Midnight at the Haunted Hotel Read online

  “‘Bring my keys to Room 222 by midnight, or I will not rest until everyone is gone,’” she read. “What does that mean? Who left this?”

  “I don’t know,” said Alex. “I went to help hang one of the streamers, and when I went back to the desk, it was waiting there. What keys do you think they’re talking about? And isn’t Room 222 off-limits?”

  Juliette chewed on her lip, reading the note again. “Yes. That room isn’t a guest room. No one should be staying there. Thank you, Alex. I’ll take this from here, but if you see anyone suspicious, please let me know right away.”

  “Do you think this has something to do with…the ghost?” asked Alex.

  Juliette sighed and shook her head.

  “No, Alex,” she said. “For the last time, there’s no such thing as ghosts.”

  Alex looked at the Aldens with nervous eyes then nodded and hurried back to the desk.

  “Who do you think could have left the message, Juliette?” Henry asked.

  “Why would someone want a pair of keys?” asked Jessie. The Alden children loved solving mysteries. They knew just the right questions to ask.

  Juliette tapped a finger on her chin. “When I bought the mansion, I changed the locks to all the doors,” she said. “But when I did, I found there were two identical keys that didn’t go to any doors in the hotel. I thought they might be important, so I kept them.”

  Juliette took a key ring from her pocket. Most of the keys looked new. But two of them were bigger and heavier with fancy designs on the ends. She let Benny hold the keys.

  “I wonder who wants them, and why?” Juliette wondered out loud.

  “Maybe they’re ghost keys that can open any door!” said Benny.

  “I’ve got an idea,” said Violet. “We’re going to be tidying up all over the hotel, right? How about we take the keys with us and find where they go?”

  “And we’ll keep our eyes open for anyone who might have written the message,” Jessie added.

  “That’s a great idea!” said Juliette. She took the two old keys off the ring and handed one to Henry and one to Jessie. “If we can figure out where the keys go, maybe we can figure out who wrote the message and what they want.”

  Henry nodded and put the key in his pocket.

  “We’ll take care of it,” he said.

  “Thank you,” said Juliette. “Now, I’ve got to go help the chef. Please ask Alex if you need anything.”

  Juliette waved good-bye as she headed away.

  “Where should we start?” Henry asked.

  “Does anyone else want to hear the ghost story?” asked Benny. “It sounds like Alex knows it.”

  “You know, oftentimes ghost stories are based in truth,” said Jessie. “If there’s a rumor about the mansion that has to do with keys, maybe it could give us some clues about these real keys Juliette gave us.”

  “Let’s see if he will tell us what he knows,” Henry said.

  They found Alex at the front desk. He was still pale from the mystery message.

  “Hi, Alex,” Jessie said. “Say, we heard you mention to Juliette something about a ghost…”

  “I want to hear the whole story!” Benny interrupted.

  “Oh, that?” said Alex. He looked around nervously. “All right, but keep your voices down. Juliette doesn’t like us talking about the ghost where guests might hear us.”

  Alex leaned in, and the Aldens did the same. Benny grinned with glee, waiting for Alex to speak.

  “A long time ago,” Alex began, “the Gardner Hotel was a mansion owned by the Gardner family. But the family fell on hard times, and they decided to turn their home into a hotel. The story goes that the boy who lived in the mansion was very upset about this. He loved to play his pipe organ. But with guests around all the time, he couldn’t practice. The pipe organ was in the lobby, after all. Before long, he disappeared. No one saw him again.”

  “What happened to him?” asked Violet.

  “The story goes that he died at a young age and that he was always mad about what happened to his home,” said Alex. “Now he haunts the hotel, wandering up and down the halls and jingling his keys to remind everyone that they’re in his house. And sometimes, in the middle of the night, he plays Charles Ivy pieces on the organ just to wake up the guests. Well…that’s what people say, anyway. They call him the Lost Composer.”

  A chill raced up Benny’s neck. “Wow!”

  “Charles Ivy?” Violet asked. “The famous composer? I think I’ve heard some of his music when we’ve gone to see the orchestra with Grandfather.”

