took a half dozen of my best serving spoons.â
âThe big kind,â added Tyler. âYou know, for scooping out stuff.â
âWe run a tight ship here at the Top Hat,â said Mr. Yu. âEvery pot, pan, plate, and utensil is accounted for. I canât understand why anyone would want serving spoons.â
âAre they valuable?â asked Charlie.
âWell, they are old,â admitted Mr. Yu. âAnd Iâm sure theyâre genuine silver. They came with the original silverware from the hotelâs first restaurant.â
âThink theyâre worth a hundred bucks, Dad?â asked Tyler.
âProbably more,â said Mr. Yu. âNow, I need to get back to my customers. Weâre serving one of my specialties tonight, Flambeau de Chesterton. I have to make sure I donât set off the fire alarm like I did last time. You boys have fun.â
âSee you later,â Tyler said.
âNice to meet you,â Charlie said.
Mr. Yu smiled at him. Then the boys left.
As they returned to the lobby, Charlie stopped and asked, âWhy do you think a ghost stole the spoons?â
âNot so loud,â whispered Tyler. âI donât want the guests to hear. Itâs bad for business.â
He grabbed Charlie by the collar and pulled him into a shadowy corner, where they were surrounded by potted palms and giant ceramic vases.
âThereâs no one around,â said Charlie, readjusting his collar.
âYeah, but that lobby echoes,â said Tyler. He shrugged. âMy family has a reputation to uphold here.â
âSo tell me why you think ââ Charlie began.
âYeah, yeah, the ghost,â said Tyler. âDefinitely took the spoons. And I think so because it all happened the same night. After Mr. Thursday called us upstairs about the shower curtain, that same night, my dad noticed his spoons were gone. And later, my mom got complaints from some of the guests that the bowling pins were missing downstairs.â
âThat is weird,â said Charlie.
âNo kidding,â said Tyler. âThis is why you need to solve the mystery. And it better be quick, before something else disappears.â
Just then, a hand reached out from behind one of the giant vases.
Tyler jumped as the hand grabbed at him.
âWhereâs my key?â came a voice.
As the mysterious hand moved closer to Tyler, Charlie saw that it was attached to an arm, then a shoulder, then an entire body of a teenage boy with long blond hair. He was wearing a dark maroon suit and a gold name badge.
âDonât do that!â said Tyler.
âSorry, man,â said the teenager. âI need my passkey back.â He turned and looked at Charlie. âWho are you?â
Charlie began, âIâm ââ
âHeâs Hitch,â said Tyler. âAnd hereâs your stupid passkey.â He handed it to the blond guy, who shoved it in his pocket.
âYour mom was looking for it,â said the blond guy. âAnd I donât want to lose it like last time.â
âYou lost it?â Charlie asked.
The blond guy turned to Tyler. âWho is this kid?â he asked. âAnd why does he care about my stupid passkey?â
âIâm, uh, writing a report on the hotel for school,â said Charlie. âWho are you?â
âRocky,â said the guy. âI work the front desk.â
âHe and Annie switch off,â explained Tyler.
âWhen did you lose the key?â Charlie asked.
âI didnât really lose it,â said Rocky. âI just misplaced it. I was checking people in and I had a lot on my mind. I couldnât find the key, but when I looked again a little later, there it was on the floor. Must have dropped it. Anyway, why do you care when I lost it?â
âDonât you have work to do?â asked Tyler.
âNice talking to you too, Ty,â said Rocky. He pushed his long hair