“Yes,” Claire said.
“Aren’t you a little young to be a detective?”
“No.” Claire stood up a little taller. “I’m older than I look. Plus, sometimes kids are better at finding ghosts than adults are.”
Mrs. Beesley didn’t invite Claire inside. But she hadn’t closed her door yet, either.
“I’m also cheaper than most detectives,” Claire went on. “Five bucks. That’s all I charge. And if I don’t solve your case, you don’t have to pay me anything. Where are you going to find a better deal than that?” Claire smiled politely.
“Well,” Mrs. Beesley said. “I certainly haven’t been able to take care of this ghost problem myself. Most people don’t even believe me when I say I have a ghost in my house. It couldn’t hurt to try a child detective.” She opened her screen door, and Claire stepped inside.
Kaz swam all around the inside of the bottle, trying to get a good look around Mrs. Beesley’s house. He didn’t have much of a view.
“Won’t you sit down?” Mrs. Beesley led Claire to a flowered sofa.
“Don’t forget to let me out,” Kaz said. He was eager to find the ghost in Mrs. Beesley’s house.
Claire dropped her detective bag on the sofa and plopped down beside it. “So,” she said as she sloooowly twisted the top off her water bottle. “What makes you think that there’s a ghost in your house?”
As soon as the top was off, Kaz shot out of the bottle. He expanded to full size right in front of Mrs. Beesley.
She couldn’t see him.
“Hello? Mom? Dad?” Kaz called. “Are you here?”
“I hear it,” Mrs. Beesley said. “I hear it moving around in the attic almost every day.”
Claire reached into her bag and pulled out a notebook and a green pen. “What do you hear?” Claire asked, opening the notebook.
As he wafted around the living room, Kaz felt a strong breeze push him toward an open window.
“Aaaaah!” he shrieked, windmilling his arms and kicking his legs.
Claire jumped to her feet, but somehow Kaz managed to escape the pull of the wind and swim up along the ceiling.
“What?” Mrs. Beesley asked, turning toward Kaz. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” Claire said, sitting back down.
There were a lot of open windows in this house, Kaz noticed. Two in the living room and one in the dining room. He would have to be careful.
Claire picked up her notebook. “So, tell me about this ghost,” she said to Mrs. Beesley as she crossed one leg over the other. “What do you hear?”
“Oh, all kinds of sounds. Rustling . . . thumping . . . scratching . . . something that sounds like marbles rolling all around the attic floor, even though I gave away the children’s toys years ago.”
There had been a marble in Kaz’s old haunt. Even though the marble was solid, Little John could make it roll along the floor. It was one of his favorite things to do.
“Little John?” Kaz called as he swam into what appeared to be a kitchen. “Are you here?”
“Sometimes I hear someone crying, too,” Mrs. Beesley went on as Kaz swam under the kitchen table.
“In the attic?” Claire asked.
“Yes. But then as soon as I open the attic door, all the noises stop.”
Careful to avoid the windows, Kaz swam back through the dining room and living room. Little John was only six years old. If he was up in the attic by himself, he might cry. But Mrs. Beesley wouldn’t be able to hear him. Not unless Little John was actually wailing.
“Have you ever seen the ghost?” Claire asked Mrs. Beesley.
“No,” Mrs. Beesley admitted. “But sometimes when I’m sitting here in my chair, I feel a chill come over me.”
Claire nodded and wrote that down.
Kaz swam down a dim hallway and into a sunny bedroom. This was not the sort of room ghosts liked to hang out in. It was too bright. But Kaz poked his head in anyway. “Little John?” he called.
He didn’t see Little John or any other ghosts.
There was a small bathroom across the hall from this bedroom. A shade hung over the window. It clunked against the window frame as it swayed in the breeze.
Kaz glided in and looked around.
No ghosts here, either.
There were two more doors at the end of the hall. One was open, the other was closed.
Mrs. Beesley and Claire were walking toward Kaz now.
“Hey, where are you guys going?” Kaz asked. He darted out of the way before Mrs. Beesley walked right through him.
