Pumpkin Head Mystery Read Free Page B

man looked down at her.
    “There’s no trouble here we can’t take care of on our own!” Jason said angrily. “You should mind your own business.”
    “Jason is right, Mr. Bolger,” Mr. Beckett said. “You are wasting your time here. I will never sell my farm to you.”
    Mr. Bolger smiled. “The Wilsons said the same thing. But they did sell to me. And one day soon, you will, too.” He took a check out of his pocket. “See this?” he asked. “I will give you thousands of dollars right now just for agreeing to sell.”
    Jason’s face was red. He walked back and forth in the grass. “Your money can’t buy you everything you want!” he shouted.
    Mr. Bolger handed the check to Sally. Her eyes grew wide. “Dad! Mom!” she said. “This is a lot of money! Won’t you please think about it? You could buy a beautiful new home in Florida.”
    Mr. Beckett leaned tiredly on his crutches. “We’ve already thought about it, Sally. We are not selling to Mr. Bolger.”
    Mrs. Beckett put her arm around her husband. They turned away and walked slowly back toward the house.
    Jason’s hands were clenched into fists. “I think you should leave now,” he said to Mr. Bolger. “You are not welcome here.” He stalked off toward the barn.
    Jessie looked at the concerned faces of her sister and brothers. “Let’s get back to work,” she suggested.
    Henry and Benny cleaned up the pumpkin pieces. Jessie helped Violet arrange the flowers on the stand.
    Sally turned to Mr. Bolger. “I will keep talking to my parents,” she said. “Maybe they will change their minds.”
    “They will have to,” Mr. Bolger said. “A lot of problems have been going on at this farm. Soon they won’t be able to afford to stay here.”
    “How do you know about the problems?” Sally asked. “How do you know what they can afford?”
    Mr. Bolger winked at Sally. “Oh, word gets around,” he said.
    Suddenly Bessie groaned and held her head.
    “Bessie!” cried Sally. “Are you okay?”
    Bessie’s face was white and she was shaking. She tried to stand.
    “Let me help you,” Henry said.
    Bessie grabbed Henry’s arm and stood up. “Maybe I should go home,” she said. “I don’t feel very well.”
    “I’ll give you a ride,” Mr. Bolger said.
    Bessie waved him away. “No! I don’t need your help.”
    “But I insist!” Mr. Bolger said. “You don’t live far and, besides, I wanted to give you…” He leaned close to Bessie and whispered the rest of the sentence in her ear.
    Bessie looked surprised. She quickly got into Mr. Bolger’s car and they drove away.
    Sally helped pick up the rest of the pumpkin pieces. “It’s nice of you children to help out here,” she said. “My own children are about your age. They love their grandparents and this farm, too.”
    “We don’t mind helping out,” Jessie said. “We like it here.”
    “And your parents are very nice,” Violet added.
    Sally tucked her hair behind her ears. “Yes,” she said. “They are nice, but stubborn, too. This farm is no place for them anymore. I live in a very nice neighborhood in Florida. It is important for my parents to live near me and my family. One way or another, I must convince them to sell this farm.”
    “It’s such a beautiful farm,” said Violet. “I can see why they don’t want to leave.”
    Sally stood up and brushed the dirt from her jeans. “It is beautiful. But it is so much work. And strange things have been happening here. It worries me a lot.”
    “Like the broken pumpkins?” Benny asked.
    “Yes, and…” Sally hesitated for a moment. “Other things, too.”
    “What other things?” asked Benny.
    Sally crossed her arms. “All right, I’ll tell you,” she finally said. “My parents didn’t want me to frighten you, but you should know that this farm is haunted.”
    “But that’s impossible!” Henry said.
    “I know!” Sally agreed. “It does seem impossible. But all I know is that something strange is happening out