“Oh yeah! The ghosts!” Olly said.
“What ghosts?” Ridley snorted.
Olly jumped up and down, excited. “Word has spread all week that the Grand Oak Resort is being haunted.”
“Haunted?” Carter asked. “By who?”
“Or should we ask by what?” corrected Theo.
“Come closer, and we’ll tell you the tale,” Izzy cooed, making her voice low and dramatic. “Our friends on the maintenance staff have seen and heard things in the old abandoned wing of the main lodge—strange things.”
“’Tis true,” said Olly, mimicking his sister’s tone. “Things that they cannot explain! In recent weeks, staff has heard voices and seen shadows moving about within the building. Only problem is—the abandoned wing has been locked up tight for years.”
Theo and Leila both shivered from a sudden chill.
“Yeah, right,” Ridley said. “That’s hardly evidence of ghosts.”
A nearby door banged open and the kids all jumped. “Whew. No ghost,” Izzy said. “Just Dean, the bellhop.”
A thin old man wearing a droopy green hotel uniform was dragging an old mop behind him. “Dean!” Olly called.
The old bellhop looked at the Misfits as Izzy waved him over. “You’ve heard the rumors about the ghosts of the Grand Oak Resort, right?”
“Oh yeah!” said Dean. “It’s got everyone pretty spooked. Some of the maids are superstitious and too scared to go near the old wing. Mr. Arnold, the manager, is at his wit’s end. He’s already threatened to fire some of them if they don’t do their jobs.”
“And just who are these supposed ghosts?” asked Ridley, still doubtful.
“Can’t say, ’cause I don’t know. What I do know is that a bunch of bad stuff happened in that old wing. That’s why it’s still closed to this day.” Dean looked over his shoulder as if to see whether anyone was watching him. “Long time ago, there was a fire in the rear wing. Lots of damage. Think someone got hurt. Cops never found out who did it, but rumor is that crazy guy who runs the magic shop in town started it with some of his friends back when they were kids.”
“What?!” Leila gasped. “That crazy guy is my dad!”
Dean’s face flushed as red as the roses in the garden across the lawn. “Pardon me, miss. Didn’t mean no offense.”
Carter glanced at the group. “Wait a second. Mr. Vernon started the fire?”
“It’s all just talk,” Dean said, unsure. “The hotel rebuilt the wing, but soon after that, there were horrible rains, and the roof didn’t hold up. Water damage. They did repairs, but after that was an attack of black mold. Followed by termites, mice, spiders, you name it. Like the place was cursed. Finally, the owners decided to just wall off the whole thing and use it as storage. One day, I hear, they’ll try to open the wing again, but I doubt it’ll happen anytime soon. After all this time, there’s pro’ly all kinds of ghosts in there.” His face dropped, as if he suddenly realized that he was talking with a bunch of kids, and he added, “But if anyone asks you—you didn’t hear any of that from me!”
“Later, Dean,” said Olly, waving as the bellhop walked away slowly, dragging his mop with him. “The old guy sure does like to gossip.”
“Do you really think my dad had something to do with the fire?” Leila asked.
“No way,” Carter said. “Sounds like a hoax to me.”
“But what about the ghosts?” Theo asked. “Perhaps the Magic Misfits should look into it.”
Ridley threw her hands in the air. “Ghosts aren’t real!”
“Remember what Mr. Vernon said,” Carter noted. “It’s not whether magic is real or not. It’s what you believe. Same applies to ghosts.”
“Fine, in that case, the Misfits absolutely should investigate,” said Ridley with a look of intrigue.
“What if we do find ghosts?” Izzy asked. “That’ll make the Grand Oak even more famous. Hey! What do they serve for breakfast at a haunted hotel?”
Olly guessed, “Ghost toast!”
Izzy nodded, adding, “With boo-berry jam!”
“I hope the hotel is haunted,” said Olly.
“It would bring in even more guests to see us perform,” Izzy added.
“Not if the staff is fired for being superstitious,” Carter said. “I don’t like the idea of anyone getting fired for being afraid. We should look into it and get to the bottom of this nonsense.”
