The Haunted Lighthouse by Penny Warner Read Free Book Online Page B

wouldn’t have had access. And if it wasn’t Matt, who could it be?
    Or was this just a wild-goose chase?
    As soon as they reached the top of the staircase, Cody felt the wind whip through slats in the tower, burning her eyes, but she was so dazzled by the thick glass windows that surrounded them, she hardly noticed. A huge beacon of bright light in the center of the tiny room turned a sweeping 360degrees, sending its powerful light to all parts of the bay.
    “Whoa,” she whispered to herself. This was the first time she’d seen the inside of a real lighthouse. It truly was awesome. And the view was even more breathtaking.
    “Look for a message!” Quinn said again as they moved around inside the tower.
    The kids began searching for some clue related to the mysterious note they’d found in the prison dining hall. They checked the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the light itself. But five minutes later, they’d come up empty-handed.
    “There’s nothing here,” Luke said, taking a last look around. “And it’s freezing.”
    “Time’s up,” the guard called from below, his voice echoing up through the cement tower.
    “Let’s go.” Luke started down the twisting staircase.
    Cody was about to follow him down when shespotted something in one of the small alcoves.
    “Wait.” She headed over, then picked up a glass jar. “Look at this.” She held it up. An old cork lay at the bottom of the jar.
    Quinn took the jar from her and turned it over. The cork fell into his hand. “This looks like a homemade compass. We made these in Scouts. See the rust line at the bottom of the glass, where all the water evaporated? And the cork even has a needle in it. That’s how we made them—by floating a cork with a needle in water. The needle always points north.”
    “So you think this was a compass?” M.E. asked.
    “I don’t know,” Quinn said. “Let’s try it.” He got out a bottle of water from his backpack and poured it into the small glass jar, then held it up and peered at it. The cork floated around in circles. “I don’t think it’s working. It needs to be magnetized.”
    “Hey, you kids. Come on down,” the guard called again.
    “We’re coming!” Quinn yelled back. “Cody, where exactly did you find this?”
    Cody showed him the alcove where she’d discovered the glass jar and cork. On the wall next to it was graffiti, most of it written with a black marker. But at the bottom, someone had actually carved something into the cement wall.
    “Check this out,” Quinn said, pointing to the markings. “It looks like some kind of code.”
    Cody peered at it and recognized the dots and dashes.

    “It’s Morse code!” Cody said.
    “Translate it, and I’ll write it down,” M.E. said,pulling out her notepad from her backpack.
    Cody read it aloud.
    Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page , this page
.
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” Luke said.
    “Hey, kids! Do I have to come up there and get you?” the guard called again, sounding agitated.
    “We’re coming! We’re coming!” Quinn called. He turned to the others. “Since there was a homemade compass there, maybe it refers to degrees.”
    Quinn thought for a moment, then said, “Anyone bring a cell phone?”
    Luke, M.E., and Cody all pulled out their phones.
    “How come you all got to bring your phones and I didn’t?” Quinn grumbled.
    “I only get to take it on special occasions, like this,” Cody said.
    “Me, too,” M.E. said. Luke nodded.
    “Not fair. Let me see your iPhone, Cody.” She handed it over. Quinn switched it on and tapped the compass app. He held it up. It pointed north.“Here’s 110 degrees,” he said, then looked up and out the window of the lighthouse tower. “It’s pointing to the Campanile on the Berkeley campus. I can see it from here! Maybe we’re supposed to go to the Campanile to find our next clue.”
    “When?” M.E. asked.
    “Tomorrow is Saturday,” Quinn said. “We can meet there in