and jumping up and down, tried to grab one of the lower branches--to no avail. It was impossible to reach, no matter how high she jumped. She sat back down on the ground, placed her chin in her hand, and put on her most disgusted look.

Neil and Ricky saw Liz sitting under the tree from a distance, and wondered why she was there, lost in thought. Ricky yelled, "Hey Liz, what're you doing? Wanna play?"

"Can't you see? Where are your eyes?" she answered. She jumped up and tried to reach the lower branch one more time. "Don't just stand there. Help me. Do something."

The two boys walked to the tree and stood observing her for a moment. Then Ricky said matter-of-fact, "You need a ladder."

Neil agreed. "You need a ladder, Liz."

"Well really. Duh-h. You guys are so bright."

"Come on," Ricky said, grabbing his brother's arm, and taking him into the cellar. A few minutes later, they returned with a small step ladder.

"Oh," Liz said with exuberance, sorry now for her sarcasm. "Thank you, guys. Thank you."

Ricky stood the ladder under the lowest branch and held it steady while Liz climbed cautiously up to the tree branch. Once she got a toe-hold on the first limb, she climbed precariously higher and higher. When she dared go no further, she wrapped her legs tightly around the main trunk and began shaking the branches that leaned against the windows. Feeling safe in the tree, she continued her song as the branches swayed back and forth, scratching the panes. "This old man, he played nine. He played knick-knack on my dime, with a knick-knack, paddy-whack, give a dog a bone--."

A splash of cold water hit Liz in the face. She nearly lost her balance, but managed to regain it, and stared smack-dab into the blood-shot eyes of Miss Briggs glaring out the open window. Oh boy, is she mad this time, Liz thought to herself with just a little misgiving that maybe she had gone too far. But she felt safer up in the tree, and not nearly as afraid of Miss Briggs as she was on the ground.

Miss Briggs yelled out a profanity and shouting at Liz, said, "I'll get you yet."

When Liz decided she had annoyed Miss Briggs long enough, she climbed down the tree, and ignoring the ladder which Ricky had abandoned, she grabbed a vine and began swinging and screeching loudly, "Whe-e-e. I'm Tarzan of the Apes."

Miss Briggs slammed her window with a loud bang. Liz couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Hey, Liz," Neil yelled. "Tarzan is a man."

"So-o," Liz yelled back, swinging back and forth, and yelling again that she was Tarzan.

"She's a tomboy," Ricky explained to Neil.

Liz dropped to the ground and followed her brothers into the orchard, where they lost themselves in the pretense of a wild, untamed forest where lions and tigers and bears roamed. Liz was still in her Tarzan mode and yelling loudly, "Whe-e-e. I'm Tarzan of the Apes. Whe-e-e."

Upstairs, on the third floor, a curtain fluttered. Behind it Miss Briggs stood silently fuming as she watched the carefree antics of children running, playing make-believe and having fun.

####

### Chapter 14: The Water-Soaked Note

When their mother heard about Liz's behavior from Miss Briggs, she confined her to her bedroom the next day. "But Mother--," Liz began, attempting to explain her conduct.

"No Liz," her mother interrupted. "I will not listen to any excuses."

The next morning, Liz poked her head into her mother's room, and asked sweetly, "Can I have a cup of coffee, please?"

Her mother was still too angry with Liz to participate in their morning ritual about coffee and Vitamin C. She replied with a loud 'No.' Seeing that her mother was still upset, she went back to bed and laid there until she heard her mother leave for the farm.

Liz got out of bed, tip-toed down the hall past the bathroom, and entered Neil's room. She shook her brother roughly. "Hey, stop that," he mumbled in his sleep, not sure who or what it was.

"Neil, wake up," she ordered. "This is your big day. Remember?"

"Huh?" He was barely awake. "My birthday?"

"No, Dopey," she said and laughed. "It's your day to be bad. Get up and drive Miss Briggs nutty."

"She's already nutty," he responded, pulling the sheet over his head.

"Get up," she ordered again.

"I don't want to be bad," he said. "She scares me."

"You don't have to be bad, Neil," she answered. "Just be real, real happy all day long, like it's really your birthday."

"Will you stay with me?"

"No. I can't. I'm grounded all day."

"Gee whiz, Liz. All day?"

"You can sneak in and see me later," she replied. When she left, he rolled over and went back to sleep.

Jeanie and Ann came in a few minutes later and shook him awake again. "Wake up, Neil. This is your day to shine."

"Huh?"

"Don't rub your eyes like that," said Ann. "Come on. Get up."

"I'm up. I'm up."

Ricky wandered in from the adjoining room. He was wide awake. "Hi," he greeted his sisters and brother.

"Get Neil up," Jeanie told him. "He won't budge."

"He's not my problem," Ricky answered, as he lumbered slowly across the room.

"Aren't you your brother's keeper?" asked Jeanie.

"Aren't you?" he answered.

"Oh hush. Let's don't argue," said Ann impatiently. "Come on, Neil. Be a good boy. Do it for big sister."

They went downstairs together. When they entered the dining room, they heard Miss Briggs humming in the kitchen. She had a lavish breakfast of sausage, eggs, biscuits and fruit juice ready. She even smiled when she handed a tray to Jeanie. "Take this up to Liz. She's on house arrest today." She turned and went back to the kitchen smiling.

Jeanie raised an eyebrow. House arrest?

Ann nudged Neil with her elbow. "You're on, Neil. Get started."

"Not now," he begged.

"You're procrastinating," she answered.

"What's that?"

"Stalling," said Ricky, who couldn't pronounce the word, but knew what it meant.

"What you're doing right now," Ann added.

"I'm eating," Neil replied, taking a big bite of his biscuit.

After breakfast, Miss Briggs assigned chores to Jeanie and Ann, and asked the boys to burn a stack of papers in the furnace. They eagerly agreed and headed down the stairs to the cellar. The coal wasn't burning, so they emptied the dry ashes on the floor and dug for treasures. Neil found three rubber bands and a handful of nails.

"Hey, Neil," Ricky called. "Look at that pile of wood. Let's build something."

"Oh boy, Ricky. Just what we need, a toolbox," replied Neil.

Miss Briggs called down the stairs, "Ricky, I want you to run an errand."

"Coming," he answered, reluctantly climbing the stairs and hoping one of his sisters was nearby. His knees knocked together whenever he was alone with Miss Briggs.

."Yes'm," he said when he got upstairs. He glanced around for Jeanie or Ann. He didn't see either one and began to tremble.

"Here's a list of groceries. Charge it to your mother's account."

He reached for the list with shaking hands, and when he left, forgot to close the front door until he heard it slam as he hurried down the walk. When he reached the street, he relaxed and skipped all the way to the store. With a morning breeze blowing across his face, he felt free, like school had been let out for summer vacation.

In the meantime, Neil was unaware he was alone in the cellar, and began taking tools out of the rusty box--a wrench, a hammer, and a hacksaw. It was the latter tool, the hacksaw, that fascinated him. He looked around for something to cut and spotted a stack of small tree limbs. He decided to try his hacksaw out on them.

When he got bored, he looked for something else to cut. The water pipes behind the furnace looked interesting. He wondered if his hacksaw could cut through a pipe.

He began sawing, and just when he didn't think it would work, water spurted out from a small gash on the side. It splashed on his shoes, then ran out in a slow, steady stream onto the concrete floor.

"Oh, boy," he said out loud as he looked around for something stop the water. He saw an old rag nearby, picked it up, and tied it around the pipe over the slash. Then he hurried up the stairs leading outside and ran to the orchard to hide.

When Ricky returned from the store, Neil hissed at him, "Psst-t, Ricky. Come here." But Ricky just waved and continued into the house. A few minutes later, Ricky reappeared, and ran to the orchard. Neil was crouched behind an apple tree.

"Who are you hiding from?" Ricky asked.

"Everything," he answered. He peeked around the edge of the tree, and stared at the red-brick house, looming in the distance. "That house. I'm hiding from that house. It's haunted," he answered.

"I know it," Ricky answered nonchalantly. "So what?"

"Did you know a pipe broke in the cellar?" he asked.

"A pipe?" repeated Ricky. "What kind of pipe?"

"Come on. I'll show you." Neil darted from tree to tree until they were close to the house, and there were no more trees to hide behind. "You ready?" he asked Ricky, turning around and eyeing his brother.

"Anytime," Ricky answered.

Neil dashed across the yard to the outside basement stairs, and headed down to the cellar. When he stepped off the bottom step, water splashed around his ankles. He turned to Ricky. "The floor is full of water," he said.

"My gosh, it is," said Ricky. "What happened?"

"The pipe broke, like I told you," responded Neil. "Can you make a sailboat?"

"Right now?" Ricky asked. Then considering the idea, he added, "Yeah, I 'spose so. Let's take off our shoes." He sat down and began untying his shoe strings. Neil sat next to him and jerked his off, one at a time.