  Alex shrugged. “Yeah. Apparently whenever the organ plays, it plays Charles Ivy’s music. But I wouldn’t know. It stopped before Juliette bought the building.”

  “That’s a great story,” Benny said. “I wonder why Juliette doesn’t want people to know about it.”

  “Yeah, I’d think a ghost story like that might make people more interested in visiting,” Henry said.

  Alex shook his head. “Not these kinds of stories. People from all over started reporting knocking noises, heavy footsteps, and jangling in the hallways. But when they looked to see what was making all the noise, there was no one there. Just shadows and sometimes ghostly shapes in the mirrors. On top of that, after guests would leave, they would find that some of their belongings were missing. Keys, wallets, jewelry, things like that. But when they called the hotel, no one would be able to find the missing objects. It’s one of the reasons the hotel had to close.”

  When Alex was done speaking, the children stood up straight again.

  “I think this will give us something to think about,” said Jessie. “But what exactly, I don’t know.”

  “Thanks for the story,” said Henry. “We’re going to go looking for any old locks that might fit these keys Juliette gave us. Hopefully it will help us track down whoever wrote that message.”

  “I just hope the Lost Composer didn’t write it,” said Alex.

  The Aldens went to the cleaning closet to get their supplies. Henry handed Jessie a broom and took out a vacuum cleaner for himself.

  “All right, let’s split into two teams,” he said. “Violet, how about you and I clean the lobby.”

  Violet nodded. “Sure. Then we can search the first floor and the lower level to see if we can find what these keys unlock. Maybe there’s something in the basement! That’s where Grandfather keeps all the stuff he’s forgotten about at his house, at least.”

  Jessie chuckled. “Benny and I will polish the bannisters and check the rooms on the upper floors,” she said.

  “Yeah!” Benny cheered. Getting ready for a party was fun, but it was even better now that there was a mystery to solve. “The Lost Composer isn’t going to frighten any guests tonight—not if we can help it!” he said.

  TO FOLLOW JESSIE AND BENNY UPSTAIRS, GO TO PAGE 19.

  TO FOLLOW HENRY AND VIOLET TO THE BASEMENT, GO TO PAGE 42.

  INVESTIGATING UPSTAIRS

  Jessie and Benny took a few cleaning cloths, a broom, and a dustpan, and headed up the grand staircase in the lobby. Jessie started sweeping the stairs. Benny polished the bannister posts, which were about as tall as he was. He rubbed the dark brown wood with his cleaning cloth until it was so shiny he could see his face looking back at him.

  When they were done tidying up the grand staircase, they moved on to the hallway on the second floor. Jessie swept while Benny held the dustpan. As they went, they stopped at each door. Each one had antique brass knobs, but the locks were new. None of the doors had a lock that would fit the key Juliette had given them.

  One of the doors was open so that the cleaning staff could tidy up. Jessie and Benny looked in.

  “Are you the Aldens?” asked a woman who was straightening the bed. She was dressed in a hotel uniform. Jessie remembered seeing her in the lobby.

  “Yes,” Jessie said. “I’m Jessie and this is Benny. We were just passing by and happened to see the door was open.”

  “I’m Anita,
” the woman said. “And yes, this room will be open to the public tonight. For those who are attending the opening but not spending the night. Have you had a chance to see the rooms?”

  “No, could we come in?” Jessie asked.

  “Yes, of course!” said Anita.

  “We won’t get in your way!” said Benny.

  Jessie and Benny wandered around the fancy room. It had thick, red and purple carpet. The bed had four tall posts at each corner, and it even had a canopy draped over the top of it. Old-fashioned chairs sat by the window, and against the far wall was an antique writing desk.

  “Each of the rooms is unique,” Anita explained. “It’s not like one of the big hotels, where every room is exactly the same. That’s one of the best parts about old places like this.”

  “Wow! So these are real antiques?” Benny asked.

  Anita nodded and said, “Yes, some are over a hundred years old!”

