Everyone but Zeek helped arrange the five video cameras around the inn. Zeek was too busy playing a game of chess with Butler Phone.

“You win, Master Zeek,” the phone said. “You have beaten me two hundred and seventeen times in a row. Want to play again?”

“Yeah,” Zeek said.

Goldie pulled the Gearheads into a corner where Zeek couldn’t hear them.

“I’ll set up the haunted hacks.” Goldie patted her black duffel bag. “Someone needs to keep Zeek distracted. In case he gets sick of winning at chess.”

“How can we distract Zeek?” Li asked.

“We’ll just get him talking about himself. It’s his favorite subject,” Ruby suggested.

“Great. Val, will you help me set up?”

“Goldie, you don’t need to do this,” Val said. “This place is already—”

“I know, I know,” Goldie interrupted. “This is just extra. And it’ll be fun. Trust me.”

“Fine.” Val followed Goldie out of the kitchen to the dining room.

“Let’s get our dancing shoes on,” Goldie said.

“I love to dance!” Val pulled out her music player.

“But first, I need your shoes.” Goldie dug in her bag until she found the whitening toothpaste. She used a paintbrush to coat the bottom of their sneakers.

“I’ve never had minty-fresh shoes before,” Val said as she put them back on.

“Time to dance,” Goldie instructed.

They twirled and stomped across the dining room.

“I don’t see anything,” Val said.

“You will with this.” Goldie pulled a battery-operated lantern out of her bag. She switched the regular lightbulb for a special black-light one. She flicked the lantern on. “Ta-da. Whitening toothpaste plus a black light and you get…”

“Glowing footprints. That’s cool,” Val said.

“Just one more little touch.” Goldie used the brush to write a secret message on the wall.

“What’s next?” Val asked.

“The doors.” Goldie walked to the entrance of the dining room. “These doors were once considered magical because if you opened one, they’d both open. They’re attached with chains and pulleys under the floor.” Goldie demonstrated for Val.

“What do you have planned?” Val asked.

“We’re going to do something like this. We’re going to connect the front door to the back door.” Goldie smiled.

“I think ghosts can float through doors,” Val said. “I know they can go through walls.”

As they stood in the foyer, Goldie took out a spool of fishing line. A breeze blew through the large fireplace, and something rattled inside the chimney. A chill ran down Goldie’s back, but she shook it off.

Goldie and Val ran the fishing line from the top of the front door, across the chandelier, around the grandfather clock, and down the hall to the back door.

“Fishing line is hard to see, especially when it’s dark. That way Zeek won’t know what’s happening when both the doors open at once,” she explained to Val.

Val and Goldie peered inside the kitchen. Ruby nodded as Zeek rattled on about all of his accomplishments. Li looked to be almost asleep.

“Then when I was in second grade, I won first place in a national calculator championship.” That was all Goldie heard Zeek say before she and Val tiptoed away.

Val checked that the fishing line was tight.

“Looks good,” Goldie said. “Now time for ghosts.”

They ran upstairs to the second floor. Goldie opened her bag. She grabbed doll heads, sheets, string, handheld fans, and pulleys.

“These are creepier than ghosts.” Val held up one of the heads.

“Just wait until we’re done.” Goldie showed Val how to create a ghost with her supplies. Then they hung their ghosts with string, which they ran over the pulleys and to the floor.

“Are these trip wires?” Val asked as Goldie zigzagged string across the floor.

“Yep. When Zeek walks down the hall, all these ghosts will drop from the ceiling. It’s going to be great.” She clasped her hands together.

“Goldie!” Ruby called from downstairs.

Goldie and Val rushed to the stairs.

“Hurry up,” Ruby whisper-yelled. “We can’t keep Zeek distracted much longer. And Li is getting hungry. Every five seconds his stomach growls.”

“Almost done.” Goldie gave her a salute.Then she dug through her bag again. “Val, you mix the vampire slime while I place the spooky eyes in the windows.” She gave Val the directions.

“Who knew haunting an inn would be so much work,” Val complained. “Ghosts just have to show up. We have to mix slime, write spooky messages, and attach ghouls to string.”

Goldie used toilet paper rolls and glow sticks to create her creepy eyes. She set them in the cloudy windows on the third floor. The whole time, she felt like someone was watching her. But when she turned around, she was still alone.

When she got back to the second floor, the vampire slime was ready to go. But there was no Val. Goldie put the bucket of slime in a wall air vent on an inclined plane. It would slowly pour into the hallway during the night.

“Goldie.” Val snuck up from behind.

“Good job with the slime, Val. It’s perfect. Where did you go?”

“I think I saw the cat,” Val said, trying to catch her breath.

“You think?” Goldie asked.

“It was in the shadows. But something moved and meowed. I tried to catch it. But it disappeared.”

Goldie shook her head. “It’s an old building, Val. There are lots of creaking noises and drafts.” But no ghost cat. Goldie didn’t say the last part. Her friend looked so hopeful.

“It wasn’t a draft,” Val said. “Why won’t you believe me?”

Goldie ignored the question. “Come on. Let’s get back to the kitchen. Zeek may have bored our friends into a coma by now.” She put an arm around Val’s shoulder. “And if the ghost cat is here, we’ll catch him with the cameras.”

Goldie picked up her duffel bag. She tried to cheer Val up with a joke. “What did the ghost eat for dessert?” she asked.

Val stayed quiet.

“I scream.” Goldie chuckled. “Get it? I scream?”

Val didn’t laugh.

But someone—or something—did.

It came from a guest room. The hairs on Goldie’s arms stood up.

“It’s the comedian! It’s Funny Fred!” Val cheered.

Goldie swallowed hard to keep terror from rising into her throat.