"Put them on the top step," said Ricky as he handed his to Neil.

They stepped into the cool water. It touched their ankles, and the bottom of their jeans got wet before they thought to roll them up.

"Here's a stick for my boat," said Neil as he reached for a piece of bark floating by.

"That could be a canoe," suggested Ricky. He spotted a flat board and waded over to get it. "All I need now is a stick and something for a sail."

"Here's a wire," said Neil, lifting one out of his pocket.

"Oh, boy. Just what I need, said Ricky. "See that piece of paper over there, b the furnace. Can you reach it?" Ricky asked. He loved to build things, and his excitement was showing.

Neil noticed and smiled at his older brother. "This is fun."

They waded back to the steps and sat down. Ricky hooked the wire around his board, then punctured two small holes in the paper and pushed the wire through the paper. "Look at that," he said proudly, holding up the crude-looking sailboat for his brother's admiration.

"I like canoes," responded Neil, ignoring his brother's handicraft, and pushing his out into the water. "Watch it go."

Ricky placed his sailboat in the water and gave it a slight shove. It floated away very slowly. "There's no wind for my sails," he explained.

"Canoes don't need wind," said Neil. His bark caught a current of water that swept it around in a circle. "Watch it, Ricky."

Ricky nudged his sailboat toward the current and it began spinning in a circle, too. "Wow, look at mine."

When they heard Miss Briggs call that lunch was ready, they went up the outside stairs, and entered the side door into the dining room. Luckily Jeanie saw them first, and rushed them upstairs to put on dry clothes. After they finished dressing, Jeanie put her hand on Neil's shoulder. "Neil, this is your big day. Remember? Where've you been?"

"She scares me," said Neil, looking up at his oldest sister, his eyes pleading with her not to make him do it.

She recognized he was too frightened to perform and replied, "Never mind. You don't have to."

His face brightened immediately. "You want to see my canoe?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

"I'd love to see your canoe. We'll go right after we eat," she answered, as they went down to the dining room together.

After lunch, Jeanie and Ricky followed Neil as he hurried down to the cellar. But half-way down the basement stairs, Neil felt the cool water lapping at his bare feet, and watched in terror at the rising water. He turned around and looked up at Jeanie and Ricky. "The water is getting deeper," he said.

"Where's your canoe?" Jeanie asked, not understanding the problem.

Neil wished his sister would just go away. He shouldn't have mentioned his canoe. He stood quietly as she stepped down into the whirling water and let out a yell, "My gosh, Neil, what happened?"

He didn't say anything. That was better than telling a lie. And he sure wasn't going to tell the truth.

Ricky answered instead, still unaware that Neil had cut the pipe. "That pipe has a hole." He pointed to the place where water was streaming out in a steady flow.

Jeanie immediately assumed the worse--that something sinister had taken place. Her pupils dilated and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. "Let's get out of here," she said.

"Can I get my sailboat?" asked Ricky, reaching for it and grabbing Neil's canoe at the same time..

"May I get my sailboat?" Jeanie said, correcting his grammar.

Jeanie herded them quietly up the back stairs to her bedroom. By luck, they didn't run into Miss Briggs when they came upstairs. But they could feel her watching and peering around corners, with those beady, watery eyes.

Ann was seated on their bedroom floor Yogi-style, reading a comic book when Jeanie and her brothers came in, barely cognizant of their entrance. Jeanie closed the door before she spoke. "Ann, guess what?"

Ann remained in her stiff-backed pose, turning a page with feigned boredom. Jeanie placed a hand on each hip and glared at her sister. The least she could do was acknowledge their presence.

Ricky and Neil plopped down on their bed. "Hey, you guys. Get off that bed. Sit over there," yelled Jeanie. She pointed to some floor cushions. "Hey, Beatnik," she addressed her zombie-like sister. "Get with it."

"Don't bother me," said Ann. "I'm practicing my yoga."

"I didn't know Yogi read comics," Jeanie said facetiously.

Ann slammed her book down, dashed from the room, and nearly collided with Miss Briggs as she was ascending the stairs. Ann was so startled, she twirled around on the top step and rushed back to the security of her bedroom.

"Well, what brought you back?" asked Jeanie sarcastically, just as she heard the door slam shut next door. She smiled knowingly, and smirked at her sister.

Ann shrugged and sat down on the corner of her bed.

"Did you know the boys made boats all by themselves?" asked Jeanie sweetly as she turned to her brothers. "Show Ann your boats."

Ann was willing to be friendly without losing face. "Oh, how nice. How did you do this?" she asked her brothers pleasantly. She turned to her sister. "They're really nice boats, aren't they?"

Ricky and Neil held up their boats for another inspection. "Ricky's sail is burnt," Neil observed critically and looked at his canoe with pride.

"Mine's not burnt," Ricky said defensively.

"Oh, Ricky, don't worry. I have lots of paper in my desk. Let's just make you a new sail." Ann pulled out some blank stationary. Ricky removed the old sail, dropped it on the floor, and replaced it with new paper.

"Hey, none of that," Jeanie said, chiding him for messing up her clean floor. She reached down for the scrap, adding, "That's what trash cans are for."

When she picked it up, Jeanie noticed some splotched print. She rushed to the nearest window and held it up to the light. She scrutinized it closely and recognized the word 'midnight' and what appeared to be a signature that looked like Blacky.. The rest of the ink was too smeared to read.

Ann rushed to her sister. "What is it?"

"It's a note," answered Jeanie. "I can only make out two words."

Ann grabbed the paper. "Midnight. Blacky," she read out loud. "What could it mean?"

Jeanie turned to the two boys, who were watching with open-mouthed curiosity. "Where did you get this?"

"In the cellar. It was floating on the water," Ricky answered.

"By the furnace," Neil added.

Jeanie turned to her sister. "Any ideas?" she asked.

"No-o-o," answered Ann. "Not off-hand." She stood poised in deep thought, her finger in her mouth. This was her thinking pose.

"Miss Briggs is in the next room. We can't talk here," whispered Jeanie. "Let's go to Liz's room and have a storm session."

"I don't like storms. They scare me," Neil replied.

"Just a family discussion, Neil. Not a thunderstorm," Jeanie answered.

"Like business people do," Ann added.

When they joined Liz in her room, she was ecstatic for the company and listened intently.

As they questioned the boys for every detail, Jeanie finally pieced together what may have happened. "Ricky and Neil loosened the note when they were digging around in the ashes," she announced proudly.

Ann interrupted her, adding, "It got wet when the floor flooded."

"That's right," said Jeanie as she continued with her hypothesis. "By the time Ricky put it on his sailboat, most of the writing had already washed away."

"Do you recall that night we were in the cellar talking and Miss Briggs showed up and we had to hide?" Ann asked. "Remember. She threw something in the furnace."

"Yes. Yes," Jeanie said, her eyes wide with excitement. "It had to be this very note. From someone named Blacky."

"If we only knew what it said," Ann lamented.

They continued to conjecture about the note, and what Miss Briggs and this Blacky person could possibly be writing about.

Liz and the boys listened quietly, wide-eyed and excited, and a little apprehensive. Liz finally found her voice and said, "Maybe Blacky is the person I heard talking to Miss Briggs about a job."

Jeanie and Ann stopped talking and looked at Liz. Maybe she was on to something, but what?

They heard their mother drive up and they all dashed downstairs together to greet her

####

### Chapter 15: Blacky Appears

A big, red-faced plumber came early the following morning to fix the broken pipe. Miss Briggs called him right after breakfast, and he arrived almost immediately. She took him down into the flooded basement and pointed out the pipe to be replaced. Then she sat down on the steps and watched him work.

"Poor guy," said Jeanie, who was washing dishes while Ann wiped.

"Who?" asked Ann.

"That plumber. Miss Briggs is down there supervising his work."

"He'll just double his price," answered Ann. "Feel sorry for Mother."

"Come on, Ann," Jeanie said, beckoning her sister to follow. They put their heads against the door leading to the cellar.

"I can't hear a thing," whispered Ann, after a moment.

"Sh-h-h," answered Jeanie, as she opened the door a crack just in time to hear Miss Briggs arguing.

"I'm telling you I can't stand another day with these brats," she shouted to the plumber.

"What do you want me to do about it?" he replied impatiently.

"Let's do the job now, Blacky" she answered. "They're literally driving me crazy."

"Shut up, Harriet," he replied. "And stop your nagging."

Jeanie closed the door quietly and rushed back to finish the dishes. A moment later, Miss Briggs came upstairs and poked her head in the kitchen. "Aren't you through with those dishes yet?" she asked.

"No ma'am," answered Jeanie pleasantly. Her hands were shaking so bad she could barely hold on to the plate she was rinsing. When Miss Briggs left, Ann whispered, "You're white as a ghost. What's wrong?"