  Benny noticed an odd hissing noise that almost sounded like a whistle. He followed the noise to where a heavy-looking metal object sat under the window. The metal object had a valve on one side that was making the whistling sound. A little puff of steam came out of the valve too.

  “What’s that?” he asked. “It looks kind of like a metal accordion!”

  “Careful, Benny, that’s a radiator,” Jessie said. “See the pipe in the floor? Steam comes from the boiler downstairs and in through the pipe. The steam heats the iron, which warms up the room. Be careful. They can be very hot.”

  Benny held his hand out to the radiator but did not to touch it. He could feel the heat coming off the metal. It felt as hot as a stove! The radiator made some more whistles and even a chirp as hot air sputtered from the valve.

  “It sounds kind of like a robot!” he exclaimed.

  “Old ones are especially noisy,” Anita said. “Radiators like this were created in the early 1800s. People still use them in some older buildings. They’re a bit old-fashioned, but they still do the job!”

  Anita seemed to know a lot about the hotel. Maybe she could help them, Jessie thought. She showed Anita the old key. “We’re on an errand for Juliette. We’re trying to find whatever this key goes to. Have you seen anything that might match?”

  Anita looked at the key and shook her head. “Juliette changed the locks when she bought the building. This key looks pretty old—definitely from before the renovation.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” said Jessie. “If you see anything that might match the key, would you let us know? We’d really appreciate it.”

  “Yes, I will,” Anita said.

  Jessie and Benny thanked Anita and said good-bye. Back in the hallway, Benny held the dustpan and Jessie swept. The pair still had half of the hall to finish and then a whole second hall on the other side of the stairs. Thinking about so much sweeping made Benny yawn.

  “I’m getting hungry, Jessie,” he said. “Did you see all those snacks they’re making for the party? I could really go for one…or two…or five…”

  Jessie focused on sweeping, making sure she didn’t miss a single inch of the hallway. She was sure it would help leave a good impression if the hallways were spotless. Not only that, they still had the whole floor to investigate.

  “What do you think, Jessie? Please, can I go get a snack?” Benny asked.

  Jessie paused in her sweeping to think a moment. She knew Benny might get fussy if he didn’t get something to eat. Maybe it would be all right if they split up. Then again, they’d agreed to help Juliette, and teaching Benny responsibility was important.

  Jessie made up her mind. She turned to Benny to let him know what she had decided.

  IF JESSIE LETS BENNY GO TO THE LOBBY TO HAVE A SNACK, GO TO PAGE 24.

  IF JESSIE AND BENNY STICK TOGETHER, GO TO PAGE 33.

  BENNY’S SNACK

  “All right, Benny. Once we finish sweeping the hall, you can go downstairs and find a snack,” Jessie said.

  “All right!” Benny cheered.

  Together, Jessie and Benny swept the long hallway. By the time they reached the far end, Benny had a full dustpan and a very empty belly.

  “There we go,” Jessie said. “Now, take that dustpan down to the waste bin in the lobby. After that, go ahead and ask Juliette if you can have a snack. I’ll finish checking the doors to see if I can find the mystery lock.”

  “Thanks, Jessie!” Benny said. “Don’t forget to come downstairs and get a snack too.”

  Jessie chuckled and waved Benny off. “See you soon.”

  After Benny left, Jessie set her broom aside and walked up and down the halls looking at the doors. It was hard work checking everything by herself. It took her even longer than sweeping the floor, but she had promised Juliette she would investigate. By the time she had checked every door, she was pretty hungry herself. She looked out the window at the end of the hall and saw that the sun was starting to set.

  Before she went downstairs to find Benny, Jessie decided to peek on the third floor, just to see what was up there. She found the stairs that went to the next floor. The steps creaked as she went up.

  The third floor was very quiet. And none of the lights were on, so it was hard for Jessie to see anything in the long, empty hallway.

  “Hello?” Jessie called. Her voice echoed down the hallway. “Is anyone up here?”

  “Oooooh,” came a soft noise from down the hallway. It sounded like a person’s voice, but it was more of a sound than a word. Jessie shivered. She thought about the ghost stories Alex had told. She turned back to the stairs and went down to the first floor to find Benny.

