False Notes by Carolyn Keene Read Free Book Online

it in frustration, wondering if it was stuck.
    Then, as I squinted desperately at the door handle, I saw my answer: A solid metal padlock was hanging from the handle on the other side of the glass, locking the door from the outside. I clenched my fist and pounded the glass in frustration. How was I going to get out now? Even if I hid out in the basement until Granger went to bed, I was sure he had some kind of security system.
    I froze, realizing I might not have to worry about that. I’d just heard the basement door swing open. Asecond later Fluffy was dancing around my feet again.
    “You may be right about the monster this time, Fluffy.” Granger’s jovial voice drifted down from the top of the stairs. “I heard it that time too. Hope those darn squirrels didn’t find a way back in.”
    A second later an overhead light flickered on. I could now see that the basement was nothing more than a moderately sized, nearly empty room holding little more than the furnace and water heater. I heard a footstep on the stairs, and then another. Granger was coming down. There was nowhere to hide, and the door was locked.
    I was trapped!

Close Calls
     
    I almost moaned out loud in my panic, wondering if I could possibly squeeze out of sight behind the water heater. Then, suddenly, I noticed movement on the outside of the sliding glass door.
    “Bess!” I hissed under my breath, recognizing my friend’s bright blond hair.
    I glanced toward the stairs. There was paneling covering part of the stairwell, which meant Granger’s legs wouldn’t be visible until he was about halfway down. It also meant he wouldn’t be able to see me until he was almost at the bottom of the stairs.
    Fluffy had left my feet and raced back up the stairs and out of my sight, still barking excitedly. “All right, all right.” Granger laughed. “Come on, let’s see what you’re so interested in down here, little guy.”
    I cast a frantic glance outside. Bess was working away at the lock—she has a knack for anything mechanical, and I knew it was only a matter of time before she cracked the lock and got the door open. Unfortunately time was the one thing we didn’t have.
    Footsteps. Granger was moving. I watched nervously as an expensive-looking black dress shoe and dark trouser leg stepped into view, soon followed by another. At least he was taking the steps incredibly slowly.…
    Bess was still working, but time was running out. I took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say when Granger saw me. Maybe I could still talk my way out of this.
    At that moment, over the noise of Fluffy’s barking, I heard a wonderful sound: a ringing phone. Granger muttered something under his breath, sounding annoyed.
    “Come on, Fluffy,” he called. “Get up here. I’d better see who that is. I’ll check out your monster in a minute.”
    The footsteps hurried up the stairs and were followed by the dog’s clicking toenails. I finally exhaled, almost passing out from relief.
    I peered outside again. Bess was still working at the lock, her expression focused and grim. Suddenly a tiny beam of light appeared right behind her.Squinting past it, I saw George’s face bending closer, holding the light on the lock so Bess could see better. I recognized the penlight George had bought at Riverside Electronics. She always told us that thing would come in handy someday.
    The light seemed to help. Within seconds Bess was yanking the lock off the door handle. A moment later she and George slid open the glass door.
    “Thank goodness!” I gasped, rushing out immediately and grabbing them both in a big hug. “I thought I was dead meat when I saw that lock. How did you know where I was?”
    George glanced in through the glass door. “We’ll tell you in a minute,” she said. “Come on. I think he’s coming back.”
    Sure enough, I turned just in time to see Fluffy leaping down the last few steps. The little dog let out a flurry of barks and raced toward the