Sleepy Hollow Sleepover (9 page)

A few hours later, Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose were on their way back to Connecticut. Dink’s father drove slowly through town, heading for the highway.

“Look, the bank is closed,” Josh said, pointing out the window.

“Yes, they need to hire a new teller,” Dink’s father said. “Miss Bonnie is
behind bars with her brother, Ace, and Goose.”

“I’m glad you had your cell phone with you, Mr. Duncan,” Ruth Rose said.

“Me too,” he said. “I knew the call was coming from your cell phone. So when I heard a man’s voice, I was shocked. I was able to hear everything Ace and Goose said, even after they put you in the hole. I drove to the police station with my phone to my ear!”

“How much money did they hide inside the horse?” Josh asked.

“Officer Klevor told me it was about a half-million dollars,” Mr. Duncan said.

The three kids gasped.

“Did they find the money we threw away?” Josh asked.

“Some of it,” Dink’s father said. He smiled. “I’ll bet a lot of people will be finding money for quite a while.”

Just then Dink saw three familiar
kids on the sidewalk. “Dad, can you stop for a minute?” he asked.

Dink’s father pulled over.

“It’s those kids we met last night,” Dink said. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose climbed out of the car.

Candy and her two brothers ran up to them. “Hi, you guys!” she said. “Guess what I just found?” She held up a fifty-dollar bill. “It was just lying by the side of the road!”

“Boy, are you lucky!” Ruth Rose said.

“We’re gonna make her split it with us,” Adam said. “Right, Andy?”

The other boy nodded. “It’s the only interesting thing that happened in this boring town. I can’t wait to get back home.”

“We’re leaving, too,” Josh said, poking Dink. “Nothing ever happens around here.”

The six kids slapped high fives and
said good-bye to each other. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose got back in the car, and Dink’s father pulled away from the curb.

“Will they have to return the money?” Dink asked his dad.

“Probably, if the bank decides to let the public know how the money got thrown out of the truck,” he said. “Speaking of which, there may be a reward for you three.”

“Really?” Josh said. “Awesome!”

“Dad, did the police say if they found the wagon horses?” Dink asked. “They ran away last night during the fire.”

Dink’s father nodded. “Yep, all three horses are back with their owners,” he said. “And the farmers all had insurance, so they’ll get money to buy new wagons.”

“This is the best Halloween I have
ever had!” Dink said, smiling.

“It was the scariest, that’s for sure,” Ruth Rose said.

“There’s one thing I don’t understand,” Josh said.

Dink’s father looked at Josh in the rearview mirror. “What’s that, Josh?” he asked.

“Who was riding the horse we saw out our window last night, before the hay wagon came?” Josh asked. “You know, the headless dude.”

“Gee, Josh, I have no idea,” Mr. Duncan said.

“Maybe it was one of the town cops,” Ruth Rose said. “Officer Klevor pretended to lose his head on the wagon, remember?”

“I asked Officer Klevor when we were at the police station,” Dink said. “He told me the headless horseman wasn’t one of his officers.”

“Then who was it?” Josh asked. “A ghost?”

No one in the car said anything. Mr. Duncan pulled onto the highway and headed for home.

Did you find the secret message hidden in this book?

If you
don’t
want to know the answer,
don’t
look at the bottom of this page!

Answer:
THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN RIDES ON

If you like the
you might want to read
GHOST HORSE
by George Edward Stanley

Emily got out of bed. She ran to the window and pulled back the curtains. In the moonlight, she could see the beautiful white horse!

Emily pinched herself. “Ouch!” Now she knew she wasn’t dreaming. The beautiful white horse was really there!

He started walking toward her window. But the closer he got, the paler he got.

Emily gasped. She could see through the horse!

“You’re … you’re a ghost!” she whispered.