Hocus Pocus Hotel Read Online Free PDF Page B

he didn’t help him?
    Or some other reason?
    â€œMy mom doesn’t believe in ghosts,” said Ty. “She thinks I’m making up excuses for not wanting to go to the ninth floor. And if I don’t find the missing stuff, it comes out of my pay.”
    Charlie knew what no pay would mean.
    If Tyler didn’t get paid, he couldn’t buy the Tezuki Slamhammer 750, Edition 6, in cherry-pop lightning red.
    But making you pay for things that had disappeared, when it wasn’t your fault — that didn’t seem fair to Charlie.
    â€œWhat does your dad think about the ghost?” Charlie asked.
    â€œHe doesn’t go up to the ninth floor either,” said Ty. “Especially since he heard the voice.”
    Thunder crashed, and Charlie jumped. Tyler noticed, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t even grin. Instead, he simply said, “Come on, Hitch.”
    The taller, dark-haired boy led the way across the lobby, past tall marble columns and tall potted palm trees. A row of elevators lined the back wall. Their shiny metal doors shone like gold. Charlie pressed the button to call one.
    â€œDang!” said Ty. “Wait here. I have to grab the passkey.” He spun around and sprinted toward the lobby desk.
    â€œHey, take my backpack and put it behind the counter,” said Charlie.
    â€œI’m not your assistant,” said Tyler. As he rushed away, his shoes made wet prints in the thick, blood-red carpet.
    â€œMaster Yu is always in a hurry,” said Brack, his elevator doors sliding open.

    â€œHe knows I can’t stay that long,” said Charlie.
    â€œAre you helping him solve another mystery?” asked Brack.
    Charlie swung his backpack onto one shoulder. “I guess so,” he said.
    â€œWhat draws you to the mysteries here at the Abracadabra?” Brack asked.
    Charlie shrugged. “I like puzzles,” he said. “Well, actually, I hate puzzles. They bug me until I figure out the answer.”
    Brack nodded thoughtfully. “Then prepare to be bugged,” he said. “Our hotel is full of puzzles. It was designed that way. Riddles and mysteries are built in the walls.”
    No kidding , Charlie thought.
    Just then, Tyler appeared back at the elevator, breathing hard. “Got it,” he said, holding up the key. “Ninth floor, Brack.”
    Thunder shook the building.
    â€œHey, Mr. Brack,” said Charlie. “You don’t believe in ghosts, right?”
    â€œBelieve in them?” replied Brack. “Of course I do. Why, I’ve seen them.” He pushed a button, the golden doors shut, and the elevator car shot upward.

The boys were stunned. “You saw a ghost?” said Tyler.
    Brack nodded. The elevator car hummed and shuddered as it rose toward the ninth floor.
    â€œWhere did you see it?” asked Charlie.
    â€œIn the elevator,” answered Brack. He pointed a finger toward the shining gold doors. “I had just dropped off a customer on twelve, and was coming back down to the lobby. And then I saw Abracadabra the magician standing right there, staring at me.”
    The magician from the painting , thought Charlie.
    â€œDid he say anything?” asked Charlie in whisper.
    â€œNot a syllable,” said Brack sadly. “And when I reached the lobby, he disappeared.”
    â€œWow,” said Tyler.
    â€œBut I’ve seen him many times since,” added Brack.
    â€œOn the ninth floor?” asked Ty.
    â€œOn many floors,” said the elevator operator.
    The elevator stopped. Charlie watched his and Ty’s reflections, with their mouths hanging open, disappear as the doors slid open. A dark hallway lay beyond.
    â€œYou don’t have to leave right away, Brack,” said Ty. “We won’t be long.”
    â€œI’ll wait as long as I can, Master Yu,” said the older man. “But if I hear someone else ring the bell, I’ll have to go.”
    Tyler