Read Online The Mystery at the Haunted House by David A. Adler - Free Book Online Page A

down the road toward the parachute ride.

    Aunt Katie brushed off her clothes. Uncle George helped her.
    â€œAre you hurt?” Eric asked.
    Aunt Katie smiled and said, “No, I’m fine. Let’s go to the next ride. Let’s go to the Haunted House.”
    â€œOh, yes,” Eric said. “I like to be scared.”
    Cam puffed out her cheeks. She held her hands over her head, waved them, and yelled, “Boo!”
    Uncle George held his hands to his heart. Aunt Katie said, “Oh, my!”
    Eric said, “They’re just being nice. You’re not scary at all.”
    â€œWell, then, let’s go to the Haunted House,” Aunt Katie said. “I’m sure it will be very scary.”

Chapter Two
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    C am , Eric, Aunt Katie, and Uncle George walked up the road to the left.
    â€œWa! Wa!”
    â€œOh, look, there’s a baby crying,” Cam said. She and Eric walked quickly ahead.
    â€œWhy are you crying?” Cam asked the little girl.
    â€œWa! Wa!”
    â€œShe lost her balloon,” the child’s mother said. “It’s caught in the tree. I tied it to her stroller. Somehow it came off.”
    Cam said, “If I stand on the bench, maybe I can reach it.”
    â€œYou might fall,” Aunt Katie said. “I think you should call one of the guards.”
    â€œWe could get a ladder,” Eric said.
    Uncle George turned his cane around. With the curved end he caught the loop on the string and pulled the balloon down. He gave it to the child.

    â€œOh, thank you,” the child’s mother said.
    Uncle George touched his cap, smiled, and walked ahead.
    â€œHe doesn’t talk much, does he,” Eric whispered to Cam.
    â€œUncle George says it’s a noisy world. He says most people talk too much and too loud.”
    â€œOh, my,” Aunt Katie said. The teenage boys were skating toward them. Aunt Katie and Uncle George went quickly to the side of the road and let them skate past.
    â€œThey shouldn’t be allowed to race around here like that,” Aunt Katie said.
    Cam, Eric, Aunt Katie, and Uncle George walked to the Haunted House. They waited at the end of a long line outside the entrance.
    A group was let into the house. Cam, Eric, and the others moved forward until they were near a large sign. Cam read it aloud.
    WARNING.
SMALL CHILDREN AND
NERVOUS ADULTS KEEP OUT!
INSIDE ARE SUDDEN
NOISES AND SCARY EFFECTS.
ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.
    â€œMaybe we should try the merry-go-round instead,” Aunt Katie said.
    â€œWe’re not small children,” Eric told her. “We’re ten years old.”
    â€œI want to go in,” Cam said as she ran her fingers through her hair. She has what people call bright red hair, even though it is more orange than red. Eric’s hair is dark brown.
    The exit door opened. A girl holding her mother’s hand came out smiling. “That was great,” she said.
    A few more people came out. They were smiling, talking, and laughing. Then a woman in a blue dress came out holding her hand to her chest. “That was scary,” she said. “I was never so scared in all my life.”
    Cam, Eric, and the others watched her walk to a bench and sit down.
    â€œShe looks terrible,” Aunt Katie said. “Maybe we shouldn’t go in.”

    The entrance door opened. The guard standing there said, “Let’s go. Move ahead. We have room inside for a few more people.”
    Cam, Eric, and the others moved closer to the entrance.
    â€œAre you together?” the guard asked.
    â€œYes,” Cam said.
    â€œOK. All four of you can go in. The rest of you will have to wait.”
    The door closed behind Cam, Eric, Aunt Katie, and Uncle George. It was dark inside the house. They followed dim purple lights past a painting with moving eyes.
    A low, deep voice said, “Welcome to my home.”
    â€œOh, my,” Aunt Katie said.
    Plastic