The Mystery of Miss King Read Free Page B

the team and we had our photo in the local paper. Mr McGregor cut it out and pinned it up on the school notice board.

    Things were quieter after that. Quite flat, really, with no football practice and nothing else to look forward to. Miss Dodds made us work really hard and we were getting a bit fed up.
    â€œWe could do with some of your fantastic stories to cheer us up, Jonny,” said Surinder. “What’s been happening in Weird Street?”
    I took a deep breath. Did I want to bring it up all over again? Should I say something, or not?
    â€œNothing much has been going on…” I began. “Dr Sphinx has gone to help excavate an Egyptian tomb, Captain Cross-eyed is busy painting the pirate ship in the park, and Mr Tipp is inventing something that produces lots of purple smoke. So I haven’t seen much of them.” Actually, it would have been good to find out what they knew about the mysterious Miss King.
    â€œSo it’s all quite normal then,” Surinder sounded disappointed.
    â€œYes, unless…”
    â€œUnless
what
?” Sara’s eyes gleamed.
    â€œUnless you count the
skull
I saw in Miss King’s sitting room and the large holes that have started appearing in her front garden. First there was only one, but now they’re all over the place.”
    â€œSkull?” said Sara. “Why didn’t you tell us before?”
    I shrugged. “I was fed up of no one believing me.”
    â€œMaybe the holes are for new flower beds,” said Surinder.
    â€œMaybe,” I said.
    â€œSome workmen may be putting in a pipe, or something,” said Sara.
    â€œPossibly. It’s just…”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œIt’s such a mess. Miss King is so neat and tidy. I don’t think anyone would dare leave her garden in that state.”
    â€œMaybe something is going on,” said Sara, thoughtfully. “Maybe you
did
see a mysterious foot and a strange bone and a skull, after all…”
    â€œMaybe it needs to be investigated,” said Surinder. “Maybe the holes are to bury some body parts…”
    â€œOh no,” I said. “I’m not starting that again. I got a telling-off from my dad the last time I mentioned it. And I haven’t seen any more bits of body.”
    â€œProbably because you haven’t looked,” said Sara.
    â€œToo scared, I bet,” said Surinder.
    That made me cross, so the next morning when I got to number 57, I took a deep breath and had a quick look in the holes.

    They were all empty.
    I breathed a sigh of relief and started to push the paper into Miss King’s letter box. But some post was stuck in there already. I bent down to poke through a large envelope and saw into the hall. It was empty, but something strange caught my eye. I gasped. My throat went dry and my knees turned to jelly. I didn’t see any body parts, but hanging on the end of the banister was something long, grey and straggly. It looked to me very much like human hair…

Chapter Seven

    I got such a fright, I wobbled and fell backwards onto the path. I was just getting up when the door opened. Miss King was standing there with Thor.
    â€œWhat about my paper?” she asked.
    Oh no, I was still holding it! I scrambled to my feet and, with a shaking hand, held out the paper.

    â€œCan you come a bit nearer,” said Miss King. “I don’t bite.”
    I inched closer, then I noticed she was leaning heavily on crutches. “You’ve got the same plaster as my dad!” I exclaimed.

    She looked down and sighed. “I was tackled too hard playing American football. Fell and broke my leg.”
    â€œAmerican football?”
    Miss King nodded and gestured to the hall table. I didn’t go any closer, but I could see that beside the pot plant sat a football helmet with the word “Vikings” written on it. “That’s my team. But I love anything to do with Vikings. Probably