Case of the Graveyard Ghost Read online

  Drake froze as the sound of his sneeze echoed throughout the store.

  Suddenly all the parrots began to squawk and screech at once.

  And from the other room, he heard Nell cry, “Run, Drake, run!”

  But it was too late.

  Jake McNeely burst into the room, dragging Nell by one arm. He grabbed Drake by his collar. They were caught. Plan A was a bust.

  “Trying to mess up my scheme, are you, you little brats? I’ll show you. . . .” And before Drake could smack him over the head with his teddy-bear camera, Jake shoved Nell and Drake into the biggest cage and locked it. They were trapped!

  “Maybe later I’ll introduce you to my pet piranhas,” Jake snarled. “But for now, I’m expecting another rare delivery from Mexico.” And with that, he threw back his head and laughed a sinister laugh.

  As soon as the door closed behind Jake, Nell cried, “Quick, Detective Doyle, pick the lock with your handy-dandy lock picker!”

  “Check!” But when Drake reached for his detective kit, it was gone. “Egads! Jake must have taken it with him!”

  It was, quite possibly, the worst moment of their detective careers.

  “This is awful,” said Drake. Cough! Cough!

  “Terrible,” said Nell.

  “We simply must do something.” Ah-choo! Honk!

  “Yes, but what?”

  “What about Plan B?” asked Drake.

  “There is no Plan B. There wasn’t time. All we have is Plan A.”

  “This is awful,” said Drake again. Sniff! Sniff!

  “Terrible.”

  So they sat in the cage, trying not to think about being fish food. Meanwhile, Nell was getting rather hungry and Drake was wishing he had brought an extra hankie.

  Then, suddenly, Drake felt something wiggling under his clothes. “Great Scott!” he screeched. “They’re eating me already!” Fearing the worst, he reached inside his shirt and pulled out a . . . a . . . cell phone. The same phone that Sloane had lent him as payment for rescuing her from the laundry chute. It was set on VIBRATE.

  Sick with relief, he flipped it open, wondering who could possibly be calling. “Uh—hello? I mean, Doyle and Fossey.”

  “Drake? Are you all right?” It was his mother.

  “Uh—I don’t know, Mom. I’m not feeling so good.” Ah–choo! “I think my fever—”

  Nell snatched the phone away from him. “Mrs. Doyle, this is Nell. We have an emergency. . . .” And she proceeded to give Mrs. Doyle the gory details. (You really can’t blame Drake for being a little foggy in the head, because, as you well know, his nose was stuffed up and he was running a slight fever, plus he felt another sneeze coming on.)

  Five minutes later, red and blue lights flashed and sirens wailed. “The jig is up,” the police yelled through the megaphone. “We’ve got you surrounded!”

  Thanks to the police, it was over in a jiffy. Jake gave himself up. Drake and Nell were released. The parrots were taken into protective custody. All in all, Plan A was a smashing success.

  TV crews and reporters from the Mossy Lake Daily Word and National Geographic arrived to interview them and take their pictures. Nell gave a few speeches and held up quite well under the lights, but Drake was exhausted. He was relieved to see his parents drive up, and after them, Professor Fossey. It was time to call it a day.

  “Couldn’t have done it without you, Detective Doyle,” said Nell, shaking his hand.

  “Ditto, Naturalist Nell,” said Drake.

  “Get plenty of rest and call me in the morning,” Nell added, patting him on the back.

  “Check.” Ah–choo! That night, tucked in bed, with a flashlight under the covers, Drake wrote in his lab notebook:

  Jake McNeely (known as Jake the Snake)

  behind bars.

  A slippery fellow, according

  to police.

  Parrots to be returned to

  jungle.

  Payment: Feature article in

  National Geographic.

  Paid in full.

