The Haunted Hotel Read online

  is for Horror…

  “I know one thing,” Dink said. “No ghost is shutting down the Shangri-la if I have anything to do with it!”

  “Dink is right,” Ruth Rose said. “Mr. Linkletter is our friend. We have to think of something!”

  Suddenly the elevator door opened. A figure in white stood staring out at them.

  “It’s the ghost!” Josh screamed.

  The A to Z MysTeries™ series!

  The Absent Author

  The Bald Bandit

  The Canary Gaper

  The Deadly Dungeon

  The Empty Envelope

  The Falcon’s Feathers

  The Goose’s Gold

  The Haunted Hotel

  This one is for Richard.

  —R.R.

  To the Latchis Hotel.

  —J.S.G.

  “Oh my gosh!” Dink cried. “There’s a ghost in Green Lawn!”

  Donald David Duncan, Dink to his friends, was reading the Sunday newspaper on his living room floor.

  Josh was sprawled on the sofa. He was using raisins to teach Dink’s guinea pig, Loretta, to do math.

  Loretta gobbled up one of the raisins.

  “Loretta!” Josh scolded. “If you keep eating all the raisins, you’ll never learn to add!”

  Ruth Rose was doing the crossword puzzle. “Maybe she’s trying to teach you to subtract, Joshua,” she said.

  Josh tossed a raisin at her.

  “I’m serious, you guys!” Dink said. He poked his finger at the Green Lawn Gazette’s front page. “C’mere and read this!”

  Ruth Rose glanced at the newspaper. “HEY, THAT’S MR. LINKLETTER!” she yelled.

  Josh put Loretta in her cage, then read the headline over Dink’s shoulder.

  HAUNTED HOTEL! GHOST SCARES

  AWAY SHANGRI-LA GUESTS

  “See, I told you,” Dink said.

  Josh grinned. “You don’t really believe that stuff, do you?” he asked. “I’ll bet it’s a Halloween joke or something.”

  “Yeah, well, Mr. Linkletter looks pretty unhappy in this picture,” Dink said. “And he never tells jokes!”

  “Besides, Halloween isn’t for two more weeks,” Ruth Rose added.

  Josh snorted. “Well, I don’t believe in ghosts,” he said. “Not until I see one with my own eyes!”

  “Listen to this,” Dink said, reading from the paper. “‘Guests report seeing a ghost floating down the hall at midnight. It was carrying a silver sword!’”

  Josh snorted again. “Ghosts don’t carry swords,” he said.

  Ruth Rose reached for her jacket. “Why don’t we go to the hotel and see for ourselves?”

  “Great idea,” Dink said, pulling on his sneakers.

  Josh let out a big sigh. “Okay, but I’m only coming to prove that I’m right.”

  The kids left Dink’s house and headed around Silver Circle.

  A bunch of kids were playing soccer at the elementary school. Their noses were pink and Dink could see their breath. The trees surrounding the playing field had turned red and gold.

  On Main Street, a long banner hung between two telephone poles. Big letters spelled out the words: GREEN LAWN WELCOMES YOU TO FALL FOLIAGE WEEK, OCTOBER 13–20. COME SEE OUR COLORS!

  The kids stopped across the street from the Shangri-la Hotel.

  “Look!” Dink said.

  People lugging suitcases were streaming out of the hotel. One woman was still wearing her slippers! They were pink and fluffy, with floppy bunny ears.

  A newspaper reporter was trying to interview people as they left the hotel.

  “Hello, sir,” she said to one man. “I’m Linda Gomez from the Green Lawn Gazette. What’s your reaction to the hotel ghost?”

  “No comment!” the man snapped, and hurried away.

  “Let’s get her to interview us,” Josh whispered. “Maybe we’ll get our names in the paper!”

  “We don’t know anything yet,” Dink said. “Come on, let’s find Mr. Linkletter.”

  The kids crossed the street and squeezed through the crowded doorway. Inside, Mr. Linkletter was standing behind the front desk, listening to a man and woman.

  “…and we demand our money back!” the woman was saying. “We came here to see autumn leaves, not to be frightened by ghosts!”

  Mr. Linkletter sighed. Dink noticed that his hair was mussed and his eyes were red.

