Midnight at the Haunted Hotel

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  “Did you figure out who left the message?” she asked. “It’s so close to midnight. I’m getting worried.”

  “We think we know who we need to find,” Henry said. “Have you seen Sebastian?”

  “Sebastian?” Juliette repeated. “Yes, actually. I saw him a little while ago. He said something was broken in the boiler room and asked if he could fix it for old time’s sake. Why? Are you saying you think he’s the one who’s trying to scare off the guests?”

  “Yes. We found a locked chest of stolen items out in the garden,” Jessie said. “The keys open the lock. We think Sebastian is the Lost Composer, and the chest is where he was keeping all the items he was stealing from guests.”

  “And now he’s pretending to be a ghost so he can scare everyone away—unless you give him those keys!” said Benny.

  “Hmph! Well, he’s not going to be getting the keys. And he’s not going to scare my guests away or ruin this party either!” Juliette said, putting her hands on her hips. “Let’s go down to the boiler room and see what he’s up to. James, would you keep an eye on things up here?”

  Grandfather nodded. He wasn’t worried at all.

  “Of course, Juliette. Good work, children. I knew you’d be able to help Juliette tonight, but I didn’t know you’d get to solve such an exciting mystery!”

  The Aldens and Juliette made their way through the crowded lobby, down the hall, and to the door that led down into the basement. Juliette unlocked the door and went in first, flipping the light switch at the top of the stairs.

  “Sebastian?” she called. “Are you down there?”

  No one replied, but Benny’s ears perked.

  “I hear jangling!” he said.

  When Henry and Violet had first come down into the musty, old basement, it had seemed pretty dark and creepy. But now that Juliette was there it seemed just like a normal part of the building. She went down the stairs first.

  Heat and white steam were oozing from the boiler room. It was hazy like something out of a scary movie, but Juliette just waved the steam away.

  “Sebastian. Is that you?” she called.

  They heard more jangling coming from the boiler room. The sound echoed against the bare walls. They also heard high-pitched hissing and clanging. Juliette walked right up to the door and pushed it open.

  “I thought we’d find you here,” she said.

  Sebastian the maintenance man was stooped over the boiler, holding a wrench. Steam was coming out of some of the pipes, but he wasn’t trying to fix it. In fact, he was unscrewing one of the valves!

  “Juliette!” Sebastian said.

  “Stop that right now,” Juliette ordered. “Give me the wrench.”

  Juliette was good at giving orders, and even Sebastian did what she said. He stepped away from the boiler.

  “His belt!” Benny said.

  On Sebastian’s belt was a ring of keys. As he moved, the keys clinked against each other and made a jangling noise.

  Juliette took the wrench from Sebastian and handed it to Henry.

  “Henry, tighten the nuts on those pipes before they pour steam into the whole hotel,” she said. “Sebastian, what were you thinking? Is it true you wrote that message?”

  Sebastian frowned.

  “I—I’m sorry,” he said. “Yes, I wrote the message. But if you would have just given me the keys, then I wouldn’t have had to do this.”

  “You didn’t have to do it either way,” Violet said.

  “Now that I don’t have a job, I needed the extra money and I thought if I could get the things from the chest, I would be able to get by!” Sebastian said.

  Juliette sighed. “Sebastian, this is all wrong. One of the reasons I wanted the committee to approve the hotel was because if it became a historical landmark, we’d be busy enough that I’d be able to rehire you. But now I’m not sure, knowing that you were stealing from hotel guests!”

  “No, please! I didn’t steal the items,” Sebastian said.

  “You didn’t sneak into people’s rooms and take things?” Henry asked.

  Sebastian shook his head. “No. I’d only find them after people left. Sometimes I’d find them weeks later.”

  “Then why did guests report hearing a jangling noise on the nights their possessions went missing?” Juliette asked. “I’ve heard the ghost stories, same as everyone else. Your keys jangle, and you knew about all the missing items. And why would a maintenance man walk around the halls in the middle of the night?”

