The Mystery at the Haunted House
Page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Is the haunted house really haunted?
It was dark inside the house. They followed dim purple lights past a painting with moving eyes.
A low, deep voice said, “Welcome to my home.”
“Oh, my,” Aunt Katie said.
Plastic skeletons that shone in the dark were hanging from the ceiling. A tape of scary sounds was playing.
Eric whispered to Cam, “This is not very scary.”
A door creaked open and they heard someone scream, “Oh! Help!”
“There is something scary ahead,” Cam whispered.
Eric moved closer to Cam and Uncle George.
A toy black cat that almost looked real jumped off a bookcase shelf. It fell close to Cam and Eric. Then it stopped. It was held by a string.
“Oh, my!” Aunt Katie said.
Eric grabbed her hand. “I’m not scared,” he said.
Then something dressed in black jumped at Aunt Katie.
“Oh! Help!” she screamed. “Let go of me!”
The Cam Jansen Adventure Series
#1 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds
#2 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the U.F.O.
#3 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones
#4 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Television Dog
#5 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Gold Coins
#6 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball
#7 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Circus Clown
#8 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Monster Movie
#9 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Carnival Prize
#10 Cam Jansen and the Mystery at the Monkey House
#11 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Stolen Corn Popper
#12 Cam Jansen and the Mystery of Flight 54
#13 Cam Jansen and the Mystery at the Haunted House
#14 Cam Jansen and the Chocolate Fudge Mystery
#15 Cam Jansen and the Triceratops Pops Mystery
# 16 Cam Jansen and the Ghostly Mystery
#17 Cam Jansen and the Scary Snake Mystery
#18 Cam Jansen and the Catnapping Mystery
#19 Cam Jansen and the Barking Treasure Mystery
#20 Cam Jansen and the Birthday Mystery
#21 Cam Jansen and the School Play Mystery
#22 Cam Jansen and the First Day of School Mystery
#23 Cam Jansen and the Tennis Trophy Mystery
#24 Cam Jansen and the Snowy Day Mystery
DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE YOUNG CAM JANSEN
SERIES FOR YOUNGER READERS!
To Eitan.
With love
to a good boy
with a great smile
PUFFIN BOOKS
Published by Penguin Group
Penguin Young Readers Group,
345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England
Penguin Books Australia Ltd, 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 3B2
Penguin Books (N.Z.) Ltd, 182-190 Wairau Road, Auckland 10, New Zealand
First published by Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc., 1992
Published by Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Books USA Inc., 1994
Reissued, 1999, 2004
Text copyright © David A. Adler, 1992
Illustrations copyright © Susanna Natti, 1992
All rights reserved
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGED THE 1992 PUFFIN EDITION AS FOLLOWS:
Adler, David A.
Cam Jansen and the mystery of the haunted house / by David Adler ;
illustrated by Susanna Natti.
p. cm.—(Cam Jansen adventure ; 13)
Summary: Cam and her friend Eric chase the thief of Aunt Katie’s
wallet through an amusement park and find themselves involved in another
case requiring their special detective skills.
eISBN : 978-1-101-07610-1
[1. Mystery and detective stories.] 1. Natti, Susanna, ill.
II. Title. III. Series.
PZ7.A2615Cah 1992 [Fic]—dc20 91-28863 CIP AC
RL: 2.1
http://us.penguingroup.com
Chapter One
Crash!
Eric Shelton was driving a small racing car in an amusement park. He turned and shouted to Cam Jansen, “Stop it! Stop crashing into me.”
Eric held on to the steering wheel with both hands and gently pressed the pedal with his foot. The car moved slowly forward until it was close to the one ahead. Eric stepped lightly on the brake pedal. His car stopped.
Eric closed his eyes and clenched his teeth.
He knew Cam would move her car forward, too. He was sure she would crash into him.
Eric waited. Then he felt Cam’s car softly touch his.
Eric turned and said, “That’s better.”
Eric moved his car up again and stopped. He unhooked the safety belt and stepped out onto the platform beside the racetrack.
Crash!
Cam had driven right into the back of Eric’s car. She stepped out and met Eric at the exit.
“That was a great ride,” Cam said.
Eric said, “It was fun until the end. Why did you keep bumping into me?”
“My pedal was loose. Anyway, the cars have those big bumpers because they expect us to crash.”
It was a warm spring Sunday afternoon. Cam and Eric were in the park with Cam’s Aunt Katie and Uncle George.
“There they are,” Cam said. She pointed to two old people sitting on a bench. Aunt Katie was talking to a woman pushing a baby carriage. Uncle George was holding a cane and resting. His eyes were closed and his legs were stretched out in front of him.
“Isn’t she just the cutest baby?” Aunt Katie said to Cam.
“Yes, she’s very cute.” Cam looked around and asked, “What ride are we going on next?”
“Look at her hair. Look at those tiny curls.”
