The Halloween Hoax (5 page)

“Maybe Dudley stepped in the puddle by mistake,” Nancy thought out loud. “Maybe those were
his
footprints.”

Nancy was on a roll. She pulled out her writing pad. Then she began writing more possible reasons next to each Ghosts clue.

“Dr. Funk-n-Stine's Groovy Mad Lab,” Nancy read from her list. She snapped her fingers. “Maybe the people at the station decorated the studio for a Halloween party.”

One by one Nancy thought of reasons for each Ghosts clue. But as she got to the last one, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

“Well?” Shelby asked. “How many ghosts did you find?”

It was Monday morning. The girls were standing in the school yard waiting for the bell to ring.

“You're not going to like this, Shelby,” Nancy said. “But we didn't—”

“There's one more thing we have to check out!” George cut in.

Nancy stared at George.
What thing?
she wondered.

“What do you mean?” Shelby asked.

“Trust us, Shelby,” said George.

Shelby shrugged and walked away.

“George!” Nancy said. “I wanted to tell Shelby that the studio was
not
haunted!”

“After all those weird things we saw and heard?” Bess cried.

“No problem,” Nancy said with a grin. “Last night I figured out reasons for everything that happened.”

Bess and George listened as Nancy explained the reasons for the green glowing footprints, the spinning needle on George's compass, and the Halloween decorations.

“What about that licorice smell?” Bess asked.

“Easy,” Nancy said. “All those fake black spiders were probably made out of licorice.”

“What about the music we heard?” asked George.

“Remember that skull with the glowing eyes?” Nancy said. “It was probably a music box.”

Bess and George exchanged looks that said they didn't buy it.

“Okay, how do you explain the bubbling test tubes?” Bess asked.

“Can't,” Nancy admitted. “That's when I fell asleep.”

“Whatever,” George said. “I still want to go back to the TV station. And I want you to bring Chocolate Chip.”

Nancy couldn't believe her ears. “I hope you mean cookies or ice cream,” she said. “Because I'm not bringing my puppy to the TV station.”

“Please, Nancy,” George pleaded. “I saw a movie on TV last night. This little dog was the only one in the house who could see ghosts. He barked like crazy whenever a ghost was in the room!”

“I think we should try it,” Bess said.

Nancy pressed her lips together to keep from saying no. She didn't want to do it. But the Clue Crew was a team. And that meant teamwork.

“Okay, okay.” Nancy sighed. “But the only thing that makes Chip bark like crazy is squirrels.”

It was hard for Nancy not to think about the case during school. In the class spelling bee she
spelled the word “ghost” instead of “boast.” She found herself humming Dr. Funk-n-Stine's tune on the lunch line. She even had an uncanny craving for licorice.

Just one more trip to the studio,
Nancy thought.
And this case will be closed. Once and for all!

After school Mrs. Marvin drove the girls and Chip to the TV station.

“Are you sure you don't want me to come inside with you?” Mrs. Marvin called from her car window. “What if the station doesn't allow dogs?”

“They will, Mom,” Bess said. “Who doesn't like cute little puppies?”

Nancy held Chip's leash tightly as they filed into the TV station. A guard named Earl was sitting behind the desk this time. He took one look at Chip and said, “No dogs allowed in the station.”

“Not even cute ones?” Bess asked.

A woman with curly black hair rushed over to the desk. She was wearing a white smock and holding a spray can.

“Coco, at last!” the woman gasped. “I thought she'd never get here.”

“Coco?” Nancy said.

“I'm Lucinda. I'll be getting Coco ready for her segment,” Lucinda said. “Follow me!”

Lucinda scooped Chip into her arms. Her high-heeled shoes made tap-tap-tapping noises as they walked briskly down the hall.

“Who's Coco?” Nancy whispered.

“Who cares?” George whispered back. “We're in!”

They were halfway down the hall when Nancy spotted Kirby. The strands of his blond hair were sticking way up in the air.

“Hi, Kirby,” Nancy said. “New haircut?”

“Gotta go!” Kirby blurted. He turned and slipped into one of the studios.

“Bess? George?” Nancy asked. “Did you see Kirby? He looked like a porcupine!”

“Forget Kirby,” said George. “Look at Chip!”

George pointed inside the makeup room. Chip was sitting in one of the chairs while
Lucinda sprayed her with pink glitter.

“What are you doing to my dog?” Nancy demanded.

“Coco is going to be on the five o'clock news,” Lucinda explained. “They're doing a segment on Halloween makeup that's safe for dogs.”

Another woman appeared at the door. In her arms was a little white dog with a ruby collar.

“What is
that
dog doing here?” she exclaimed, pointing to Chip. “Coco and I drove two hours just to be here today!”

Lucinda froze with the can in her hand. “Coco?” she exclaimed. She looked at Chocolate Chip. “Then who's this?”

“Coco's understudy,” George said quickly.

Chip barked and jumped off the chair. She shot right past Nancy and out the door.

“Chip—come back!” Nancy cried.

People stopped to stare as Nancy, Bess, and George chased Chip down the hall.

“She's going crazy!” George said as they ran. “Just like that dog in the movie.”

“Maybe she saw a ghost!” Bess panted.

“No way!” said Nancy. “That woman must have scared her, that's all.”

