A to Z Mysteries: The Deadly Dungeon Read online

  is for Danger…

  Suddenly a scream burst from the castle behind them.

  Dink nearly dropped his end of the picnic basket. The skin on his arms erupted into a thousand goose bumps.

  The kids looked at each other, wide-eyed.

  Wallis glanced back and grinned. “Dink, Josh, Ruth Rose, allow me to introduce…the ghost of Emory Scott!”

  The series!

  The Absent Author

  The Bald Bandit

  The Canary Caper

  The Deadly Dungeon

  For Emily and Zach

  —R.R.

  To Emily, for being a great Ruth Rose

  —J.S.G.

  Dink squirmed in his seat. He, Josh, and Ruth Rose had been riding the bus since seven that morning.

  They were on their way to Maine to visit their friend Wallis Wallace, a famous mystery writer. The three of them had met her when she came to Green Lawn. Dink smiled when he remembered how they had rescued Wallis from a “kidnapper.”

  Dink glanced over at Josh, asleep in his seat. His sketch pad was open on his lap.

  Behind Josh, Ruth Rose was looking at a map. She liked to dress in one color. Today it was green, from her T-shirt to her high-tops.

  Dink moved into the seat next to Ruth Rose. “Where are we?” he asked.

  “Almost there.” She pointed to Belfast, Maine, on her map. “We just passed a Welcome to Belfast sign.”

  Dink nodded. That was where Wallis was picking them up.

  Ruth Rose tucked her map into her pack. “I’m so excited!” she said. “Do you think her castle has a moat and a dungeon?”

  “I just hope it has food,” Dink said. “I’m starving!”

  Josh’s head popped up in front of them. “Me too! Are we there yet?”

  Just then the bus driver called out, “Belfast!”

  “All right!” Josh said, leaping into the aisle.

  The bus stopped in front of a small gray-shingled building. Through the window, Dink could see the water.

  “Do you see Wallis?” Ruth Rose asked.

  Dink grabbed his pack. “No, but let’s get off. I think I’m allergic to buses!”

  The kids headed for the front. They followed an elderly couple down the steps.

  They were squinting into the blinding sunlight when they heard someone say, “Hi, kids!” A tall man with curly blond hair was walking toward them. His face was tanned and smiling.

  “I remember you. You’re Wallis’s brother!” Ruth Rose said.

  “Call me Walker, okay?” said the man. “Wallis is buying groceries, so she asked me to get you.”

  Walker Wallace picked up Dink’s pack. It clunked heavily against his leg.

  “What’s in here, your rock collection?” he asked.

  Dink grinned. “Books. My mom said it rains a lot in Maine, so I came prepared.”

  Walker laughed. “We’ve planned perfect weather for you guys. Sun every day! Come on, that’s my Jeep over there.”

  Walker’s dusty brown Jeep had no top. The leather seats were worn and split in places.

  He swept a pair of boots and a tool belt onto the floor, making room in the backseat. “Pile in!”

  The boys climbed into the back. Ruth Rose sat next to Walker. “How far is the castle?” she asked.

  “Not far.” Walker pointed. “About a mile past those trees.”

  He drove up the coast. “You guys hungry? Sis is buying everything in the store for you.”

  “I’m always hungry,” Josh said, leaning back and crossing his legs. He took a deep breath of the ocean air. “What a smell!”

  “I’ll say,” Dink said. “Get your smelly foot out of my face!”

  “It’s not smelly,” Josh said, wiggling his sneaker under Dink’s nose.

  “What’s this?” Dink plucked a bright green feather off the sole of Josh’s sneaker.

  Josh shrugged. “I must’ve picked it up on the bus.”

  Dink slipped the feather into his pocket.

  “There’s Moose Manor!” Walker called. He pointed through the trees.

  Dink stared at the tall castle. It was built of huge gray stones. Its small dark windows looked like watching eyes. An iron fence surrounded the building.

  “Cool,” Dink said softly.

  “Look, guys, a moat!” Ruth Rose said.

  “And a drawbridge!” cried Josh.

  Walker pulled up in front of the gate. The kids hopped out with their packs.

