Read Online Danger at the Fair by Peg Kehret - Free Book Online Page A

escape route but Mitch stood between Corey and the stairs. Corey looked around him, forced a wide smile onto his face, and waved, pretending that someone had just joined them on the platform.
    When Mitch turned to see who Corey was waving at, Corey made a dash for the steps.
    As Corey darted past Mitch toward the top of the steps, two strong hands clamped down on his shoulders.
    “Hey!” Corey squeaked.
    Mitch spun Corey around, lifted him like a rag doll, and dropped him into one of the boats. Even if Corey had been able to make a sound, it happened too fast for him to say anything.
    Corey landed with a
thunk
in the bottom of the boat. As he sat up, he saw the thief put his arm on Tucker’s shoulder.
    “Nice try, kid,” Tucker said, “but you can’t trick Mitch Lagrange that easily.”
    They laughed while Tucker pulled a large lever.
    The River of Fear ride started. The boat Corey was in sped forward past the left end of the platform and into the enclosed part of the ride. Corey knelt at the bottom of the boat, clutching the sides.
    Seconds later, he began his death-defying descent down Whiplash Waterfall.

CHAPTER
9
    “ GRANDPA ?” Ellen whispered. “Are you here?”
    Tick. Tick. Tick. Ellen had never noticed before that the clock on her bedside table made such a loud noise. She tried to ignore it, concentrating on the pencil and paper in her hands.
    “If you can hear me, Grandpa, I need your help. I got a message today and I have to know if it is from you. If it is, could you please send me some sort of sign?”
    Tick. Tick. Tick.
    Ellen waited, hardly breathing. Surely, if Grandpa could hear her, he would grant her request. He would let her know, somehow, that he was there.
    “I love you, Grandpa, and I miss you. We all do. It would help us a lot if you could send me a sign, to let me know you hear me.”
    The pencil was still.
    Ellen sighed, opened her eyes, and looked at the clock. Six-fifteen. She had been trying for nearly half an hour withoutsuccess. She pushed her chair away from her desk and stood up. Prince, Ellen’s dog, woke up, stretched, and came over and sat beside Ellen. He lifted one paw, the way he did when Ellen told him to shake hands.
    Absentmindedly, Ellen reached down to shake Prince’s paw but as her hand closed around his foot, she stopped. Grandpa had taught Prince that trick. When the rest of the family had despaired of ever teaching Prince anything more than “sit” and “stay,” Grandpa had worked with him day after day until Prince finally caught on. Whenever Grandpa came to visit, Prince always ran to him and shook hands.
    Was that the sign? Had Grandpa told Prince to shake just now, or had Prince merely held up his paw to get Ellen’s attention?
    Feeling unsteady, Ellen put one hand on her dresser for support. She immediately pulled back when she realized her hand had inadvertently landed on the silver elephant that Grandpa gave her for Christmas last year.
    “His trunk is up,” he had told her, “which means he’s holding good luck. Good luck for you.”
    Ellen thought she had never seen anything so exquisite. The lines in the elephant’s hide, the tiny tail, the eyes—everything was perfect. She had worn it daily, until the accident. She had not worn it since. Why was her hand drawn to it now?
    “Ellen! Dinner’s ready.” Ellen jumped at the sound of her mother’s voice.
    My nerves are shot, she realized, as she headed toward the kitchen, with Prince at her heels.
    “I certainly didn’t think Mrs. Warren would keep Corey and Nicholas at the fair this late,” Mrs. Streater said, as she dished up salad. “They’ve been gone since nine this morning.”
    “You know how boys are,” Mr. Streater said. “They probably begged to go on every ride.”
    “When I saw them, they looked like they were having a great time,” Ellen said. “They didn’t even stay to watch the sheep show.”
    “Do you know what Corey told me last night?” Mr. Streater said. “He