9 WHAT’S UNDER THE BED

CHAPTER 9 WHAT'S UNDER THE BED? Kaz hovered above Claire. Watching. Waiting. "Ohhhhhhhh," a voice moaned. But the voice didn't come from under Brynlee's bed. It came from somewhere else in the fire station. Kaz peered out into the hallway. He didn't see a ghost. But he heard it: "Ohhhhhh," it moaned. Brynlee bolted up in bed. "What's happening?" she asked. "What?" Claire said groggily. "What's that noise?" She raised her head, then sat up all the

way. "Brr. It's cold in here." She shivered. "I know," Brynlee said, hugging her arms to her sides. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "I think the ghost is here." "He was under Brynlee's bed," Kaz said. "I saw him pull the blanket off Brynlee. He's in another room now." Did he take the girls' blankets with him? Brynlee reached over and turned on a table lamp. "My blanket's on the floor," Claire said. She picked it up and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Oh! So's mine," Brynlee said. But when she tried to pick it up, she couldn't. Someone or something under her bed pulled back. Brynlee gasped. "The ghost is under my bed!" she said as she let go of the blanket and scooted to the far corner of her bed. Kaz frowned. Most ghosts could pick up a solid object like a blanket. But if a solid person pulled on the object like Brynlee did, they would

pull it right out of the ghost's hands. Solids were way stronger than ghosts. "Let's see this ghost," Claire said. Brynlee backed up even farther and hugged her knees to her chest. Still holding her blanket around her, Claire got out of bed, dropped to her knees, and peered under Brynlee's bed. When she raised her head, she smiled. Then laughed. "What?" Brynlee said with a scowl. "What's so funny?" "Come look," Claire said. Brynlee hesitated for a second. She leaned over just far enough to see under the bed.

Kaz dove down and took a peek, too. Sparky was curled up on Brynlee's blanket under the bed. "Sparky!" Brynlee laughed. "Come out of there. Give me back my blanket!" She tugged on the blanket some more. Sparky got off the blanket and crawled out from under the bed. He wagged his tail at Kaz. Kaz tried to pet the dog, but his hand passed through him.

"Now we know who's been stealing blankets during the night," Brynlee said with a pointed look at the dog. "Yes, but we still don't know why Sparky won't go in the TV room or the garage," Claire said. She paused, then tilted her head toward the door. "And we don't know who's been moaning. Do you hear that?" "Ohhhhhhhhh," the voice moaned again. Brynlee nodded. She and Claire went to the door and poked their heads around the corner. Kaz hovered above them. This time they saw a large dark shadow moving across the wall way down the hall. "That must be the ghost," Brynlee said in a low voice. "Is there a light switch in the hallway?" Claire whispered. "Yes. Right here," Brynlee whispered back. She flipped the switch, and the shadow disappeared in the light. But the moaning

continued: "Ohhhhhhhhhhh." "Do you need your ghost-hunting stuff?" Brynlee asked Claire. "I don't know," Claire said. "That doesn't sound like a ghostly moan to me." It didn't sound very ghostly to Kaz, either. "Let's follow the sound," Claire said. As they crept down the hallway, the moaning grew louder. And louder. It sounded like it was coming from the kitchen. Sparky charged ahead into the kitchen as Dick and RJ came into the hallway behind Claire and Brynlee. "What is all that moaning?" Dick asked, rubbing his neck. "Did you guys hear it, too?" RJ asked. "Woof! Woof!" Sparky barked from the kitchen. But it was an excited bark, not an angry or frightened bark. They all went into the kitchen and found David staggering around, moaning. His eyes were open,