  “Of course, Mrs. Caruthers,” he said. “You’ll get a refund for the entire week. I’m sorry for this trouble. We’ve never had ghosts at the Shangri-la!”

  Dragging their suitcases, the couple hurried past the kids and shoved through the doors.

  “Boy, they looked mad,” Josh said.

  “Let’s go talk to Mr. Linkletter,” Dink said.

  Just then the phone rang. Mr. Linkletter turned to answer it.

  “Wait, there’s Livvy,” Ruth Rose said. “I wonder if she knows anything.”

  Livvy Nugent was vacuuming the carpet near the elevators. She wore a white uniform with a dark blue apron.

  “Hi, Livvy!” Ruth Rose said.

  Livvy smiled and switched off the vacuum. “Ruth Rose! The last time I saw you, there was a kidnapping at the hotel. Now we’ve got a ghost!”

  “We read about it in the newspaper,” Ruth Rose said. “Is it true?”

  “The guests sure think so!” Livvy said. “This place has been a madhouse since Friday night. Our biggest week of the year, and the guests are running out the door!”

  Josh smirked. “Does the ghost jump out and say ‘boo’?” he asked.

  “Josh doesn’t believe in ghosts,” Ruth Rose said.

  “Do you?” Livvy asked her.

  Ruth Rose shrugged. “I don’t know, but something’s scaring the people away.”

  “Did you see the ghost?” Dink asked.

  Livvy shook her head. “No, and I’d better not. When ghosts show up, I’m out of here!”

  Just then Mr. Linkletter hung up the phone and walked over. “Ms. Nugent, please continue with your work,” he said to Livvy.

  Then he turned to the kids. “What can I do for you, children?”

  “We read about the ghost,” Dink said.

  Josh rolled his eyes.

  “And we saw all the people leaving,” Ruth Rose said.

  Mr. Linkletter’s sad eyes surveyed the lobby. All the guests had left, and the place was empty.

  Mr. Linkletter sighed. “Apparently a ghost is scaring away our guests,” he said.

  “Maybe we can help,” Dink said. “Remember how we found Wallis Wallace when you thought she was kidnapped?”

  “I’ll never forget,” Mr. Linkletter said. He looked at the three kids. His thin mustache twitched. His sad eyes squinted.

  Finally he said, “Follow me, please.” He turned and marched away.

  Mr. Linkletter led the kids to his office. The room was small, with just a desk and three chairs. On one wall hung a painting of the hotel. A framed picture of an elderly couple stood on the desk.

  “Please sit down,” Mr. Linkletter said.

  The kids sat. Mr. Linkletter opened a desk drawer and took out a paper bag.

  “Mint?” he asked.

  Each of the kids took a mint from the bag and popped it into their mouths.

  Mr. Linkletter looked inside the bag, then popped a mint into his mouth, too.

  He sank back into his chair. “This is terrible,” he said.

  “Mine tastes okay,” Josh said. “I think it’s lemon.”

  Ruth Rose nudged Josh. “I think he means the ghost,” she said.

  Josh blushed. “Oh, sorry.”

  “As I was saying,” Mr. Linkletter went on, “it all started two days ago, on Friday. It was almost midnight. I was closing my office
when a guest ran into the lobby. She was yelling about a ghost on the third floor!”

  “Did she say what the ghost looked like?” Dink asked.

  Mr. Linkletter smoothed his hair. “She said it was all white—except for the black holes where its eyes should have been!”

  The three kids looked at each other. Josh’s mouth was hanging open.

  Mr. Linkletter rubbed his temples as if he had a headache. “Anyway,” he went on, “that guest checked out. Last night, more guests saw the ghost. Again, it appeared at midnight. Today all those guests checked out.”

  Mr. Linkletter shook his head. “This ghost is ruining our business!”

  “Did any of the guests say where the ghost went after they saw it?” Ruth Rose asked.

  “Apparently it just floats away and disappears,” he answered.

  “Did you see the ghost, too?” Dink asked.

  “No. I went upstairs, but all I saw was a dozen terrified guests!”

  Mr. Linkletter picked up the picture of the elderly couple on his desk. “This is my aunt and uncle, Florence and Ebenezer Spivets. They’ve owned the Shangri-la ever since they were first married, forty-seven years ago.”