  Contents

  Your Own Lab

  A Wonderful Accident

  Blast Sloane Out of the Laundry Chute!:

  Chemical Reactions

  Soak Up Some Juice: Capillary Action

  Pepper’s Ghost: Virtual Images

  Send a Secret Message

  Serious Business: Illegal Wildlife Trade

  Serious scientists always have their own lab. It can be quite simple. A desk. A lamp. A few necessary supplies. Here are some hot tips for creating your own lab:

  1. Begin collecting items you might need for experiments, such as tape, string, markers, rulers, and glass and plastic containers. You never know when they might come in handy.

  2. You’ll need a blank lab notebook. Like Drake and Nell, you will record every step of the experiment: procedures, observations, results, etc. And, of course, all good scientists know to xsrecord even their mistakes.

  3. To be completely official, you will need a lab coat. Old shirts that button down the front work well. Using a permanent marker, write your name on the shirt. (Ask permission first.)

  4. Lastly, all good scientists label everything. Keep masking tape and a marker on hand.

  Good Science Tip

  All scientists make mistakes. Many experiments don’t turn out as expected. This is part of everyday science! If your experiments have unexpected results, try to figure out what went wrong and why. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. And definitely record your mistakes in your lab notebook. Some of the greatest scientific discoveries were accidental.

  Even though mistakes are a part of science, sloppiness is not. Good scientists read instructions and practice good laboratory technique.

  In 1928, scientist Alexander Fleming was busy conducting an experiment. He was growing bacteria in petri dishes, and the bacteria were multiplying nicely. However, when he returned after a holiday, the petri dishes had been contaminated with mold. Oops! That wasn’t supposed to happen!

  But he noticed something interesting. In the areas of the contaminated culture, the bacteria didn’t grow. Now, Fleming could easily have thrown his experiment away and started over, but instead it got him thinking.

  Why didn’t the bacteria grow in the presence of the mold?

  At this point, Fleming likely developed a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a scientist’s guess as to what is happening and why. Fleming’s hypothesis might have sounded something like this: Based on my observations, I believe the mold is producing a substance that prevents the growth of bacteria.

  Fleming then set about to test his hypothesis. What he discovered changed the course of the medical world. Quite by accident, Fleming had discovered a mold called penicillin, which is now one of the most widely used antibiotics. Penicillin prevents the growth of bacteria. By 1940, people who might have died from infections like pneumonia could take penicillin and recover. From penicillin, the search for other antibiotics began, and now we have many to choose from.

  The point is, Fleming did not set out to discover a new antibiotic. (He didn’t even know what one was, since it hadn’t been discovered yet!) But when things went wrong, Fleming didn’t cry, panic, scream, or ignore it. Instead, like a good scientist, he wondered why the bacteria couldn’t grow in the presence of the mold.

  All right, so it’s not Sloane, it’s an egg. And, well, it’s not a laundry chute either, it’s a pipe. But TOUGH TOENAILS!!! IT’S KINDA THE SAME!!! AND BESIDES, IT’S FUN!!! (You can draw a frowny-face on the egg and pretend it’s Sloane if that makes you feel better.)

  MATERIALS

  • PVC pipe, with a -inch inner diameter*

  • sandpaper

  • 1 medium hard-boiled egg**

  • tablespoon

  • baking soda

  • tissue

  • vinegar

  • measuring cup

  • plastic sandwich bag

  *Note #1: Diameter is the distance of a straight line that passes through the center of
a circle. Measure the pipe’s inner diameter at the hardware store.

  **Note #2: Large eggs are too large for PVC pipe. Medium eggs are just right. To hard-boil an egg, have an adult boil it in water for 15 minutes. Cool the egg before you peel it.

  PROCEDURE

  1. Ask a handy adult to cut the PVC pipe to a length of 7 inches. (If you buy it from a store, they will cut it for you.) Smooth any rough edges with sandpaper.

  2. Peel the egg and insert it inches into the bottom of the pipe. It should be a tight fit.

  3. Measure 2 tablespoons of baking soda into a tissue and fold it up tightly so that none of it leaks out. Keep it handy, because you’ll need it in a hurry.

