Rebekah--Girl Detective #4, Page 2

  “Listen, we do believe in ghosts,” the man said. “But the truth is, it is more often a mouse than it a ghost!”

  Mouse grinned sheepishly and made sure that his mouse did not escape.

  “See,” Rebekah said smugly as she glanced at Mouse. Mouse smirked right back.

  “We'll see when we see the video,” he replied.

  Chapter 6

  As they left the library they made plans to meet up later that night around sunset so they could stake out the ghost. As certain as Rebekah was that there were no ghosts, she still had to wonder a little. With the eerie glow of the candle and the strange way the woman had stared into the air in front of her, there was something very off about the whole situation. Besides that who would ever want to spook her in such a way? When she got home, she checked out the area where she had seen the odd figure the night before. There were still very few clues for her to rely on. She knew someone had been there, and she hoped it would not turn out to be a ghost. She did her best to keep herself busy for the rest of the day, and her mind off of the supernatural. When Mouse knocked on the front door, she was ready. She had a video camera, and a baseball bat just in case.

  “What is that for?” Mouse laughed when he saw the bat.

  “Just in case,” Rebekah said firmly.

  “In case the ghost wants to play baseball?” Mouse asked with a giggle.

  “In case it's not a ghost, and she doesn't want her mystery revealed,” Rebekah said in a serious tone. “If someone is crazy enough to pretend to be a ghost, then they will probably be crazy enough to attack.”

  “I don't know about that,” Mouse frowned. “But I think it would be fun to play baseball with a ghost!”

  Rebekah sighed and shook her head as she walked out of the house.

  "So do you really think we can catch a ghost?" Mouse asked as he and Rebekah crept along the side of the house.

  "Maybe not a ghost," Rebekah said quietly as she narrowed her eyes. "But whatever is pretending to be a ghost."

  "Even after everything we learned about, and all you have seen, you still don't believe it's a ghost?" Mouse said with a sharp shake of his head. "You are a stubborn one Rebekah."

  "I just think it is important to remember that there is usually an explanation for everything," Rebekah explained firmly. "Of course it is easy to say it is a ghost, and run. But it is much harder to figure out what it really is, and how we can get it to stop spooking me in the middle of the night," she added. A yawn proved that she had not been getting much sleep.

  "I can't have a ghost, even a pretend ghost, prancing through my back yard in the middle of the night," Rebekah explained. She crouched down behind some bushes and pulled out her video camera. Even if she couldn't catch the pretend ghost, she was going to record it!

  Rebekah checked the camera and made sure it would record. She set it up so that it would record continuously while they waited.

  With the camera recording they settled back in the bushes. It would not be long before the moon was high in the sky, and the streetlights offered plenty of light from the road. It was still very spooky, since they were waiting on a ghost.

  "Do you think it will see us?" Mouse asked fearfully.

  "Yes," Rebekah said firmly. "And if it does, it will surely turn us into ghosts," she grinned.

  "Really?" Mouse shivered. "I don't want to be a ghost."

  "No silly," Rebekah laughed. "Even if it is a ghost," she paused and looked him in the eye. "Which I am sure it isn't, but even if it is, they can't hurt us right? All of the books I’ve read have said that they are more scared of us than we are of them,"

  Mouse nodded quickly, he wanted to feel better about this, but the truth was, he thought they might be asking for more trouble than they could handle. He had brought with him his extra quiet pet mouse, Starla, who was huddled in the pocket of his jacket. He nervously fed her some cheese and crouched down beside Rebekah.

  "Well I guess we will find out what we are really dealing with, as soon as the sun goes down."

  "It could be awhile," Rebekah nodded. "There are a lot of ghosts, you know, ghost traffic is terrible this time of night."

  "Alright alright!" Mouse laughed and glanced at her. "You are just going to tease me forever about this aren't you?" he asked

  "Of course!" she replied and settled into the grass behind the bushes. She knew that they were in for a very long wait.

  Even though only a few minutes had passed, it was not long before they were both startled by the sound of someone approaching.

  "Who is it?" Mouse wondered as he peered through the darkness.

  "It's her!" Rebekah squealed when she saw the figure step into her yard.

  "Hide!" Mouse squeaked and ducked down further behind the bushes. Rebekah did too, but she kept her camera rolling.

  Chapter 7

  “It's no ghost at all!” Rebekah exclaimed as she crept closer to the slowly walking figure.

  “What is it then?” Mouse asked through clenched teeth.

  “Shh,” Rebekah warned him and crept closer to the woman. She did not touch her, but walked beside her. Mouse fell into step on the other side of the woman. They followed along closely behind, careful to walk very quietly.

  "Ma'am, can we help you?" Rebekah asked as she studied the woman's blank face.

  She did not answer.

  "Ma'am, can you tell us where you live?" Rebekah asked again, hoping for some kind of response. Again the woman just kept walking as if she didn't even hear Rebekah's voice.

  "Maybe she's sick," Mouse said quietly. He still wasn't convinced that she was not a ghost.

  "Let's just stay with her," Rebekah said. "Let's see where she goes."

  She walked all the way across the backyard, and then paused at the fence. She turned around, and began walking right back the other way.

