J

ackson could hardly believe it. Not only was the apartment building haunted, but the most haunted apartment was the one Emily lived in. He felt a chill run through him like cold water down his neck.

He and Jinx shared a smile. Jackson knew she was thinking the same thing: this could actually be real.

He turned back to the page. “It says right here that the management has been in trouble because of ‘strange occurrences’ in that apartment. But the government doesn’t think ghosts are a viable excuse...”

Jinx scooted to the edge of the bed and squinted at the computer. “Is that a newspaper article?”

“Yeah, from one of the freebies that coffee shops have? The Jar. It’s always doing ‘exposés’ about things. Falcon Perch has been exposed.” He wriggled his eyebrows at her.

Jinx leaned in further. “When was it published? Is this pretty recent?”

Jackson scrolled back to the top of the article. “Yeah, about two months ago.”

Jinx’s eyes lit up. “Jackson, we might actually have a haunting! Emily might not be full of crap!”

I could’ve told you that, Jackson thought. No way would Emily look like such a mess unless something bad was going on.

But Jinx was on to something else. “OK, can you find out if anyone died in there?”

Jackson skimmed the article. “Well, according to Earl, the caretaker...” He looked at Jinx. “Are people still named Earl?” Jinx bumped into him so he went on. “A couple did die in the apartment. Evidently a murder-suicide.” He sat back. “Whoa. That’s heavy.”

Jinx twisted her lip and stared intently at the computer. “I wonder if there’s a way we can confirm that.”

Jackson leaned forward again. “My mom works for the city. Maybe she can call up the records or something.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea? I mean, won’t she get suspicious if you ask her that stuff and then go away for a night?”

Jackson shrugged. “She won’t care—I’m going to tell her the truth about what we’re doing.”

Jinx shook her head. “So different to be a boy...anyway, ask her. We have three more days until Saturday. We should know what we’re dealing with here.”

“And the plan?” Jackson said.

Jinx flopped back on the bed and mumbled, “Will you help me with it?”

Jackson smiled slightly. He knew how hard it was for her to ask for help. “What was that?” he asked, putting on what he hoped was his most innocent expression.

A little louder, Jinx mumbled, “Help me?”

Jackson grinned openly and said, “I still didn’t hear you.”

Sitting straight up, Jinx yelled, “Will you help me with it already!?”

“Well, all you had to do was ask.”

She slung an Oreo at him and he laughed. Sometimes it was good to remind her that they had a partnership, not just a Jinxship.

“OK, where should we start?”

Four hours later, Jackson and Jinx sat back and admired their handiwork. The plan had taken a while to get together, but they had it. Jackson’s mind already was jumping ahead, though, to the research he would do at home. He needed to find out how to get rid of ghosts, yes. But also, he needed to find something out that was way more important, something Jinx would never understand. Would she? He studied her while she looked at the paper with the plan.

His heart thudded. What would she say if he told her? She was his best friend. Surely she’d understand...but Jackson wasn’t so sure. She could be way harsh. What would she say if he told her he was looking for a way to bring ghosts to him?

Suddenly, Jinx looked up at him. “What? Did your face get stuck?”

Jackson shook off the urge to tell her and pushed her shoulder. “So—we have a plan, and now we just need to execute it, huh?”

Jinx nodded. “And then we come back here and check out the equipment readings. After that, it’s getting-rid-of-ghosts time.”

She twisted her lip, her telltale sign of anxiety. She stood up and walked around the room, touching her Pixies poster. Though she’d never told him, Jackson knew it was for good luck. For such a budding scientist and tech geek, Jinx had a lot of superstitions.

“Now all we have to do is convince my parents that I’m staying somewhere over night.” She looked up at Jackson, searching his face. “I mean, you were right. I don’t have any friends. All I have is you.”

All Jackson could do was give her a hug.