"She called the plumber Blacky," she answered nervously.

"She called the plumber Blacky?" Ann asked in response and disbelief.

"That's right," Jeanie replied. "Blacky. The name on that note the boys found."

"They must be partners. What're we gonna do?"

"Ann. We gotta get rid of Miss Briggs, and today is your day to aggravate her."

Ann took a deep breath and looked at her sister. It was up to her now. She turned and left the room before she lost her nerve. She saw Miss Briggs climbing the front staircase and rushed up behind her. She began singing off-key, in a high, shrill voice as she stomped on each step.

When Miss Briggs got to her bedroom, she muttered a profanity and slammed the door.

Ann skipped down the hall and slammed her door, too. While she waited for Miss Briggs to get comfortable, ,maybe even lie down for a nap, she picked up a book which belonged to Jeanie and began reading the first chapter. She preferred stories of dogs, but Jeanie raved about Black Beauty so much she decided to read it.

When she heard Miss Briggs humming in the adjacent room, she decided to disturb her tranquility. She laid the book down and began moving furniture from one end of the room to the other. The bed made the most noise because the rollers needed oiling. It screeched and creaked as she pulled it back and forth across the room. She was going around in a circle when Miss Briggs burst into the room, her nostrils fuming and her beady eyes bloodshot with anger. "Child," she yelled above the racket, "What are you doing?"

Ann was so startled she turned purple, and stood tongue-tied, holding on to a bed post. Miss Briggs' eyes bulged out and purple veins popped along her neck. She put her face within two inches of Ann's, who was clinging to the bed for support while her legs turned to rubber.

Miss Briggs repeated herself, then turned around in a huff and left. When Ann heard her door slam, she took some deep breaths, then rushed out to find Jeanie.

"Ann, what's wrong?" said Jeanie, when she saw her sister shaking from head to foot. "What's the matter?"

Ann sat down in the nearest chair and began explaining. "I was just trying to upset her, and I end up scared of my own shadow."

"You obviously got her goat, Ann. So pat yourself on the back," Jeanie said, as she consoled her sister.

They didn't have an opportunity to discuss anything further until they went to bed that evening. They speculated further about the plumber and Miss Briggs, and recalled all the mysterious things that happened since the day they moved into the red-brick house. Ann listed them in a ledger as questions to be answered:

Who was the shadowy figure Liz saw?

How did the trap door in the attic get locked?

Who made the muddy foot prints on the front porch?

Why did the mud stop in the middle of the porch?

How did Miss Briggs know Cindy's last name?

Whose voice was coming from Miss Briggs' room?

What did Miss Briggs throw in the furnace?

What job was Miss Briggs talking about on the phone?

Who sent Miss Briggs messages and why?

What did 'midnight' mean on the water-soaked paper?

Would the job involve them or the red-brick house?

"We can only answer three questions so far," Ann noted.

"We don't know anything for sure," Jeanie responded. "We just think she was talking to Blacky on the phone, and that he sent those messages."

"Well. I think we can say for sure she threw something in the furnace. I think it was that note from Blacky."

"It's only circumstantial."

"Jeanie, you sound like a defense lawyer."

"Well. It is."

"It's good enough for me to go on."

"You talk like a prosecutor."

When they finished arguing, they forgot to most important question of all--were they in danger?

"It's all so confusing," Ann said.

"I'm not sleeping until I get some answers," Jeanie declared.

"Me either," Ann said. "Besides, who can sleep?"

"First of all," Jeanie continued, "I think that shadow Liz saw coming from the cellar was Blacky, not the meter man."

"But what was he doing in the basement?" Ann asked. "Miss Briggs didn't even live here then."

Jeanie thought about that. "Good point, Ann." Hard as she tried, she couldn't come up with a logical answer.

"Well, then. What about the trap door?" Ann asked. "We know we left it open. How did it close, and why can't we open it?"

"Hey, I just thought of something," said Jeanie. "Maybe that voice we heard was Blacky. Maybe he got into her room from the trap door in the attic."

"Jeanie, you've got it," Ann said, her eyes sparkling.

"But then," Jeanie said, back tracking, "How did he get into the attic in the first place?"

Ann looked perplexed. "I don't know," was all she could mutter. "What about the mud prints on the porch? How do they figure into all this?"

"I've been pondering that myself," Jeanie said. "You got any ideas?"

"Not right this minute," she responded.

"I still say she got those two notes from Blacky. Maybe he was setting up a time to come over and talk about this job they're planning."

"But how did he get into her room? If he got in through the trap door, how did he get into the attic in the first place?"

"Yeah, it's one of those things that really baffles me."

"You know what, Jeanie? Maybe there's a connection between the mud on the porch and his visits in the middle of the night."

Jeanie popped up in bed. "Ann, You've got it. You've got it."

"I do?"

"Yeah. Remember after we heard those voices? The next morning we found the muddy prints on the porch." She began shaking her sister.

"Hey. Quit that."

"We better get some rest. We have lots of things to investigate tomorrow."

Just as they both fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, Ann jerked up in bed, wide awake. "I wonder why she chased Cindy away?" she asked the darkness.

But there was no answer. Jeanie was sound asleep, lost in a world of restful dreams.

####

### Chapter 16: A Visit to the Cellar

Jeanie and Ann rushed downstairs early the next morning to check the front porch. They felt along the porch wall for a secret opening, but found nothing. "It's got to be here somewhere," Jeanie said impatiently, just as their mother came out the front door.

"What are you two doing out so early?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing," Ann answered quickly. "We couldn't sleep."

"Jeanie, I'd like you to bake some cookies today," her mother said. "Would you mind?"

"Sure, I'll do it," she answered obediently, even though that was one thing she didn't want to do today.

When their mother drove off, they went back into the house to do their chores early. "How long will it take to bake those cookies?" Ann asked. She was impatient to continue their snooping.

"Half the morning," Jeanie said with a sigh.

"I'll see you later, then," Ann said, as she left to do her own sleuthing. Miss Briggs had other ideas, though. She handed Ann a list of chores that would keep her busy most of the day. It was Ann's punishment for annoying her the day before, though she never mentioned the incident.

Jeanie baked six dozen peanut butter cookies, five dozen butter cookies, and three dozen oatmeal and raisin cookies. She took an assortment upstairs to hide in her bedroom for a midnight snack. If she didn't sleep tonight, at least she wouldn't get hungry. Luck was with her. She didn't run into Miss Briggs and put the cookies in her dresser drawer, then went back downstairs to look for Ann. She found everyone outside near the gate waving to Cindy, who was playing alone in her spacious front yard. She waved back.

"Hey. Cindy," they all yelled. "How are you?"

Jeanie waved at her friend, then grabbed Ann and took her to the orchard.

"Look up there," Jeanie said, pointing at the red-brick house. "Not a window up there. Have you ever noticed that? There's no windows in the attic."

"You're right," Ann agreed, looking up at the house. "There's no possible way to get into the attic from outside."

"Unless there's a secret passage somewhere," Jeanie explained. "Maybe there's one that goes from the cellar to the attic."

"Liz did see a shadowy figure come out of the cellar. Remember?" Ann added. Her eyes darkened. "Oh-my-gosh, why didn't we think of that before now?"

They scurried toward the outside basement door without a word. The cellar was dark and musty, as usual, and the flickering light threw dancing shadows around the room. Jeanie stumbled over a box of junk and found herself lying on concrete.

Ann spotted a mouse the size of a gopher, but managed to muffle her cries with her hands. Jeanie brushed off her jeans and began to feel along the walls with the tips of their fingers, looking for loose bricks, or some other clue that would lead them to a hidden opening. Ann got down on her hands and knees and felt the concrete for loose joints, mumbling encouragement to her sister. The searched every foot of the cellar and finally had to admit defeat.

"This dust is clogging my throat," whispered Ann, her breath coming in short pants.

"Mine, too," admitted Jeanie. "Let's get out of here."

When they reached the top of the stairs, they sat down to rest. "I have a suggestion," began Ann.

"That we should hide down here tonight?" Jeanie asked. She had the same thought.

"Exactly," Ann replied.

"If we both stay."

"Sure. I'm not coming down here by myself."

"Then let's slip down at ten o'clock after everyone's asleep."

The cellar door creaked as they slipped down to the basement. Jeanie held a flashlight and Ann carried a blanket and the cookies Jeanie hid in their room earlier. They had already agreed that once in the basement, neither one would utter a sound, no matter what.

In spite of all their precautions, the steps creaked under their bare feet. Tiny feet pattered left and right, and a small mouse scurried across their path. Ann barely missed stepping on it and suppressed a scream. Jeanie coaxed her to keep going by pulling gently on her arm.