  “I have to get back to my boat,” Walker said. “Sis should be here soon. Have fun!” He waved and sped back through the trees.

  Up close, the castle towered over the kids. The battlements on top reminded Dink of giant’s teeth.

  Josh pushed the gate, and it creaked open. They peered down into the moat. Ruth Rose let out a laugh. “Look, guys!”

  The bottom of the empty moat was planted with flowers!

  “Hey, guys!” Josh called. “Check this out!” He had crossed the drawbridge and was standing in front of an enormous wooden door. He tugged on the handle, but the door wouldn’t budge. “How the heck does Wallis get in?”

  Just then Dink heard a car. A red Volkswagen convertible zoomed up to the gate. The horn tooted, and a hand waved wildly.

  “It’s Wallis!” shouted Dink.

  “Welcome!” Wallis yelled.

  She looked the same as Dink remembered: happy smile, curly brown hair, mischievous eyes.

  “What do you think of Moose Manor?” she asked. “Isn’t it fun?”

  “I love it!” said Ruth Rose.

  “It’s awesome!” Josh said.

  Wallis laughed. “It is something, isn’t it? Help me with these groceries, and I’ll take you on the grand tour!”

  The entrance to the castle turned out to be a regular-sized door around the corner. Wallis and the kids carried bags of groceries into a large room. Dink saw a washer and dryer, wooden pegs for hats and coats, and a pile of sneakers and boots.

  “This is my mud room,” Wallis said. “The kitchen is through here.” She shoved open another door with her hip.

  Dink had to tip his head back to see the high ceiling. The usual kitchen stuff was there, with a long wooden table in the middle. A black chandelier hung over the table.

  “This place is humongous!” Dink said.

  “That’s why I love it,” Wallis said. “Let’s put the food away and I’ll show you around.”

  The kids quickly emptied the bags while Wallis put the milk and ice cream into the refrigerator.

  “Okay, the tour begins in the royal living room,” Wallis said. “Follow me!” She led them into the biggest living room Dink had ever seen.

  The first thing Dink noticed was the chandelier hanging right over his head. It was as big as Wallis’s car!

  A marble fireplace took up almost one whole wall. The mantel was dark wood, carved with all kinds of animals.

  “This place is amazing!” Dink said.

  “Geez,” Josh breathed, peering into the fireplace. “You could burn a whole tree in here!”

  Wallis flopped onto a pile of floor cushions. “Some winter days I wish I could,” she said. “It gets mighty cold up on this cliff.”

  “How old is this place?” Ruth Rose asked, peering up at the tall stone walls.

  “Pretty old,” Wallis said. “It was built in the 1930s by a movie star named Emory Scott.”

  “Awesome!” Josh said.

  “What happened to him?” Dink asked.

  “Well…” Wallis raised her eyebrows and lowered her voice. “According to the town gossip, he died suddenly. Right here in the castle. In fact, sometimes I think I hear his gho
st!”

  The kids stared with open mouths.

  Then Dink laughed. “Come on, you’re just kidding, right?”

  “Why? Don’t you believe in ghosts?” Wallis asked with a grin.

  “No way!” they all yelled.

  “Well…” Wallis stood up. “Maybe Emory will introduce himself when he’s ready. In the meantime, why don’t I show you your rooms?”

  The kids grabbed their packs and followed Wallis up a wide stone staircase to the second floor. At the top of the stairs was a dim hallway with several doors.

  Wallis pointed to one. “That’s my room. Ruth Rose, yours is there, and I’ve put you boys together, right across the hall.”

  Wallis tapped on a narrow door at the end of the hall. “This one leads up to the roof.”

  Dink opened the door to their bedroom. Like the rooms downstairs, the ceiling was high. A blue carpet covered the stone floor. The twin beds had bright red covers.

  Dink went to the window and looked outside. All he could see were pine trees. “Where’s the ocean?” he asked.

  “On the other side,” Wallis said. “Why don’t you settle in, then come down for lunch?”

  Ruth Rose went to her room. Dink and Josh dumped their packs on their beds.

  “This place is so cool,” Josh said, wandering into their bathroom.