  Sebastian sighed. “Nighttime was when Mr. Gardner—Eddie’s father—was awake. And he barely ever left his study. He even had his food delivered to him on the dumbwaiter. Night was the only time I could talk to him, so I was always going up and down the secret hallway and staircase. As time went on, he cared less and less about the hotel, so I had to catch him when he was awake and talk to him about all the maintenance that needed to be done.”

  “What do you mean, cared less and less?” Jessie asked.

  “I don’t think he ever really wanted to run the hotel,” Sebastian said with a shrug. “He only did it because it belonged to his family. He was much happier when he was composing. The older he got, the less he took care of the building…and his employees.”

  “And that’s when you started pocketing the items people left behind,” Juliette said, putting her hands on her hips. “Those things didn’t go missing because of a ghost. But Mr. Gardner wasn’t paying enough attention, so you were able to take them for yourself.”

  “But you weren’t expecting to have the keys to the secret chest in the shed taken away,” Henry finished. He finished retightening all of the boiler equipment Sebastian had loosened. The steam stopped pouring out of the pipes, and the eerie hissing noises stopped. “So you came up with a plan to get the keys back so you could get to all the items you took.”

  Sebastian hung his head.

  “I’m sorry. I was worried about making ends meet. I shouldn’t have tried to do it by threatening to scare the guests away,” he said.

  “Well, the good news is, you didn’t,” Juliette said. “Come on, everyone. Let’s go upstairs.”

  The four Aldens, Juliette, and Sebastian went up the stairs and down the hall into the lobby. The guests were all having a great time. There were no ghosts to be seen! Grandfather saw them return and gave them a little salute.

  “Looks like everything worked out!” he said.

  Violet nodded, although she still had leftover questions.

  “What are you thinking, Violet?” Henry asked.

  “I still have some questions,” she said. “Like Eddie’s bag and the black shape we saw in the secret room. We even heard a jingling in the maze, but I don’t think it was Sebastian, since he was in the boiler room that whole time. And Benny and Jessie saw a cat in that two-way mirror!”

  BING-BONG.

  The clock struck midnight. The guests listened to the chimes as they echoed through the lobby. Even Sebastian was quiet, watching the clock with a peaceful look in his eyes.

  “What’s that?” someone asked, pointing.

  The curtains near one of the windows rippled, even though there was no wind. A jingling noise came from behind the curtains. But this jingling wasn’t the sound of a ghost’s keys in the middle of the night. It was the jingling of a little bell.

  “Oh no!” cried one of the guests. “A jingling ghost! The rumors are true!”

  Suddenly, a black, shadowy shape shot out from behind the curtains. It darted behind a couch, then under a chair, then right between Grandfather’s ankles!

  “That was a pretty small ghost!” said Grandfather.

  Violet laughed. She knew better.

  “It’s not a ghost!” she said. “It’s a cat! Come on. I think we’re about to answer my leftover questions!”

  CONTINUE TO PAGE 127

  THE LOST COMPOSER LIVES ON

  The Aldens left Juliette and Grandfather in the lobby and followed the quick black shape down the hallway. Even thou
gh it was black and easy to lose sight of in the dim hall, the jingling noise was never very far ahead. Finally they turned a corner and saw the creature clearly for the first time.

  “Oh, it’s so cute!” said Jessie.

  It was a big, black, fluffy cat with a collar. On the collar was a little bell. When the cat stopped to give itself a good scratch behind the ear, the collar made a familiar jingling sound.

  “That’s the cat I saw in the mirror!” Benny said.

  “Hello there, little one,” Violet said. “Did you get spooked by all the people in the hotel? I bet you’re looking for your owner!”

  Violet went up to the cat carefully, kneeling down. When she held out her hand, the cat came toward her, and she pet it gently on the back. Next to the bell on the cat’s collar was a silver name tag.

  “It says her name is Clara,” Violet said. “And that her owner is E. G.”

  “Eddie Gardner,” Henry said. “So this is who he was calling for out in the hedge maze.”

