Maisy And The Mystery Manor

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Maisy And The Mystery Manor - book excerpt

Prologue

A scream echoed through the room, shattering the pleasant conversations of the group seated around the long, wooden table. Maisy turned in time to see the big-haired woman gasp and collapse, face first, into her chocolate cake. Maisy smiled. The game had begun.

Chapter 1

A tingle of excitement danced down Maisy’s spine as she held the three rectangular tickets. She looked up at her parents and a squeak escaped her lips.

“Are we really going?” she asked.

“We’re leaving as soon as you can get packed!” her dad said.

“I can’t believe it!”

“Let us know when you’re ready. But we need to leave in about an hour if we want to avoid heavy traffic and be able to stop somewhere for lunch,” her mother said, as she followed Maisy’s dad out of the room.

For several moments after her parents left, Maisy stood in the middle of her bedroom. She was still in her pajamas. Her hair was a mess, and her mind was a jumble of thoughts. There was so much to do. At least she had already eaten breakfast.

Maisy shook her head to clear it. She raced to the bathroom to brush her teeth and make herself presentable. When she returned to her bedroom, she was shocked to discover only fifteen minutes had passed. She was sure she had never moved as quickly on any other morning.

She removed her duffle bag from the back of her closet and began packing. She’d need more items for this trip than she would if she were doing something ordinary, such as sleeping over at Veronica’s house. She picked out two pairs of her favorite pajamas. She was putting them in her bag, when her mother came back into the room. Reesie trailed after her, tail wagging.

“Your father and I bought you a little something for the trip.”

Maisy reached for the wide box as her mother extended it to her. She undid the purple bow and plucked the lid off of the top. When she saw what was inside, she almost dropped the box. For the second time that morning, Maisy let out a little squeak. She smiled as she realized Veronica’s bubbly personality was rubbing off on her.

She placed the box on her bed and touched the tan material of her new trench coat. It had a smooth texture and felt cool under her skin. She lifted it from the box and stared at her mother, speechless.

“Your father and I thought it would go nicely with your fedora. Do you like it?”

“I love it!” She gave her mom the tightest hug she could manage. “Thank you so, so, so much!”

“I’ll leave you to finish packing. Come help me get Reesie’s things together when you’re done.”

Maisy paused with one arm in her new trench coat. She hadn’t yet realized she would be spending the weekend without her little pup to snuggle up with at night. Maisy had spent many nights away from home. But, this would be the first time her entire family would be gone, and no one would be home to take care of Reesie.

Her family had adopted Reesie from a shelter when she was about two years old, and Maisy had been in kindergarten. She was about six now, and Maisy worried Reesie wouldn’t enjoy staying somewhere else.

“Mom, where are we going to take Reesie? Is there any way she can come with us?”

“I’m sorry, honey. Don’t worry. Veronica’s mom said they’ll keep her for the weekend, and she’s coming by to pick her up before we leave. Reesie will have a good time.”

Maisy let out a breath. Reesie liked Veronica and her little brother, Vince. She also got along with Veronica’s Dalmatian puppy, Spot, even though he was now bigger than she was. The two dogs had only been together on a couple of occasions. But, they chased each other like old friends.

“All right. I know they’ll take good care of her.”

As her mother left, Maisy finished putting on her trench coat. She felt even more like a detective. She picked up her notebook and was pretending to consider a case, when she felt a tug.

She glanced down to see Reesie pulling on the edge of the new coat. The pup dropped it and stood on her hind legs. She sniffed as much of the coat as she could reach before dropping back to the floor and opening her mouth to grab it again.

Maisy said, “No, puppy,” and picked up the tiny dog. She snuggled her for a moment before putting her back on the floor. With a final sniff, Reesie was satisfied that the strange, new object could be trusted. She pranced away and settled in for a nap in her cozy, little bed.

Maisy giggled and set off to finish her task.

Chapter 2

The smooth ride on pavement became bumpy, as Maisy and her parents turned onto the gravel road leading to the old manor house. It was constructed of dark wood and appeared to be old, but sturdy. It was three stories high, with rounded windows framed by black shutters. Puffs of gray smoke rose from the chimney.

Her dad pulled to a stop alongside a few other cars in a small parking lot. Maisy had done her best to enjoy the two-hour drive. But, she was too anxious to sit still for another moment. She undid her seatbelt and opened her car door. A woodsy, outdoor smell greeted her, and she inhaled deeply. She felt the chill of late October in the air and wished she had put on her trench coat. But, she had decided to save it for later.

Maisy walked around to the back of the car and helped her parents remove their luggage. Maisy pulled her duffle bag from its place next to her old-fashioned typewriter case. Sherooted around in the trunk for her backpack. When she didn’t see it, her breath caught in her throat.

“Dad, did you see my backpack? It has all of my detective stuff. I have to have my backpack!”

“Relax, Maisy. It’s right here,” he said.

He picked the backpack up from the ground and helped Maisy put it on.

“Thanks!”

When they had gathered all of their belongings, they followed a path leading to the porch. The gravel crunched under Maisy’s feet, and she looked around, taking in the view. The tall trees had already lost their leaves, which were spread over the bushes and ground beneath the limbs. Marshmallow clouds floated past the sun, causing beams of light to shine around them. Though it was bright outside, Maisy thought the place felt a bit spooky. It was perfect.

The porch creaked under them as they made their way across it. A sign next to the door read Welcome to Mystery Manor’s Family Weekend!

Maisy had seen an advertisement for the event a few weeks ago, and she had asked her parents if they could go. At the time, they hadn’t said no, but they hadn’t said yes. Maisy had asked about it a few more times, but her parents said they weren’t sure yet. Now, Maisy knew they had wanted to surprise her. She really did have the most awesome parents.

Maisy turned the knob and pushed the heavy door open. She only had a few seconds to take in the narrow staircase to the right and the chandelier above her head before they were greeted by an older, skinny man, who was dressed like a fancy butler.

“Good afternoon to the ladies and the gentleman. I am Mr. Jameson, the butler. May I have your tickets, please?”

Maisy grinned at the man and noted his bald head, white gloves, and shiny, black shoes. He was very proper.

“We’re the Sawyers,” Maisy’s mom said, handing him their tickets.

“It is very nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer. And who is our young detective?”

“I’m Maisy. It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

“Very well, then.Let’s get you settled.You will meet the other guests, as well as Lord and Lady Foster, this evening. Our festivities begin at five o’clock in the dining room, which is right through those doors.” He pointed to a large set of double doors across from the entryway.

Maisy glanced around. The manor house was decorated like her grandmother’s house had been. Everything was dark in color, from the hardwood floor to the maroon curtains hanging on the windows on either side of the door. The place had a “little-old-lady” feel to it.