  "She's acting so strange," Mouse frowned. "Do you think we should call for help?"

  "Let's see where she's going," Rebekah said quietly. "If we go inside to call for help, she might be gone by the time we get back."

  "That's true," Mouse said as they continued to walk beside the woman. She walked right down Rebekah's driveway and started to step into the street. There were two cars coming from either direction, but the woman never even checked before she put a foot down on the street.

  "No!" Rebekah cried out. She grasped the woman's hand and tugged her back from the street just before the car would have hit her.

  "Ma'am, didn't you see that car?" she asked. The woman didn't even blink. Now she was sure they needed to stay with her, as she was obviously not acting very safely.

  The woman tried again to cross the street. Luckily this time there were no cars in her path. She walked right across to the other side and then paused for just a moment. She turned to the right and began walking along the sidewalk again. This time she almost walked right into a loose dog. The dog began barking furiously.

  “Shh,” Rebekah commanded without any trace of fear. Mouse had hidden behind her. The dog whimpered and ran off. Even though the dog had made such a terrible racket, the woman was still walking, and staring, just as calmly.

  “This is really weird,” Rebekah muttered. The woman walked past another few houses, before she turned on to a driveway. Rebekah hesitated. She did not know the people who lived in the house. She wasn't sure if they should follow.

  “What do you think Mouse?” she asked. “Should we follow her?”

  Before Mouse could answer, his jacket pocket rustled. The little white friend he had toted along with him suddenly escaped. It scooted across the ground right after the woman.

  “I think that's our answer!” he laughed and chased after the mouse. Rebekah chased after him. They all ended up on the porch of the house, just as the door swung open.

  Chapter 8

  “What are you doing out here?” a surly man demanded.

  “Sorry sir,” Mouse said quickly as he snatched up the mouse.

  “So sorry,” Rebekah added as
she stepped back toward the stairs.

  “No, no, not you,” he said in a lighter tone. “I've been looking for mother all evening, and I-” he trailed off as he looked at the woman's face. “Oh no, she's done it again!” he groaned. He blew the candle out quickly.

  “Done what?” Rebekah asked curiously.

  “Is she a ghost?” Mouse asked with very little tact.

  “Excuse me?” the man asked with surprise. “My name is Mr. Lyle,” he added as he smiled at the two children. “I'm sorry if I frightened you, or if mother did.”

  “No of course not,” Rebekah shook her head. “I wasn't scared,” she said firmly. Mouse tried not to smirk, as he knew just how scared she had been.

  “You should know that she almost walked into traffic,” Rebekah said calmly. “Then she almost tripped right over a loose dog.”

  “Oh dear,” Mr. Lyle shook his head. “I'm so glad you were there, thank you for helping her,” Mr. Lyle said with relief. He wrapped a blanket around the woman's shoulders to keep her warm. “My mother just moved in with us, and she has a little problem.”

  The woman's eyes fluttered slowly, and then opened all the way. She glanced at all the people around her with confusion.

  “Where am I?” she asked with surprise.

  “It's okay Mom,” Mr. Lyle said. “You were sleep walking again. These kind children helped you to get back home.”

  “Oh dear,” his mother sighed and shook her head. “I'm so sorry for causing trouble. In new places I always end up sleep walking. It's not something that I can control.”

  Rebekah was amazed that their ghost had turned into a sleep walking woman. She did not believe in ghosts but she never guessed that the figure would turn out to be sleep walking.

  “Ma'am, you could have really been hurt,” Rebekah said carefully. She didn't want to upset the woman, but she also didn't want her to get hurt. “You walked right into the street!”

  “I am so lucky you kids were there,” she gushed. “I just have a hard time keeping in bed when I am sleeping,” she sighed. “I always have.”

  “Well I promise to keep an eye out for you,” Rebekah offered kindly.

  “And I promise to hide the candles,” Mr. Lyle said. “But we will do our best to make sure that she doesn't wander off in her sleep anymore!”

  After they chatted for a few more minutes, Mr. Lyle and his mother thanked them again. Rebekah and Mouse started to walk back to Rebekah's house. As they did they noticed a car stopped a few blocks ahead of them. The two men from the library had their camera out and were recording something in the trees.

  “Oh maybe it's a real ghost!” Mouse said happily. “Let's go see.”

  “No such thing-” she gulped as Mouse grabbed her by the hand and made her run toward the two men. When they skidded to a stop beside them, Mouse was out of breath.

  “What, what, are you looking at?” he asked hopefully.

  “Can you see it?” one of the men asked, his eyes wide as he pointed up into the tree branches.

  “What?” Mouse asked with a frown. Even Rebekah was curious as she looked up into the branches.

  “The most beautiful bird I have ever seen,” the other man said. All four of them looked up into the branches and smiled at the sight of a bright blue bird nestled on a branch.

  “I thought it would be a ghost,” Mouse said with a sigh.

  “It is good to look out for the supernatural,” the man with the camera said. “But it is also very important to never miss out on the natural.”

  Next Steps

  This book is part of the children’s series, “Rebekah - Girl Detective”.

  I’d really love to hear from you!

