Haunted Clock Tower Mystery Read Online Free

dressed as he’d been the day before. Today he wore red-and-white suspenders with the Goldwin insignia on them. The children could guess that he appreciated school spirit.
    “We’re going on a tour of the campus,” Jessie said.
    “Doesn’t that sound delightful,” Ezra commented.
    “I have a question for you,” Benny said.
    Ezra smiled down at Benny. “Fire away! Goldwin University trivia is my specialty.”
    “Last night, in the middle of the night, I saw a light on in the clock tower,” Benny said. “Is someone up there at night?”
    The smile on Ezra’s face disappeared. “No, of course there isn’t anyone up there at night,” he said angrily. “Why would you think that?”
    Benny seemed hurt by Ezra’s tone. “Well, it’s just that I saw a light—”
    “You must have been mistaken,” Ezra snapped. “Maybe you were dreaming.”
    “I saw it, too,” Henry pointed out.
    Ezra turned to Henry. “Then you must have been mistaken as well,” he repeated.
    “Is the tower locked at night?” Jessie asked.
    “Well, no, I don’t lock it, but I told you—nobody goes up there at night,” Ezra said. “Now excuse me, but I must be going.” He hurried off.
    “My goodness, he certainly seemed upset, didn’t he?” said Jessie.
    “But he was so nice at first,” said Benny sadly.
    Violet spoke up. “It’s like yesterday, when he started talking about his assistant, Andrea Barton. All of a sudden his whole mood changed.”
    “I guess he didn’t like the idea that someone was up there who shouldn’t be,” Grandfather said.
    “But don’t you see?” Benny said, suddenly getting excited. “If Ezra says that no one goes up there at night, then there’s only one explanation.”
    “And what might that be?” Jessie asked.
    “It’s a ghost! I told you!” Benny insisted.
    “Oh, Benny,” Henry said. “You know there’s no such thing as ghosts.”
    “Are you sure?” Benny asked.
    “Yes,” said Grandfather. “Maybe Ezra is right, you were mistaken about the light. Maybe it was just a reflection from somewhere else.”
    “Or maybe someone is going up there who shouldn’t be,” said Henry.
    Before the Aldens could discuss this possibility farther, they heard a loud voice. “Good morning, Aldens!”
    The family turned to see Joel and Don Dixon coming up the hill to join them. “Ready for the tour?”
    “We sure are,” said Grandfather.
    Just then a blond man in a red Goldwin University T-shirt called out, “The tour is going to be starting now.” The Dixons and Aldens walked toward him. A small group of people gathered around. “My name is Ethan, and I’ll be your guide,” the man said. “Some of the buildings you may remember, but a lot have been built since you graduated. You’ll see they’re working on a brand-new building right here on the Quad.” He motioned behind him. “I’m sure you all remember the clock tower.”
    People nodded and smiled. “Hasn’t changed a bit,” one woman pointed out.
    “When was the tower built?” asked Don.
    “Around 1860. It’s one of the oldest buildings here,” Ethan said.
    “Did it always have a carillon?” Don asked.
    “Yes,” said Ethan. “At the beginning, there were twenty-five bells. Over the years, more and more bells were donated to the school by generous alumni. Now there are forty-nine.
    “We’ll end our tour back here in time for the midday concert,” Ethan continued. “Now, if you’ll follow me, let’s head on over this way, to the new science buildings.”
    “How old is the clock?” Don asked.

    Ethan turned around. “You have a lot of good questions,” he remarked. “It’s the original clock—from 1860,” Ethan said.
    Don nodded.
    “If there are no more questions, we’ll move on,” Ethan said, looking around at the group.
    Joel and Grandfather were very impressed with the new science buildings, which were very tall and faced with glass. “They look a lot fancier than the old labs we had our classes