They to cross the concrete floor together until Jeanie stumped her toe on a board that jutted from the coal bin. As a sharp pain ran up her leg, she droped Ann's arm and slowly limped to a pile of logs in a corner of the cellar behind the furnace. She turned off the flashlight, thinking Ann was right behind her, and sat down.

Darkness engulfed them both immediately. Ann reached out for Jeanie, waving her arms up and around, trying not to panic. Where was her sister? Why did the flashlight go out? What was going on? She felt another scream coming up from her stomach through her throat and squelched it just in time. Unable to call out, and unable to find Jeanie, she took a couple of deep breaths, and decided to spread the blanket down on the floor right where she stood.

She wanted to reach out in the pitch black for Jeanie again, but thought better of it. Suppose she touched someone else. They'd know she was there. The very thought brought on a panic attack She felt like the blackness was caving in on her from all four sides, and she was going to be crushed.

There was heavy breathing nearby and Ann was certain it was too loud and lumbered to be Jeanie's. Her whole body began to tremble, but through it all, she never made a sound, just like she vowed before they came down.

Nearby, Jeanie stood on her left leg and held her other one that was still throbbing with pain. She tried to stifle her breathing, but it came in heavy, loud gasps. Where was Ann? She reached out into the blackness. Hopping on one leg a few steps away, she felt the soft blanket on her ankles and dropped to the floor quietly. She rubbed her throbbing leg up and down to ease the pain while listening for the slightest sound. She heard nothing but the silence of the night.

They sat side by side until nearly daybreak, silent and unmoving, and true to their vow that no matter what, they would not yell, whisper, or make any kind of noise. At times, they even dozed off, curled up on separate ends of the same blanket.

When the basement began to lighten, Jeanie recognized Ann's silhouette, and grabbed her leg. Ann jerked and stifled another scream. Jeanie broke their solemn vow, and whispered, "Ann, it's okay. It's me." Ann sighed and reached for her sister, and whispered back, "Oh, Jeanie, I thought you had disappeared."

"We kept our promised not to talk, didn't we?"

Ann smiled for the first time all night. "Yeah, but that was kinda silly, don't you think?" answered Ann. "I was scared out of my wits most of the night."

They picked up their bag of cookies and dusty blanket, and trudged wearily upstairs before Miss Briggs or their mother got out of bed.

####

### Chapter 17: The Storm

Jeanie and Ann crawled into bed just minutes before they heard Miss Briggs get up in the adjoining room. "That was a close call," whispered Jeanie as they pulled the sheet up and covered themselves.

They slept until Neil and Ricky came in and shook them. "Wake up. Wake up, sleepyheads."

Jeanie opened an eye, looked at Ricky through a haze of sleep and turned over. Ann grunted and swatted at Neil like a mosquito, then went right back to sleep.

"Ann. Jeanie," they begged impatiently. "It's time to get up."

They heard Miss Briggs approaching and scrambled under the bed. She opened the door, poked her head in and bellowed loudly, "Time for you girls to get out of bed."

Jeanie and Ann jerked awake. After waiting until they heard Miss Briggs leave, they bounced out of bed. Ann closed the door, and the two boys crawled out from under the bed.

"What in the world--?" began Ann, staring at her two brothers.

They just grinned back. "It's getting late," Ricky explained.

Ann and Jeanie dressed quickly as their brother waited. Then they all went downstairs together. Miss Briggs was puttering in the kitchen.

"Where's Liz?" asked Jeanie.

"She got up early and went outside," said Ricky.

"Well, let's go out with her," said Ann.

They hurried outside before Miss Briggs starting assigning chores, and sat in a circle in the apple orchard while Jeanie and Ann shared their latest adventure the night before.

In retrospect, it seemed like a pretty stupid thing to do, sitting up all night in a dark cellar. But they didn't admit it.

"Miss Briggs scares me," Neil said when they finished.

"I wish we could run away," Liz added. "Then Mother will be sorry she didn't listen to us."

"Where would we go?" asked Ricky.

"Look, it's out of the question. We can't leave," said Ann, trying to calm them. There's something strange going on, and we're going to find out what it is."

"Just be patient," Jeanie added.

"Oh-h-h. She's watching us behind that curtain," whispered Liz dramatically.

"So let her," Jeanie said. "She can't hear us. Let her stare all she wants."

"I'd like to build a rocket and send her to the moon," Liz stated confidently, now that she couldn't be heard.

Miss Briggs opened the side door, just in time to hear their remarks. She stared at them for the longest time, her beady eyes full of anger and frustration. Ricky and Neil were too scared to cry, but their lips trembled. When she finally went back inside and slammed the door shut, they all jumped up and ran to the front yard out of sight of her probing eyes.

Jeanie pointed to the sky. "See those clouds forming?" she asked, to get their minds on something else.

"Yeah," Ricky answered. "Those are mushroom clouds."

"They're called cumulus," Jeanie said. "They've been way over there all day. But see, they're moving closer."

"I can see them moving," answered Neil. "They're growing bigger and bigger."

"That one is getting dark," added Ricky, pointing to the west.

"It's going to rain," Jeanie predicted.

"Does the rain hide in the clouds?" asked Neil.

"In a way. I guess so," Jeanie answered.

"Will it thunder?" interjected Liz, as she watched the windows for any sign of Miss Briggs.

"Probably. There are a lot of thunder storms in the summer."

Just when Jeanie finished, a loud rumble and flash of lightning streaked through the sky. "Here it comes," warned Ann, running toward the front porch. They ran after her and stayed until the wind drove them inside.

Miss Briggs was nervously pacing the floor, muttering to herself. They went upstairs to the third floor to get as far away from her as they could. After a short time, Jeanie suggested to Liz that she take the boys down to the second floor and entertain them. When they left, Jeanie turned to Ann, "Have you noticed how nervous Miss Briggs is tonight?"

"Yes," Ann responded, wondering what her sister was driving at.

"She's pacing the floor," added Jeanie.

Ann waited for her sister to continue. "I think something is about to happen," Jeanie predicted. Her eyes dilated with excitement.

"It could be something dangerous," Ann said in warning.

"We can't sleep a wink tonight, either," Jeanie said. "Neither one of us."

"We hardly slept last night," Ann reminded her.

A roar of thunder, followed by a flash of lightening, cut their conversation short. The lights flickered off and on for a moment, then went out completely. The blackened sky gave little illumination, so they were left in an almost darkened room.

They heard frantic cries from downstairs. Neil screamed first, followed by Ricky, then Liz. "Let's go," said Jeanie, grabbing Ann's arm and guiding her to the hallway and down the dark stairway to the second level. The stairs seemed to creak louder than usual. Just when Jeanie and Ann reached the landing, they heard more screams, blood-curdling screams.

####

back to top

### Part III: The Mystery Unfolds

### Chapter 18: The Robbery

Inside Ricky's bedroom, the three children stood in a corner, huddled together The door to Ricky's room opened and shadowy figures entered. They all screamed. Liz collapsed on the floor and the boys held their breath, their knocking knees the only noise.

Ann and Jeanie rushed downstairs and entered Ricky's room just when Liz and the boys screamed the second time. They heard a loud plop and knocking noises, then silence.

A crack of lightening flashed across the sky, illuminating the room for an instant. Jeanie was still holding the door knob, ready to exit, when she recognized her two brothers huddled against the wall, and a bundle of clothing at their feet.

The boys recognized the shadowy figures standing in the doorway were their sisters. "It's Jeanie and Ann," Ricky whispered to Neil.

"Ricky. Neil," Jeanie called in a hushed tone. "It's me. Jeanie. Where's Liz?"

Ann pushed around her sister, entered the room and called, "Liz. Liz."

The boys, still huddled in the corner, didn't move or speak. They stared at their sisters and waited while Liz remained at their feet in a heap, still passed out. She moved slightly when she heard her name, ad rose from the floor, rubbing her eyes. "Where am I?"

"Why were you screaming?" asked Jeanie.

"The lights went out. We couldn't see," said Ricky.

"We thought you was the boogie man," said Neil.

"Okay. Everything's fine. We thought something happened to you."

"Let's go."

Jeanie and Ann gathered the younger children, and lead them downstairs. They went out on the porch to wait for their mother's return. The storm had passed as suddenly as it came. A flutter of sparrows appeared, and busied themselves in the cool, damp aftermath of the rain. A slight breeze blew pear-shaped raindrops from the leaves across their faces.

"It's still raining," Neil commented. No one responded.

The truck stopped in front of the gate. The fog lights blinked off, the door opened and their mother strode briskly across the wet lawn, with a folded newspaper under her elbow.

"Mother, Mother," they called out happily.

"The lights went out again," Ricky announced loudly.

"But they came back on," added Neil.

"Did they?" she responded. They went inside the red-brick house. Their mother sat down in a comfortable chair and stretched her legs out. Liz pushed a stool under her feet. She opened the paper and huge headlines loomed across the front page: 'Jewel Thief Disappears into Storm.' She read it out loud and commented, "There's been a jewel theft." Glancing through the article, she stopped suddenly and looked up at her children. "It happened on Chase Street."

