Judy Moody, Girl Detective - Megan Mcdonald [19]
“Sorry!” Judy and the girl said at the same time.
Judy helped pick up the books. “Secret in the Old Attic?” she said. “The Hidden Staircase?”
“I’m freaky for Nancy Drew,” said the girl.
“I’m freaky for Nancy Drew! I’m reading all fifty-six classic Nancy Drews. I’m on number thirty-two.”
“Hey, don’t I know you? We played soccer together last summer. I go to Jerabek Elementary School, but my mom knows your mom. My name’s Alyssa.”
“Oh, yeah!” said Judy.
Before you could say “Scarlet Slipper,” Judy had a playdate with Alyssa.
Judy’s mom pulled up outside Alyssa’s house. It had purple front steps, a porch covered in vines, and a round tower.
“This looks like a haunted house!” said Stink. “No way would I go in there.”
The house did look way old and spooky. Judy glanced at her mood ring. Amber. Amber was for Nervous. Amber was for Not-So-Sure. Amber seemed to whisper, Never-Go-Inside-Haunted-Houses.
Judy reached into the pocket where she kept her SOS lipstick. It helped her pluck up her courage. She climbed the purple steps and knocked on the front door.
Alyssa opened the door, and Judy stepped inside. The first thing Judy noticed was a chandelier in the entryway — it was swinging back and forth. Then, from out of nowhere, spooky music drifted into the room.
Judy got goose bumps, goose eggs. Alyssa didn’t seem to notice a thing.
“Is this house haunted?” Judy whispered.
“Of course not.” Alyssa laughed. “Don’t be cuckoo.” Judy started to relax. Alyssa lowered her voice. “Sometimes I do hear spooky sounds coming from the attic. You want to go up?”
“Up? As in stairs? To the spooky attic?” Judy checked her mood ring. Blue-green? Blue-green was for Relaxed, Calm. She, Judy Moody, did not feel Relaxed, Calm at all!
Upstairs, Alyssa yanked a rope in the ceiling. Down came a secret staircase that led into the attic. Jeepers! The cobwebby attic was full of junk covered in million-year-old dust: chairs, rolls of carpet, old-timey paintings, a cracked mirror.
Just then, out of the corner of Judy’s eye, something caught her attention. Something in the mirror. Something hairy and scary.
“AGHHHHHH!” Judy screamed and fell back on the floor. She scrambled back up to her feet and made a beeline for the stairs. “I think . . . saw . . . gorilla . . . ghost!”
“Judy! Stop! Wait!”
But Judy didn’t stop. She didn’t wait. Judy flew down the attic stairs, through the front door, and out into the sunshine as fast as she could, all the way home.
Judy tried not to think about haunted houses. She tried not to think about swinging chandeliers and spooky music. She tried not to think about gorillas or ghosts.
She, Judy Moody, was in a mood. A tingle-up-your-spine mood. What color is my mood ring? She looked down at her hand.
Hello! Her mood ring! It was G-O-N-E, gone! This was a for-real mystery for Judy Moody, Girl Detective: Mystery of the Missing Mood Ring.
When had she last seen it? At breakfast. At soccer. In the car with Stink . . .
Stink!
Judy Drewdy went to find her number-one suspect. She shone a flashlight in Stink’s eyes. “Where’s my mood ring?” she asked a million and one times. Judy held up an apple but wouldn’t let him eat it. Yet.
“Honest to pizza! I did NOT steal it! You had it on in the car. I saw you checking it. Maybe that gorilla ATE your mood ring.”
The gorilla! Of course! She’d had her mood ring on in the attic just before . . .
Wait just a Nancy Drew minute! This was exactly like . . . Nancy Drew Book #2, The Hidden Staircase. Nancy goes to a creepy mansion, sees the creepy chandelier swinging, hears creepy music, finds a creepy hidden staircase, and sees a creepy gorilla at the window.
Maybe Alyssa’s house was haunted after all! And, she, Judy Moody, had to go back there to get her ring. Brrr. Judy shivered at the thought.
Alyssa opened the front door. She looked surprised to see Judy.
“Hey, have you seen my mood ring?” Judy asked Alyssa.
“Mood ring?” Alyssa said. “You had it on when we went upstairs.”
“Then I think your house is haunted for real,” Judy said.
Alyssa howled