Free The Howling Ghost by Christopher Pike Page B

doing exactly what Watch himself had warned them not to do. This time Sally almost stepped into the trapdoor opening and fell. But Watch bumped into her at that moment. They decided to close the trapdoor.
    â€œWhat’s happening?” Sally repeated. “What’s that howling sound?”
    â€œI think the ghost has woken up,” Watch said, holding a hand up like a visor to block out the light.
    They heard shouts above, but couldn’t understand what was being said. “We have to rescue Adam!” Sally cried.
    â€œWhat about Cindy?” Watch asked.
    â€œWe can save her as well,” Sally said. “Quick, go up on the desk and the chair.”
    â€œNo.” Watch stopped her. “It’s obvious the ghost is up there. They must be trapped. If we go up, we’ll just get trapped.”
    â€œYou’re a coward,” Sally said. “We can’t just leave them.”
    â€œI’m not saying we should leave them,” Watch said. “But I think this is a powerful ghost. It was able to grab Neil all the way at the far end of the jetty. We have to strike at the heart of its power.”
    â€œWhat’s that?” Sally asked.
    Watch pointed to the blindingly bright light. “This. Every time the ghost appears, the searchlight comes on.”
    â€œYou’re right!” Sally exclaimed. “Let’s bust the bulbs.”
    It sounded simple enough. The problem was that when Watch lifted the chair to smash the searchlight, he couldn’t get near it. The chair struck the beam of light as if it were striking a forcefield. The wood shattered in his hands and splinters went flyingeverywhere. Watch staggered back and would have fallen if Sally hadn’t grabbed him.
    â€œI think the searchlight is haunted as well,” Sally said.
    Watch straightened up and nodded. “But I still think we can disable it. Remember Adam said there were cans of kerosene in the storage room downstairs? I didn’t have a chance to look, but I think this light is powered by a generator inside the lighthouse. Maybe in that very storage room. The generator probably runs on kerosene. The wiring from it must come straight up under the floor. I know for a fact the old city wiring is not giving this thing any juice. The wires are too worn out.”
    â€œWhat are you going to do?” Sally asked.
    â€œI want to run downstairs and wreck the generator. I hope that’ll turn off the searchlight, and shut up the ghost.”
    â€œThat’s great,” Sally said. “But what am I supposed to do?”
    Watch glanced up at the ceiling. There was so much noise up there; it didn’t sound like Adam and Cindy were having an easy time with the ghost.
    â€œMaybe there’s something you can do to slow the ghost down until I get to the generator,” he said.
    â€œTell me!” Sally demanded.
    â€œI’ve been thinking about that article we read in the library. It listed the caretaker’s name as Evelyn Maey. And we know her son’s name was Rick.”
    â€œSo?”
    â€œYou know the staff at The Daily Disaster. They always mess up the facts a little. What if they accidentally left off the letter k. What if their last name was really Makey.”
    Sally blinked. “Like in Cindy Makey?”
    â€œYes. When we were getting the scuba equipment, Cindy told me her father’s name was Frederick, but her mother just called him Fred. But what if her father’s mother had called him Rick?”
    Wonder dawned on Sally’s face. “Are you saying that Cindy’s father might have been the boy who washed out to sea thirty years ago?”
    â€œYes. Notice where Cindy lives now. In her father’s house, which is right next to the lighthouse.”
    â€œThat’s right! Cindy must be the granddaughter of the ghost! Watch, you’re a genius!”
    â€œI’ve known that since I was four years old.”
    â€œWait a