Ghost Hunt 2: MORE Chilling Tales of the Unknown (2 page)

I hope it’s okay for me to write. I don’t know what else to do. (I want to ask for your help.) Not for me. Well, not just for me. It’s mostly for my grandpa.

“Interesting start,” Lyssa said.

“Yeah, it is,” Grant confirmed. He pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. “Let’s keep going.”

“Okay, now it’s
really
interesting,” Grant said.

Lyssa nodded, her eyes still on the page.

“The first time,” Grant murmured.

Lyssa turned over the first page. The letter went on.

Lyssa sat back. “Wow.”

“Let’s take a look at the map,” Grant said.

She turned over the second page of Tom Kelly’s letter. On the back was a well-drawn map. It showed a hill and the ocean. At the foot of the hill were lots of big rocks. At the top, there was a house with a road snaking up toward it. The address was written in big block letters. There was a mark at the bottom of the hill where Tom Kelly would be waiting.

“Check that out,” Lyssa said. “
X
really does mark the spot.”

“What’s the date today?” Grant asked.

Lyssa checked the bottom of her computer screen.

“Oh my gosh, today’s the fifteenth!” she said. “That doesn’t give us much time.”

Grant stood up. “Hey, Hammond,” he called out.

On the far side of the room, both Hammond twins turned around. “Yeah?” they said in unison.

“Mike,” Grant said, his voice brisk. “Please get me driving directions to this address.” He read it out loud. Mike grabbed a piece of paper and jotted it down. “We need the travel time. Mark, I’d like you to look on a map and get me the name of the closest town. Find out whether or not there’s a historical society. A lot of small New England towns have one.”

“On it,” the twins said, once again in unison. They swiveled back to their respective laptops at precisely the same time.

“How do they
do
that?” Lyssa asked.

“I’m pretty sure they practice at home,” Jen said. “I keep meaning to set up a camera and catch them in the act.”

“What’s up?” Jason asked. He walked over from his desk to stand beside Grant. “You’re giving a lot of orders all of a sudden—you think you’re the boss or something?” he teased.

“You know it,” Grant answered with a grin. “But I did say please.” He picked up Tom Kelly’s letter and held it out to Jason. “Read this. We can talk on the road.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.” Jason saluted.

“You came,” Tom Kelly said. “I wasn’t sure you would. I mean, I hoped—I mean—wow!”

Tom Kelly looks like everybody’s best friend,
Lyssa thought. He had bright red hair, freckles across his nose, and bright green eyes. He was wearing a pair of well-worn jeans and a plain white T-shirt.

“Of course we came,” Jason said. He stepped forward to shake Tom’s hand. “I’m Jason, and this is Grant.”

“I know who you guys are,” Tom said. “I looked it up on the Internet. You started TAPS.”

“That’s right,” Grant said. “We did. And this is the TAPS team.” Quickly, Grant introduced the rest of the group, ending with Lyssa. “Lyssa is the one who spotted your letter.”

“Cool,” Tom said. “Thanks.”

“So,” Lyssa said, “how does your grandfather feel about us coming?”

Tom made a face.

Busted!
Lyssa thought.

“I haven’t told him yet. Grandpa George is used to being on his own. He’s used to fixing things himself. He doesn’t like to ask for help.”

“So you did it for him,” Jason suggested.

“Yeah,” Tom said. “And for me, too. I mean—it’s kind of hard to describe. It just feels wrong to sit up in the house and not do anything. I want to figure out what’s going on.”

“We do, too,” Grant said. He looked up, to where a small house with weather-beaten shingles stood on top of the hill. “But first I think we’d better go meet your grandfather.”

“I appreciate your visit,” Grandpa George said when they went up to the house to meet him. “But we’re fine on our own. Tom shouldn’t have asked you to come.”

He shot his grandson a look that was stern but also full of love. George Kelly reminded Lyssa of a piece of old leather, thin but still strong.
And I guess we know where Tom got his red hair,
she thought. Grandpa George’s hair wasn’t as bright as Tom’s, but it was still pretty red.

“Since we’re already here, Mr. Kelly,” Jason said, “we would really like the chance to experience whatever happens tonight.
We understand that it all happens down by the water. So we won’t need to bother you.”

“Well, you did come a long way,” Grandpa George said slowly. “And I’ve got to admit I am concerned about tonight. A person doesn’t like to hear others in distress and have no way to help them. It’s just not right… So I guess my grandson here did what was best. Maybe we could use your help.”

“Thank you,” Grant said.

“You’d better take a look at the shore while it’s still light out,” Grandpa George said. “Otherwise, you’ll have trouble for sure after it gets dark.”

Sometime later, the group was at the water to check it out. “Okay, you guys,” Grant said as he and Jason stood side by side facing the team with their backs to the ocean. “No two ways about it, this investigation is going to be a challenge. And challenge number one is getting down to the water.”

Between the TAPS team and the ocean was a big field of jagged rocks. They weren’t quite big enough to be called boulders. But they were big enough that walking across them was going to be tough. The light was already fading fast.

That meant the TAPS team was going to have to cross the rock field in the dark.

“According to Grandpa George, it stays rocky all the way down to the water. But right at the shoreline, the rocks are smoother and smaller—sort of a pebble beach. That will be easier to walk on. But it’s still slippery, so even there we have to watch our step.”

“What about equipment?” Mark asked.

“Audio only,” Jason said. “Handheld. Or actually…” He lifted up an audio recorder that was hanging on a strap around his neck. “There isn’t time to get down to the water and set up equipment. And it’s probably too wet anyhow.”

“Document and tag everything you can for the voice recorders,” Grant continued. “Remember, the sound of the ocean will always be in the background.”

“Got it.” Lyssa nodded.

“We’ll work in pairs,” Jason went on. “Lyssa, you’re with me. Mark is with Grant. Jen with Mike. Stay together as much as possible. If the fog rolls in, things could get pretty tough out there, guys.”

“Um, Jason,” Jen said.

“What?”

“I think you’d better look behind you.”

Both TAPS founders turned. The entire team stood silently for several moments. At the edge of the water, a band of white fog was slowly creeping forward. It looked to Lyssa like long fingers reaching out for the land.

“Looks like Mother Nature’s going to provide her own version of going dark,” Grant said. “Okay, team. Let’s get started.”