  4. Pour vinegar into a measuring cup to the –cup mark, then add water to the –cup mark.

  5. With one hand, hold the pipe (egg side down) over a sink.

  6. Put your other hand into the plastic sandwich bag. This is your glove.

  7. Pour the vinegar-and-water mixture into the top of the pipe. The egg should keep the liquid from seeping through.

  8. Add the entire baking-soda packet (including tissue) to the vinegar and water mixture. Quickly seal the top of the pipe with your gloved hand, and shake.

  9. PLOP! SPLAT! Out comes the egg!

  How does this work?

  Vinegar and baking soda react together to form completely new substances: water, salt, and carbon-dioxide gas. So much gas is produced that it builds up pressure. The pressure forces the egg out the end of the pipe.

  Think about it. Capillary action might come in rather handy. You’re thirsty. You’re stumbling along. There’s a mud puddle. You stick in your big toe and soak up some swampy water. Gulp . . . gulp . . . gulp . . . ahh . . .

  Plants draw up water through capillary action. Tiny capillaries carry moisture and nutrients from the roots throughout the entire plant. Try this simple activity and observe capillary action “in action.”

  MATERIALS

  • measuring spoon

  • water

  • clear drinking glass or jar

  • red food coloring

  • celery stalk with leaves

  PROCEDURE

  1. Measure 3–6 tablespoons of water into the jar.

  2. Add enough red food coloring to turn the water blood red (about 30–40 drops).

  3. Slice 1 inch off the bottom of the celery stalk, then place the stalk, cut side down, into the jar. Make sure the cut surface of the celery is completely under water.

  4. Record your observations every 15 minutes for the first hour. After 3 hours, rinse off the celery and then slice it crosswise in a few different places. Where are the capillaries located? Did the dye reach the very top? Are there capillaries in the leaves?

  How does this work?

  Water molecules have adhesive properties—they like to stick together and to other things. (Think of a glass of ice water on a hot day. Water clings in droplets on the outside of the glass. Only when the droplets get too heavy do they fall.) In the same way, water molecules can “climb” a thin tube, such as a capillary, by clinging to the sides of the tube and to each other.

  Picture this. London. 1863. A crowded theater. The lights dim. Suddenly everybody gasps. There, on stage, is a ghost . It moves and talks while other actors just walk right through it! AAAAHHHH!!!!!!

  It’s a hit! The audience and newspapers love it!

  And so, the special effect called Pepper’s Ghost was born, named after its inventor, Professor John Henry Pepper. (Before 1863, a stage ghost would likely have been an actor wearing a sheet. And if another actor had tried to walk through him, the ghost would likely have said, “Ow! You’re stepping on my big toe!” or “You big clumsy knuckle-brain! Watch where you’re going!” or some such.)

  Scare yourself silly by making your own Pepper’s Ghost.

  MATERIALS

  • rectangular cardboard box (at least 15 inches x 10 inches)

  • ruler

  • scissors

  • tape

  • plastic glass (Plexiglas or another brand—see step #4)

  • miniature ghost model (or scary action figure)

  • black cloth (such as a black T-shirt)

  • small flashlight

  PROCEDURE

  1. Make sure that the sides of the cardboard box are taller than your ghost model or action figure.

  2. Look at the diagram. Measure side B of your box with a ruler. Cut away this amount from side A. (For instance, if side B measures 12 inches, then cut away 12 inches from side A. You should have at least 3 inches remaining on side A. If you have less than 3 inches, find a different box.) Cardboard can be tough to cut. Ask an adult for help if you’re having trouble.

  3. With leftover cardboard from step #2, make a half wall (half the length of side B). Using tape, secure directly across from the cut end of side A. This creates a “backstage.”