Ridley saw that Leila was looking at the ground. “Hey, buck up, Leila. I’m sure that old Dean doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
“I don’t know. My dad always seems to have so many secrets.…” Leila whispered.
“So let’s look into the ghosts. And maybe we’ll learn more about the fire.”
“Great idea,” Leila said, finally smiling again. “It would be horrible if anyone at the Grand Oak had to lose their job because they’re too scared to work here.” Leila clapped as a brilliant idea burst forth. “We should ask Sandra to talk to the ghosts. She can ask them to leave. If there’s one thing people in Mineral Wells love, it’s a show.”
“And pizza,” said Olly. “People in Mineral Wells are crazy about pizza.”
“And ice cream,” said Izzy. “People in Mineral Wells just ado-oore—”
“A show,” Ridley interrupted. “Good idea, Leila. What room did Sandra say she was staying in?”
ELEVEN
“Sandra Santos speaking,” said the voice through the receiver.
“Hi, Sandra! It’s Leila calling from the lobby downstairs.”
“Leila! What a surprise! I was just thinking about you. Would you like to come up for some tea? I could read your leaves!”
“That’s the thing,” Leila answered. “My friends and I were wondering if you wouldn’t mind coming down instead. There’s something going on in the rear wing that we need your help with.”
By the time Leila went outside again, a small crowd of employees and guests had gathered on the back patio. Everyone was whispering to one another, intrigued. Leila leaned into Carter’s ear and said, “Where’d all these people come from?”
Carter shrugged. “While you were on the phone with Sandra, Dean the bellhop was telling the other employees that there was going to be a séance and word spread quickly. I guess he was eavesdropping on us.”
“Children!” Sandra called from across the patio, holding her arms out as if she might scoop them all up into an enormous hug. Today, Sandra was dressed in a floor-length chartreuse paisley caftan. A green teardrop-shaped gem dangled in the center of her forehead from a gold-colored headband that pinched her hair into a funny mushroom. “Thank you for calling me! You know, I always believed this old place was haunted.”
Sandra indicated the rear wing of the lodge. “The séance is going to be so enlightening. And fun!”
“Talking to ghosts is fun?” Ridley asked.
“Helping people is fun,” said Sandra, looking at the crowd, which was continuing to grow. They were all staring at the glamorous-looking woman in the paisley caftan. It turned out that Olly was right: Dean the bellhop was quite the gossip. Sandra pretended to not notice the crowd. “I think we can all agree that’s a good thing, no?”
Ridley actually blushed and then nodded.
Leila couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. She grabbed Sandra by the hand and led her to the side. “Sandra, can you tell us about the fire? I heard a rumor that my dad started it with his friends. Was it the Emerald Ring?”
Sandra grimaced and shook her head. “I know nothing about that. But if there was a fire, I highly doubt Dante would have had anything to do with it. Now, we have a crowd waiting. Let’s get started, shall we?”
Leila’s throat swelled with embarrassment; she shouldn’t have mentioned it. Not here, not now.
Sandra looked up at the building’s facade. Curtains were drawn across most of the windows, and a blackness stared down at them from the windows that were open. Despite the humidity of the afternoon, Leila felt a brisk chill sweep across
her skin. Sandra squinted, as if to show that she wasn’t afraid, which made Leila feel somewhat better.
Sandra grappled with the knob of the back door, but it appeared to be locked. “Does anyone have the key?”
Key? Leila thought. The pendant under her shirt felt cool against her sternum. Could this be the moment that Sandra had predicted? Was Leila wearing the tool that would somehow open the lodge’s back door? But she didn’t need a key to do that, she thought—the lucky lock-picks in her pocket would do the job just as easily. Leila wouldn’t dare work on this lock in front of a crowd, though. People might start to think she was a burglar.
“Here!” Dean stepped forward, holding up his hand. He rattled a large key ring before opening the door and stepping aside. A dank aroma wafted out. It made Leila think of the closets at Mother Margaret’s Home.
