Bailey’s Estes Park Excitement

Crsiiish!

The ground shook.

Bailey Chang grabbed her father's arm.

“Does Colorado have earthquakes?” she shouted over the sudden noise.

“Stampede!” someone yelled.

Bailey's dad grabbed her. With his other hand he snatched her friend Kate Oliver. He dragged them to the safety of the Stanley Hotel's front porch. Bailey's mom and older sister, Trina, ran up the steps.

A herd of beautiful elk thundered across the lawn of the old hotel. Within seconds, only a cloud of dust and an unnatural silence remained.

Moments earlier Bailey's greatest fear was of the historic Stanley Hotel itself. Nestled in the majestic Rocky Mountains in Estes Park, Colorado, it had stared menacingly at Bailey, each window a glaring eye, as her family drove up and parked. Its deathly white walls and blood-red tile roof eerily reminded her of the ghosts rumored to live in it. The bright sun hid behind clouds on this early October afternoon.

Bailey swallowed hard, her dark brown almond eyes wide. In her nine years, she had never stayed in a haunted hotel. Nor had she almost been trampled by a stampeding herd of elk.

“Is everyone okay?” Mr. Chang asked as the dust settled.

“I think so,” Mrs. Chang answered. “Are you girls all right?”

“Except for being almost killed in a stampede, we're great!” fourteen-year-old Trina mouthed off.

“A-Are we really going to stay here?” Bailey asked her father, George Chang, who had brought the family along on a business trip.

“Yes,” he answered matter-of-factly. “It's a well-known hotel, highly recommended. I'm sure that stampede was merely a fluke.”

Bailey looked at her eleven-year-old friend, Kate Oliver. Kate's eyes were as big as twin full moons behind her black, rectangular glasses. She nervously tucked her sandy, shoulder-length hair behind her ears. Biscuit the Wonder Dog whined and hid behind Kate's leg. Bailey, Kate, and the other four Camp Club Girls had rescued Biscuit when they first met at Camp Discovery. Though Biscuit lived with Kate, he still took part in some of the girls' mysteries.

“But what if it's true, Dad?” Bailey asked.

“What if what's true?”

“What if there really are ghosts in there?” Bailey pointed at the hotel.

“Bailey.” Mrs. Chang's hands rested firmly on her hips, her blond head tilted. “Do you really think your father would let you stay in a dangerous place?”

“Think about it, Bales,” Trina said, relaxing now that the threat had passed. “Mom and Dad barely let us go to sleepovers without interrogating our friends' parents first. They're pretty picky about where we sleep.”

Bailey's shoulders slumped slightly. “I guess you're right.”

Kate looked over a pamphlet for the hotel that she'd picked up at the Denver, Colorado, airport. “Maybe we can study this brochure about the hotel and investigate the ghost sightings and mysterious sounds people have reported.”

She grinned at Bailey and grabbed Biscuit. “And Biscuit the Wonder Dog will sniff out clues for us.” Biscuit's whole body wriggled and wagged as he licked Kate's face.

With the stampede over, Bailey's family returned to unloading their Honda CR-V in front of the hotel. “Come on. Let's go get checked in,” Mr. Chang said, starting toward the main entrance.

The huge front porch seemed friendly enough, Bailey thought, now that she didn't need to escape from rampaging elk. Cushioned white wicker rocking chairs, love seats, and tables sat waiting for people to relax in their comfort.
Maybe it won't be so bad
. Bailey took a deep breath and stepped through the doorway.

Bailey smelled old wood and lemon oil as she entered the magnificent lobby, pulling her pink camouflage suitcase. Gleaming hardwood floors reflected her awestruck face. She was so busy looking around that she nearly ran into an enormous flower bouquet on a round, glass-topped table.

A wide, grand staircase with a white banister and glossy-wood handrail invited—or dared—guests to go upstairs and explore ghostly nooks and crannies. On each end of the lobby overstuffed couches and chairs rested on large area rugs in front of fireplaces. An old green car with yellow wooden wheels in mint condition stood on display near one of the fireplaces, protected by thick red velvet ropes.