  4. Starting from the back right corner of the half wall, measure diagonally across the stage, ending at the left front corner. This is how long your piece of plastic glass should be. It should be at least as high as the cardboard box. Secure the plastic glass with tape. (Plastic glass—sometimes called Plexiglas—is available from hardware stores and some craft supply stores. They will cut the plastic glass for you. Do not attempt to cut it yourself. Edges may be sharp, so be careful!)

  5. Place the ghost in the backstage opening. (It works best if you place a black cloth under and around the ghost so that the sides of the cardboard box aren’t reflected.)

  6. Prop up a flashlight “backstage” so that it will shine directly on the ghost model.

  7. Turn on flashlight.

  8. Flip off room lights.

  9. Scream.

  Disclaimer: Not responsible for broken windows in your mad dash to escape. Not responsible for eyeballs popping out from fright.

  How does this work?

  Light from the flashlight shines onto the ghost model, lighting it up. The light is then projected from the ghost and reflects off the plastic glass back to you, the viewer. But reflection really isn’t the right word, because reflection is what happens at the surface of the glass, while what is really happening with Pepper’s Ghost occurs behind the glass. While the light is reflected off the glass surface, it behaves as if it were at a point in space behind the glass, creating a virtual image of the lighted object.

  Again, a mirror is a good example. You don’t view your reflection as being flat on the mirror’s surface, as in a poster. Instead, you see yourself in a room behind the mirror. Of course, all of this is an illusion. There is no one behind the mirror, any more than there is a ghost behind the glass. What would Sloane have seen as she walked bravely through the ghost image? Nothing.

  How did Nell write the secret message in Chapter Eight urging Drake to hurry over to Nature Headquarters? Writing and decoding the same secret message is easy—once you know how. Follow these simple steps for some super-sleuthing techniques of the secret sort.

  MATERIALS

  • scissors

  • paper

  • clear tape

  • rolling pin or paper-towel tube

  • pen

  PROCEDURE

  1. Cut strips of paper ½-inch wide.

  2. Tape the strips of paper end to end, until you have one very loooonnnng piece of paper.

  3. Tape one end of the strip to one end of the rolling pin. Draw a dot on the end of the paper strip to indicate where the message begins.

  4. Wrap the paper around the rolling pin as if you were wrapping a mummy. The edges should touch each other, but not overlap. Tape other end in place. (Cut the paper strip if it is too long.)

  5. Using one paper segment for each letter, write your message.

  6. Send your roll of paper to your partner. (Never fear. If it is intercepted, it will look like nonsense.)

  7. To read, your partner simply wraps your message around a rolling pin or cylinder of the exact same diameter, beginning with the dot. (Paper-towel tubes, tin c
ans, and soda cans are some examples of cylinders that would work.)

  Good Science Tip

  If you use a paper-towel tube to create your message, your friend will not be able to decode it with a tin can. The diameter is the key to getting the letters in the message to line up just right. Make sure that you and your fellow detectives have cylinders with identical diameters, or else your secret messages will be more like secret messes!

  In Chapter Nine, “Plan A,” Drake disguised himself as a tourist, while Nell dressed up as a shopper. Ready for undercover operations. Ready to nab Jake the Snake.

  The illegal wildlife trade is serious business. Criminals like Jake the Snake get rich, while animal populations disappear from wild habitats. Some even become extinct. The sad fact is that the U.S. and Europe are the leading consumers of illegal wildlife products, whether it’s a live parrot or a carving made from elephant ivory.

  While you won’t be doing any investigation into the illegal wildlife trade, you can certainly do your part by becoming a smart shopper and a top-notch tourist. Here are some tips:

  1. If your family decides to purchase an unusual pet, such as a parrot or exotic reptile, be certain it is captive bred. Many animals that are illegal if caught in the wild are perfectly legal when born and raised in captivity by a licensed breeder. Before a parrot chick is three weeks old, the breeder slips a seamless, coded, metal band onto the chick’s leg. The chick is now closed-banded. This ensures that the bird was not captured in the wild.