“Not much. Just to save the old Bloxtown Inn.” The Gearheads stepped inside the office, even though they weren’t officially invited.
“It’s a historic landmark,” Ruby added.
The mayor smiled. Goldie noticed it wasn’t his usual evil smile.
“It’s scheduled for demolition next week,” he said. “The town board has already made its decision.”
“Well, then—we need to talk to them.” Goldie took a seat in one of the leather chairs across from the mayor.
“Are you refusing to leave unless you get to talk to the town board?” Mayor Zander asked.
She shrugged. “Sure.”
Mayor Zander picked up his phone and ordered someone on the other end to gather the town board.
Goldie leaned over to her friends. “This is going pretty well so far. I don’t even need plan B.” She patted her backpack.
Ruby stepped back. “What’s plan B?”
“A tickle-machine prototype. It almost works.”
Soon, the mayor’s office was crowded with people in suits.
“What’s going on?” asked a woman with red hair.
“What’s the emergency?” asked a man with very little hair.
Goldie stood on her chair. “We’re here to save the Bloxtown Inn.”
“Why?” asked a man with a bow tie. “It’s abandoned.”
“And that land is valuable,” added a woman in a green suit. “We’re going to turn it into a gas station.”
“It’s not abandoned,” Val said. “Ghosts live there. You’ll be destroying their home.”
The room suddenly grew quiet. Li nodded, but everyone else seemed to be frozen.
“Where do you expect the ghosts to go if they’re homeless?” Val asked.
“Maybe they’ll have to live here,” Li said. “You’ve got lots of room in this building.”
“This is ridiculous,” the red-haired woman said. “The inn is not haunted. It’s simply an eyesore.”
“I don’t know.” The bald man shook his head. “My father used to tell me stories about the ghosts of the inn. He claimed to have seen them in the windows.”
The mayor and the town board continued to argue about whether the inn was haunted and ghosts were real. Goldie did not join in. She definitely had an opinion, but she also had an idea.
She pulled a whistle from her hair and blew it loudly. That got everyone’s attention.
“None of us know if the inn is actually haunted,” she said.
Val made a small harrumph sound.
“But if it is, can we agree that it must be saved?” Goldie looked at each board member and then at the mayor.
“Well, if it is haunted, I don’t see how we could tear it down,” Mayor Zander said.
“Seriously?” Ruby asked. “You’d tear down a child’s playground to put up a parking lot if it meant making money.”
“I don’t mess around when it comes to ghosts.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“This is foolish talk,” said the woman in the green suit.
“I have to agree with the mayor,” the bald man said. “I don’t want to upset any ghosts. They might haunt us.”
Goldie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Are adults afraid of ghosts?
“You’re making the right decision,” Val said with a satisfied smile.
“It’s not haunted!” The red-haired woman stomped her foot.
“It is!” Val snapped back.
“It’s not.”
“It is.”
“It’s not.”
“It is!” Goldie interrupted. “We’ll prove it. And when we do, you have to promise not to tear it down.”
Val smiled. And Goldie felt bad. She didn’t actually think the inn was haunted.
“If these kids can prove the inn is haunted,” Mayor Zander said, “then I will declare it a Bloxtown landmark.”
Goldie held out her hand. “Let’s shake on it.”
The mayor agreed, and the Gearheads left his office.
In the hall, Li pulled Goldie aside. “You don’t believe in ghosts. You don’t believe it’s haunted,” he whispered.
“But I can engineer that,” Goldie said with a wink.
Goldie stood at the whiteboard in the BloxShop. Ruby, Val, and Li crowded together on an old couch.
“We need a plan to haunt the inn,” Goldie said.
“We really don’t,” Val said for the millionth time. “It’s already haunted.”
Goldie let out a loud sigh. “Well, we need a plan to make sure it seems haunted in case the ghost cat is feeling shy on Saturday night.”
“He’s not the only ghost there,” Val mumbled.
Ruby used her minicomputer to find a blueprint of the building. Goldie drew the three floors on the whiteboard in blue marker.
“Here.” Val used a red marker to show where she’d seen the ghost cat years ago.
“The town board isn’t going to take our word that the inn is haunted, so we’ll need cameras.” Goldie drew X’s where she planned to set up her equipment.
“Hey, Gearheads,” Ruby said. She turned her minicomputer so they could see the screen. It showed an image search result for the Bloxtown Inn. “Doesn’t this look like Zeek Zander?”
They examined the old black-and-white picture. There was no way it could be Zeek. He was their classmate now. He was not a fan of the Gearheads and constantly caused them trouble. But the boy on the screen did look a lot like him. He stood in front of a homemade lemonade stand and wore a suit and a huge bow tie. He was selling drinks for five cents a glass.
“Weird,” Li agreed. “Do you think Zeek’s like a vampire and doesn’t age?”
“You’ve seen him age,” Ruby answered. “You’ve known him since kindergarten.”
“Right.” Li nodded.
Ruby continued looking at pictures of the inn online. “All sorts of famous people have stayed at the inn,” she said. “Movie stars, the governor, astronauts, fashion designers. The list goes on and on.”
