The Haunted Carousel Read online

  Custers, the Haunted House, George looked at the other two teenagers and sighed, “Wow, I give up. I’m bushed.”

  “Anyhow,” her cousin Bess pointed out, “it’s time for dinner.”

  As Nancy and George laughed, the plump girl—who was often teased about her appetite —blushed but chuckled good-naturedly. “Well, it is. And remember, we have to cook it on the houseboat.”

  Bess and George’s uncle, Mr. Custer, had rented the houseboat during his vacation from his office job and had come downriver on it with his family to visit their relatives in River Heights. Tonight Bess and George were to stay with the three children on the boat while their parents dined with the Faynes and Marvins.

  “Come on, Nancy! You’ve got to see the boat to believe it. It’s such fun to live on,” George said.

  “You bet!” little Janet chimed in. “I wish we could live on it all the time.”

  “Yeah, it’s great,” her brother Gary added. While they chatted, the group was walking out of the amusement-ride area and through the adjoining woodland on their way to the marina at the edge of Riverside Park. As they approached the dock in the late-afternoon sun-shine, Janet burst out, “Look, there’s someone on our boat! . . . It’s a man!”

  Wide-eyed, the girls saw a figure silhouetted -against the lowering sun. As they watched, he disappeared on the other side of the houseboat. “I’ll go for help,” Bess said nervously.

  “All right. And you three stay here, please, while George and I see what’s going on,” N ancy told the Custers. She picked up a small but hefty rock, while George found a broken tree branch.

  Determinedly, the two girls began to walk out on the dock toward the houseboat, their hearts pounding!

  3. Night Watch

  The deck of the houseboat lay almost on a level with the dock. As they reached the craft, George shot a quizzical glance at Nancy, who put a finger to her lips. Then both girls stepped aboard.

  With her lips close to George’s ear, Nancy whispered that she would tiptoe around the bow of the boat, while George went around the stern. “That way,” she added, “we’ll close in on him from two directions at once, and he won't be able to deal with both of—”

  Nancy broke off with a start as a masculine voice suddenly shouted, “Boo!”

  George screamed and clutched her friend. Nancy whirled around. Both girls shrieked,

  “Ned!” at the sight of a tall, husky young man in a Western shirt and jeans, who had just leaped out at them from around a corner of the cabin. He was Nancy’s boyfriend, Ned Nickerson.

  Seeing how startled the girls were, he put an irm around each of them reassuringly and apologized, “Sorry—I didn’t really mean to scare the wits out of you.” When he noticed the rock -nd tree branch they were clutching, Ned .huckled. “Guess I’m the one who should have been scared. It might’ve been lights out if I’d gotten beaned with one of those!”

  When he had met the three little Custer children, and he and Nancy had been shown all over the houseboat, Ned said, “Actually, I didn’t just come down here to play bogeyman, Nancy. I went to your house first, and Hannah said I might find you here at the marina.”

  Bess, who had happily rejoined her friends after seeing who the intruder was, cut in, “Well, now that you’re here, you can stay and have dinner with us!”

  Ned, who had brown eyes and wavy, dark hair, replied with his usual ready smile. “It’s good of you to invite me after I played such a trick, but I really came to ask Nancy if she could switch our date from tomorrow night to tonight.”

  Turning to his friend, he added, “You see, I have to make a quick trip back to Emerson College to straighten out my program for the fall semester. There’s been a computer mixup on the courses I signed up for.”

  “Oh, tonight will be fine, Ned,” Nancy told him.

  “Well, you two are still welcome to stay,” George said with a mischievous grin, “but if I were you, Nancy, I wouldn’t.”

  Even Bess burst out laughing. “Neither would I, if you want the truth—especially because I know what we’ll be cooking tonight!”

  “I made reservations at the Rustlers’ Inn,” Ned said when the laughter died down, “but if—”

  “Say no more,” Nancy interrupted hastily. “Just lead the way!”

  In his own car, Ned trailed Nancy’s back to the Drew house, so she could change.

  “Gee, you look great just as you are, Nancy,” he protested as she started upstairs. “Everyone goes to the Rustlers’ Inn in jeans.”