  I very much appreciate your reviews and comments so thank you in advance for taking a moment to leave one for “Ghost Hunting”.

  You can join Rebekah’s fun Facebook page for young detectives here:

  http://www.facebook.com/RebekahGirlDetective

  Sincerely,

  PJ Ryan

  Now Available in Audio

  Rebekah - Girl Detective #4: Ghost Hunting is now available as an audiobook!

  You can listen to a free sample here:

  http://pjryanbooks.com/books/ghost-hunting/

  More audio versions coming soon!

  Visit the author website at:

  PJRyanBooks.com

  Please enjoy the following preview for #5 Grown-Ups Out To Get Us?!

  Chapter 1

  There was mystery afoot in Rebekah's tiny town, and she was determined to solve it. She had already been at it for a few days. It had all started when the local policeman, James Todd started handing out tickets to everyone who walked across the street. He claimed it was jaywalking and that people must cross at the crosswalk. Of course there was a brand new crosswalk too. But why? It did not lead to anywhere special, just across the street. Something seemed very strange about the fact that Officer Todd was so firm about not crossing the street.

  Not only that but all of the shops along the street were cleaning their windows. They were painting their storefronts. Some had even gotten new flashy bright signs.

  "Something strange is happening here," Rebekah thought as she watched another group of painters head for the last shop on the corner. Everyone was so busy, as if they were getting ready for something. Or the town just decided to freshen up and make some changes.

  All of the adults she passed would stop talking as she approached, and then whisper as she walked by. She tried listening in on a few conversations but she could not seem to sneak up and go undetected. Something was very fishy and she was determined to find out what it was, even if it would mean venturing into the dark and dangerous world of the adults. All of the secrecy made her think that there was something very sinister going on.

  She stopped to ask one of the teachers from the school Mr. Winston, who was speaking quietly with the owner of the hardware shop.

  “Mr. Winston why is everyone acting so strange?” Mr. Winston quieted down really fast when he heard Rebekah's voice.

  “Oh Rebekah,” he said quickly. “Don't you have homework you should be doing?” he asked.

  Rebekah stared at the teacher, her eyes wide. “Mr. Winston it's summer time.”

  “Oh, right,” Mr. Winston scratched at the top of his head. “Well, it's never too soon to get ready for the school year. You should go home and do some review.”

  Rebekah gasped and shook her head. “I'm going, I'm going,” she said quickly, afraid that Mr. Winston might assign her some extra summer homework. As she hurried away she heard the two men begin to whisper again. By the time she got home, she was sure that there was more than a mystery afoot, there was a plot!

  Chapter 2

  At dinner, her parents were extra quiet.

  “I was in town today,” Rebekah started to say.

  “You shouldn't go into town by yourself,” her father warned.

  “Really Rebekah, you shouldn't be so nosy,” her mother said.

  “What?” Rebekah said as her fork clanged down against her plate. “I'm always allowed to go into town and I didn't even say anything about being nosy.”

  “Rebekah,” both of her parents said at once. “Leave the grown-ups alone!”

  Rebekah sat back in her chair and stared at her parents as if they had been replaced by aliens. Both were looking so sternly at her when she had not even done anything wrong. Her parents knew how much she liked to be a detective, and they had always understood. Now they were acting as if she should not even be allowed out of the house!

  “Eat your peas,” her father said.

  “Eat more of your meat,” her mother said.

  But Rebekah wasn't really hungry any more.

  Chapter 3

  The next day Rebekah went down to the fire station to see if any of the firemen were acting suspicious too. The fire station was one of her favorite places to spend time. The firemen were always very friendly. Sometimes they would even let her take the dalmatian for a
walk. When she arrived she hoped they would at least be happy to see her. In fact, they were acting very suspicious. All of the firemen were scrubbing the station and washing the fire trucks.

  "What are you guys doing?" Rebekah asked with a frown. She knew it was not truck washing day, or she and her friend Mouse would have been there to help. They always volunteered to tidy up around the station and help out when the big trucks needed to be washed.

  "No time to talk now Rebekah," Mitch one of the firefighters said. "We are too busy."

  “But I-” Rebekah started to say.

  “Go,” Steve another firefighter said and pointed to the door. “We have too much to do today Rebekah, we can't talk.”

  Rebekah hung her head and turned away.

  Discouraged, Rebekah left the fire station. She walked along the sidewalk, sniffling to herself and muttering about mean firefighters until she reached the library. Here things were just as odd. The library was getting a good power wash and new decorations in the windows. The parking lot had freshly painted lines for parking spaces. All very very odd. Mrs. Peters the librarian was standing outside of the library, watching the power washing. Rebekah stopped beside her and waited until the loud machine turned off.

  “Oh it's beautiful!” Mrs. Peters clapped her hands happily.

  “But why?” Rebekah asked from beside her. Because the machine had been so loud Mrs. Peters had not even heard Rebekah step up beside her.

  “Oh Rebekah!” Mrs. Peters said crossly. “You should not sneak up on people!”

  Rebekah sighed heavily. She was getting very tired of everyone being upset with her, just for asking a question or two. “I'm sorry Mrs. Peters,” she said. “I was just wondering why the library is getting a bath.”