  Someone’s footsteps echoed down the hall. Around the corner came Eddie. He looked worried, and then gasped with relief when he saw Clara the cat.

  “There you are!” he called. “I’ve been so worried about you!”

  Clara ran up to Eddie and jumped into his arms and began purring. A moment later Juliette came to see what was going on.

  “I thought I said no cats were allowed, Eddie,” Juliette said. Although she didn’t really sound angry.

  “I’m sorry!” Eddie said. “She is very good at sneaking around this old hotel. In and out of rooms like a shadow…But still I thought I’d be able to keep an eye on her. I only brought her with me to the hotel because I thought she might like to visit. She grew up here when she was a kitten. But then you said there was a no-pets policy, and—”

  “So you snuck into Room 222 and the secret study to hide her?” Benny asked.

  “Secret study?” Juliette asked. “What secret study?”

  Eddie shook his head and let out a big sigh.

  “I was going to tell you, but I didn’t because I was mad about the pet rule. Now I guess you ought to know. My father had a secret study.”

  “You can get to it through Room 222,” Jessie said. “By knocking the book on the bookshelf.”

  “Knocking the…” Juliette’s voice trailed off.

  Eddie nodded. “Yep. Knock, knock, knock—”

  “The knocking guests used to hear in the middle of the night!” Juliette exclaimed. “And what do you mean by his music? I didn’t know Charles Gardner was a musician.”

  “Maybe Charles Gardner wasn’t,” Eddie said with a smile. He stroked Clara between the ears. “But Charles Ivy was.”

  “Charles Ivy, the famous composer?” Juliette asked. “You’re telling me…”

  “Say, Juliette. Is the historical committee still here?” Henry asked.

  “Yes. They’re back in the lobby, I think,” said Juliette.

  The Aldens exchanged glances. Then Henry looked at Eddie.

  “I think I know a way to make this evening end on a great note,” he said. “Follow me.”

  ***

  Everyone followed Henry into the lobby, where they saw the group of four well-dressed members of the historical committee. Henry told his siblings, Juliette, and Eddie to wait while he went to get them.

  “Excuse me,” he said as he approached the historical committee. “My name is Henry Alden. I was helping Juliette Baker with the grand reopening tonight. She let me know that you were the historical committee and were considering the hotel for the historical landmark registry. Is that correct?”

  “Yes,” said one of the men. “The building is quite magnificent. However, there are many other mansions like it in the area. I’m afraid it doesn’t set itself apart enough to become a landmark on the registry.”

  “I was hoping we might see some ghosts,” said one of the women jokingly.

  “Well, that’s why I’ve come to speak with you,” Henry said. “During the course of the night, I’ve learned something that might interest you. It may change your mind about the building.”

  Henry gave a big smile.

  “Interesting!” said one of the men. “Yes, indeed. I am curious.”

  Henry waved them to the grand staircase where his siblings, Juliette, and Eddie were waiting. From the snack bar, he saw Grandfather raise his eyebrows, impressed.

  Henry introduced the historical committee to his friends.

  “This is Juliette, whom you’ve already met,” he said. “And this is Eddie Gardner, the son of the previous owner.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Eddie said.

  “Eddie, the historical committee is looking for something to set the hotel apart from other buildings like it,” Henry said. He raised his eyebrows, giving Eddie a signal. “I think you know something about it that might interest them…and even a place in the building that could prove it. Don’t you?”

  Eddie’s face brightened as he understood what Henry was talking about. He nodded with excitement.

  “Yes!” he said. “Yes, in fact, I do. Please, would you follow me?”

  The small group went up the grand staircase, and Eddie led the way down the hall to Room 222. When they got into the room he put Clara down, and she scampered to the warm spot in front of the fireplace. The historical committee looked around the room. They didn’t seem impressed until Eddie pulled the book out of the bookshelf.

  Knock, knock, knock! The secret door opened, and the members of the committee gasped with delight. Juliette lit up when she heard the knocking and stood next to Eddie.

