Ann Martin: Stacey And The Mystery Of Stoneybrook

"Oh, that's just, um . . . loose pipes! Yeah, that's it. I'm sure it's just the plumbing, Charlotte."

I wasn't really all that sure, but I hoped there

was no way that Charlotte would be able to tell. Anyway, I knew the workmen were also removing some of the plumbing and fixtures for preservation. Mom had said that there were antique radiators and also some of those big old bathtubs that sit on clawed feet. Maybe the men had been working on pulling that stuff out today, and some of the pipes had been left to bang against each other. That really could explain the noises we'd heard. Couldn't it?

We kept walking around the house. It was kind of sad to see it looking so shabby. Most of the windows were broken, and the shutters hung crookedly. The paint was peeling. And what was that near the back door?

I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a gigantic, and I meanhuge,swarm of gross flies, just like inThe Amityville Horror.That movie has to be the scariest thing I've ever seen. It's about this family that moves into a house that has ghosts or spirits in it, and all these horrible things keep happening. The flies were the least of it, believe me! Scenes from the movie flashed through my mind as Charlotte and I looked at the flies, but I gritted my teeth, took Charlotte's hand, and kept walking around the house. We'd gone almost all the way around it by now anyway. I wasn't going to let some

dumb old spooky house get the better of me.

"Oooooohhhhhhh . . ."

What wasthat?I looked at Charlotte. Had she moaned? She looked back at me. We kept walking.

"Oooooooooohhhhhhhh . . ."I heard it again, and this time I knew it hadn't come from Charlotte. It had come from the house. I tightened my grip on her hand, and we took off. That spooky old househadgotten the better of me. We were history.

We made it back to my house in record time. Charlotte was looking a little shaky. I was feeling a little shaky myself. But once we were away from the house I felt better. It was like there was a bad feeling coming from that place. I didn't plan to go back there any time soon.

"What do you think made that noise, Stacey? That was scary," said Charlotte.

I couldn't really come up with an answer, and I just wanted to forget all about the house for now, so I dodged the question. "I don't know, Charlotte. But guess what? I have a Baby-sitters Club meeting at five-thirty, and you get to come with me!"

I'd checked with the other members to see if it would be okay to bring Charlotte. With my mom out on a job interview, I didn't know

what else to do with her. But even Kristy had said it would be fine to bring her.

Charlotte got all excited. She knew it was an honor to be invited to a dub meeting. Not too many "outsiders" had attended meetings. She decided she wanted to change back into her school clothes. This was an important occasion for her.

"Does this mean I'm an honorary member, Stacey?" she asked. "I've always wanted to be in a club, and the Baby-sitters Club is the greatest. Should I bring my allowance money so that I can pay dues?"

I explained that paying dues really wouldn't be necessary, and she looked a little disappointed. To cheer her up, I asked her to help me organize my Kid-Kit. By the time we'd finished that job, it was 5:15. Time to head over to Claudia's. Charlotte begged to be allowed to carry the Kid-Kit, and even though we don't usually bring them to meetings, I said she could.

When we walked into Claud's room, I could feel Charlotte getting shy again. Everybody else was already there, and I guess she felt a little overwhelmed at seeing all the baby-sitters in one place. But then Dawn patted the bed and invited Charlotte to sit next to her.

"Doritos, Charlotte?" Claudia offered the

bag to her. Charlotte just started at Claud's earrings. Theywerepretty wild. One was shaped like a little record, and the other looked like a stereo. I nudged Charlotte.

"Oh! Yes ... I mean, thanks, Claudia. I love Doritos."

"I like your blouse, Charlotte," said Mary Anne. That was nice of her. Charlotte's blouse wasn't anything special. But Mary Anne is sensitive, and she knew her comment would help put Charlotte at ease.

Kristy took off her visor, leaned over from her spot in the director's chair, and stuck it on Charlotte's head. Charlotte grinned.

"Wait’ll we tell you guys what happened this afternoon," I said. "Remember that old house they're tearing down? Well, we went over to take a look at it, and — "

"We heard the scariest noises!" finished Charlotte.

"And you wouldn't believe what I saw," I said.

"Stacey, Charlotte — we want to hear all about it, but it's time to start the meeting," said Kristy. She brought the meeting to order, and we took care of business for awhile. The phone rang a few times and we assigned jobs. Then there was a lull in the action.

"Claud, remember that movie we saw,The

Amityville Horror!Well, this afternoon was just like a scene out of that movie, I swear," I said. "Remember those flies?"

Claudia shrieked. "Ew! I'll never forget them. They were totally disgusting."

"Well, we saw a whole swarm of them over at that house. And I saw a face at one of the windows, too."

Charlotte looked at me. I hadn't told her about that. I'd figured she was scared enough as it was.

"It was probably just one of the workmen," said Dawn.

"Yeah," said Jessi. "He was probably surprised to see you, too."

"No, that was the really weird thing," I said. "There were no workmen. They were all gone — long gone, it looked like. And it was only around four when we got there, too."

Charlotte looked really scared all over again. In fact, she looked like she might start crying. Kristy must have noticed, too, because just then the phone rang and she said, "Charlotte, want to answer that?"

Charlotte looked over at Kristy. "Me?" she asked.

"Yeah, you!" said Kristy.

Charlotte beamed. Then she realized she'd

better grab the phone. It'd been ringing for awhile by then.

"Baby-Sitters Club," she said. "No job too small!"

The room was quiet for half a second as we all looked at each other. Mallory was the first to crack up, and soon we were all hysterical. Charlotte was a natural!

Chapter 6.

And if she ever catches Boo-Boo again, she's going to put a spell on him. He'll stilllooklike Boo-Boo, and he'll still come when we call him, but something about him will be different. He won't purr anymore, and his tongue will be as cold as ice, not warm like it is now." Karen was really on a roll.

Andrew was sitting on Kristy's lap, and David Michael was huddled on the floor near her feet. Emily Michelle was rooting through the toy basket, looking for her "baby." She was the only one in the room who wasn't spellbound by Karen's tale.

Kristy usually has no patience for Karen's silly ghost stories, but after hearing what Charlotte and I had been through that afternoon, she was all set to be totally spooked.

It wasn't that late yet, but the sky was completely dark. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and lightning flickered. The storm was on its way.

Andrew looked up at Kristy. "She won't really do that, will she? I like Boo-Boo the way he is."

Kristy shook herself. Andrew really looked scared. She had to break the mood before things got out of hand. "Of course not, An-