Jeanie grabbed the paper from her mother, and quickly scanned the article. She read aloud, "A half-million dollars worth of antique jewelry, including the famed Metro diamond, disappeared from local jeweler's home during the height of today's thunderstorm. No clues are known at this time. An all-out investigation is underway."

"Wow. All that jewelry," Liz repeated, her round eyes wide with disbelief. She envisioned hundreds of priceless bracelets and ear rings, filled with diamonds and emeralds.

Neil and Ricky whistled.

Miss Briggs called from the kitchen. "Let me see what she wants," said their mother, as she got up and left the room.

"Where did it happen?" asked Ann, grabbing the paper from her sister. She glanced at the bottom of the article.

Jeanie grabbed the newspaper back, nearly ripping it in half. She read it herself. "1021 Chase Street."

"That's right across the street, where Cindy lives," said Ann. They ran to the front window and stared at the mansion across the street.

"The Ralston's were robbed," said Jeanie and looked at her sister. "Come on, Ann. We can't talk down here."

Their mother returned from the kitchen just moments after they disappeared upstairs. "What happened to Jeanie and Ann?" she asked.

Ricky, Neil, and Liz shrugged, crawled up on her lap, and hugged her. They knew, but weren't saying.

####

### Chapter 19: The Mansion Across the Street

"We've got to contact Cindy," Jeanie said. "We need her help."

"What for?"

"To find the secret passage to the attic," answered Jeanie. "There's got to be one. And Cindy knows this old house and all its secrets."

"We'll have to smuggle her in so Miss Briggs won't see her."

"Let's call her first," Jeanie suggested.

They went to the second level hallway, and looked in the phone book for a Ralston on Chase Street. Not finding a listing, Jeanie remarked, "Must be unlisted."

"What do we do now?" Ann asked.

"We'll sneak out later tonight, and go over there."

"Don't you think the police will be guarding the mansion, at least for a few days?"

"We can't wait," Jeanie answered. Just they started to leave, the phone rang. Jeanie lifted the receiver after the second ring. It was Uncle Ben, calling from the farm. They chatted for a few minutes. Then Jeanie called for her mother. "Mother, Mother. It's Uncle Ben. Says it's important."

Jeanie and Ann stood near their mother as she talked on the phone. When she finished, she turned to her daughters. "I have to go back to the farm. The storm caused a lot of damage. Uncle Ben needs help with the livestock tonight. Why don't we all go?"

Jeanie looked sideways at her sister. They had to find a way out of going. When Mrs. Grayson announced to the other children and Miss Briggs that they were all going to the farm tonight, Miss Briggs bristled.

"The storm caused a lot damage to the apple trees here," Miss Briggs said. "I'll be happy to stay and pick the apples off the ground before they rot."

Jeanie and Ann looked at their mother, ignoring Miss Briggs. "Ann and I can stay and pick up the apples."

Miss Briggs stiffened. "No need for them to do that, Mrs. Grayson," She sounded like she was pleading to stay.

"We're not afraid to stay by ourselves," Ann added quickly.

Mrs. Grayson thought for a moment. "Okay," she agreed, "you girls stay here. Miss Briggs and the little kids go with me."

After packing an overnight bag for the children, Mrs. Grayson drove off with Miss Briggs sitting in the front seat trying to look pleasant. Liz, Ricky, and Neil waved from the back. Jeanie and Ann waved until the truck was out of sight. When it disappeared, they both felt a sudden pang of fear. But it was too late. They were all alone.

"Guess we better get some of those apples off the ground before dark," Jeanie suggested. "Let's get some paper bags from the house."

When they entered the foyer, Ann spotted something crawling across the floor just she heard a loud crunch under her shoe. Blood splattered across the floor, and tiny insects scurried away into the darkness. "What was that?"

"Looks like a black widow spider and her brood of young'uns."

"Ugh," said Ann. "I thought they ate their young."

"No. Their mate. That's why they're widows."

They took paper bags from the kitchen, and left by the side door nearest the orchard, and picked apples until dusk. "Let's quit," suggested Jeanie, who was anxious to see Cindy.

They dressed in dark shirts and jeans, and put their long hair up in a French twist. Ann complained she was tired from the night before, and couldn't they just go to bed. The house seemed so old and musty and lonely with everyone gone. She had lost her mood to solve mysteries.

"Go on to bed, then," Jeanie said. "I don't care," She knew Ann wouldn't stay home by herself.

"No. I'll go."

Just as they were leaving, Ann grabbed her sister's arm. "Jeanie. Let's go look in Miss Briggs' room while she's gone." She rushed back upstairs with Jeanie right behind her.

"Look. It's padlocked." Ann pounded on the door in frustration.

"Oh, heck," Jeanie responded with a pout.

They went back down the two flights of stairs two at a time, and headed across their front yard toward the mansion where Cindy lived. Three police cars were parked in the driveway, and flood lights lit up the yard.

"See," Ann said. "I told you we couldn't get near the place. We should have gone with Mother."

Jeanie ignored her complaints. She crouched under the branches of the weeping willow tree that protected them from sight. Peering through the branches, she watched the activities at the mansion for a long time. "Okay," she said.

After the patrol cars drove away, Ann pointed to the front porch. "There's a guard over there."

Night had fallen upon them almost unnoticed. The gray clouds moved slowly, eclipsing the half moon, and leaving them without light. "Come on," Jeanie called out she pushed their gate open and headed quickly across Chase Street toward the mansion. Ann followed quietly, staying in the shadows of the tree-lined street right behind her sister, who was deftly leading her through the dark. They climbed the rock fence surrounding the mansion property, and jumped down onto the soggy ground below. It crunched softly under their shoes. They stopped next to a small mimosa bush, its prickly leaves stabbing their arms, and stared up at the mansion. "It must have twenty rooms," Jeanie whispered, looking for the guard in the black shadows.

"There he is," said Ann. "Going around the corner."

"Let's go," Jeanie ordered. She jumped from their hiding place, and rushed toward the house. They stopped for a minute under a bay window that protruded from the stone wall. "Let's try one of these windows," she whispered.

To her surprise, the window opened. "Give me a boost," Ann said.

Jeanie followed by heaving herself up and entering the room head first. She nearly knocked over a nearby lamp, but Ann caught it just in time. They found themselves in a magnificent library, with two walls completely filled with books from the floor to the ceiling. A light from one lamp dimly lit the room, giving it a somber atmosphere. Lush, thick carpets covered the floor. Two doors, on adjacent walls allowed exits to other rooms. "Which door should we take?" Ann asked, as though Jeanie should know.

Jeanie peeked out the nearest door. "This one is a staircase going up," she announced. "Let's go."

At the top of the stairs, they opened a door into another, smaller room. It appeared to be an office or a study. It had a large desk, and several glass-covered bookcases, filled with books, maps and encyclopedias. "This must be another library," said Ann. "Or someone's study."

They were gawking at the tasteful and expensive décor when they heard voices. Without saying a word, they both dashed for the door to the staircase and quietly closed the door.

The voices entered the study. They were both masculine voices, but their words were muffled. They left the study within a few minutes, and when the girls heard the other door close, they re-entered. The room was now pitch-black. The two men must have come in to turn off the lamp.

They held hands and crept forward across the room toward the windows. Jeanie found a drawstring and pulled the drapes open enough for the moonlight to beam through the crack. It cast dark shadows into the room and made everything look grotesque. "Now we can at least see to get around," Jeanie said. She looked up at the star-speckled sky. "See, Ann. All the clouds are gone. The moon is back out."

Ann looked out the window, and across the street to the red-brick house. "Look, Jeanie," she said, pointing toward the house. "Doesn't it look spooky in the moonlight?"

"Yes. And we'll be alone there tonight," she reminded her sister. They both shuddered as they stared into the dark.

####

### Chapter 20: The Secret Passage

Jeanie and Ann opened a door and peeked through the crack. A dimly-lit hallway faced them. They tiptoed down its carpeted length. Doors flanked them on all sides.

"These doors must lead into bedrooms," Ann said, pointing to a small gold placard on one door.

"Oh. They all have signs," Jeanie said with relief, pointing to one which read nursery.

"Maybe her room has her name on the door."

They passed one that said Master and Mistress. Loud snores came from within. Neither girl spoke as they passed. They didn't find any with Cindy's name on it, when Ann whispered excitedly. "Hey. Jeanie. This sign says Our Princess.

Footsteps coming up a nearby staircase caught their attention. Without a moment's hesitation, Ann opened the door and entered, with Jeanie right behind.

There was just enough moonlight for them to discern different objects around the room. A canopied bed was against the wall on the left. They recognized Cindy's short-cropped hair on the pillow. "Cindy," Ann called softly.

