them in the back seat." She walked around to the open car trunk and reached across the two bicycles that were tied above the rear bumper. "There!
Barely
enough room for my typewriter — and goodness knows I've got to get my book finished this summer. That's one thing that's absolutely necessary."
She slammed the trunk top shut. "Well that's it, boys. Let's go!"
Leonard scrambled into the driver's seat and slid over to the middle. His mother followed. Alfie hopped in on the other side, slammed the door, then shouted, "Hey! Wait! Here comes Morgan. I bet he's here to say good-bye."
"Well then, say good-bye," Leonard said shortly. He looked away from Morgan.
Morgan walked up to Alfie's side of the car. "Hi, Mrs. Booth. Hi, Alfie. I guess I'll see you in September." Morgan looked sadly at Alfie.
"Sure you will," Alfie answered. "In September. Say, Morgan, have a great summer at camp."
"Yes, Morgan. Have a fine summer." Mrs. Booth smiled. "You caught us just in time. We're just about to go."
Morgan sighed and stepped back from the car. Leonard lifted his magnifying glass and peered scornfully at him.
"Good-bye," Morgan said dismally.
Mrs. Booth pulled away from the curb. Alfie and Morgan kept on waving to each other.
"I'll sure miss Morgan," Alfie sighed.
"Imagine missing a guy like that," Leonard thought disgustedly. "How can Alfie stand him? Anybody would be better to have around than old Dracula Morgan."
But that was before Leonard Booth arrived at the old cottage at the beach. Before the summer was over, "Dracula Morgan" would begin to look like a dear old friend to Leonard Booth.
CHAPTER 2
Marsha Booth stopped the car in front of the family's weatherworn beach cottage.
She sighed happily. "The old town hasn't changed a bit since last summer, and neither has the cottage."
"It sure hasn't," Alfie replied in a rather gloomy voice. "Just about what I expected."
His mother breathed deeply as she stepped from the car. "Mmm! This air is so wonderful — and everything's so quiet!"
"Yeah — quiet," Leonard said dismally, following her up the walk.
Mrs. Booth looked down at the boys. "There will be plenty for all of us to do, if that's what you're thinking about. With the deadline coming up on my book, I won't be able to spend much time with you. But, Alfie, you're going to be busy making your film. And you'll be helping Alfie, won't you, Leonard?"
Leonard shook his head. "No thanks. I want to be a detective, not an actor. And there's nothing to detect in this dead place."
Marsha Booth smiled. "Sherlock Holmes found some of his most exciting cases on the English moors — and I can't think of a deader place than the English moors."
Later, as Leonard bumped the last suitcase up the cottage steps, he was thinking of lonely English moors and Sherlock Holmes. "It still doesn't look too hopeful around here," he thought. "Sherlock Holmes!" He sighed. "Hmmm!"
By the time the Booth family had unpacked, settled, and finished a picnic supper on the verandah, stars were already shining above the Pacific.
Mrs. Booth yawned. "This sea air is making me sleepy," she said. "Anybody else feel like turning in?"
"Okay with me, Mom." Alfie yawned. "I want to get an early start tomorrow on the filming of my
Dracula
movie."
Leonard said nothing, but he led the way into the house.
"You can have the bed nearest the window, Leonard," Alfie said as they went into their room. "I need the wall space over this bed for my Dracula poster."
"Okay," Leonard said absentmindedly. He was examining the window screen through his magnifying glass. "Hey, Alfie! Look at this. Someone tried to get in through the window. The screen's ripped."
Alfie was trying to juggle his poster, a hammer, and a tack as he stood on his bed. He glanced toward the window screen. "You mean somebody's been trying to get
out
. That screen's pushed out, not in. I hate to say it, Leonard, but you make a lousy detective."
"Well, I'm just learning," Leonard
Barely
enough room for my typewriter — and goodness knows I've got to get my book finished this summer. That's one thing that's absolutely necessary."
She slammed the trunk top shut. "Well that's it, boys. Let's go!"
Leonard scrambled into the driver's seat and slid over to the middle. His mother followed. Alfie hopped in on the other side, slammed the door, then shouted, "Hey! Wait! Here comes Morgan. I bet he's here to say good-bye."
"Well then, say good-bye," Leonard said shortly. He looked away from Morgan.
Morgan walked up to Alfie's side of the car. "Hi, Mrs. Booth. Hi, Alfie. I guess I'll see you in September." Morgan looked sadly at Alfie.
"Sure you will," Alfie answered. "In September. Say, Morgan, have a great summer at camp."
"Yes, Morgan. Have a fine summer." Mrs. Booth smiled. "You caught us just in time. We're just about to go."
Morgan sighed and stepped back from the car. Leonard lifted his magnifying glass and peered scornfully at him.
"Good-bye," Morgan said dismally.
Mrs. Booth pulled away from the curb. Alfie and Morgan kept on waving to each other.
"I'll sure miss Morgan," Alfie sighed.
"Imagine missing a guy like that," Leonard thought disgustedly. "How can Alfie stand him? Anybody would be better to have around than old Dracula Morgan."
But that was before Leonard Booth arrived at the old cottage at the beach. Before the summer was over, "Dracula Morgan" would begin to look like a dear old friend to Leonard Booth.
CHAPTER 2
Marsha Booth stopped the car in front of the family's weatherworn beach cottage.
She sighed happily. "The old town hasn't changed a bit since last summer, and neither has the cottage."
"It sure hasn't," Alfie replied in a rather gloomy voice. "Just about what I expected."
His mother breathed deeply as she stepped from the car. "Mmm! This air is so wonderful — and everything's so quiet!"
"Yeah — quiet," Leonard said dismally, following her up the walk.
Mrs. Booth looked down at the boys. "There will be plenty for all of us to do, if that's what you're thinking about. With the deadline coming up on my book, I won't be able to spend much time with you. But, Alfie, you're going to be busy making your film. And you'll be helping Alfie, won't you, Leonard?"
Leonard shook his head. "No thanks. I want to be a detective, not an actor. And there's nothing to detect in this dead place."
Marsha Booth smiled. "Sherlock Holmes found some of his most exciting cases on the English moors — and I can't think of a deader place than the English moors."
Later, as Leonard bumped the last suitcase up the cottage steps, he was thinking of lonely English moors and Sherlock Holmes. "It still doesn't look too hopeful around here," he thought. "Sherlock Holmes!" He sighed. "Hmmm!"
By the time the Booth family had unpacked, settled, and finished a picnic supper on the verandah, stars were already shining above the Pacific.
Mrs. Booth yawned. "This sea air is making me sleepy," she said. "Anybody else feel like turning in?"
"Okay with me, Mom." Alfie yawned. "I want to get an early start tomorrow on the filming of my
Dracula
movie."
Leonard said nothing, but he led the way into the house.
"You can have the bed nearest the window, Leonard," Alfie said as they went into their room. "I need the wall space over this bed for my Dracula poster."
"Okay," Leonard said absentmindedly. He was examining the window screen through his magnifying glass. "Hey, Alfie! Look at this. Someone tried to get in through the window. The screen's ripped."
Alfie was trying to juggle his poster, a hammer, and a tack as he stood on his bed. He glanced toward the window screen. "You mean somebody's been trying to get
out
. That screen's pushed out, not in. I hate to say it, Leonard, but you make a lousy detective."
"Well, I'm just learning," Leonard
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