Chip slid on the floor as she rounded the corner. The three girls ran around the corner too. They skidded to a stop when they saw a man with wild hair and a bright orange lab coat. The man laughed as he held Chocolate Chip.

“Mwah, hah, hah,” he said. “Cute puppy!”

Nancy gulped as she recognized the man at once.

“Dr. Funk-n-Stine!”

Follow That Ghost!

The girls were too scared to scream. They were too frozen with fear to run.

“Woof!” Chip barked. She jumped out of Dr. Funk-n-Stine's arms and ran straight to Nancy.

“G-g-good girl!” Nancy stammered.

She scooped Chip up and ran with her friends out of the TV station. Mrs. Marvin's car was waiting for them.

“That was him,” George said as they raced to the car. “That was Dr. Funk-n-Stine!”

“He said he would be back,” added Bess.

Nancy hugged her puppy tight. She didn't want to believe in ghosts. But seeing was
believing. And she was pretty sure she had just seen the ghost of Dr. Funk-n-Stine!

“Trick or treat, smell my feet!” Henderson sang as he ran through the school yard. “Give me something good to eat!”

Nancy watched as Henderson's red superhero cape flapped behind him. It was Halloween morning. Some of the kids at school were already dressed in their costumes.

“Okay, Clue Crew,” George said. “What do we tell Shelby when we see her?”

“It's a no-brainer,” Bess answered. “We tell her we saw a real live—I mean, real dead—ghost. Right, Nancy?”

“I guess.” Nancy sighed. She'd been up all night trying to come up with a reason for seeing Dr. Funk-n-Stine. But she couldn't think of one.

“Well, I declare,” Nadine's voice said. “I do believe it's the Clue Crew.”

Nadine fluttered a lacy fan before her face
as she walked over. She was wearing an old-fashioned dress with puffy sleeves. The dress was so long it skimmed the ground.

“Pretty costume, Nadine,” Nancy said. “Are you going trick-or-treating tonight?”

“I should say
not
!” Nadine replied. She tossed her long curls dramatically. “I am going to the Great Beyond—”

Nadine clapped the fan over her mouth. “I mean—I
am
going trick-or-treating!” she said. “And I can't wait!”

Nancy stared at Nadine as she ran off. Did she just say “the Great Beyond”?

“Bess, George,” she said excitedly. She pulled the writing pad out of her backpack. “I think Nadine just gave us a new clue.”

“What clue?” George asked.

“Nadine said she's going to a place called the Great Beyond,” Nancy explained. “And we know she's not a ghost.”

“Ghost? Did you say ghost?” asked a voice.

Nancy spun around and saw Shelby.

“Why didn't you tell me you saw a ghost?” Shelby asked. She then pointed to the pad in Nancy's hand. “What's that?”

“It's Nancy's Ghosts and No Ghosts columns,” Bess explained. “So far the Ghosts column has the most clues.”

“Not anymore,” Nancy said. “I came up with a good reason for almost every Ghosts clue. Look at them, Shelby.”

Shelby waved Nancy's list away. Then she began running through the school yard. “Listen up, everybody!” she yelled. “The Clue Crew proved that Dudley's studio really
is
haunted. So Dudley the Science Dude is innocent!”

“Great,” Nancy muttered. “Now everyone at school will believe in ghosts.”

“Does this mean the case is closed?” Bess asked.

“It is for Shelby,” George said. “Now let's go on the monkey bars and figure out our trick-or-treat game plan.”

The girls headed toward the monkey bars.
Nancy could see Shelby telling everyone about Dudley. She hadn't looked so happy in days!

George is right
, Nancy thought.
The case is closed for Shelby. And I guess that's what counts.

“Remember,” Nancy said, “we're only allowed to go into houses we know.”

“Check,” George said.

It was four thirty in the afternoon. Nancy, Bess, and George were allowed to go trick-or-treating alone while it was still light outside.

The girls were wearing their costumes for the third time since Friday. Nancy and Bess wore sweaters under their costumes. George wore a sweatshirt under her tin cans.

“Our trick-or-treat bags are already half-full,” Bess said happily. “And we just got started.”

They turned onto Rowan Street and walked down the block.

“Neat!” Nancy said. “Look how many houses on this street are decorated for Halloween.”

George pointed to an old gray house with
chipping paint and broken shutters. A jack-o'-lantern grinned at them from a porch.

“That one doesn't need decorations,” she said. “It already looks haunted!”

Nancy gave a little groan. “No more ghost hunting, please. It's time to hunt for candy bars.”

“And boxes of raisins!” Bess added with a hop.

“Yeah!” said George. “And sticky, gooey caramel apples—”

CREAK!
The Clue Crew froze as the door of the old gray house opened slowly.

“Somebody lives in there?” Bess gasped.

“Who?” whispered George.

The girls slipped behind a giant oak tree on the sidewalk. They peeked out and watched a man step out of the house. He was wearing a dingy white lab coat and clunky black boots. His hair fuzzed out like a dandelion puff.

“It's Dr. Funk-n-Stine!” Bess hissed.

“He's not wearing his orange lab coat,” George whispered. “And his hair looks whiter
than in the pictures. How do we know it's him?”

The man locked his door. Then he turned and stepped off his warped wooden porch.

“There's only one way to find out,” Nancy told the others. “We have to follow him.”

Monsters in the House

Nancy huddled with Bess and George behind the tree. She could hear the man's feet crunching through leaves as he walked past them.