Mrs. Beesley shivered. “Maybe I should close some of these windows. It’s feeling chilly in here.”
Claire motioned with her head for Kaz to follow.
“Here we are. This is the attic,” Mrs. Beesley said, reaching for the closed door. The door opened with a creeeeeaaaak.
Mrs. Beesley and Claire slowly clomped up the stairs. Kaz drifted behind them.
Now this is the kind of place a ghost might hang out, Kaz thought. He swam above Claire and Mrs. Beesley’s heads and circled the attic. He saw lots of boxes up here. Boxes and old furniture. Much of it was covered in dust and cobwebs.
“Little John?” Kaz called. “Are you up here, Little John?”
Kaz felt a draft as he neared a window, but the window was closed. The whole place smelled a lot like his old haunt.
But there weren’t any ghosts up here. It was just an old, dusty attic. Disappointment filled Kaz.
When Mrs. Beesley’s back was turned, Claire mouthed to Kaz, “Any luck in the rest of this house?”
Kaz shook his head. “I don’t think there are any ghosts here.”
“Are you sure?” Claire whispered.
“Am I sure of what, dear?” Mrs. Beesley asked.
“Pretty sure,” Kaz replied.
Claire smiled nervously at Mrs. Beesley. “Are you sure your ghost is still here?” She turned all around. “Because I don’t see any ghosts.”
“Just because you don’t see one doesn’t mean it’s not here,” Mrs. Beesley said. “Don’t you have some sort of equipment to help you find ghosts? Like they do on TV.”
“I only need my eyes,” Claire said.
Mrs. Beesley looked doubtful.
“Woof! Woof!”
Kaz drifted over to the dusty window and peered into the Outside. He saw a dog barking at a squirrel.
But not just any dog. A ghost dog.
It was Cosmo!
“Cosmo?” Kaz called, staring out the window.
The ghost dog floated around a tree across the street. He looked up at Kaz and wagged his tail. Then the wind pushed him farther down the street.
Kaz didn’t think. He just swam. . . across the attic and down the stairs.
“Kaz? Where are you going?” Claire asked as she raced down the stairs behind him.
“Kaz? Who’s Kaz?” Mrs. Beesley called after Claire.
“Cosmo!” Kaz cried, paddling as hard and fast as he could . . . right over to the open living-room window.
“NO!” Claire yelled.
Too late. The wind pullllled Kaz through the window and into the Outside.
Oh no!
“Help! HELP!” Kaz screamed, struggling to get back inside. How could he have forgotten about the wind?
He felt Claire’s hand pass through his foot, but she couldn’t grab him or pull him back inside.
The wind carried Kaz away from Mrs. Beesley’s house . . . and away from Claire.
Kaz soon heard footsteps pounding the sidewalk behind him. And Claire’s voice: “Kaz! Come back!”
“I caaaaaan’t,” he called. “I can’t swim against the wind.”
Tears sprang to Kaz’s eyes. “I’ll miss you, Claire!” He waved good-bye.
All he coul
d do was ride the wind and see where it took him next.
Up ahead, he saw a city bus turn a corner, pull over to the curb, and stop. The door whooshed open, and Cosmo passed through a woman as she stepped off the bus.
The woman stopped for a second, looked all around her, and then kept on walking.
“Cosmo!” Kaz called. He had blown away from Claire, but maybe he could still catch up with his dog.
He saw Cosmo floating around inside the bus.
If the bus stayed parked for another thirty seconds . . . if the door stayed open . . . then Kaz would blow right into the bus, too.
He pumped his arms and legs. Faster . . . faster . . . faster . . . he was almost there.
But the door slammed shut a second and a half before Kaz reached it.
As the bus started to pull away, Kaz spotted an open window. He sailed inside.
“Woof! Woof!” Cosmo greeted him from the back window of the bus.
Kaz swam along the ceiling toward his dog. “Cosmo!” he cried as the dog leaped into his arms.
Cosmo licked Kaz all over and wagged his tail. Kaz buried his face in his dog’s fur. “I’m so happy to see you, boy.”