Jeanie shook her gently. "Cindy," she called. "It's me. Jeanie."

Cindy's eyes fluttered open from the round, sleepy face, then quickly closed.

"Cindy," Ann repeated again. "Wake up. We need you."

She opened her eyes again, and looked around the darkened room. "Jeanie. Ann," she called out. "What are you doing here?"

"Get up, Cindy," Jeanie said. "We need your help."

"Put on some dark clothes that won't show up in the moonlight," Ann added.

"Why?" She was beginning to wake up, and recognized her two friends from the red-brick house.

"To solve the burglary," Jeanie said matter-of-factly, as though this was something she did all the time.

Cindy didn't ask any more questions, but she kept wondering why her friends were involving themselves in her grandfather's burglary. She dressed in dark clothing like they told her. "Okay, I'm ready."

Ann looked at her friend approvingly. "Good. Now, what is the best way to get out of here without being seen?"

"We came through the library," Jeanie explained.

Cindy was wide awake now, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Come on. Follow me."

With Cindy leading them, they went out a window from her second floor bedroom onto a ledge. She pointed down a circular slide. "My private fire escape," she explained. "You two go first."

Ann looked down the slide, then sat down and gave herself a slight nudge, She zoomed down so fast, she landed in a sand pile before she had time to be scared. Jeanie followed, then Cindy. They found themselves in the back yard, where a small fountain gurgled and sparkled streams of colored water into a large pool.

"Follow me," Cindy called out. She lead them to a gate in the rear of the property. They crept through the shadows of the tree-lined street until they reached Chase Street. "Where do we go now?" Cindy asked.

Jeanie took the lead, and ran across Chase Street toward the red-brick house. They stopped under the horizontal branches of an oak tree outside the gate. Ann pointed to the open gate. "Didn't we close the gate?" she asked.

Jeanie nodded her head. "Blacky must be here."

"Oh, no," Ann cried out in fright.

Jeanie took her arm. "Come on. It's three against one. We can't stop now." They entered the yard and walked cautiously toward their house, leaves fluttered against the rooftop in a steady rhythm, and moonbeams acted a spotlight. They stayed in the shadows until they reached the house.

Ann was the first to see the mud prints. Her finger shook as she pointed. "Foot prints." She could barely speak. She reached for Cindy's hand and clung on.

"To the middle of the porch," Jeanie muttered to herself. "But why?" she asked out loud. She looked to Cindy for an answer. "Do you know any secret passages in this house?"

Cindy was puzzled. She didn't know any secret passages.

Jeanie wasn't about to give up. She was no longer frightened, and was eager to solve the mystery of the red-brick house. She knew in her heart that Miss Briggs and her friend Blacky were involved in the jewel theft. It had become her mission to catch them.

But Ann and Cindy weren't quite that devoted to Jeanie's mission. "Can't we just go to my house and spend the night there?" Cindy asked.

"Come on, Jeanie," Ann implored. "Let's leave this place. It's too spooky."

But Jeanie wouldn't give in. "There has to be a way for Blacky to get into the house," she said.

"Who's Blacky?" asked Cindy.

"He's the jewel thief," Jeanie answered.

"You mean the burglar that stole my grandfather's jewels?"

"Yes."

Cindy started to ask Jeanie why she was so sure, when Jeanie began jumping up and down with her arms outstretched to the ceiling of the porch. Instead, she asked, "What in the world are you doing?"

"See those fingerprints?" she answered, pointing up to some smudges on the white boards above their heads. "Give me a hand lift."

Cindy and Ann clasped hands obediently. Jeanie stepped on the their hands that were clutched together, and balanced herself with her hands on top of their heads. Then reaching up with her right hand, she pushed hard on the smudges. To her surprise, a door swung up, and a rope ladder fell down. Jeanie grabbed the ladder without a moment's delay. She climbed up the swinging rope and poked her head into the passage, but it was too dark to see up.

"Ann. Get a flashlight from the kitchen," Jeanie said.

"Come with me," Ann said to Cindy. When they returned with the flashlight, Jeanie leaned down from the rope ladder and retrieved it. She pointed the light up into the darkness. "Come on up," she said to Cindy and Ann. "A wooden ladder is nailed to the wall, and goes all the way to the top of the house. I think it goes straight to the attic."

Cindy stepped onto the rope ladder and started up. Rather than be left alone, Ann reluctantly followed. The passage was narrow, dark, and dusty. They climbed until they reached a trap door that stopped their entry into the attic. Jeanie pushed on it, and it opened with only a slight creak. She peeked through the crack into the attic. An electric lamp lit the room dimly. It's empty. "No one's here," she announced to the others. "I'm going in." She lifted the door wide open, and climbed onto the floor of the attic. Cindy and Ann followed.

"We're right behind you, Jeanie," Ann said.

"It's dusty up here," Cindy whispered, she sneezed.

"Is this the attic?" Ann asked, looking around the bare room. "Where's Blacky? Where are the jewels?"

Jeanie stood up and looked around the room, then back at Ann and Cindy. "We better get out of her."

Cindy and Ann caught their breath. Where was he hiding? He certainly isn't up here. Unless there's a secret hiding place somewhere. "Let's get out of here," Jeanie repeated, trying to act confident, when she really knew they were in grave danger.

They quickly descended into the dark passageway. They slowly descended the ladder, and upon reaching the bottom, climbed down the rope ladder to the porch below. They sat down on the concrete. Their arms and legs ached from the long climb up and back down.

Cindy rubbed her arms vigorously to ease the cramping. She pointed to the mud prints. "Those footprints only go one way. He's still here."

"I know."

Ann shuddered. "But where? He could be watching us right now."

"Come on. Let's check the walls in the attic. There has to be a secret room."

"No. Jeanie," Ann said. "I'm tired."

"You can rest in the attic."

"What will do if we find him?" Cindy asked.

"It's three against one, remember?" Jeanie answered as she grabbed the rope ladder and began climbing up the secret passage. Cindy sighed, got up and followed.

"Hey. Wait for me," Ann yelled after them. She had no intention of being left alone.

Cindy sneezed again, and it echoed up and down the passage. "Hold your nose," Jeanie whispered.

"I can't breathe."

"We're nearly there." Jeanie pushed the trap door up a crack, and seeing no one in the room, crawled onto the attic floor. Cindy climbed in next, then Ann. Just as they stood up, Ann whispered, "I know where he's hiding." She could hardly speak the words.

"Where?" asked Cindy and Jeanie. They looked around the room cautiously.

Ann pointed a shaking finger to the trap door in the corner of the room, just as it began to creak. Two hairy arms appeared, pushing the door upward. A beam of light from the room below lit up the attic..

"It's him," Ann cried. "It's Blacky."

####

### Chapter 21: Lurking Danger

Cindy sprinted forward, literally diving at the trap door. Her years of rigorous ballet lessons had trained her for such fast movements. Jeanie and Ann ran after her and jumped on top of the opening door just after she landed. The hairy arms disappeared as the weight of the three girls pushed the door down to the floor. They heard a loud thud, then a moan, and the cursing intruder fell to the floor below.

"It's him. It is Blacky," Ann gasped.

"We did it," Jeanie responded, triumphantly. "He's trapped down in Miss Briggs' room."

"Can't he get out the bedroom door?" Cindy asked, still breathless from her dive through the air.

"No. It's padlocked from the outside," Ann answered. "Miss Briggs locked it before she left. Probably so Jeanie and I couldn't go snooping in her room."

"Now Blacky's trapped inside," Jeanie laughed. "It kind of backfired."

Blacky growled in the room below, obviously very upset. "You think he's hurt very bad?" Cindy asked.

"I hope so."

"I hope he broke a leg."

"Well. If he isn't hurt, he'll be trying to get through this trap door again."

"We better nail it shut. Then we'll call the police."

"I'll get the hammer and some nails," Ann said, she headed for the secret passage. She was no longer frightened, but ready for action.

"Hurry. I don't know how long we can hold this door down. We were just lucky that he fell down. He wasn't expecting us. Now he knows we're here."

"Okay. I'm gone," Ann replied she sprinted down the wooden ladder to the porch below.

"Ann. Call the police while you're in the house," Jeanie yelled down the passageway.

"Okay," she responded.

"What about the windows? Couldn't he get out that way?" Cindy asked

"That's a possibility," Jeanie responded. "But he's on the third floor. He could break his neck. But if he gets desperate he might try it."

That didn't satisfy Cindy. She was convinced Blacky would find a way to escape. "He could tie some sheets together to make a rope, and get out that way."

"If he thinks of it," Jeanie agreed.

"Trapped animals find a way to escape. Even chewing off their own leg. And he's an animal."

Blacky interrupted their conversation with loud cursing. When he became quiet, Jeanie became anxious. "He's up to something," she said.