  “I know, but I’d like to get a little more Western-looking,” Nancy responded with a chuckle. “And I want to freshen up a bit, too.” A* short time later, having changed into a blue-and-white checkered shirt and tied a red

  bandana around her neck, Nancy picked up her small shoulder bag and announced, “Ta-da! I’m ready.”

  Ned looked her over approvingly and grinned. "Guess I should’ve worn my Western boots!” At the inn, over thick, sizzling steaks, Nancy told Ned how reporter Rick Jason had chal- .raged her to solve the mystery of the haunted carousel.

  “I read about that in the newspaper,” Ned murmured, taking a forkful of crisp, green salad.

  “There must be some perfectly natural explanation, and I intend to find it,” Nancy declared. “But first I’d like to see it happen with my own eyes.”

  “Do you have any plan?”

  “Well, I thought I might keep watch on the park tonight.”

  “What if nothing happens?” Ned asked. “The carousel doesn’t go into its spooky routine every night, does it?”

  “No, you’re right,” Nancy admitted. “Unless I’m lucky, I may have to stake out the park several nights in a row. You wouldn’t want to join me on watch tonight, by any chance?”

  “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away! What’s more, I want you to promise me something.” “What’s that?” Nancy’s blue eyes twinkled.

  “That you’ll never go there late at night, unless I’m in River Heights so I can go with you,” Ned said earnestly. “Okay?”

  “Well . . . perhaps you’re right,” Nancy said as they started their apple pie and coffee. Ned didn’t realize that she had actually promised nothing.

  Later, after deciding on the best time to arrive at Riverside Park, Ned and Nancy left the restaurant and drove to a movie theater that was showing a horror film they had chosen to see. It had gotten rave reviews as a spine-chilling thriller.

  Two hours later, when the movie ended, they walked out of the theater laughing.

  “It wasn’t really very scary, did you think, Ned?”

  “Nope. Out of two hours’ playing time, there were about two minutes of shock. The rest was silly.”

  Laughing, they linked arms and sauntered to Ned’s car.

  “I’d like to stop home first and tell Dad where we’re going,” Nancy said. “And maybe pick up a sweater, too. Shall I bring one of Dad’s for you to wear, Ned?”

  “Thanks, but I have one in the car, Nancy. It

  might be a good idea to take along some night glasses, though. We can pick them up at my house on our way to the park.”

  "You mean binoculars?”

  Right. Mine are good for low-light and night

  surveillance. They’re used by the navy and coast guard,” Ned replied.

  Carson Drew was reading in his usual com- : fortable armchair in the living room when they arrived.

  “Well! Good to see you, Ned. Enjoy the movie, honey?” He gave Nancy a hug.

  “Mildly, Dad,” Nancy said, smiling at Ned. Then she told her father about the latest mystery she had undertaken to solve. “So, if it’s okay with you, Ned and I are going to the park tonight to see if the carousel goes on again when everything’s dark.”

  The distinguished attorney had long since learned to trust his daughter’s good judgment and quick-witted ability to deal with emergencies. “Very well,” he nodded. “If Ned’s with you, I won’t worry. But you two be careful!” Nancy changed into a pair of s
turdy casual shoes, then grabbed a sweater and an extra flashlight and left the house with Ned. The two stopped at his house to pick up the special

  binoculars before driving on to the park. It was about ten minutes to eleven when they reached their destination.

  “I think we’d better park the car in the public parking lot near the marina and walk back,” Ned remarked. “What do you think, Nancy?” “Good idea. It’ll be less conspicuous there after the park closes.”

  Closing time for the amusement area of Riverside Park was eleven o’clock. Customers were drifting out as Nancy and Ned approached, and the rides were shutting down, one by one.

  The amusement section was fenced off from the rest of the wooded park by a pipe-and-chain barrier. Nancy and Ned stayed outside this barrier and made their way along a darkened footpath to a clump of trees and shrubbery that afforded a clear view of the carousel.

  “Let’s wait in there,” Nancy suggested.