Sandra approached the entry. Clasping the two sides of the door frame, she stiffened her spine, as if something inside was affecting her in a profound way. “Oh yes, there are definitely spirits here. I hear them calling out. Do you?” she asked the gathering people. A general murmur rose up. Leila couldn’t tell if they were agreeing or disagreeing. Personally, Leila didn’t hear any sounds other than the wind through the trees and a train horn calling out in the distance. Turning to the Misfits, Sandra added, “Come. I need the assistance of my new friends. Our connection will only help build up the energy needed to connect with the beyond.”
Leila glanced at the others. Ridley wore a skeptical grimace. Carter looked curious. Theo looked puzzled, as if he needed to see and hear more before making up his mind. Olly and Izzy both tittered with excitement. Leila felt a mix of all their emotions. Together, the group stepped toward the door. Sandra had them stand in a circle and clasp hands. She told them, “I need you to concentrate. Listen and be still.” She closed her eyes and began to speak. “Dear friends who are lost and wandering… hear me. Send me a sign.”
The crowd started to whisper and point up at the windows. From the corner of her eye, Leila thought she saw movement behind some of the panes without curtains, but when she looked fully, she realized the windows were empty. Chills tickled her whole body.
“It is a truth, universally acknowledged,” Sandra said, “that we create a home where we feel the greatest safety, the greatest comfort. And so it follows that the spirits might think of this hotel as their home. I don’t blame them. Who among us would like to never leave the Grand Oak?” The crowd laughed, and several hands shot up. “But in order for this wonderful hotel to continue with business as usual, I must ask these troublesome spirits to consider moving on.”
At once, some of the windows overlooking the rear patio began to shake and rattle in their frames. A murmur rose among the crowd, and Leila’s jaw dropped in awe.
Ridley looked up at the building, one eyebrow raised, as if she was trying to figure out Sandra’s trick. Leila wanted to believe it was real. If it was a trick, it was a well-planned one.
“Don’t be angry!” Sandra shouted, throwing back her head, as if in thrall to the spirit world. “This is for your own good! Find your light in the darkness.” The windows rattled even harder. “Walk on! Step into the glow! Into the warmth! Find your loved ones there! They will help you create your new home!”
Several flares flashed behind the darkened windows. The crowd screamed. And Sandra shuddered, flinging herself to the ground in the center of the Misfit circle, landing on her hands and knees. The kids gave her space, as if she too might burst into a bright white light.
There was a long moment where Sandra shook as though she were experiencing a personal earthquake. Leila was on the verge of stopping the séance, but Sandra raised her hand, asking her to wait.
A moment later, Sandra calmed. She lifted her head. Her face looked slack, exhausted. She stood and brushed herself off, then turned to look up at the abandoned wing. “They heeded my plea,” she told her audience. “Your hotel is now ghost-free!”
The crowd began to cheer. Theo and the Golden twins clapped vigorously, but not as much as Leila, who clapped the hardest.
The applause ended when an angry voice called out from the back of the patio, “What is the meaning of all this?!”
TWELVE
The crowd parted and a small man in a white suit stepped forward. Leila recognized the hotel’s manager immediately—Mr. Arnold. He wore his dark hair parted precisely down the center of his scalp. His face always boiled red, even when he wasn’t angry. He looked around at the members of his staff who were standing in the crowd. They glanced down and spread out, trying to avoid his gaze.
“Well?!” he demanded. “What is this?”
“Hi, Mr. Arnold,” said Izzy, waving as if she could simply shoo away his temper with a flick of her wrist. “Madame Esmeralda was doing a séance to get rid of the ghosts that were haunting the rear wing of the lodge. She’s incredible!”
“Ghosts? Who said anything about ghosts?” Mr. Arnold scanned the crowd, making sure that none of the guests appeared disturbed.
“Madame Esmeralda is actually quite famous,” said Theo. “She performs all across the country. In front of huge crowds!”
The hotel guests who’d been watching let out a cheer. Mr. Arnold seemed to bask in the applause, as if he were the one who’d just done something incredible. Several women approached Sandra and asked her if she would be “performing” again before the end of the weekend. A couple others inquired about private readings. Sandra reached into her sleeve and handed them what looked like business cards. After seeing these interactions, the manager’s expression changed from shock and frustration to smooth gratitude.
