Spooky Sleuths #3: Don't Go Near the Water!

Contents Cover Other Titles Title Page Copyright Contents Dedication Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Notes from Rokshar’s Journal Notes from Asim’s Journal Author’s Note Excerpt from Spooky Sleuths #4: Fire in the Sky Landmarks Cover Cover Title Page Contents Start Copyright Print Page List ii iii iv v 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 41 40 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 93 95 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Read them all…if you dare.
 The Ghost Tree
 Beware the Moonlight!
 Don't Go Near the Water!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
 Text copyright © 2023 by Natasha Deen
 Cover art and interior illustrations copyright © 2023 by Lissy Marlin
 Spooky Sleuths #4: Fire in the Sky excerpt text copyright © 2023 by Natasha Deen. Cover art copyright © 2023 by Lissy Marlin.
 All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
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 ISBN 9780593488935 (trade) — ISBN 9780593488942 (lib. bdg.) —ebook ISBN 9780593488959
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 ep_prh_6.0_142435018_c0_r0
 
 
 
 Contents
 
 Cover
 Other Titles
 Title Page
 Copyright
 Dedication
 
 
 Chapter 1
 
 
 Chapter 2
 
 
 Chapter 3
 
 
 Chapter 4
 
 
 Chapter 5
 
 
 Chapter 6
 
 
 Chapter 7
 
 
 Chapter 8
 
 
 Chapter 9
 
 
 Notes from Rokshar’s Journal
 Notes from Asim’s Journal
 Author’s Note
 Excerpt from Spooky Sleuths #4: Fire in the Sky
 
 
 _142435018_
 
 
 
 For lovers of spooky stories —N.D.
 To my family. Thank you for your support. —L.M.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The bus stopped at the Lion’s Gate Sea Research Center. My class was going to learn about the local ecosystem. Our task was to record the plants and animals we saw, then write a report about one of them.
 I joined my friends Rokshar Kaya and Max Rogers near the water’s edge. The building was behind us, but the mist hid it and made the morning damp and gray. Max shivered and pulled the collar of his coat close.
 I shivered, too, but not because of the cold. Lion’s Gate, Washington, was the spookiest place I’d ever lived! Strange lights shone in the sky, people disappeared into the mist—even the water was creepy. It was endless, and the fog made it impossible to see below its surface. Every wave seemed to roll closer, as if trying to catch hold of our feet and drag us under.
 Max and I were sure the town was home to supernatural creatures. Rokshar thought it was spooky because of secret projects at Eden Lab, the research facility where our parents worked. She figured the strange events were science experiments running wild. So far, we hadn’t been able to prove either of our theories.
 The bus driver honked his horn goodbye as my dad and Max’s uncle Nelson exited. They were helping to chaperone our trip.
 Dad came over and put his hand on my shoulder. “When I was a kid, I used to go sailing with my dad. I can’t wait to be on the water again.”
 “I’ve been so busy working on the research center’s renovations, I haven’t done any of their boat tours,” said Nelson. “I’m excited!”
 I wasn’t. Monsters like krakens lived in the water. On my left, the sea began to bubble. The tip of a fin appeared. I edged away.
 Dad and Nelson, though, walked near the waves. “Cool things wash up onshore,” Dad called to me. “Come look!”
 
 
 
 
 
 “I’m okay!” I said, and hoped I didn’t sound scared.
 Nelson picked something up and showed Dad. They seemed excited, and I was curious. I started for them, then froze as a growling roar echoed across the water. My ears tingled. So did my heart.
 “Wild, hey?” said my teacher, Mx. Hudson, as they came up to me. “There must be a group of sea lions around the bend. They sure make a racket!” Mx. Hudson turned to the group. “Everyone, please gather in. This is Captain Hoxha.” Mx. Hudson gestured to the tall, blond woman next to them.
 She smiled and waved.
 “Captain Hoxha is going to give us our safety review. Then we’ll