  He looked at the kids. “They’re very worried. I don’t know what will happen to the hotel if this ghost business continues…”

  For a minute, nobody said anything. Finally Mr. Linkletter stood up.

  “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he said, “I have to tell my aunt and uncle that the Shangri-la Hotel won’t be having a foliage week this year.”

  The kids thanked Mr. Linkletter and headed back out into the lobby.

  “Guys, we’ve gotta do something!” Dink whispered.

  “But what can we do?” Ruth Rose asked.

  Just then Livvy hurried over to them. “What’d he say?” she asked.

  “He told us about the ghost,” Ruth Rose said. She described it for Livvy.

  “So there really is a ghost in the hotel!” Livvy said. She looked nervously over her shoulder. “What’s Mr. Linkletter gonna do?”

  “I don’t know,” Dink answered. He looked at Josh and Ruth Rose. “But we’re gonna try to help, right?”

  “Good luck!” Livvy said. “I’ll be down in my cubbyhole eating lunch.”

  She opened a small door next to the elevator and disappeared.

  “How’re we s’posed to help?” Josh asked Dink. “We don’t know anything about ghosts!”

  “Well, I know one thing,” Dink said. “No ghost is shutting down the Shangri-la if I have anything to do with it!”

  “Dink is right,” Ruth Rose said. “Mr. Linkletter is our friend. We have to think of something!”

  Suddenly the elevator door opened. A figure in white stood staring out at them.

  “It’s the ghost!” Josh screamed.

  The three kids stood frozen as the elevator door slid shut again.

  For a minute, no one moved. Then Ruth Rose reached over and punched the UP button for the elevator.

  “What’re you doing!” Josh squeaked.

  “Following the ghost,” she said.

  “Are you crazy?” Josh said. “What if ghosts don’t like kids?”

  “Gee, Josh,” Dink said. “I thought you didn’t believe in ghosts.”

  “Unless I see one with my own eyes,” Josh said, “and I just did! Let’s get out of here!” The elevator door opened.

  “Too late, Josh,” Dink said. He and Ruth Rose pulled Josh into the elevator with them.

  Dink pushed the button marked 2. “We’ll check each floor,” he said.

  When the door opened on the second floor, the hallway was empty.

  “Two more floors,” Ruth Rose said, pushing the number 3 button.

  But they didn’t see the ghost on the third or fourth floor, either.

  “There are no more floors,” Dink said, looking at the panel of buttons.

  “Good, let’s go home!” Josh said.

  “What’s this one for?” Ruth Rose asked, pointing to a black button without a number.

  “Maybe you push it for emergencies,” Dink said.

  She shook her head. “Nope. This red one says EMERGENCY.”

  Dink shrugged. “There’s only one way to find out,” he said. He pushed the black button. The elevator creaked, then slowly started moving up.

  “I’m having a nightmare,” Josh mumbled. “I’m not really chasing a ghost around a hotel. Any minute, I’m gonna wake up in bed!”

  “Don’t worry Josh,” Ruth Rose said with a grin. “I’ll protect you.”

  The elevator stopped with a gentle thud.

  When the doors opened, the ghost was waiting for them.

  “It followed us!” Josh screamed, jumping behind Ruth Rose.

  “No, you followed me!” the ghost said. “What do you want?”

  Behind the white figure, a door opened. A stooped, gray-haired man stepped into the hall.

  The ghost pointed a thin finger at the kids. “They followed me up here, Ebenezer.”

  The man chuckled and shuffled toward the open elevator. “Well, perhaps we should keep them!”

  “NO!” Josh yelled from behind Ruth Rose. “Please let us go! If you kill me, I’ll be grounded for sure!”

  Dink stared at the figure in white. Where had he seen that face before? Suddenly he remembered. She was the woman in the picture on Mr. Linkletter’s desk!

  Dink stepped out of the elevator. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Spivets,” he said. “I’m Dink Duncan and these are my friends Josh and Ruth Rose.”

  “How d’you do,” the man said, peering at Dink. His eyes were the color of blueberries. “You must be the three children our nephew told us about.”

  Josh peeked at Mrs. Spivets from behind Ruth Rose. “You mean she’s not the ghost?” he asked.

