3 Mrs. Beesley's Closet

CHAPTER 3 MRS. BEESLEY'S CLOSET "I wouldn't knock on that door if I were you," called a voice from next door. Kaz and Claire looked over and saw a redheaded boy about their age. He held an orange ball in the crook of his arm and watched Claire curiously. Kaz was pretty sure the boy couldn't see him. Claire walked over to the edge of the porch. "Why not?" she asked, leaning on the railing. "Because the lady who lives in that house is weird," the boy said. "She's been telling the whole neighborhood that her house is haunted."

"I'm not afraid of weird people or haunted houses," Claire said. The boy shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he said. He turned and bounced his ball on the driveway. Claire went over to the door and knocked crisply three times. A lady around Grandma Karen's age came to the door. She wore a purple housedress and a yellow band with a flower in her hair. "Yes?" she said, peering down at Claire. "Hello," Claire said cheerfully. "Are you Mrs. Beesley? I'm Claire Kendall. I'm here to find your ghost." Mrs. Beesley tilted her glasses to get a better look at Claire. "You're the detective?"

"Yes," Claire said. "Aren't you a little young to be a detective?" "No." Claire stood up a little taller. "I'm older than I look. Plus, sometimes kids are better at finding ghosts than adults are." Mrs. Beesley didn't invite Claire inside. But she hadn't closed her door yet, either. "I'm also cheaper than most detectives," Claire

went on. "Five bucks. That's all I charge. And if I don't solve your case, you don't have to pay me anything. Where are you going to find a better deal than that?" Claire smiled politely. "Well," Mrs. Beesley said. "I certainly haven't been able to take care of this ghost problem myself. Most people don't even believe me when I say I have a ghost in my house. It couldn't hurt to try a child detective." She opened her screen door, and Claire stepped inside. Kaz swam all around the inside of the bottle, trying to get a good look around Mrs. Beesley's house. He didn't have much of a view. "Won't you sit down?" Mrs. Beesley led Claire to a flowered sofa. "Don't forget to let me out," Kaz said. He was eager to find the ghost in Mrs. Beesley's house. Claire dropped her detective bag on the sofa and plopped down beside it. "So," she said as she sloooowly twisted the top off her water bottle. "What makes you think that there's a ghost in your

house?" As soon as the top was off, Kaz shot out of the bottle. He expanded to full size right in front of Mrs. Beesley. She couldn't see him. "Hello? Mom? Dad?" Kaz called. "Are you here?" "I hear it," Mrs. Beesley said. "I hear it moving around in the attic almost every day." Claire reached into her bag and pulled out a notebook and a green pen. "What do you hear?" Claire asked, opening the notebook. As he wafted around the living room, Kaz felt a strong breeze push him toward an open window. "Aaaaah!" he shrieked, windmilling his arms and kicking his legs. Claire jumped to her feet, but somehow Kaz managed to escape the pull of the wind and swim up along the ceiling. "What?" Mrs. Beesley asked, turning toward Kaz. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Claire said, sitting back down. There were a lot of open windows in this house, Kaz noticed. Two in the living room and one in the dining room. He would have to be careful. Claire picked up her notebook. "So, tell me about this ghost," she said to Mrs. Beesley as she crossed one leg over the other. "What do you hear?" "Oh, all kinds of sounds. Rustling... thumping... scratching... something that sounds like marbles rolling all around the attic floor, even though I gave away the children's toys years ago." There had been a marble in Kaz's old haunt. Even though the marble was solid, Little John could make it roll along the floor. It was one of his