Free The Halloween Hoax by Carolyn Keene Page B

“I know it sounds weird, but it can be done!”
    Dudley picked up an egg and— crack —it smashed in his hand. “Huh? What’s going on?” he said. He sounded puzzled.
    A door flew open. Sam the director marched into the studio. “That egg was supposed to be hard-boiled,” he said.
    â€œIt was,” Bill, one of the stagehands, said. “I boiled it myself this morning.”
    Nancy didn’t get it. Dudley’s experiments never went wrong.
    Her thoughts were interrupted by one of Nadine’s prize-winning screams. Nadine’s hand shook as she pointed up to the ceiling.
    â€œB-b-b-b-,” she stammered.
    Nancy and her classmates looked up.
    They screamed too. Fluttering near the ceiling were at least a dozen real live bats !

Chapter Two
    Spirit on the Set!
    â€œBats get stuck in your hair!” Madison Foley cried.
    â€œBats suck blood,” Kevin said. “Cool!”
    Dudley tried to keep everybody calm. “Bats are very helpful creatures!” he babbled. “Did you know they can eat up to six hundred mosquitoes in an hour?”
    â€œHow many kids can they eat?” Quincy asked.
    The stagehands chased the bats with nets.
    â€œI know I put the lid on the bat house,” said Fran, swinging a net. “What happened to it?”
    Mrs. Ramirez ran into the studio. She had been sitting in a waiting room, watching the show on a monitor.
    â€œI’m sorry, Mrs. Ramirez,” Valerie said. “We’ll have to stop taping for the day. There are too many problems.”
    â€œCan we come back another time?” Shelby asked.
    Mrs. Ramirez shook her head and said, “I don’t think so. This TV show doesn’t seem safe for children.”
    â€œAwwww!” the kids groaned.
    â€œSorry, kids,” Dudley called. He gave a nervous chuckle. “I guess the studio must be haunted or something.”
    Mrs. Ramirez led the class out of the studio and into the hall.
    â€œLook,” Bess said. She pointed down at Nancy’s dragon tail. “You dragged your tail through Dudley’s brew puddle on the way out.”

    â€œYuck!” Nancy said, lifting her drippy tail.
    â€œYou’re so lucky, Nancy,” Shelby said, her eyes shining. “Now you’ll have a souvenir from Dudley’s show.”
    â€œI told you Dudley wasn’t a real scientist,” Deirdre scoffed. “He can’t even boil an egg.”
    â€œDudley is a dud!” Peter laughed.
    â€œI don’t want to join his fan club anymore,” Kayla said to Shelby.
    â€œBut it wasn’t Dudley’s fault,” Shelby insisted. “You heard what he said—the studio is haunted.”
    â€œProve it,” Peter challenged.
    Shelby’s eyes darted around as she thought. Suddenly she pointed at Nancy, Bess, and George. “I can’t prove it,” she said. “But I know the Clue Crew can!”
    â€œWhat?” Nancy cried.
    â€œClass,” Mrs. Ramirez called. “Keep walking double-file with your partners.”
    Shelby ran next to Nancy. Bess and George walked right behind them.
    â€œWe can’t prove Dudley’s studio is haunted, Shelby,” Nancy whispered. “We don’t even believe in ghosts.”
    â€œYou don’t have to believe in them,” Shelby said. “You just have to find the ghosts who messed things up.”
    â€œWe’re detectives,” George said. “Not ghost hunters.”
    Shelby’s big brown eyes filled with tears. “Thanks a lot,” she muttered. “Now nobody will join my fan club.”
    Nancy’s heart sank. The Clue Crew liked to help others by solving mysteries. And Shelby needed their help. So . . .
    â€œNo problem, Shelby,” Nancy said. “We’ll do it.”
    Shelby brushed a tear from her cheek and smiled. “Thanks, you guys!” she said. “But don’t do it for me—do it for Dudley the