Then Kaz heard a voice outside. “STOP!” the voice called.
Kaz glanced out the back window and saw Claire running toward the bus. “STOP, BUS!” she yelled, waving her hands. Her detective bag swung from one hand and Kaz’s empty bottle swung from the other.
Claire wasn’t lost yet!
“Hurry, Claire!” Kaz yelled hopefully. “Hurry!”
But Claire couldn’t run fast enough to catch a bus.
Kaz heard a bell ding. A man with a briefcase stood up and made his way to the front of the bus. The bus stopped to let him off.
“WAIT!” Claire yelled. She was starting to catch up, but the bus drove away again before she could reach it.
The bus traveled another block, then stopped to let an older woman get on.
Kaz glanced out the back window. Claire was running hard.
“Woof!” Cosmo wagged his tail as though he wanted her to hurry, too.
The older woman paid her bus fare. “You might want to wait for that girl,” she said, pointing at Claire. “I think she’s trying to catch the bus.”
The driver waited.
Kaz waited.
And soon, an out-of-breath Claire hopped onto the bus.
“Claire!” Kaz cried. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“Woof! Woof!” barked Cosmo.
Claire beamed at Kaz and his dog. She started down the aisle toward them, but the bus driver called her back.
“It costs fifty cents for kids to ride the bus,” the driver said.
“Oh. Yeah.” Claire reached into the front of her bag and pulled out some coins. “Where . . . does this bus . . . go?” she panted as she dropped her coins into the slot.
“Downtown.”
“Okay. Good.”
The bus started up again, and Claire staggered to the back of the bus where Kaz and Cosmo were floating. She slid into the last seat.
Cosmo dived down and tried to lick Claire’s neck. But because she was a solid, his tongue and part of his head passed through her.
“Claire, meet Cosmo,” Kaz said.
“Hi, Cosmo.” Claire giggled as Kaz’s dog kept trying, and failing, to lick her.
The lady in the seat in front of them turned and gave Claire a funny look.
“Cosmo likes you,” Kaz said.
“I like him, too,” Claire said in a low voice. She shifted in her seat, then said, “You know, there are a lot of open windows on this bus. I think you and Cosmo should get back in the bottle. Otherwise you both might blow away again.”
“Good idea,” Kaz said. He sure didn’t want to blow away.
The two teenagers in the seat across from Claire turned and raised their eyebrows as Claire opened her water bottle and held it for Kaz. The girl twirled a finger next to her ear, and the boy nodded.
“Why are those people looking at us?” Kaz asked. “Can they see me?” He waved at the teenagers, but they stared right through him.
“No,” Claire said, barely moving her lips. “And they aren’t looking at us. They’re looking at me. They think I’m talking to myself.”
The lady in front of them got up and moved to a seat closer to the front of the bus.
“Ohhh,” Kaz said.
“So, maybe you should get in the bottle and we should stop talking,” Claire hissed. “Can your dog shrink, too?”
“I . . . don’t know.” Kaz assumed Cosmo could shrink like any other ghost. But he’d never actually seen Cosmo do it.
“Maybe if I do it first,” Kaz said. He took a deep breath, shrank, and swam inside Claire’s bottle. “Cosmo?” he called. “Come here, Cosmo!”
Cosmo stared curiously at Kaz inside the bottle. Then he sniffed the bottle, his nose covering the entire opening. He let out a frustrated doggy groan.
“Come on, boy.” Kaz clapped his hands together. “You can do it.”
Cosmo backed away from the bottle and groaned again. His eyes grew dark. His tail spun. Finally, he shrank to Kaz’s size and dog-paddled into the bottle.
“Good boy!” Kaz said, patting him on the back.
Claire put the lid on and held the bottle against her chest.
After a little while, the bus driver called, “Downtown. This is the last stop on this bus.”
All the solids on the bus stood up. Claire grabbed her bag and water bottle and followed everyone else off the bus.
Kaz peered out through the side of the bottle. “Now what do we do?” he asked. “How will we ever get back to the library?”