  “Did you hear that famous knocking?” she said. “Those knocks inspired dozens of ghost stories that have been told for years. But no one knew the real reason for the knocks—until now.”

  Eddie held out his hand and gave a little bow. “Please, follow me.”

  For the first time, Henry saw excitement in the eyes of the historical committee members. Chatting between themselves, they followed Eddie down the secret hallway. They marveled at the two-way mirror, but when they reached the music room at the top of the stairs, they went silent in wonder.

  One of the women noticed the music sheets lying in stacks on the desk and music stands. “Charles Ivy?” she asked. “These are handwritten notes. Are you telling me that Charles Ivy—”

  “Is the late Charles Gardner,” Juliette finished. “Eddie’s father.”

  One of the historical committee members inspected the keyboard, then followed the cables that came out of the back of it. “This keyboard. It must be connected to that marvelous organ in the lobby, is that right?”

  “Yes. This is where he composed some of his most famous and favorite works,” Eddie agreed with a wide smile. A jingling noise came from the stairs as Clara came to join them. She jumped into Eddie’s arms, and he gave her a kiss on the head. “Apparently became the inspiration for some famous ghost stories too.”

  “Astounding!” said the historical committee leader. “Well, I can’t be more impressed. Although the building is in fine shape, I thought before this there was nothing to set it apart. But knowing that not only have you done a wonderful job restoring it, but that it’s also the place where the great Charles Ivy wrote his music—why, there’s no doubt in my mind now that it should be added to the national registry.”

  Juliette practically fainted. “That would be amazing. A dream come true,” she said. She turned to the Aldens and then to Eddie. “And with all the new business that’s sure to come, I’ll be able to rehire Sebastian too. Thank you so much—this night has been truly grand.”

  “We were happy to help,” said Jessie.

  “I’m just glad everything worked out,” Henry added.

  “And that there weren’t actually any ghosts!” Benny said. “By the way…did you say the keyboard goes down to the organ in the lobby?”

  “Yes,” Eddie said. “Whatever you play here will come out of the organ downstairs.”

  Benny looked at the keybo
ard excitedly.

  “Do you think I could…?” he asked. “Just this once…?”

  Juliette chuckled and motioned toward the keyboard.

  “I’m sure Eddie’s father would love it if you did the honor,” she said.

  Benny hopped up and down with excitement and sat down at the keyboard. The historical committee gathered around, interested in how the old keyboard would work. As Benny played a single chord on the black and white keys, they could all hear the organ playing in the lobby below.

  Someone downstairs cried out in surprise, and Benny stopped playing before he frightened anyone else. Still, he couldn’t keep the big smile from his face. If only for a moment, the ghost of the Lost Composer had lived again.

  THE END

  TO FOLLOW A DIFFERENT PATH, GO TO PAGE 116.

  Meet the Boxcar Children

  HENRY ALDEN

  At age fourteen, Henry is the oldest of the Alden kids. He likes to figure out how things work, which makes him good at repairing and building stuff! While he’ll never brag, he’s a great runner too! It’s not always easy being the oldest and having so much responsibility, but there’s nothing that Henry can’t handle.

  JESSIE ALDEN

  Jessie is twelve and a natural leader. She’s very organized—she makes lists in her notebook and always keeps track of facts when there’s a mystery to be solved. When her younger siblings need help, Jessie’s there. She loves planning adventures and taking care of Watch.

  VIOLET ALDEN

  Everyone knows ten-year-old Violet is creative—she loves to draw, take photos, and play the violin. She’s a little on the shy side, but because she’s quiet, she’s a careful observer. With her artist’s eye, Violet picks up on important details that her brothers and sister sometimes overlook.

  BENNY ALDEN

  Benny’s only six, but just because he’s the youngest Alden, it doesn’t mean he can’t help solve mysteries. He’s always curious and full of questions. In fact, one of his favorite questions is “When’s lunch?” because he’s usually hungry! Benny loves playing with Watch and visiting new places.