story of the house sagged. The top windows reminded Malcolm of sleepy eyes, waiting and watching.
Malcolm stepped onto the creaky McBleaky porch. He grinned.
âDandy,â he whispered to his jittery friend, âa creaky porch is a definite sign of a haunted house.â
A cottony cobweb guarded the front door. âBingo,â Malcolm said. âAnother sure sign.â
And when he opened the squeaky McBleaky door, he knew he couldnât have picked a better place. Malcolm was sure that nothing was living here. But just as they were about to step in, two hands grabbed their shoulders. Malcolm and Dandy whipped around with a scream.
âAhhhhhhhhhhh!â A most hideous monster stood inches away!
âIâm going to tell Mom you came here,â Cocoa said, pursing her lips.
It took Malcolm a few seconds to catch his breath. âYou followed us!â
âThatâs right,â Cocoa said. âI told you Iâd pay you back. Now youâre in big trouble, mister.â
âWell, if Iâm in trouble then so are you. Youâre here too.â Malcolm gave Cocoa a smug grin.
âNot if I tell Mom that I followed you because I knew you were up to something,â Cocoa said.
âAnd Iâll tell Mom that you donât mind your own business,â Malcolm argued.
Cocoa pressed her fists to her hips. âIâll tell Mom that you could have been killed out here, and I was only doing it for your own good.â
âIâll tell Mom that I saw you kissing Carson OâDonnell behind the school last week.â
Cocoa gasped and covered her mouth. âYou didnât see that,â she whispered.
âYes, I did,â Malcolm said. âAnd youâre just lucky I havenât told Mom before now.â
Cocoa stood up tall and raised her nose in the air. âFine. I wonât say anything if you wonât.â
âFine,â Malcolm said. âNow go away.â
Cocoa stepped off the rickety porch and pushed through the tall weeds. She looked back and yelled, âBut you better bring back my blow-dryer!â
Once she was gone, Dandy shook his head. âYour sister is weird.â
Malcolm nodded. âBut not as weird as this old house. Itâs perfect. Weâre definitely coming back tonight.â
CHAPTER SEVEN
GRANNY-SITTING
M alcolm sat with his family at dinner that evening, but his mind was on ghost detecting. Everyone was unusually quiet. Dad had the TV blaring from the living room so he could hear the six oâclock news. Malcolm saw his chance to launch Step One of his ghost-hunting plan.
âMom, can Dandy spend the night?â
âOf course,â Mom said. âHe can keep you company while you watch Grandma Eunice.â
The spaghetti in Malcolmâs mouth suddenly tasted like lead. âIâm watching Grandma Eunice tonight?â
âItâs just for a few hours,â Mom said.
âWhy canât Cocoa watch her?â
Mom laid down her fork. âBecause Cocoa is going with me.â
âWhy canât I go?â Malcolm asked. He didnât really want to go anywhere with them, but he wanted to protest.
Mom sighed and lifted her fork again. âYou can go if you think youâll enjoy shopping for Cocoaâs new dress.â
Cocoa wrinkled her nose and smirked at him.
Malcolm wouldnât give up. âWhy canât Dad watch Grandma?â
âBowling night,â Dad said, shoveling spaghetti into his mouth.
Malcolm sank in his chair. It was useless. He looked over at Grandma Eunice, who didnât seem to notice they were talking about her. She had a large napkin tucked in her collar, and there appeared to be more spaghetti on her chin and fingers than on her plate.
He spoke to her in a defeated voice. âIâm staying with you tonight, Grandma Eunice.â
She gave him a tomatoey grin. âThatâs nice.â
His plan to sneak back to the McBleaky
The Best of Murray Leinster (1976)