“We’ll walk back,” Claire said. She pulled her phone out of her bag. “I’ll look up how to do it.” She stood in the middle of the sidewalk and slid her finger all around the screen on her phone.
Kaz stared. He thought the phone was for talking to people who weren’t there.
“Okay,” Claire said, dropping the phone back into her bag. “I know how to get home now.”
“What did you say to Mrs. Beesley when you left?” Kaz asked once Claire started walking. “Was she disappointed that we didn’t find her ghost?”
“I told her I thought her ghost probably blew out the window,” Claire said. “But Kaz, I think we did find her ghost. I think your dog, Cosmo, was her ghost! I think he was in her house and then he left or blew out.”
“Hmm. Maybe,” Kaz said, thinking about it. “I saw him barking at a squirrel across the street from Mrs. Beesley’s house. He used to do that all the time, back at our old haunt. We had to yell, ‘No, Cosmo!’ at him so he wouldn’t pass through the wall and go chase the squirrels. But there wouldn’t have been anyone to yell, ‘No, Cosmo!’ at him this morning.”
Claire probably was right about Cosmo being Mrs. Beesley’s ghost.
“Anyway,” Claire continued, “I wrote down my cell-phone number and told her to call if the ghost comes back. And then I ran after you. I didn’t even wait around for her to pay me. I was afraid that I wouldn’t catch you if I didn’t leave right away.”
“I’m glad you did catch me,” Kaz said.
“Me too,” said Claire.
“What the devil is that?” Beckett asked as Cosmo dog-paddled around the entryway of the library.
“My dog, Cosmo,” Kaz said with a grin.
“Woof! Woof!” Cosmo barked.
“Okay.” Beckett leaped out of the dog’s way. “Maybe a better question is: Why is he here?”
Kaz didn’t think that was a better question. He thought it was a strange question. “Because I’m here,” he said. “Cosmo is my dog, so he should be with me.”
“We’re going to bring all of Kaz’s family here,” Claire said as she dropped her detective bag
by the door and kicked off her shoes. “Once we find them all.”
“What?” Beckett exclaimed, his hat flying off his head. “No! You can’t!”
“Why not?” Claire asked.
Beckett grabbed his hat and placed it firmly back on his head. “Because this is a library, not a hotel. There isn’t room for Kaz’s whole family.” He darted out of the way as Cosmo dog-paddled past again.
“What are you talking about? There’s plenty of room,” Kaz said. The library was almost as big as his old haunt.
“Not in my private haunt, there isn’t,” Beckett said.
“No one said we’d all live there,” Kaz said. Kaz had never even seen Beckett’s secret room.
“Meow,” called a soft voice from the stairs. Claire’s cat, Thor, peeked between the slats of the railing.
“Uh-oh,” Kaz said. He knew Thor didn’t like him very much, and it looked as though Thor liked ghost dogs even less than he liked ghost boys.
But Cosmo wasn’t afraid of Thor. “Woof! Woof!” Cosmo barked, lunging at the solid cat.
“MEOW!” Thor spun on his heels and bounded up the stairs.
Cosmo tore after Thor. He chased Claire’s cat upstairs . . . then downstairs . . . then upstairs again . . . then back downstairs and into the children’s room. Claire, Kaz, and Beckett raced after them.
Grandma Karen gasped as Thor leaped up onto her desk.
Cosmo nipped at Thor’s tail, and Thor turned around and hissed. He batted his paw at Cosmo, but his paw passed through the ghost dog.
“Cosmo!” Kaz said at the same time Claire said, “Thor!”
“Good heavens!” Grandma Karen sank back against her chair. “What’s the matter with that cat?”
Cosmo lunged for Thor. Thor jumped down and darted across the room. Cosmo stayed right on his tail. They ran from room to room until they couldn’t run anymore. Then, they dropped to their bellies at opposite ends of the entryway.
“Well, that was entertaining,” Beckett said with half a smile. “I changed my mind. The dog can stay.”
“Woof! Woof!”
“MEOW!”
“Woof! Woof!”
“MEOW!”
The Ghost in the Attic Page 2
