Spell of the Screaming Jokers Read Online Free PDF

ugly.”
    She slipped the card in her pocket. Then she reached for the deck. “I don’t know how it got in there. I thought I took all the jokers out myself. Sorry, I guess I missed this one.”
    I peered over Mrs. Davidson’s shoulder as she studied the cards one by one. “Okay, no more jokers. They’re all gone.” She smiled and handed the deck back to Max.
    â€œI don’t want to play anymore,” Louisa said the minute Mrs. Davidson left the room. “Max—please. Let’s play something else.”
    Max ignored her. He shuffled a few times. He asked Jeff to cut, and then he dealt. We picked up our cards. We didn’t know what else to do.
    Instantly, the screaming began!
    â€œGet it away!” Louisa cried. She threw her cards down on the table and leapt from her chair. “It’s here!” she shrieked. “It’s screaming!”
    There it was!
    On the table.
    The joker!
    And it was screaming!
    I gaped at the joker’s awful face. Stared at its horrible mouth as it let out its hideous scream.
    How could this be? How did it get back in the deck?
    How could it scream?
    How could a card scream?
    Suddenly, it fell silent again.
    My eyes darted from Louisa, to Jeff, to Frankie.
    Louisa and Jeff stared at the card in horror.
    Frankie’s glance was cool, almost amused.
    Then I heard the sound.
    Hssssssss!
    I glanced toward the window.
    A black cat crouched on the sill outside Max’s window!
    It shifted its gaze—until its eyes rested on me. Its evil, gleaming green eyes.
    That was when it hit me.
    â€œIt’s Mrs. Marder!” I cried, tossing my cards down. “She’s the one making these jokers appear. She’s the one making them scream!”
    Everyone stared at me.
    Then Frankie started laughing like a maniac.
    â€œIt’s not funny!” I yelled at him. “It’s true. One of her cats is here right now! Look!” I pointed to the windowsill.
    But the cat had vanished.
    â€œIt was there!” I insisted. “Didn’t any of you see it?”
    Jeff, Louisa, and Max shook their heads.
    Frankie started laughing again.
    â€œI know Mrs. Marder’s behind this somehow,” I declared.
    â€œOh, dear.” Mrs. Davidson entered the room and scooped up the joker from the table. “Two cards must have been stuck together,” she said softly.
    She turned to Louisa. “Did you scream, dear? Did you scream at this ugly, ugly card?” Mrs. Davidson stared at the card in her hands and shuddered. “I can’t blame you.”
    â€œI—I wasn’t screaming,” Louisa stammered. “It was the card. The card was screaming!”
    â€œWhat imaginations you kids have!” Mrs. Davidson smiled. Shook her head. Then she left the room.
    â€œYou heard it!” Louisa exclaimed. “You heard it screaming. Didn’t you?” She turned to Frankie and Jeff.
    â€œYeah, right,” Jeff laughed. “Screaming card. Good one, Louisa.”
    Frankie’s face was uncertain. “It doesn’t make sense, but . . . ” he began. Then he trailed off.
    â€œMax?” Louisa asked. “You heard it. Right?”
    â€œI heard the screaming,” Max said evenly. “I heard you screaming.”
    But Louisa didn’t scream.
    I was sure of it.
    It was the joker—and Mrs. Marder’s evil magic made it happen. Now I was sure of that too.
    Somehow—some way—I had to prove it.
    *  *  *
    â€œThanks for coming home with me, Brit,” Louisa said after we left Max’s. We were in her kitchen,hunting for something to eat. “My mom’s meeting won’t be over until eight,” she went on. “I couldn’t stand coming into a dark, empty house tonight. Not after what happened today.”
    I told Louisa all about Frankie falling off the ladder, and how he got the diamond-shaped mark on his arm. “What are we going