“I see her hair, Aunt Katie. It’s very nice,” Cam said. Then she whispered, “Eric has a baby brother named Howie. I can see him any time I want, but this is the only chance I’ll have to take these rides.”
Aunt Katie stood and said, “You’re right. I told you we would go on every ride we can, and we will. Where should we go next?”
Cam closed her eyes and said, “Click.”
“What is she doing?” the woman with the baby carriage asked.
Eric explained, “Cam has a photographic memory. She can take one look at something and remember it perfectly. It’s as if she has a mental camera, and photographs stored in her head. Whenever she wants to remember something, she says, ‘Click.’ That’s the sound her mental camera makes.”
Aunt Katie told the woman, “When Cam was a baby, we called her Jennifer. That’s her real name. But as soon as we found out about her amazing memory, we began calling her ‘The Camera.’ Soon, ‘The Camera’ was shortened to ‘Cam.’”
“I’m looking at a picture of the map we saw when we came into the park,” Cam said. Her eyes were still closed. “If we go up the road to the left, we’ll pass the parachute and train rides, and the Haunted House. To the right are the merry-go-round, pony rides, and the gift shop.”
&
nbsp; “Amazing,” the woman with the baby carriage said.
“Watch out!” Eric called.
Cam opened her eyes.
Two teenage boys on roller skates were coming toward Cam, Eric, Aunt Katie, and the woman with the baby.
Cam moved to the left. Eric and the woman moved to the right. Aunt Katie didn’t know which way to go. First she moved to the right. Then she moved to the left.
Crash!
One of the boys couldn’t stop. He went right into Aunt Katie.
“Oh, my!” she said as she fell to the ground.
The boys tried to help her, but they couldn’t. Each time they started to pull her up, they rolled on their skates and fell again. Finally Cam, Eric, and Uncle George helped her to the bench.
“Oh, my,” Aunt Katie said as she sat down.
“We’re very sorry,” the boys said. Then they rolled down the road toward the parachute ride.
Aunt Katie brushed off her clothes. Uncle George helped her.
“Are you hurt?” Eric asked.
Aunt Katie smiled and said, “No, I’m fine. Let’s go to the next ride. Let’s go to the Haunted House.”
“Oh, yes,” Eric said. “I like to be scared.”
Cam puffed out her cheeks. She held her hands over her head, waved them, and yelled, “Boo!”
Uncle George held his hands to his heart. Aunt Katie said, “Oh, my!”
Eric said, “They’re just being nice. You’re not scary at all.”
“Well, then, let’s go to the Haunted House,” Aunt Katie said. “I’m sure it will be very scary.”
Chapter Two
Cam, Eric, Aunt Katie, and Uncle George walked up the road to the left.
“Wa! Wa!”
“Oh, look, there’s a baby crying,” Cam said. She and Eric walked quickly ahead.
“Why are you crying?” Cam asked the little girl.
“Wa! Wa!”
“She lost her balloon,” the child’s mother said. “It’s caught in the tree. I tied it to her stroller. Somehow it came off.”
Cam said, “If I stand on the bench, maybe I can reach it.”
“You might fall,” Aunt Katie said. “I think you should call one of the guards.”
“We could get a ladder,” Eric said.
Uncle George turned his cane around. With the curved end he caught the loop on the string and pulled the balloon down. He gave it to the child.
“Oh, thank you,” the child’s mother said.
Uncle George touched his cap, smiled, and walked ahead.
“He doesn’t talk much, does he,” Eric whispered to Cam.
“Uncle George says it’s a noisy world. He says most people talk too much and too loud.”
“Oh, my,” Aunt Katie said. The teenage boys were skating toward them. Aunt Katie and Uncle George went quickly to the side of the road and let them skate past.
“They shouldn’t be allowed to race around here like that,” Aunt Katie said.
Cam, Eric, Aunt Katie, and Uncle George walked to the Haunted House. They waited at the end of a long line outside the entrance.
A group was let into the house. Cam, Eric, and the others moved forward until they were near a large sign. Cam read it aloud.
WARNING.
SMALL CHILDREN AND
NERVOUS ADULTS KEEP OUT!
INSIDE ARE SUDDEN
NOISES AND SCARY EFFECTS.
ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.
“Maybe we should try the merry-go-round instead,” Aunt Katie said.
“We’re not small children,” Eric told her. “We’re ten years old.”
“I want to go in,” Cam said as she ran her fingers through her hair. She has what people call bright red hair, even though it is more orange than red. Eric’s hair is dark brown.
The exit door opened. A girl holding her mother’s hand came out smiling. “That was great,” she said.
A few more people came out. They were smiling, talking, and laughing. Then a woman in a blue dress came out holding her hand to her chest. “That was scary,” she said. “I was never so scared in all my life.”
Cam, Eric, and the others watched her walk to a bench and sit down.
“She looks terrible,” Aunt Katie said. “Maybe we shouldn’t go in.”