  Dink stacked his books on the table next to his bed. He pawed through his clothes, then changed into shorts and a T-shirt.

  “Dink, come in here!” Josh called.

  Dink wandered into the bathroom.

  “Listen,” Josh said. He had his ear against one of the bathroom walls.

  “What’re you doing?” asked Dink.

  Josh made a shushing sound. “I thought I heard something!”

  “What’s going on?” Ruth Rose said as she came into the room.

  “Josh thought he heard something behind the wall,” Dink said.

  Ruth Rose grinned. “It must be the ghost of Emory Scott. He’s just waiting for you two to fall asleep tonight!”

  Just then they heard Wallis’s voice. “Come and get it!” she called. They raced down to the kitchen.

  Wallis was packing a basket. “It’s such a great day, I thought we’d have a picnic on the beach,” she said.

  “Cool!” Josh said. “Can we go fishing there sometime?”

  Wallis nodded. “Ask Walker if you can borrow some gear. In fact, he’s taking you lobstering tomorrow.”

  “Awesome!” Josh yelled.

  Wallis smiled. “You won’t think so at four-thirty tomorrow morning.”

  Dink and Josh each grabbed one end of the picnic basket. Wallis handed Ruth Rose a blanket, then led them to the back of the castle and through another gate.

  “Great view, isn’t it?” Wallis said. “The first time I saw this place, I knew I had to do my writing here.”

  Dink took a deep breath of the sea air. Small boats made colorful dots against the blue ocean. “It’s really nice,” he said.

  Josh peered nervously over the cliff. “How do we get down?”

  Wallis laughed. “See there? I had steps built. But poor Emory Scott! You remember that marble fireplace and that massive chandelier? Every piece came from Europe by boat. Goodness knows how he got them up this cliff!”

  Suddenly a scream burst from the castle behind them.

  Dink nearly dropped his end of the picnic basket. The skin on his arms erupted into a thousand goose bumps.

  Wallis glanced back and grinned. “Dink, Josh, Ruth Rose, allow me to introduce…the ghost of Emory Scott!”

  Chapter 3

  The kids stared at Wallis in silence.

  She winked at them. “Don’t worry, that’s just his way of saying hello. Shall we go down?”

  The kids glanced at each other, then followed Wallis down the wooden stairs. At the bottom they found a small, sandy beach.

  Dink and Josh set the basket in the shade of some boulders while Wallis and Ruth Rose spread the blanket.

  “Look! A cave!” Josh said, pointing at a tunnel at the bottom of the cliff. The sea snaked into the dark hole, making a narrow river.

  “How far does it go in?” Josh asked, peering into the black space.

  “I don’t know,” Wallis said. “Walker told me that it’s full of bats.”

  They picnicked on chicken sandwiches, apples, chocolate chip cookies, and cold lemonade. Wallis pointed down the shoreline. “Walker’s house is beyond those trees.”

  “Where is he?” asked Dink.

  “Out on his boat,” Wallis said, waving a cookie at the ocean. “His lobster pots are scattered over about a half mile of very deep water.”

  “How does he find them?” Josh asked.

  Wallis wiped her fingers on a paper napkin. “Well, he has a good compass aboard Lady Luck — that’s his boat—and he knows the water.”

  After their picnic, Wallis put everything back into the basket. “Ready for a walk?”

  They hiked along the rocky beach. Ruth Rose poked into tide pools and picked up shells. Josh hung his sneakers around his neck and waded along the shore.

  “Better watch out for lobsters,” Dink teased. “They like smelly toes.”

  Josh grinned and splashed Dink.

  Rounding a curve in the shoreline, Wallis pointed. “There’s Walker’s place.”

  It was a gray cottage with a red roof, surrounded by dune grass and sand.

  Just then they heard a shout. Dink looked around and saw someone waving from the end of a dock.

  Wallis waved back. “Kids, come and meet our friend Ripley Pearce.”

  They walked out on the dock toward a long green boat tied at the end. The boat’s brass and wood trim gleamed in the sunlight.

  A man stood next to the boat, holding a dripping sponge. He had dark slicked-back hair and blue eyes.

