Ghost Hunt 2: MORE Chilling Tales of the Unknown Read Free Page B

mug of steaming hot chocolate. He handed it to Lyssa. Then he went to stand beside his grandfather.
    “So,” he said, “you believe us, don’t you?”
    “Absolutely, we believe you,” Jason said.
    “Do you know what it is?”
    “Not for certain,” Jason answered.
    “What do you think it is, Tom?” Lyssa asked.
    “I think it’s a shipwreck,” Tom said. “It has to be, right?”
    “It sounded that way to me,” Lyssa said. “I’m sure I heard a bell. And there was this big cracking sound. Like something breaking. Something big.”
    “Ship’s mast, maybe?” Grant suggested.
    “All these things are possibilities,” Jason admitted. “But I think we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves. We need to review the evidence and do some research. Mark can visit the historical society tomorrow. See if there’s anything there that could help explain what we all heard.”
    “Can you think of anything, Mr. Kelly?” Lyssa asked.
    “Well”—Grandpa George scratched his chin—“there have been shipwrecks over the years, of course. There’s a big sandbar just offshore.”
    “Why isn’t there a lighthouse?” Mark asked.
    “The big ships never put in here,” Grandpa George said. “It’s just not deep enough. But if a storm came up, it could blow a ship off course. That could be very dangerous.”
    “I was just wondering,” Tom said, “how come you have to wait for morning? Why can’t we listen to the evidence now?”
    “Because it’s late, Tom,” Grandpa George said with quiet authority. “These folks drove all day to get here. They’re cold and tired. And Lyssa is hurt.”
    “I’m just as curious as Tom is,” Lyssa spoke up. She looked at her fellow team members. “Let’s just listen to the audio, okay?” she said.
    “Cool,” Jen answered. “I just need a few minutes to get set up.”

     
    “We’ve lost the mast!”
the voice on the audio shouted.
“We’re doomed! We’re going down!”
    “That’s the last of it,” Jen said. She punched off the playback and the room fell silent. One by one, she had played back the evidence from the audio recorders that the team had worn that night. They all painted the same picture: a ship going down, full of desperate people fighting for their lives.
    “Those poor people,” Lyssa said.
    “There’s something about the voices,” Grant said. “I can’t quite put my finger on what I mean. Did anybody else notice it?”
    “They sound like they’re in a movie,” Tom said excitedly. “You know, like
Pirates of the Caribbean.
”
    “That’s it!” Lyssa said. “All those voices have English accents.”
    “That might give Mark a place to start at the historicalsociety,” Grant said. “Lots of ships sailed from England, I know, but not all of them.”
    “Sure,” Jason agreed. “Still cuts down the number of ships we have to investigate.”
    “Let us do it!” Tom burst out. “Me and Grandpa George. I like investigating stuff. Ask Grandpa. He’ll tell you.”
    “It’s true,” Grandpa George said slowly. Lyssa thought she could almost see the older man thinking over his grandson’s suggestion. “Tom’s like me that way. I’ve spent a fair amount of time over at the historical society, and I’m familiar with the collection. Maybe we
could
help. If you tell us what we’re looking for.”
    “I’ve got a theory,” Mark said. “This whole thing started the year Tom turned nine, right? Why don’t you try looking for a ship with a nine-year-old on board? Ship records should show things like that.”
    “Why would somebody that young be on a ship?” Jen asked.
    “Several reasons.” It was Grandpa George who replied. “He could have been a cabin boy or even a stowaway. Or maybe the captain’s son. Perhaps the ship was carrying settlers, like the
Mayflower.
Whole families came on ships like that. A baby was even born on the
Mayflower.
”
    “Oh, man, this is going to be totally awesome!” Tom exclaimed.
    Grant smiled.