  But Benny was not in the lobby.

  Juliette came up to her. “Hello, Jessie. Is something wrong?” she asked.

  “No,” said Jessie. She decided not to mention the sound she heard on the third floor. It was probably just the wind or maybe an old radiator. “But have you seen Benny?”

  Juliette looked around. Employees were hurrying around, rearranging furniture and hanging decorations. Guests would be arriving soon.

  “I told him he could go get a snack. I wonder if he met up with Henry and Violet,” Jessie said.

  “I just saw Henry and Violet in the kitchen having a snack,” Juliette said. “You could check there. I’ll let you know if I see him.”

  Jessie hurried to the kitchen. Inside, Henry and Violet were sitting at the preparation table, talking to the chef. The chef was tossing a salad in a big bowl.

  “Jessie, there you are!” Henry said. He tilted his head. “Where’s Benny?”

  “That’s why I came to find you,” said Jessie. “I told him he could come downstairs and get a snack, but that was a while ago. Now I can’t find him anywhere.”

  Henry and Violet stood up.

  “It’s getting pretty late,” said Violet. “And we haven’t seen him either.”

  Henry was calm. “Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s around here. Let’s ask the employees if they’ve seen him. But the three of us should stick together so we don’t get split up even more.”

  Jessie, Henry, and Violet checked the hallways on the first floor. They checked Juliette’s office, and when they ran into Anita, Jessie asked if she had seen Benny. She hadn’t. They asked everyone, but no one had seen him. It was getting very late now, and guests were beginning to arrive for the grand opening.

  “I shouldn’t have let him go downstairs alone,” said Jessie. “Now we’ve spent all evening looking for him. I’m worried!”

  “Do you think he saw a ghost?” Violet asked. She thought back to the hotel’s haunted rumors. She imagined Benny wandering down a dark hallway and seeing something spooky in the shadows. “If Benny saw a real ghost, he’d be sure to go chasing after it.”

  “It’s all right, Jessie,” Henry assured her. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

  Juliette found them. She had a smile of relief on her face. “I’m glad I found you. Chef Michael wants to talk to you. I think it’s about Benny,” she said.

  The Aldens hurried
to the kitchen. The chef was waiting for them.

  “I didn’t think anything of it when I heard your brother was missing,” he said. “But then I went to set out the cookie tray in the lobby, and I noticed a whole tray was missing.”

  Chef Michael showed them the counter where the cookie trays had been waiting. There was an empty spot where one of the trays had been. Violet peered at the counter and then at the floor near the counter.

  “Jessie, Henry! Look at these cookie crumbs,” Violet said.

  Henry and Jessie looked. On the floor, a trail of crumbs and sprinkles led out the door. They all had a feeling they knew where the trail would lead. They followed it out of the kitchen.

  Jessie could hear the guests arriving in the lobby. She even thought she heard Grandfather’s voice.

  The trail of crumbs led down the hall and into the back of the mansion near Juliette’s office. The trail led right to a door they had walked by many times that evening. As Jessie opened the door, she sighed in relief.

  It was a coat closet. Jackets and coats hung on hangers, but it was so full some had been piled in the corner. And asleep on the pile of fluffy coats was Benny, the empty cookie tray under his arm.

  Benny woke up when they opened the door.

  “Oof, good morning,” he said. “I don’t feel so good.”

  “Because you ate an entire tray of cookies!” Violet exclaimed.

  “They were delicious,” Benny said. “It might have been worth it.”

  “We’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Jessie said. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  They were interrupted by a commotion coming from the lobby. Henry helped Benny up, and the four Alden children hurried to see what was going on. By the time they got there, people were rushing out the door. Everyone was pale with fright.

  “The stories are true!” cried one of the guests. “The ghost of the Lost Composer!”

  Four of the people leaving were a group of well-dressed men and women wearing blazers with the historical committee emblem. They weren’t frightened, but they were not happy. As the guests left and the room got quieter, another noise could be heard.