Free Hauntings and Heists by Dan Poblocki Page B

water, and polluting the river. Remember all the litter we saw that weekend?”
    “So Dr. Blunt wanted the contest to be over as soon as possible?” guessed Rosie.
    “Exactly,” said Woodrow. “He found a rubber monster mask, half submerged it under the Grand Street Dock, and took pictures. And now he wants me to go to the paper and tell them what we discovered.”
    “Why would he want us to do that?” Sylvester asked.
    “His plan backfired. Since the photo was printed, more and more people are on the river, hoping to catch a glimpse of the monster. And that’s putting real animals in danger—including a creature that might account for the sightings of a ‘beast.’ It’s an animal that he says needs to be protected by conservationists … people like my mom in the park service.”
    “Did Dr. Blunt say what kind of creature is actually in the river?” asked Viola.
    “I think I know what it could be,” said Rosie. “I’ve read about a fresh-water fish that lives in the Hudson River. It can grow really big. It’s called a sturgeon.”
    “Exactly!” Woodrow said. “Dr. Blunt said a sturgeon is a kind of non-scaly, bottom-feeding fish that can grow several feet long—sometimes even longer than a human is tall. They’re in danger, supposedly, because they produce eggs that people like to eat.”
    “Eww!” Sylvester exclaimed, dropping his tuna-salad sandwich onto his napkin.
    “So what do we do?” Rosie asked.
    “Contact the paper, like Dr. Blunt said. He wants to bring attention to the plight of the sturgeon here in Moon Hollow, and he hopes that this controversy will open people’s eyes to the problem. He alsowants to donate the money he**won to the River Ecology Project, if the
Herald
lets him keep the prize.”
    Viola was quiet for a few seconds. “It’s funny,” she said. “After we learned that Dr. Blunt had faked the picture, I thought of him as the bad guy. But now, he seems like a pretty good guy.”
    “Yeah,” Sylvester agreed, “makes you wonder: Who are the real beasts in the river?”

17

MOON HOLLOW GHOST STORIES
    During lunch the next week, Sylvester and Woodrow approached Viola and Rosie, who were sitting together in their favorite booth near the cafeteria window. “Hey, Viola,” Sylvester said, “what’s going on with the ghost in your house? Have you heard any more strange noises?”
    “Not lately,” Viola answered, after chewing and swallowing a chunk of apple. “Why? You look like you’ve seen a ghost yourself.”
    Woodrow shook his head. “We just heard some kids saying that the old Reynolds house is haunted too.”
    “The creepy place across the street from us?” Rosie said, surprised. She turned toward Viola. “Mr. Reynolds was the guy who owned that old black car—the one you and Woodrow have seen driving around.”
    “Right,” said Viola, picturing the house in hermind. The building sat up the hill away from the street, hidden by a tangle of trees and vines. It was covered in formerly white wooden shingles. The paint was faded now, the grass overgrown. She guessed that’s what happened when an owner died and his property fell into ruin. It was sad, really. If any house in this town was likely to be haunted, that was the one, even more so than her own. “So why do people think the place is haunted … other than the fact that it’s a total creep-fest?”
    Sylvester pointed across the cafeteria. “Ricky Farrell said he was riding his bike late last week and saw a light floating inside a few of the upstairs windows.”
    “That doesn’t mean the place is haunted,” said Rosie. “Does it?”
    “Obviously not,” Viola answered. “Still, why would someone be sneaking around in an abandoned place? I remember Rosie mentioned that no one’s bought it since Mr. Reynolds died, right?”
    “Yeah,” said Woodrow. “It’s still got all his stuff in it, I think.”
    “There you go!” said Viola. “Maybe it was a burglar. There could be valuables still