They put their ear against the trap door. "Sounds like he's taking sheets off the bed," Cindy whispered. "I told you."

"Wish Ann would hurry up," Jeanie said just Ann poked her head into the attic.

"Hey. I'm back," she announced. She handed the hammer and nails to her sister, and watched as Jeanie deftly hammered nails into the sides of the trap door.

"There. That should keep him trapped until the police get here."

"Oh. Jeanie," Ann said, her face turning ashen. "He must have cut the lines. The phone is dead."

"Bet he was expecting Miss Briggs to be home," Jeanie commented. "He's probably wondering what happened to her."

"Do you think her leaving messed up his plans?"

"I don't know. Probably. But we better get out of here and get some help."

"We can wake up my Dad. He'll call the police," said Cindy.

They climbed down the dark passage to the porch, and rushed across the yard toward the gate. Cindy glanced back at the red-brick house just as Blacky was lowering some sheets out the third-floor window.

Grabbing Ann's arm, she cried out, "He's getting away. He's getting away."

####

### Chapter 22: The Pursuit

"Come one," Jeanie yelled. "Don't stop. We don't have a minute to lose." She rushed toward the mansion. Ann and Cindy sprinted after Jeanie as she crossed the street.

The girls reached the front gate of the mansion just as three police cruisers and an unmarked car screeched to a halt. Police officers and plainclothes men jumped out. When the three girls rushed up the driveway toward the front door, they were ordered to get back.

"Hey," Jeanie called out when she got her breath. "We got Blacky."

"He's trying to get out the window," Cindy added.

"You kids get back," a young, red-headed officer yelled to the girls. "Go on home. It's too late for you to be out."

"He'll get away," Ann yelled at the top of her voice. She jumped up and down, and pointed to the red-brick house across the street. It could barely be seen for all the tall trees lining the front yard.

The other officers ignored the girls and entered the front door. A captain looked back at the young officer. "Come on, Ryan."

"Go home," he admonished, leaving the girls and following the other officers into the house.

"Come on," said Cindy. "Let's go in the side door." She led them through a patio garden and into a room full of green plants. "This way," she said. She opened a door into the living room where her mother and father were pacing the floor and shouting at the police.

"Do something. Our child has been kidnapped. Do something."

A man in plain clothes answered as calmly as he could. "Please get control of yourself, Mr. Ralston. We need some details. How tall is your daughter?"

Cindy ran to her parents, yelling, "He's getting away. He's going out the window."

Her mother and father seemed momentarily stunned. Here was their missing child, screaming at them.

The police officers looked at each other in astonishment. Was this the missing child?

"Where have you been? Did anyone hurt you?" They kept popping questions at her, and all she could say was "He's going to get away. He's going to get away."

Finally the captain spoke up. "Everyone please quiet down for a moment. Please."

Jeanie and Ann stood in the corner out of the way of all the chaos. They began to fidget because they knew Blacky was climbing down the sheets and making his escape. He'd never be seen again. Ann decided to act before it was too late. "Please listen," she yelled out from the corner of the room. The frenzy stopped, and they all turned toward the two girls standing unobtrusively in the corner.

"Who are you?"

"We caught the jewel thief," she answered quickly, ignoring the question. There was no time for introductions.

Cindy jumped in. "We trapped Blacky in Miss Brigg's room. Only now he's going out the window."

"Who's Blacky?"

"The jewel thief."

"Where is he now?"

"Across the street," Jeanie answered, relieved that they had their attention at last. She stepped out of the corner. "Come on. I'll show you." She headed out the side door, hoping they would follow and quit asking questions. Ann turned on a dime and followed, leaving Cindy with her parents, still trying to explain who Blacky was. When the two girls left the yard, they could hear Cindy saying impatiently, "No. He didn't kidnap me."

When Jeanie reached their front yard, she pointed to the sheets blowing in the light breeze against the side of the red-brick house. "He got away," she cried out. "He's gone."

Jeanie lead the way into the house, where they sat down with the officers and gave them all the details they could about their suspicions. The details were so jumbled, with both girls talking at once, that the officers stopped taking notes, and just listened. They told them about the shadowy figure that Liz saw coming out of the basement the day they moved in. Then the mud prints on the porch, and the voices in Miss Briggs' room in the middle of the night.

When they told about the water-soaked note with the word 'midnight' and signed by 'Blacky', the officers began to piece the details together, and started to believe the girls were on to something.

"And don't forget," Ann interjected, "that Miss Briggs knew Cindy's name." She looked at the officers and added, "We didn't even know her last name ourselves."

One of the officers took out his pad and began to write. "So what makes you girls think this guy who's in your house is Blacky?"

Jeanie looked at Ann. "We just know it."

The officer, trying to hide his grin, replied, "Okay. I guess we have enough details." Jeanie and Ann could tell he didn't believe their story. He handed them his report and asked them to sign it at the bottom, and date it.

"Mind if we look around," the captain asked when the girls handed back the signed report. Jeanie nodded yes.

"Let's take him up to Miss Briggs' room," Ann suggested, hoping they would break the padlock so she and Jeanie could do their own snooping later, when they all left.

"It's padlocked," Jeanie responded. "Let's take them up the secret passage to the attic."

"They could break the padlock," Ann said as she followed her sister and the officers out the front door. They climbed up the passage to the attic, and s Jeanie entered the room, she heard loud pounding on the other trap door.

"Sh-h-h," Jeanie said as they entered after her. "He's still down there."

One officer flashed a light around the room. "Where's this trap door to Miss Briggs' room?"

Jeanie pointed to the trap door, where the pounding had stopped momentarily. "He's still down there. He didn't get out the window."

"Where is this room located that he's trapped in?" an officer asked.

"I'll show you," Ann offered.

"No. It's getting too dangerous. He may be armed. Just give us directions."

"Go up two flights from the living room staircase. It's the first room on the left," Ann explained patiently.

"It has a padlock on the door," Jeanie reminded them.

Before leaving, the captain thanked the girls for their bravery in trapping the man below. "Ryan, take these young ladies to the Ralston's estate where they'll

be safe. And stay with them until we get there."

Jeanie and Ann were reluctant to leave with the young officer. After all, they had trapped Blacky all by themselves. They didn't like being treated like they were helpless children, needing protection.

It didn't seem fair somehow.

####

### Chapter 23: The Capture

As it turned out, Blacky really was the jewel thief. He was apprehended with the Metro diamond in his duffel bag along with all the missing jewelry. Being very pragmatic, and hoping to cop a plea bargain, he readily implicated Miss Briggs in the heist.

The captain put Blacky in custody of the officers, who drove him to the county jail. He returned to the Ralston's estate, where Jeanie and Ann were sleeping soundly on two sofas in the living room. Officer Ryan stood guard, looking somewhat sleepy himself.

The captain decided to let the girls rest, and call their mother at the farm in the morning after sunrise. He talked to her shortly before breakfast, and advised her they would be coming out in a police cruiser to arrest Miss Briggs for her complicity in the jewel theft. After her initial shock, Mrs. Grayson agreed to keep Miss Briggs occupied so she wouldn't see the cruiser when it arrived.

Mrs. Grayson took Liz into another room where they couldn't be heard. "I need your help, Liz. But you must promise not to tell anyone. Not even your little brothers. Can I trust you?"

Liz was immediately intrigued. It sounded so mysterious. "I promise to my dying day not to tell a soul," she answered, crossing her heart and hoping to die. She also put on her most trusted look, with eyes wide and innocent.

"I want you to lure Miss Briggs out to the barn. Think of some way to get her out there. I'll be feeding the livestock nearby. When you get her way back in the barn, run as fast you can. I'll be at the door to lock her in. Okay?" Liz knew from the look on her mother's face this was very serious business. "I'm depending on you, Liz."

Liz went back to the dining room where Miss Briggs was serving scrambled eggs and biscuits to the boys. She sat down, and tried to eat, but the biscuit just stuck in her throat. She tried not to look at Miss Briggs, who was seated at the head of the table, nor at her two brothers. She could actually feel her eyes dilating with excitement, and was afraid they would know she was up to something.

"Aren't you hungry this morning?" Miss Briggs asked in a phony voice, trying to act concerned.

Liz continued to fumble with her eggs. "No ma'm," she answered just as sweetly. She needed to think. And she just couldn't do it under Miss Briggs' probing eyes.

"Could I eat my breakfast later, please?" she asked.

Miss Briggs stiffened, but her answer was pleasant. "Certainly, Liz," she purred. "You can eat later when you feel better."

Liz continued to fiddle with her eggs. "Miss Briggs. Could you go with me to the barn to see if Bossy had her calf last night?" She still didn't trust herself to look up.

"Oh, Child, of course I'll go with you. How exciting. I didn't know Bossy was ready to give birth." She succumbed to Liz's shy behavior, never suspecting a thing. "Come on. Let's go right now."