The entrance door opened. The guard standing there said, “Let’s go. Move ahead. We have room inside for a few more people.”
Cam, Eric, and the others moved closer to the entrance.
“Are you together?” the guard asked.
“Yes,” Cam said.
“OK. All four of you can go in. The rest of you will have to wait.”
The door closed behind Cam, Eric, Aunt Katie, and Uncle George. It was dark inside the house. They followed dim purple lights past a painting with moving eyes.
A low, deep voice said, “Welcome to my home.”
“Oh, my,” Aunt Katie said.
Plastic skeletons that shone in the dark were hanging from the ceiling. A tape of scary sounds was playing.
Eric whispered to Cam, “This is not very scary.”
A door creaked open and they heard someone scream, “Oh! Help!”
“There is something scary ahead,” Cam whispered.
Eric moved closer to Cam and Uncle George.
A toy black cat that almost looked real jumped off a bookcase shelf. It fell close to Cam and Eric. Then it stopped. It was held by a string.
“Oh, my!” Aunt Katie said.
Eric grabbed her hand. “I’m not scared,” he said.
Then something dressed in black jumped at Aunt Katie.
“Oh! Help!” she screamed. “Let go of me!”
Chapter Three
Aunt Katie reached for Uncle George and held onto his hand. They followed the small purple lights past spiderwebs and creaking furniture. A chair walked past them. The walls seemed to be falling in.
Cam, Eric, Aunt Katie, and Uncle George walked faster. A door opened. They were outside the Haunted House.
“Oh, my,” Aunt Katie said. “That was scary, but I liked it.”
“That wasn’t so scary,” Eric said, “but I liked it, too.”
“Did you see that?” a woman behind them asked. “Something jumped right out at me.” She opened her handbag and took out a candy. “Would you like one?”
“No, thank you,” Cam said.
“I need something, but not candy,” Aunt Katie said. “I need a cup of hot tea.”
Cam closed her eyes and said, “Click.”
“There’s a refreshment stand just past the log ride,” Cam said. She opened her eyes. “Follow me.”
“Will you look at that!” Aunt Katie said when they reached the refreshment stand. “We even have to wait in line to buy a drink.”
Aunt Katie and Uncle George stood at the end of the line. Cam and Eric went to the log ride. They watched people sitting in cutout logs slide into a large pool of water.
“That looks like fun,” Eric said. “Maybe we can do that next.”
Cam and Eric walked back to the refreshment stand. Aunt Katie and Uncle George were still near the end of the line.
“Tell me what you want to eat,” Aunt Katie said. “This is the only chance we’ll have for refreshments. I won’t wait in this line again.”
Cam and Eric looked at the list of items being sold. “I’d like to have some orange juice and pretzels,” Cam said.
“Please, could I have a vanilla ice cream pop?” Eric asked.
“Hmm,” Aunt Katie said. “Vanilla tea for me, an orange pop for George, coffee and pretzels for Cam. And what did you want, Eric?”
“I want a vanilla pop.”
“I’m all mixed up,” Aunt Katie said. “Why don’t you wait until it’s our turn. Then you can all tell me what you want.”
The line moved slowly. When they reached the counter, the man there asked, “What would you like?”
“I want tea with lemon. I know that,” Aunt Katie said. “And George wants a regular coffee.”
Aunt Katie opened her handbag and reached in. Then she looked inside her handbag. She took out something wrapped in aluminum foil, a small note pad, and some pencils and gave them to Cam to hold.
“Please,” the man behind the counter said. “There are other people waiting.”
“I can’t find my wallet,” Aunt Katie told him.
Uncle George paid for the refreshments. He carried them from the counter to a table. Cam, Eric, and Aunt Katie followed him. As Aunt Katie walked to the table, she was still looking in her handbag.
Aunt Katie took the pencils, note pad, and the small package wrapped in foil back from Cam. She put the pencils and note pad in her handbag.
“Maybe my wallet is in here,” she said. She unwrapped the foil. Inside was a jelly sandwich.
“Oh, my,” Aunt Katie said. “My wallet is gone. I know I had it when we came into the park. I paid for the entrance tickets.”
Aunt Katie took a bite of the jelly sandwich and then wrapped it in the foil again. “Or did you pay for the tickets?” she asked Uncle George. “Maybe I left my wallet at home.”
“No,” Uncle George said. “You paid for the tickets.” He took Aunt Katie’s hand and said, “Let’s go. We have to find that wallet.”
Chapter Four
“He spoke!” Eric whispered.
Aunt Katie quickly drank her tea and went with Uncle George. Cam and Eric ran to catch up with them.
“Where are you going?” Cam asked.
“We’re looking for one of the park policemen,” Aunt Katie said. “I saw one here before. He wore a nice blue uniform, had a badge on, and carried a walkie-talkie.”
“I think you should go to the park entrance,” Eric said. “That’s the last place you remember having your wallet. My father once left his wallet at the ticket booth of a movie theater.”