“I wonder why they closed it down,” Goldie said out loud.
“Maybe because it’s haunted.” Val turned to Ruby. “Look it up.”
Ruby tapped on her minicomputer. Then she read to them about the history of the building.
“It was constructed over one hundred years ago,” she began. “That’s before Bloxtown was even called Bloxtown. It was just The Inn back then. When it was first built, it didn’t have electricity. But it did have a dumbwaiter.”
“Which I’ve ridden in,” Goldie said.
“And laundry chutes,” Ruby continued.
“Which I’ve slid in,” Li added.
“And automatic doors.” Ruby tapped her minicomputer.
“How could it have automatic doors without electricity?” Val asked.
“They didn’t automatically open like the doors of a grocery store do today. They’re much, much cooler.” Goldie jumped up on the workbench to explain. “The double doors in the dining room are automatic. If you close one, the other also closes because they’re tied together under the floor with chains and pulleys. Simple, yet awesome!”
“Are you sure it’s not ghosts?” Ruby asked.
Goldie rolled her eyes. “Not you, too, Rubes.” She crawled off the workbench.
“No, I’m serious,” Ruby said. “There are dozens of reports about ghost sightings.”
Val sat up and clasped her hands in excitement.
“It says here that there is a comedian named Funny Fred who haunts room twenty-seven. People have heard him saying ‘knock knock’ and laughing over and over again.” Ruby’s face lost all color. “And he likes to make farting sounds in the bathroom.”
“That’s frighteningly funny,” Goldie said.
“But was Chef a good cook? Could he make waffles?” Goldie asked.
“Does it say anything about my ghost cat?” Val asked.
“Um…” Ruby ran a finger down the screen. “Here’s something about the Lady in Pink. She wears a fancy ball gown and asks frightened guests if they care to dance.”
“These are all just stories,” Goldie said, looking over Ruby’s shoulder. “There’s no proof. No pictures. No video.”
“What about my cat?” Val asked again.
Ruby glanced at her. “No, sorry. Nothing about a cat.”
“That’s okay.” Val shrugged. “I saw him with my own eyes.”
“We’ll bring Nacho. If there’s a ghost cat, he’ll sniff him out.” Goldie patted the top of her dog’s head. She knew that unless the ghost cat was covered in maple syrup or cheese sauce, Nacho wasn’t likely to find him.
“I can’t wait for Saturday. You’ll see, Goldie. Ghosts are real,” Val said.
Goldie bit her tongue to keep from arguing again.
Ruby, Li, and Val left at dinnertime. Goldie stayed in the BloxShop to pack up the haunting supplies. She grabbed her duffel bag and filled it with whitening toothpaste, string, a flashlight, fishing line, pulleys, doll heads, old sheets, handheld fans, and more.
“Can you think of anything else?” she asked Nacho.
He yawned.
“I know what else we need! A witness.” And Goldie knew exactly who to call.
Goldie’s dad drove the Gearheads and Nacho to the inn late Saturday afternoon.
“You know, my first job was working in the kitchen here,” he said as he pulled the car over. “I was in charge of the waffles.”
Goldie nodded. That made sense. Her dad made the best waffles.
“Did you ever see any ghosts?” Val asked.
“Nope.” He shook his head. “But the building did seem to be alive. Old buildings creak and moan.”
They got out and thanked him for the ride.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you?” he asked through an open window. “Leaving my daughter and her friends to spend the night in a haunted inn is not going to win me the father-of-the-year award.”
“You’re funny, Dad. It’s not haunted, and we’ve worked it out with the town board. This is our project,” Goldie explained.
Her dad waved goodbye. “Well, see you in the morning, then. Assuming you survive the night. Bwahaha!” He gave a spooky laugh as he drove off.
The Gearheads stood on the sidewalk in front of the inn. Even in the sunlight, the building was dark and gray. It also seemed to lean a little bit to the right, like it was sinking into the ground.
Nacho shivered.
“Ready?” Goldie asked. She carried a backpack and her black duffel bag with supplies.
“Absolutely!” Val led them up the path. Just as they stepped onto the front porch, the door swung open.
Ruby jumped.
But it was only Zeek Zander.
“What are you doing here?” Ruby asked. She swatted away cobwebs.
“Goldie invited me.” He crossed his arms and gave them a wicked smile. His expensive Butler Phone hovered nearby.
Ruby grabbed Goldie’s shoulder. “Want to explain why we’re hanging out with Zeek?”
The Gearheads huddled around Goldie.
“I actually invited Mayor Zander. I thought if he saw the ghosts, he would convince the town board to keep the place open. But the mayor had other plans, so he offered him.” Goldie pointed to Zeek with her thumb.
“I just hope Zeek’s Butler Phone doesn’t scare off the ghost cat,” Val said. “I really want to see it again.”
Goldie turned back to Zeek. “Let’s check the place out.”
“After you.” Zeek stepped back to let them in. “I’m only here to prove you’re wrong. That’s my favorite hobby.”