  “Of course I’m not the ghost!” Mrs. Spivets said. “Ebenezer, shall we invite these three in for cookies?”

  “Of course, my love.” The old man smiled at the kids. “Come along, kid-dos!”

  The kids followed Mr. and Mrs. Spivets through a small hallway and into an old-fashioned parlor.

  Sunlight poured into the room. Through tall windows, the kids could see treetops across Main Street.

  Dink looked around the room. The walls were covered with paintings, and he’d never seen so many books!

  Mrs. Spivets came in carrying a tray. “Please sit,” she told the kids. She handed each of them a glass of milk. Her husband bustled in with a cookie jar shaped like a rooster. He pulled off the rooster’s head.

  “Cookie?” he said.

  Each of the kids took one cookie.

  “Now then,” Mr. Spivets said as he sat next to his wife, “what are you kids up to?”

  “We read about the ghost in the newspaper,” Ruth Rose said.

  “And we came to see it,” Dink said.

  “But we didn’t!” Josh added.

  “Then Mr. Linkletter told us how the ghost is ruining the hotel’s business,” Ruth Rose continued. “So we’ve decided to investigate!”

  Mrs. Spivets stared at the kids. “Investigate?” she said. “Like detectives?”

  “Right,” Dink said. “Did you see the ghost?” he asked Mrs. Spivets.

  She looked at her husband. “No, but we’ve heard it, haven’t we, dear?”

  He nodded. “Two nights in a row! Dreadful noises coming from the walls. And a voice calling out my name! ‘Ebenezer,’ it said, ‘go away, go away!’”

  Josh gulped. “It knew your name?”

  “The voice spoke to me, too,” Mrs. Spivets said. “It said, ‘Flo, leave this place!’”

  She began to cry into a lace hanky.

  Mr. Spivets patted his wife’s hand. “We’ve just made a difficult decision,” he told the kids. “We’re going to sell the hotel. Some real estate company in New York wants to buy it.”

  “Sell the Shangri-la!” Dink blurted.

  “But you can’t!” Ruth Rose said.

  “We were going to leave the Sh
angri-la to our nephew,” Mrs. Spivets said. “But now…”

  “Now it looks as if the hotel will go to Eatch, Rail, and Roock,” Mr. Spivets said.

  “Who are they?” Ruth Rose asked.

  “They’re the three partners in the real estate company” Mr. Spivets said. “They’ve been after us to sell for months.”

  He crossed to a small desk and pulled out a letter. “They want to tear down the Shangri-la and build a high-rise in its place!” he said.

  Mr. Spivets placed the letter on the tea tray. “Mrs. Spivets and I don’t want to sell, but we don’t know what else to do. Somehow we feel as if we’ve failed our guests.”

  He looked down at his wife. “I telephoned the real estate people this morning. They will be here tomorrow with papers for us to sign.”

  Mrs. Spivets looked up. Her eyes were red. “Isn’t there anything else we can do?” she asked.

  Ebenezer Spivets took his wife’s hand in his. “I would do anything for you, dear, but I’m too old to fight ghosts.”

  “Well, we’re not!” Dink said, springing to his feet. “We’ll find the ghost and get rid of it, too!” He looked at Josh and Ruth Rose. “Right, guys?”

  “Right!” Ruth Rose said.

  Mr. Spivets beamed. “You’re hired!” he said.

  Josh groaned. “Can I have another cookie?” he asked.

  “How are we gonna get rid of a ghost?” Josh asked in the elevator. “Even if I did believe in it.”

  “I don’t know yet,” Dink answered. “But we can’t let those real estate guys tear down the Shangri-la!”

  The elevator door slid open. Mr. Linkletter was standing behind his desk, just staring into space.

  “Let’s go to my house,” Dink whispered. “We can make a plan while we eat.”

  “Yes!” Josh said. “Those cookies weren’t big enough to fill up a flea!”

  Dink laughed. “Not everyone has a stomach like the Grand Canyon, Josh!”

  They headed up Main Street, then followed Silver Circle around the school to Dink’s house.

  Dink got out the peanut butter and bread. Josh found a bag of pretzels. Ruth Rose poured milk for everyone.

  “Make my sandwich extra fat,” Josh ordered. “I’m fainting from hunger!”