“That car's called the Stanley Steamer,” Kate explained to Bailey. “Here's a picture of it in this brochure. The guy who started this hotel, F. O. Stanley, invented it. See, there's his picture.”

The girls surveyed antique black-and-white portraits of F. O. Stanley on gray-green wallpapered walls.

“Wow,” Bailey said. “This looks like where a movie star would stay.”

“I've never stayed in a place this fancy before.” Kate shoved her glasses up her small, roundish nose. “Sure beats the Super Six where we usually stay.”

“Sure does.” Mrs. Chang turned a slow circle to take it all in. “I'm glad George's company is paying for this.”

Bailey parked her suitcase and joined her dad, who was standing at the registration desk. Her mom, Trina, and Kate followed close behind.

“Usually the elk are quite friendly as they roam about the town,” the clerk with a name badge that said “Barbara” was saying. “But for some reason they've become aggressive in the last few weeks, so be cautious around them.”

“What made them become so aggressive?” Bailey asked, standing on tiptoe to see over the counter.

The registrar shrugged her shoulders. “One minute they're calm and the next thing you know, they're charging. No one knows why.”

“That's unusual.” Kate scratched her head. “There must be a reason for their sudden change.”

“Don't worry,” Mrs. Chang said, putting one protective arm around Bailey's shoulder while patting Kate's back with the other. “We'll be careful. Right, girls?”

The two nodded but smiled at each another. Biscuit yawned and whined at the same time.

Barbara leaned over the counter. “Is that your dog?”

“He's mine.” Kate smiled proudly then picked up the wiggly fur ball. “This is Biscuit.” The dog's whole body wagged in a friendly Biscuit greeting.

Barbara frowned. “Is he house-trained?”

“Of course!” Kate answered.

“Does he bark?”

Bailey almost blurted out, “Not as much as you!” but Kate answered coolly, “Only when threatened.”

Mr. Chang quickly stepped in. “I'm sure Biscuit will be no trouble. We'll make sure he stays quiet and doesn't make a mess. And if he does, we'll take full responsibility for any extra cleaning charges.”

“Just make sure you keep him on a leash.” Barbara gave the Changs their keys and a map of the hotel, and then she called a bellhop to take the suitcases to room 412. “The elevator is right over there or you can take these stairs,” she instructed the Changs, pointing to her left.

“Let's ride the elevator,” Kate suggested after hooking a leash to Biscuit's collar.

“After walking through the airports, I'll be glad to take the easy way to our room.” Mrs. Chang smiled. “I can't wait to get out of these shoes!”

The five climbed into the elevator and Bailey pushed the button for the fourth floor. A ding signaled their arrival. The doors opened to a long hallway with plush burgundy carpet.

“Look at that wallpaper,” Bailey said in awe. The lower portion of the wall was painted white, and the upper was papered with a white-on-white embossed design. Bailey touched it. “It's not
wallpaper
—it's wall
fabric!”

“Whoa!” Kate reached out to feel it, too, before following the arrow directing them to room 412.

As the girls walked down the hall, two boys who looked about their ages came out of one of the rooms. Lunging, Biscuit growled and barked at them.

Kate yanked him back with the leash. “Biscuit!” She picked up the little dog and looked at the boys. “Sorry.”

One of the boys shrugged while the other gave her a fiery glare.

“I hope that isn't any indication of how this week will be.” Mr. Chang stopped outside of room 412. He slid his magnetic card through the slot and pushed the door open.

Bailey walked in and eyed the sparsely furnished room. “Cool! It looks so old-fashioned!” Two full-size beds with tall posts at each corner stood against one wall. A wooden table and chair sat in another corner. Bailey looked around. “Look how high these beds are! They even have little steps to help you get into them!”

A rollaway bed was pushed along one wall, ready to open.

“Let me guess,” Trina said. “That's my bed.”