The inside of the building was just as gloomy as the outside. What little furniture was left was covered with dusty sheets. With each step, the floor groaned.
They dropped their bags in the foyer and went to explore. The Gearheads and Zeek went to the kitchen first.
“It’s so dark,” Ruby said with a shiver.
“Duh, there’s no electricity,” Zeek said.
“But that’s not a problem.” Goldie pulled back the curtains and opened the window. Yellow streaks of sun lit the room. Bugs scampered into the shadows. “That’s better.”
Then they went into the dining room. As they passed the bathroom, Val pushed the door open and peered inside.
“Did you see your cat?” Li asked.
“No,” she whispered. “But we’ll find him. I’m sure of it.”
“This place is a dump,” Zeek complained. He flicked the peeling wallpaper.
“It used to be beautiful,” Val said.
The dining room had a wood floor in the center. Goldie could imagine people dancing here long ago. A band would be set up in the corner, and waiters in tuxedos would serve fancy food that didn’t taste nearly as good as waffles or bacon.
The chandelier swung slightly. Which was weird because there wasn’t a breeze or anything to make it move.
“Let’s go upstairs,” Li said.
The second floor had twelve guest rooms. They all looked identical, with two double beds, a dresser, a closet, and a small bathroom.
“I wonder which room belonged to Funny Fred,” Li said.
“Room twenty-seven,” Val answered.
On the third floor, the rooms were big suites. They opened all eight doors on the third level. There were no signs of ghosts.
Goldie’s eyes lit up when she noticed a small wooden door at the end of the hall.
“Look! It’s the dumbwaiter.” She ran to it and yanked it open. She grabbed the thick rope inside and tugged. The wooden box appeared. “I love riding in dumbwaiters. I’ll go first!”
“Dumbwaiter? More like dumb idea,” Zeek said. “That rope is probably rotted through. But don’t let me stop you from plummeting three stories.”
“I’ll go next,” Li said.
“I’m taking the stairs,” Ruby announced.
Goldie crawled inside. It was a bit tight, especially when Nacho jumped in, too. The pulleys creaked.
“I think this is a one-person-at-a-time ride, boy.” She stroked her dog’s head. “Well, one person and a few spiders.”
Nacho hopped out, and the pulleys stopped creaking.
Goldie tugged the rope and went down.
“Wheee,” she said, even though the dumbwaiter moved very slowly. Goldie traveled down to the kitchen in total darkness. She hopped out and sent the dumbwaiter back up for Li.
No one else was in the kitchen. But she couldn’t have been the first to arrive because the windows were closed and the curtains were drawn tight.
I know I opened these, she thought.
Val pushed through the swinging doors, followed by Zeek, Ruby, and Nacho.
“It’s so dark in here,” Ruby said. “Why did you close the windows?”
“I didn’t,” Goldie said. “I thought you did.”
Something rustled in the corner.
Goldie couldn’t see anything in the shadows. Then the dumbwaiter door flew open and Li crawled out.
“I think I prefer the laundry chute,” he said. “It goes much faster but also smells much worse.”
“Who closed the windows?” Ruby asked. Her voice was squeaky.
Everyone shook their heads.
“Must be ghosts.” Li smiled and nudged Goldie with his elbow.
“It wasn�
�t me or any of my special effects,” she whispered to him.
“So what!” Zeek snapped. “A window closed. Could have been wind. Could have been gravity.”
“Wind and gravity don’t explain the curtains closing, too.” Val put her hands on her hips. “But I don’t think this is the work of the ghost cat. Not his style.”
Goldie rolled her eyes. There had to be an explanation, but she kept quiet. Their goal was to get Zeek to believe the place was haunted.
“Let’s set up the cameras,” she said. “And we’ll catch this ghost—or ghosts—in action.”
Everyone but Zeek helped arrange the five video cameras around the inn. Zeek was too busy playing a game of chess with Butler Phone.
“You win, Master Zeek,” the phone said. “You have beaten me two hundred and seventeen times in a row. Want to play again?”
“Yeah,” Zeek said.
Goldie pulled the Gearheads into a corner where Zeek couldn’t hear them.
“I’ll set up the haunted hacks.” Goldie patted her black duffel bag. “Someone needs to keep Zeek distracted. In case he gets sick of winning at chess.”
“How can we distract Zeek?” Li asked.
“We’ll just get him talking about himself. It’s his favorite subject,” Ruby suggested.
“Great. Val, will you help me set up?”
“Goldie, you don’t need to do this,” Val said. “This place is already—”
“I know, I know,” Goldie interrupted. “This is just extra. And it’ll be fun. Trust me.”
“Fine.” Val followed Goldie out of the kitchen to the dining room.
“Let’s get our dancing shoes on,” Goldie said.
“I love to dance!” Val pulled out her music player.
“But first, I need your shoes.” Goldie dug in her bag until she found the whitening toothpaste. She used a paintbrush to coat the bottom of their sneakers.
“I’ve never had minty-fresh shoes before,” Val said as she put them back on.
Goldie Blox and the Haunted Hacks!_A Stepping Stone Book Page 2