  The carousel was situated near the side of the park that overlooked the riverbank. Its lights were still on as the teenage sleuth and her companion made themselves comfortable in the hiding place she had chosen. The proprietor was busy counting his receipts for the evening, while his young assistant swept the platform and picked up candy wrappers and other debris with a spike.

  Nancy lounged on the grass and Ned leaned against a tree trunk, watching the amusement- park area grow dark as the lights were turned off one by one.

  Meanwhile, the carousel operator’s young assistant finished his chores, called good night to his boss, and left the park. A few minutes later, Leo Novak turned off the merry-go-round lights, and the two watchers saw him trudge off toward his trailer, which was parked near a few other vans and campers in which lived other park concessionaires.

  Finally, all was dark.

  “How long do you want to wait, Nancy?” Ned found himself speaking in a hushed voice.

  “I think if nothing has happened by—oh, say, one-thirty, we may as well leave. From what I’ve heard and read in the news reports, the carousel has never started up later than that.”

  They sat quietly and watched and waited. It was a lovely, starlit night and, with the crickets chirping, very peaceful. Nancy’s eyelids grew heavier minute by minute, and began to close.

  Suddenly, Ned nudged her awake. “Did you see something move over there?” he whispered, reaching for his binoculars.

  Nancy’s eyes widened quickly. “Yes! . . . Look, Ned!”

  Even without the night glasses, she could make out two dark figures heading toward the carousel. They stepped up on the outer edge of the merry-go-round, and Nancy saw them dimly silhouetted by a small glow of light, as if a flashlight had been turned on. After pausing for a moment, they began moving from horse to horse.

  “What the dickens are they up to?” Ned grumbled. “It’s hard to see with their backs turned.”

  He handed the binoculars to Nancy. As she focused on the two intruders, they stopped and now appeared to be centering their interest on one particular horse.

  An instant later, Nancy caught her breath as the lights of the carousel suddenly blazed on! Organ music churned loudly and the merry-go- round began to revolve!

  4. Danger in the Dark

  Nancy and Ned gaped in amazement. The effect was almost as if the carousel had magically come alive in the middle of the night!

  “What happened?” Ned exclaimed. “Did those two spooks start it up?”

  “No, they weren’t even near the controls! In fact, they almost fell off when the merry-go- round started turning! I think they were caught by surprise—and scared! Here, see for yourself, Ned!”

  Nancy handed him the binoculars. By now, a few lights were coming on in the park trailers as the carousel music blared out through the night stillness.

  The two dark figures abruptly fled!

  “I’m going after them!” Ned blurted. He -prang to his feet, leaped across the chain barrier enclosing the amusement area, and headed in pursuit. Nancy followed close behind.

  The two mysterious intruders were running away from the carousel in the opposite direction from Ned and Nancy’s stakeout position. So far, the only lights in the park were those turned on in the campers and trailers belonging to the concessionaires and ride operators. Already, the two fugitives were disappearing in the darkness.

  Nancy paused for a moment as Leo Novak came running up. Evidently, he had dressed in haste and had not even taken time to pull on a jacket or other top over his undershirt.

  He looked both startled and angry, but his eyes widened in surprise on seeing the pretty teenager. “Where did you come from?” he demanded.

  “A friend and I were keeping watch,” she said briefly, “over there among the trees.”

  “See anything?

  “Yes, two men came up to the carousel.”

  “Did they monkey with it?”

  “I don’t think so—at least not with the operat-

  ing machinery. They seemed to be interested in the horses. But you’d better make sure everything’s all right!”

  Without bothering to explain further, Nancy resumed running after Ned and the two intruders. Her last glimpse of the boy had been as he veered off to the left, behind the Ferris wheel. But now he, too, was no longer in sight.

  From the direction Ned had been heading, Nancy guessed that his pursuit of the fugitives must have taken him between the video-game arcade and a row of refreshment counters. She ran the same way.

  Beyond loomed an array of booths, stands, and rides that made up the gaudy heart of the park’s midway. Just now they were a maze of gloom and shadows.

