The Castle on Deadman's Island by Curtis Parkinson Page A

talk of a skeleton – why, I’ve cleaned this castle from top to the bottom, and if there was anything like a skeleton in here, I’d have come across it long ago.”
    â€œWell, we’ll soon find out,” the sergeant said. “You boys show me where this so-called skeleton is. And if it turns out you’ve brought me here for nothing, there’ll be trouble.”
    They reached the massive front door and Mrs. Ruff flourished a great round key ring jammed with keys. “Don’t bother with those; the door’s open,” Graham said. “We came out that way.” She glared at him, but pushed the door open.
    Inside, the boys led the sergeant along the hall to the room with the merry-go-round horses. Daniel explained about the trapdoor and reached for the white horse’s tail to demonstrate.
    â€œWait,” said the sergeant, as he approached the horse and examined the tail suspiciously. “You’re trying to tell me that all you did was pull this tail?”
    Mrs. Ruff snorted.
“A
likely story.”
    â€œYes, sir,” Daniel said. “I yanked it like this.” Again he took hold of the tail.
    â€œI said wait!” the sergeant barked. He was beginning to worry that there might be something to the boys’ story after all. It was the last thing he wanted. All he’d expected to have to do was puncture holes in their story, then take them in and give them a good scare about trespassing.
    Stalling for time, the sergeant turned to Graham and Neil. “And just where were you two during this tail-pulling business?”
    â€œOver there,” Graham said, pointing. “I was examining the calliope, and Neil was looking under the bumper cars.”
    â€œThen go there now. I want everything exactly as it was.” The sergeant turned back to Daniel. “All right. Now go ahead.”
    â€œSir,” Graham called from across the room. “You’d better move out of the way.”
    â€œWhen I want to hear from you, I’ll tell you,” the sergeant ordered. He nodded at Daniel.
    Daniel pulled. The sergeant leaned against the horse, waiting. For a moment nothing happened, except a muffled clanking sound. “Just as I thought-
whoa!”
the sergeant yelled. For the horse had suddenly began to tilt. He threw his arms around its neckfor support as the floor under him began to swing upwards.
    A few moments later, the trapdoor was upright and the horse was horizontal, with the sergeant sprawled on top of it.
    His face purple, he struggled to his feet and glowered at Daniel. But before he could say anything, there was a loud scream. Mrs. Ruff was pointing, wide-eyed.
    The sergeant looked. His mouth fell open. “What is that!”
    â€œThe skeleton,” Daniel said, calmly.
    â€œBut who is it, and what’s it doing there?”
    Graham came over. “If I had to guess,” he said, “I’d say it’s very likely the missing son of the second owner – you know, the young boy who disappeared from the castle years ago and was never seen again.”
    â€œHumph,”
the sergeant grunted. “I remember that case. It was ruled at the inquest that the boy must have fallen in the river and drowned.” He eyed them suspiciously. “His body never surfaced. It wouldn’t surprise me if you boys found it somewhere else and put it there on purpose.”
    â€œWhy would we do that?” Neil asked innocently
    â€œWhy do boys do anything?” the sergeant muttered. He bent to examine the skeleton. When he straightened up, he pointed down the stairs. “What else is down there?”
    â€œA tunnel,” Graham said. “It goes to the river.”
    â€œHow do you know?”
    â€œWe followed it, Neil and I. And then Neil –”
    â€œAnd what did you find?” the sergeant interrupted. The extra work he’d be saddled with because of this unwelcome discovery was just beginning