Nancy showed George instead, and George thought fast. “What if it’s N for north, like on a map? Where’s the north side of the lighthouse?”
The girls knew the sun was in the west now. Working from there, they found the north side and did a search. Nancy ran her hand along the base of one of the windows, and suddenly she felt something sticking out!
Nancy looked closely and grabbed hold of something red. She pulled on it until it broke free of the window. It was another red octagon. And this one had a string attached. Nancy tugged and tugged on the string until she pulled out . . . a key!
“Of course!” cried Nancy. “‘Pieces on land and sea will lead you to the key!’ I can’t believe I didn’t think of that! But what will it open?”
George said, “Could it be a key to the lighthouse? Let’s go downstairs and try!”
The girls had to slip past Megan to get back to the stairs. Megan let them by without a word. She stayed at her guard post—and Bess needed a guard by now, she was so upset about what she could hear. “Don’t go down there!” she said, quivering. “The ghost is at the bottom of the stairs!”
Nancy couldn’t push Bess’s worries from her mind any longer. The awful sound did seem to be right outside the door. Was the ghost tied in to this mystery after all?
“At least the lighthouse is locked, so the ghost can’t get in,” George said.
Nancy thought that ghosts might be able to pass through locked doors, but she didn’t mention it. She just hoped for the best.
Nancy crept down the final two stairs and fumbled to get the key in the lock. The key fit! Nancy turned it one way and the door unlocked. She turned it again and the door locked with a satisfying click. Behind her, George drew a sigh of relief.
Then George pointed to a spot above the lock. “A peephole!” she said. “Want to look?” Nancy shook her head. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was pretty scared. George was feeling brave, though, and she said, “Well, I’ve never seen a ghost before. I’m going to take a peek.”
George stood on her tiptoes and put her eye to the peephole. Nancy was afraid to ask, but she had to. “What does it look like?” she croaked.
George’s face broke into a smile as she said, “That ghost looks just like Hayley Meaney!” She reached for the lock, twisted the key in it again, and threw open the door. Hayley stood a few feet away, wailing with all her might into what looked like a megaphone.
George shouted, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Hayley looked at George and crumpled onto the sandy ground. “I’m tired of being left out! Megan ignores me every summer. I thought it would be better this year, but it isn’t!” With that, Hayley collapsed into tears.
Nancy didn’t know what to do with her. But soon she had another problem on her hands. Now Megan was at the bottom of the stairs, saying, “I thought I’d come down here to see if you guys needed any help!” Nancy thought that Megan might take care of her sister. But instead Megan reached for the key, which was still in the lock. “I think I can solve your mystery now. This is Abigail’s key to the lighthouse.”
Nancy had figured that out already, but she still had a couple of questions. “Is this how Abigail used to get up here on her own?” she asked Megan.
“I think so,” Megan said, a little less boldly than usual.
“Didn’t you come up here with her all the time?” Nancy wondered.
“At least once,” Megan mumbled. “We had a sleepover.”
Nancy felt like she was missing something. “If you thought Abigail had a key, why didn’t you tell us? She mentioned a key in her note. You must have known right away what she meant!”
Megan looked at the ground. “I wasn’t sure she meant that key,” she insisted. “And if she did, I thought I might be able to find it myself. I’d love to have a key to this lighthouse! It’s peaceful and quiet here—and my sister can’t get in. Lucky I found that ladder this year. I’ve been going in all week.”
Nancy still didn’t understand. “But if you wanted Abigail’s key to the lighthouse, why didn’t you just ask her for it? She was moving. She didn’t need it.”
Megan Meaney looked embarrassed. “The last couple of summers, we didn’t see each other that much. . . .” Megan trailed off, and Nancy knew what she was saying. She and Abigail weren’t really friends anymore, in spite of what Megan had said. Bess and George were right.
Nancy felt a little sorry for Megan. She wanted to be nice to her. “Why did you tell us she was your best friend, then?” she asked quietly.
Megan was practically whispering now. “I just want to feel I belong here, like she did. It’s my favorite place in the world! And I can’t believe we have to go home at the end of the week. . . .” Megan’s voice broke. Then she finally noticed her sister.
“Is this the ‘ghost’?” she asked slowly.
Hayley nodded through her tears, and Megan looked shocked.
“But why were you haunting us?” Megan asked.
“I just wanted to spend some time with you this year. You’re always off with your friends!” Hayley cried. “Or off on your own, I guess. I can’t believe you were hiding from me!”
Now it was Megan’s turn to feel bad. “I’m sorry, Hayley! I just can’t stand the way you copy me!”
“I’m sorry I scared you,” Hayley said, wiping her nose. “But you did pay attention, for once!”
Nancy wanted to say something about how there were better ways to get attention. But Megan could handle her sister herself. She gave Hayley a bear hug.
Then suddenly Nancy saw another face behind Megan’s. Bess had made it down the stairs in one piece. Nancy thought Bess would be mad at Hayley. But instead she still seemed worried. Bess looked at Nancy and said, “Your dad doesn’t know we’re here. And it’s dark!”
None of the girls had noticed the last of the daylight fading. Awkwardly they rushed back to the B and B together. Nancy was glad they had solved the mystery, but she wished she didn’t know so much about Megan and Hayley now. She hated to hear about sisters who didn’t get along.
Mr. Drew spotted the girls from the deck and raced down to meet them. “Thank goodness!” he said. “I was about to call the ice cream parlor!” Nancy hugged her dad and excused herself for a minute. She and her friends had to have another meeting upstairs.
George couldn’t resist teasing Bess. “So your ghost turned out to be a little girl,” she said.
But Bess couldn’t resist teasing Nancy. “I knew there was something strange about Megan Meaney, even when you tried to make friends.”
Nancy stood up for Megan. “Megan was doing what any of us might do. She wanted to belong here. She just made a few mistakes.”
“Like avoiding her sister, not telling us about the key, and pretending Abigail was her best friend when she wasn’t. Does that about cover it?” George wanted to know.
Nancy smiled and ignored George’s question. “We know what the key is now, and that’s enough. Now I have an idea. We don’t want to treat Megan like she treated us, right?”
Bess and George looked curious about where this was going. “No . . .,” they said in unison.
“Or treat Megan the way she treated her sister?” Nancy continued.
“No . . .,” they said again.
“So how about we invite her and Hayley to sleep over here tonight? We have an extra space in that bunk bed and an extra sleeping bag—thanks to Bess!” Nancy said. “And while we’re not in the lighthouse, we’re about as close as we can get.”
“You are too nice, Nancy Drew,” Bess said after a minute. “But I guess it’s the right thing to do.”
“Great!” said Nancy happily. “And let’s leave the key with Mrs. Webb. Maybe she can take other kids inside.”
Bess and George were ready to go downstairs, but Nancy waved them ahead of her. “I’ll be right there,” she said. “I’ll find you wherever Megan is.” When the door closed behind them, Nancy took out her notebook. And before she joined her
friends, she scribbled a few more things in it:
I knew Megan wasn’t a meanie, in spite of her name. But her sister sure thought she was! The key to our mystery was a key to the lighthouse. And we’ll make sure the light shines for all kids who come to the Webbs’ in the future.
Case closed!
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
First Aladdin Paperbacks edition June 2004
Copyright © 2004 by Simon & Schuster, Inc
ALADDIN
An imprint of Simon & Schuster
Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
NANCY DREW, THE NANCY DREW NOTEBOOKS, and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Library of Congress Control Number 2003114519
ISBN 978-0-689-86344-8
ISBN: 978-1-4424-8344-6 (eBook)
Carolyn Keene, The Lighthouse Mystery
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