  Where had Ned gone? Nancy could hear running footsteps somewhere in the distance, but it was hard to judge the exact direction the sound was coming from. She could only plunge forward at random, zigzagging among the concessions, hoping to catch a glimpse of her vanished friend.

  At first, she had been reluctant to call out his name, for fear of alerting the sinister prowlers. But as her worries grew for his safety, Nancy threw caution to the winds and shouted, “Ned!

  .. . Ned, can you hear me? Where are you?” Her heart flew into her mouth as she rounded the corner of a shuttered souvenir stand and almost stumbled over something lying on the ground. The obstacle, barely visible in the semidarkness, felt bulky enough to be a human form.

  At that moment, someone switched on the overhead lights of the midway. Nancy gasped in fear as she saw the figure at her feet. It was Ned, sprawled motionless on the ground!

  “Oh, Ned—Ned!” she cried, dropping to one knee. “What happened?! Are you all right?!” She turned him over and touched his forehead and cheek. He stirred, and his eyes opened. With a faint groan, Ned struggled to his feet. “Wow!” he muttered, rubbing the back of his head. “Someone must have conked me!” “Maybe you’d better rest awhile,” Nancy urged anxiously.

  Ned gave her a quick hug and a sheepish grin. “Don’t worry, I’m okay,” he reassured her. “I don’t think I was out more than a few seconds.”

  In any case, further pursuit seemed useless. After a quick circuit of the amusement-park area, the couple gave up their chase of the two intruders and returned to Ned’s car.

  Next morning, the young sleuth slept later than usual. When she came downstairs, a copy of the River Heights News was lying on the sofa. Nancy’s eye was caught by her own picture on the front page. The accompanying story told how the famous girl detective had accepted the newspaper’s challenge to solve the mystery of the haunted carousel.

  “Oh, you’ve seen it already. I was going to show it to you, Nancy.” Hannah Gruen, the Drews’ motherly housekeeper, came into the living room from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron, and saw the teenager reading the newspaper article.

  “Yes . . . my, it really puts me on the spot,” Nancy commented ruefully.

  “In more ways than one!” said Hannah. “Our phone’s been ringing all morning. Thank goodness, it didn’t wake you.”

 
“Who was calling?”

  “My goodness, I don’t know. Some were cranks, I guess. Everybody wants to tell you how to solve the carousel mystery.”

  “Hannah, you should have put on the answering machine.”

  “That’s just what I finally did, dear. Oh, wait a minute,” the housekeeper added. “There was one sensible call—a girl who gave her name,

  Joy Trent. She wants you to solve a private mystery for her.”

  Just then, there was a knock on the front screen door, and a familiar voice called in, "Nancy, it’s me—Bess!”

  “Oh, just a minute,” Nancy said, getting up and going to the door.

  The pretty girl looked bright-eyed and eager as she accompanied Nancy into the living room from the front hall. “What’s going on?” she inquired keenly. “I tried to call you this morning, but I kept getting busy signals. I couldn’t get through, so I came over to invite you to a cook- out at my place tonight. Hello, Mrs. Gruen,” Bess finished in a rush.

  “How would you two like some breakfast?” the housekeeper responded with a twinkle. “Bess? Nancy?”

  “Sounds good to me.” Bess laughed. “Actually I did have a nibble when I first got up, but that was quite a while ago.”

  Nancy turned to the housekeeper. “Never mind, Hannah. We’ll just pop into the kitchen and get something for ourselves.”

  After making themselves a leisurely breakfast of waffles with blueberry syrup and sausages and coffee, Bess and Nancy washed the dishes and made the kitchen tidy again.

  “Bess, how would you like to come to the amusement park with me?” Nancy asked as she took off the apron she had donned for their dishwashing chore. “We won’t be long. Then I’ll drive you home.”

  “Sure, great.”

  On the way, Nancy told Bess of her and Ned’s adventure in the park the night before.

  “Oh, golly! Is Ned okay?” Bess inquired sympathetically.

  “He seemed to be, thank heavens. Luckily he was only hit hard enough to stun him.”

  “Honestly, Nancy, you do get into the wildest adventures!”