He shook Sandra’s hand. “It just so happens that our headliner two nights from now has canceled,” Mr. Arnold whispered to her. “I would be honored if you would fill in.”
Sandra beamed. “I’d be thrilled!”
Mr. Arnold clapped his hands. “Wonderful!” he exclaimed. “I’ll have my team start advertising the show immediately. After what you did just now and the way people talk in this town, the house is sure to be packed.” With a wide grin, he turned and engaged with the resort guests.
“This is so exciting!” said Leila. “We get to see you on stage here at the Grand Oak!”
“It all worked out perfectly,” said Theo.
“And I have you to thank,” Sandra said to the Misfits. “Seems to me as though you six might just be better at this than my agent! Well then, if I’m to put together a show, I’d better start getting prepared. See you all very soon!” And with that, she twirled her caftan and started back up the path toward the main entrance.
“What just happened?” Ridley asked, looking baffled.
“Magic?” asked Carter.
Ridley went on, “But should we believe it? I have my doubts.”
Leila smacked her lips. “Right now, I believe that I’m really thirsty. Let’s go see Poppa in the kitchen. I can’t wait to tell him what just happened.”
“Oops!” Olly cried. One of the mice had crawled out of his vest pocket and scrambled up to his shoulder.
“Gotcha!” said Izzy, snatching up the rodent and cradling it like a baby. The other mouse peeked out of Izzy’s vest pocket as if to see what was going on. “Look how adorable they are! Maybe the Other Mr. Vernon can give them some water too.”
“I think we should call them Ozzy and Illy,” said Ozzy.… (I mean, Olly.)
“That might get confusing,” said Illy.… (I mean, Izzy.)
Izzy was correct. It did get confusing.
In the resort kitchen, the kids found the Other Mr. Vernon pouring what would become little chocolate soufflés into individual ramekins.
“Hey, Mr. V,” Carter said. “Could we have some lemonade?”
“Of course, help yourselves.”
“Poppa!” Leila practically shouted as she hugged her father. “You’ll never guess what just happened!”
“You are absolutely correct,” he said with a tilt of his chef’s hat. “But I hope you’
ll tell me.”
Words burst forth from Leila’s mouth. As she told him about the events of the last hour, Carter poured everyone glasses of ice-cold lemonade. When Leila finished her story, her poppa looked impressed. He enveloped her in a great big bear hug. “Sandra must be so pleased. I bet she’ll save you the best seats in the house.”
“I am intrigued to see what else she can do,” said Theo.
“But let’s talk about what she did do,” said Ridley.
“Or do did!” said Olly.
“Doo-did-skee-bop-a-diddle-doodle-doo!” Izzy improvised.
Ridley rolled her eyes at the twins, and they quieted, suddenly interested in what was in their vest pockets. “There were a bunch of flashing lights behind the curtains,” said Ridley. “Don’t you think she could’ve controlled those somehow, with, I don’t know, electricity?”
“I’ll bet she had some helpers,” said Carter.
“But who?” asked Leila. “Sandra didn’t say anything about bringing a whole group of people to Mineral Wells with her.”
“Perhaps Sandra set it all up herself,” Theo suggested. “I imagine she could have used ropes or maybe wires to manipulate the windows.”
Though Leila usually loved debunking tricksters and questioning illusions, she found herself getting strangely aggravated. Sandra was so worldly and fashionable and fun; Leila wished the Misfits would give her the benefit of their doubts. Leila found herself on the edge of telling her friends to stop it, when the Other Mr. Vernon said, “What are those?!”
He pointed his spoon at the mouse noses peeking out from Olly’s and Izzy’s pockets. “Um… certainly not mice,” Olly said.
“Out of my kitchen!” the Other Mr. Vernon demanded. “I love you kids, but you have health-code violation written all over your new pocket friends. Out, please!”
“Thanks for the lemonade,” Carter said, pushing Olly and Izzy toward the exit.
“Love you, Poppa,” Leila added, following the group to the lounge area beyond the kitchen doors.