The Case of the Haunted Horrors Read Free

been drunk already and that’s why he was imagining things.”
    “And we know he wasn’t,” Gertie burst in, unable to contain herself any longer. “He’s not like that, is Sarge. He never gets drunk and he never tells lies.”
    Dr Watson stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I quite agree – it’s not like the Sergeant Scroggs I know.”
    “If he had been drunk, he’d have owned up and took his medicine,” Sparrow declared. “It’s not right. We gotta help him.”
    “Very well,” said Dr Watson. “I shall see what I can do. Perhaps I could have a word with Lord Holdhurst. I believe his family owns the Bazaar.”
    “We tried that already,” said Wiggins. “We went round his house, but they said he was on his estate in Scotland till next week.”
    “So we got till then to sort it out,” Gertie said, brightening up.
    “We better had,” said Beaver. “’Cos if we don’t, when Lord H gets back he’ll give poor old Sarge the boot.”
    Dr Watson agreed to go and see Sarge and also to talk to Madame Dupont and the shopkeepers. When he spoke to his old comrade, however, Sarge was adamant that he really had seen a ghost and that he had not got drunk until afterwards. Dr Watson gave him a thorough examination but could find nothing wrong, apart from a bad hangover. Knowing Sarge to be honest and trustworthy, the doctor believed him. But although he did his best to persuade Madame Dupont and the others, they refused to budge. The businessmen (and women) of the Bazaar were determined to report Sarge to Lord Holdhurst and demand that he be sacked. They could not trust a drunken man to guard their premises, they said – especially one who claimed to see ghosts.
    Gathered in HQ that evening, the Boys were depressed and downhearted. Not even the fact that Queenie had managed to find some tasty scrag-end of mutton to go into her stew could raise their spirits. The idea that their friend was about to lose both his job and his home was too much to bear.
    “If only there was
somethin’
we could do to help him,” wailed Rosie.
    The others nodded glumly, then after a moment’s silence Wiggins suddenly perked up. “Hang on,” he said. “P’raps there is!”
    “What?” asked Beaver.
    “Well,” Wiggins began, “they all say Sarge
imagined
seeing that ghost ’cos he was drunk, right?”
    “Right,” said Queenie. “’Cos they don’t believe there is a ghost.”
    “But what if somebody else – somebody what was stone-cold sober – was to go in there at night and see it?”
    The other Boys stared at Wiggins in admiration. Then doubt crept in as light dawned.
    “You don’t mean…?” Rosie began.
    “Us
?” Shiner concluded. “Oh, no. Ain’t no way I’m gonna spend the night in that dungeon with no spook.”
    “You don’t have to,” said Wiggins. “It wouldn’t do for all of us to go. That might scare the ghost off.”
    “Yeah, I dare say it would,” said Gertie, sounding relieved.
    “But there’d have to be more than one, or nobody’d believe us. So that’s me and somebody else…”
    There was a pause, then Beaver bravely volunteered. “Me,” he said. “I’ll come with you.”
    “Good lad. Come on, let’s get round there now.”

I N THE D UNGEON
    “You wouldn’t catch me spendin’ the night in there, not for all the tea in China,” Sarge told Wiggins and Beaver as he unlocked the door to Madame Dupont’s waxwork museum. “You’re very brave lads, and I appreciate what you’re doin’.”
    “We couldn’t just let ’em kick you out and do nothin’, could we,” said Beaver.
    “There’s a good many as would,” replied Sarge. “Maybe I should come in with you…”
    “No, you shouldn’t,” Wiggins said firmly. “If we’re gonna prove there really
is
a ghost in there, and not just in your imagination, we gotta be able to say we seen it for ourselves, without you. Right?”
    “I suppose so. But you take care. I’d never forgive myself if anythin’ happened to