Bailey’s Estes Park Excitement by Linda McQuinn Carlblom Page A

ghost?” Bailey’s voice trembled.
    â€œBailey! You’re not going to fall for that, are you?”
    â€œAll I’m saying is that you’re not the first to have seen it—whatever it is.” Grandma Perkins patted Bailey on the back. “You want me to walk you to your room?”
    â€œThat’s okay. We don’t believe in ghosts, do we, Bailey?”
    â€œN–no. We don’t.”
    â€œOkay, then. I’ll see you later.” Mrs. Perkins left with a friendly wave.
    Bailey and Kate stood in the hotel yard, still trying to absorb what had just happened.
    â€œDo you believe that? I mean, really. Who would believe in cowboy ghosts?” Kate snickered as she looked up at the fourth floor window again.
    Bailey stood silent beside her, but then she noticed Kate’s face grow pale. Bailey followed Kate’s eyes and this time they both saw the cowboy. “There he is! I told you it was real!” Bailey’s voice quivered.
    Kate reached for Bailey’s hand. Her mouth moved, but no words came.
    Now it was Bailey’s turn to reassure Kate. “It has to be special effects, don’t you think, Kate? Remember, there are no such things as ghosts.”
    No sooner had she said those words than the cowboy faded away to the left of the window just as he had done before.
    â€œThat is definitely a special effect. It’s identical to the movement I saw before!” Bailey squeezed Kate’s hand. “Come on. We’ve got another mystery to figure out. Hopefully, it will be as easy as finding out where the ghost children’s laughter came from.”
    Kate nodded mutely as Bailey led her to the hotel entrance.

Mystery Music
    Back in the hotel room, Bailey and Kate bathed Biscuit in the sink. Water sprayed everywhere when he shook himself. The girls screamed with laughter and wrapped the dog in a hotel towel.
    â€œThere you go!” Kate dried him off. “Nice and clean.”
    While the girls fixed sandwiches from food the Changs had put in the mini-fridge, they told Mrs. Chang about their hike and the beautiful scenery. They left out the parts about Justin and Joe, getting lost, and how close they were to the elk stampede.
    â€œWhen we got back to town, the elk had just stampeded again and everyone was talking about it,” Bailey told her.
    â€œOh no! Not again.” Mrs. Chang shook her head. “Was anyone hurt?”
    â€œI don’t think so.” Kate’s green eyes were serious behind her dark-rimmed glasses. “They say it’s the worst it’s ever been and that they’re going to have to do something about it because it’s getting too dangerous.”
    Mrs. Chang nodded as she straightened up their room. “I can believe that. They can’t just let the elk run wild in town.”
    Bailey plugged in the charger for her laptop. “I still think there has to be a reason they’re acting so crazy this year. We just have to uncover it.”
    â€œSounds like you had a nice morning, in spite of the stampede,” Mrs. Chang said.
    â€œWe did!” Bailey replied enthusiastically. “Grandma Perkins rode home on the shuttle with us.”
    â€œAnd when we got to the hotel, we saw the cowboy ghost of room 408!” Kate squealed.
    â€œCowboy ghost?” Mrs. Chang got that you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me look on her face.
    Bailey nodded. “We know he’s not real, Mom. We just want to figure out how they do the special effect.”
    â€œYeah, like the ghost children. We figured
that
one out.” Kate reached for her laptop.
    â€œWell, I guess there’s no harm in that.” Mrs. Chang glanced at her watch. “Oh, it’s time for me to pick up Trina. She and a girl she met here at the hotel went to a movie. Will you be all right for a little while?”
    â€œYeah. We’re going to get online and chat with the other Camp Club Girls.”
    â€œOkay. See you