  “Hi, Rip,” Wallis said. “Meet Dink Duncan, Josh Pinto, and Ruth Rose Hathaway.”

  The man smiled and stuck out a hand. He had dazzling white teeth and a deep tan. “You’re fans of this lady’s books, right?”

  “I’ve got all of them!” Dink announced.

  “I met these three in Connecticut,” Wallis explained. “They’re spending a week up at the castle. Why don’t you come for supper with us tonight?”

  “I like your boat,” Ruth Rose said. “It’s so shiny and clean!”

  Rip flashed her a grin. “Thank you very much, little lady. I’ll see you tonight at dinner.”

  Then he looked at Josh. “Want to untie me?” he asked, pointing to a rope tied to the end of the dock.

  Josh untied the rope and handed it to Rip.

  “Nice meeting you kids,” he said, stepping aboard his boat. He started the engine, and the boat pulled smoothly away from the dock.

  Dink watched the boat cut through the water. “Maybe I won’t be a writer when I grow up. Maybe I’ll get a lobster boat.”

  Wallis grinned at Dink. “Better stick to writing, Dink. Lobsters are getting scarce in Maine.”

  “I can’t wait to go out on Walker’s boat,” Ruth Rose said.

  “My brother’s boat is nothing like Rip’s,” Wallis said. She shook her head. “I don’t know how Rip keeps his so clean. Walker’s boat looks and smells like a lobster boat.”

  They walked back toward their picnic spot. Josh kicked water on Ruth Rose, and she chased him down the beach, yelling all the way.

  Dink walked quietly along with Wallis. Overhead, a sea gull cried out.

  Dink looked up at Wallis. “Do you really think that scream we heard was the ghost of Emory Scott?”

  Wallis laughed. “All I know is I’ve been hearing those screams since I moved in. The first time, I searched the castle. But I never found a thing.”

  Dink shivered. “Do you hear the noises a lot?” he asked.

  Wallis shrugged. “Sometimes weeks go by and there’s not a peep. Then I’ll hear them for a few days in a row.”

  Wallis smiled down at Dink. “To tell you the truth, Dink
, this is one mystery that’s got me stumped. If those screams aren’t the ghost of Emory Scott, I don’t know what they are!”

  At the top of the cliff, Wallis took the picnic things. “I need to spend some time working on my new book,” she said. “Why don’t you guys go exploring? Emory Scott built a playhouse for his kids in those trees. You might want to check it out.”

  She opened the side door. “Oh, I almost forgot,” she said with twinkling eyes. “Some people think his ghost hangs around there, looking for his children. So keep your eyes open!” With that, she went inside.

  The kids found a path through the trees. As they walked, Dink told Josh and Ruth Rose what Wallis had said on the beach.

  “So it is a ghost!” Josh said. “Creepy!”

  “No way” Ruth Rose said. “I don’t believe in ghosts. It must be an animal trapped somewhere in the castle.”

  “I don’t know,” Dink said. “Wallis told me she searched the whole place.”

  “Besides,” said Josh, “what kind of animal makes a spooky scream like that?”

  Just then the kids reached the playhouse. The outside of the small wooden building had been painted to look like Wallis’s castle. A kid-sized drawbridge crossed a shallow moat to the front door.

  “Excellent,” said Josh.

  “Let’s go inside!” Ruth Rose cried, running to the door. She tugged on the handle, and the door opened with a soft whoosh.

  Ruth Rose curtsied. “Enter, my loyal knights!”

  “His Highness King Dink goes first,” Dink said, nudging ahead of Josh.

  They crowded into the room. Everything was covered with a layer of dust. Dim light shone through two small windows covered with cobwebs.

  Josh rubbed his arms. “Boy, this place is cold,” he said.

  “Looks like no one’s been in here for years,” Ruth Rose said.

  A round table and two little chairs stood in the middle of the room on a dusty, worn rug. A shelf held a miniature set of blue dishes. Under the shelf, a lonely-looking teddy bear sat on an old sofa.

  “This place creeps me out,” Josh said.

  “Look,” Dink said. “Footprints on the rug.” He stepped into one of them. “Whoever made these sure has big feet!”