Liz could hardly contain herself. She even grabbed Miss Briggs' hand as they walked out the back door and toward the barn, hand in hand. Ricky and Neil jumped up from the table and ran after them. Oh no, Liz thought. What do I do now? If they go into the barn with us, they might get locked in with Miss Briggs.

With all these thoughts going through her head, Liz did manage to stay calm on the outside. She slowed her pace, and began to dawdle, trying to think of some way to divert her brothers from coming with them into the barn. Luckily, her mother came to the rescue. She was slopping the pigs outside the barn when she spotted the two boys running to catch up with Liz and Miss Briggs.

"Boys," she called. "Come slop the pigs."

When Liz entered the barn with Miss Briggs, her two brothers were busy feeding the pigs with her mother. "I can't see," Liz complained to Miss Briggs. "Can you get in front and lead the way?"

"Child, I've never been in this barn in my entire life."

"Well. It's straight ahead of us. Way in the back. Over there," she said, pointing in the general direction where she wanted Miss Briggs to go.

"Just hold my hand real tight," Miss Briggs said, as she ventured forth.

"I'll hold on to your apron strings," Liz suggested. "That way I'll be right behind you."

Miss Briggs dropped Liz's hand, so she could grab her apron strings. When they reached the back of the barn, Miss Briggs said, "I smell hay, but I don't see any cow back here."

Liz knew it was time to get out of there. She dropped the apron strings, and rushed toward the entrance, hollering, "April's fool, April's fool." When she reached the door, her mother and the two boys were waiting. They quickly shut the door and braced it from outside.

Miss Briggs was trapped inside the barn. They heard her screams, "I can't see. Liz, where are you? Help me. I can't see."

When the cruiser arrived shortly after, Mrs. Grayson hustled all three children into the house until they had Miss Briggs handcuffed and taken away. But she let them watch from an upstairs window. Ricky and Neil waved as the cruiser drove off with Miss Briggs in the back seat.

"Did you see that?" Liz asked her brothers. "Miss Briggs waved back."

####

### Chapter 24: The Aftermath

Back at the Ralston's estate, Jeanie and Ann awakened to the smell of bacon and eggs. Cindy's father had enough food catered to feed all the police officers, the plain clothes men, and everyone else who happened to spend the night there. He wasn't sure of the number, so he said he wanted to feed a house full of people.

"Let's eat," Cindy said to her two friends. "I'm starving."

They ate in the formal dining room, at the longest table Jeanie and Ann had ever seen outside of the movies. Everyone talked at the same time, especially the police officers. They each had their own version of how Blacky was captured. But they did agree on one basic undisputed fact. When Blacky realized he was outnumbered three to one, he gave up without a struggle. He admitted trying to escape out the window. But the sheets only reached the top of the first level, and he didn't want to break a leg. After his capture, he wished he had tried anyway. But it was too late.

Cindy's grandfather was happy to get his antique jewelry back, but it was the return of his granddaughter that gave him and her parents their greatest happiness. Her parents hovered nearby while she ate and laughed and obviously enjoyed herself. But they couldn't shake the feeling she had been kidnapped, even though she told them over and over again she left of her own free will.

The young officers continued to tell and retell how they captured Blacky. Their voices got louder and louder until they were nearly shouting. And each time they told the story, they embellished it just a bit more. Their captain ate his breakfast, drank more coffee than he really needed, and seemed amused as he listened to his men.

Jeanie sighed. What a summer! She caught her sister's eye and winked.

It had been a very exciting time for everyone: the Ralstons, Cindy, the police officers, Jeanie and Ann, even their mother and the boys. But especially Liz, who talked to her sisters on the phone and told them all about trapping Miss Briggs in the barn. The two older girls broke up, laughing hysterically. It was a fitting end for their summer with Miss Briggs. And it felt so good to laugh at her instead of being frightened.

It was over now, and in a few days they would move back home to the farm. School would start, and life would go on. But their summer in the red-brick house would never be forgotten. How could it be?

### ####

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### About the Author

Betty Casbeer Carroll was born in San Antonio, Texas. Her siblings are Jesse Casbeer, Jr. of Woodlands, Texas; Annie Laurie Haskell of Bonney Lake, Washington; and Lawrence Casbeer of Charleston, South Carolina.

Betty attended college after she had her five children, who were models for the characters in The Mystery of the Red-Brick House. She earned an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree from San Antonio College, and was the first female undergraduate to attend St. Mary's University. She earned a B.A. in Liberal Arts (History major) from Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

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### Other Books by Betty Casbeer Carroll

### The Foothill Spirits--Book One: Frontier Life & the Shawnees

### The Foothill Spirits--Book Two: Shawnees & Runaway Slaves

### Coming soon:

### The Foothill Spirits--Book Three: Abolition & the Womens Movement.

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### Author's Notes

In 1959, I began writing The Mystery of the Red-Brick House while living in Reading, Pennsylvania. My five children ranged from six to twelve years old, and were models for the five characters in the book. Each day, I would read them the new parts I had written while they were in school. They were eager to find out what was going to happen next, which kept me writing until the story was finished.

The manuscript was typed on a manual typewriter with a worn-out ribbon and some keys that constantly stuck. I made a copy of the original using carbon paper: a very messy process, causing smudges on the original more often than not, and resulting in much retyping. In spite of these challenges, I persevered and completed the book in 1960. I mailed the manuscript to Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, and anxiously waited for a reply. It took only a few weeks to get my first rejection.

I stored the manuscript in a drawer on my roll-top desk, where it remained for a long time--unread, but never forgotten. Eventually it was taken out when the desk was either sold, given away, or abandoned because it was too heavy to move. The manuscript was then placed in a dresser drawer or on a closet shelf. (I just don't remember these details: it was such a long time ago.

In 1967, seven years after my first attempt at publication, I tried again to get it published, and submitted the manuscript to Grosset & Dunlap a second time, and also to Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc. When the second try was unsuccessful, I didn't try again for thirty years.

In 1997, I revised and polished the original manuscript, retyping it on my computer using Microsoft Word, and submitted it to half a dozen publishers at the same time. And when I received those six rejections, I placed the revised copy on the shelf next to the original manuscript, and began writing another book, using my great-granddaughter Heather Jean as a model for one of the girls in the story. Eventually that book evolved into a series, called The Foothill Spirits Series.

In 2001, after I published Book One of The Foothill Spirits Series (Frontier Life and the Shawnees), I revised and polished The Mystery of the Red-Brick House one more time, and submitted it to iUniverse.com for publication on the internet. It had been preserved for over 42 years, having traveled with me from Pennsylvania to Michigan to Indiana to Ohio and back to Indiana.

My two grandchildren, Marci and Duane made book reports from the original manuscript when they were in grade school. They both said their teacher seemed more interested in why their grandmother wrote the book than what they wrote. And my great-granddaughter Heather Jean, read the 1997 revision when she was 13 years old.

It was a long, long journey from the time I began the original manuscript in 1959 to the year 2002. Over four decades had passed. I crossed not only into the next century, but the next millennium. I thought the long journey was finally over in 2002. But with the proliferation of eReaders on the market in 2011, Smashwords provided another venue in which to publish The Mystery of the Red-Brick House for yet another generation of children and their parents, who can now download it from the Internet in digital format. Fifty-two years ago I typed the original manuscript on an upright manual typewriter. Today, I revised it on my laptop.

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### Acknowledgments

My greatest joy is to have my work affirmed by having it read and enjoyed. Therefore, I want to acknowledge all those children who visited my home and listened quietly while I read The Mystery of the Red-Brick House. Some were so young they probably don't even remember that I took them up to the attic and read in the dark with a flashlight. But then, maybe they do. Sitting in the dark listening to a mystery story could be traumatic.

First, though, are my own family: my children, Peggy, Marty, Jackie, Andy, and Mike; my grandchildren, Marci and Duane; and my great-granddaughter Heather Jean.

Next are four of my numerous nieces and nephews:. Jeff, Julie, Bryan, and Malia. Then friends of my children from long ago: Jody and John, who have grown up, had children, and even grandchildren of their own.

I also want to acknowledge my friends who took the time to read my manuscript and give me feedback: Marylou Rush Kreves of Hattiesburg Mississippi; Pam McGinnis of Huber Heights, Ohio, and her sons Michael and Cameron. A special thanks goes to my first publisher, iUniverse.com, a "print on demand" company available to the masses.

Writing this book brought such pleasure to me and my children. I hope you enjoy reading it. I would love to hear from you.

Betty Casbeer Carroll, Author.

### Connect with me Online:

Twitter: @Nui9sance

**Facebook** :http://facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=1493719121

**Linkedn** : http://www.linkedin.com/pub/betty-carroll/35/516/88b

**Smashwords**:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Mystery+of+the+Red-Brick+House

Author's Blog: http://www.PODbookshed.blogspot.com

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