Emily S. burst into tears. “I tried so hard to find that DVD before anyone else did! I knew if it got out, the whole school would make fun of me.”
Milo glanced at Jazz.
Did Dash feel sorry for the people he caught?
Then Brooke said, “Oh, Emily, stop crying. Nobody in this school is going to make fun of any friend of mine. Besides, I happen to think tap dancing is totally cool.”
Sniffling, Emily S. stared at her. “You do?”
“Sure,” Brooke said. “And you’re really good! But the baby thing . . .”
Emily S. smiled through her tears. “My mom made me dress up that way. Yuck.”
She turned to Milo and Jazz. “Are you going to tell?”
The two detectives looked at each other. Then Jazz popped the DVD out of the computer and handed it to Emily S.
“Of course not,” Jazz said. “It’s over, right? No more haunting in the haunted house.”
Emily S. wiped her eyes and took the DVD. Then, to Milo’s surprise, Brooke smiled at Jazz. A real smile—not even a snaky one!
Of course, as soon as Brooke smiled, Emily B. smiled too.
She still looked like a squirrel.
Milo pushed aside the tattered gauze and peered out through the window of the learning cottage.
“Check out that crowd!” he said to Jazz. “Our haunted house is definitely the most popular booth at the fair. Chris hasn’t got a chance.”
“Actually, we agreed to drop the bet.”
“You did? Why?”
“Mom is on one of her health kicks.” Jazz sighed. “When dessert is spinach smoothies, who wants seconds?”
Too bad about the bet, Milo thought. But at least they had solved their case! He couldn’t wait to report to Dash.
Bang! Behind him, the coffin lid flew open. A zombie sat up and looked at Jazz.
“Will you get away from that window!” it ordered in Gordy’s voice. “You’re supposed to be kneeling behind the coffin so you can tap on it when someone walks by. Otherwise I won’t know when to pop out.”
“Okay, okay! Keep your rotting pants on.” Jazz tucked in a loose end of her mummy costume and took her place.
A skeleton asked Milo, “Do I look okay?”
“You look kind of bony to me.” He laughed. “Get it? Bony?”
The skeleton tapped her foot. “I’m nervous. What if I mess up?”
“Are you kidding? Your tap-dancing skeleton act is the best part of the whole haunted house. I’m so glad we found out about your hidden talent!”
Under her skull mask, Emily S. made a face. “I still can’t believe I dropped that awful DVD. My mom made me bring it to school that day so I could give it to my grandma when she picked me up.”
“The baby costume was pretty bad,” Milo said. “But your tap dancing isn’t awful. It’s awesome. Especially in that skeleton costume.”
Brooke bustled up, holding her makeup kit.
Emily B. trotted behind.
“Milo, you smudged your blood again!” Brooke scolded. He rolled his eyes, but he let her fix it.
Ms. Ali poked her head in. “Ready, everyone?”
“Ready!” they all yelled.
The skeleton clattered. The zombie howled. The mummy moaned.
Baring his fangs, Milo wished for a moment that he wasn’t part of the haunted house. He wanted to come in and get scared.
Of course, he’d never really be scared by these tricks.
Crossing his arms, Milo blinked and swallowed.
Nope. Never.
A few days after Milo and Jazz wrote to Dash Marlowe, a letter arrived in the mail. . . .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lewis B. Montgomery is the pen name of a writer whose favorite authors include CSL, EBW, and LMM. Those initials are a clue—but there’s another clue, too. Can you figure out their names?
Besides writing the Milo & Jazz mysteries, LBM enjoys eating spicy Thai noodles and blueberry ice cream, riding a bike, and reading. Not all at the same time, of course. At least, not anymore. But that’s another story. . . .
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Amy Wummer has illustrated more than 50 children’s books. She uses pencils, watercolors, and ink—but not the invisible kind.
Amy and her husband, who is also an artist, live in Pennsylvania . . . in a mysterious old house which has a secret hidden room in the basement!
The Case of the Haunted Haunted House Page 3