"Carey, M.V. - The Three Investigators 15 - The Mystery of the Flaming Footprints" - читать интересную книгу автора (Carey M.V)

"They're in the back room," called Tom. "Brand new. Still have the paper round them."

"Thank goodness," declared Aunt Mathilda. She yanked open doors until she found the linen closet, and there were the sheets, also new, the mattresses and blankets. And two new pillows still encased in plastic.

Aunt Mathilda threw open one of the front windows. "Hans!" she called.

"Coming!" Hans was making his way up the front steps, the footboard of the brass bed balanced on his head.

"That will be a stinker to put up," said Tom Dobson.

It was. It took the combined efforts of Tom, Jupiter and Hans to get the big bed firmly erect on its four legs. Then springs and mattress were carried in from the back room and put in place, and Aunt Mathilda began unfolding sheets.

"Oh, the groceries!" she said suddenly. "They're still in the back of the truck."

"Groceries?" said Mrs Dobson. "Mrs Jones, you shouldn't have done that."

"I didn't," Aunt Mathilda informed her. "Your father bought enough food to take Sherman's Army clear to the sea. I had it in my freezer so that it wouldn't spoil."

Eloise Dobson looked perplexed. "Father certainly seems prepared for us. So why did he run off?а.а.а. Well, I'll get the groceries," she said quickly, and went out of the room and down the stairs.

"Jupiter, give her a hand," ordered Aunt Mathilda.

Jupiter was halfway down the stairs when Mrs Dobson came in, brown paper bags in her arms. "We won't go hungry, anyway," she announced, and marched towards the kitchen.

Jupiter was close behind her when she suddenly stopped dead. Her arms went limp, and the bags thumped to the floor.

Then Eloise Dobson screamed.

Jupiter pushed her to one side and stared past her into the kitchen. Near the pantry door, three weird, eerie green flames leaped and flickered.

"What is it?" Aunt Mathilda and Tom thundered down the stairs. Hans came behind them.

Jupiter and Mrs Dobson were immobile, staring at those tongues of ghostly green fire.

"Gracious to heavens!" gasped Aunt Mathilda.

The flames sputtered and sank, then died, leaving not a wisp of smoke.

"What the heck?" said Tom Dobson.

Jupiter, Hans and Tom shoved forward into the kitchen. For almost a minute they looked at the linoleum--at the places where the flames had danced. Then Hans said it. "The Potter! He came back! He came back to haunt the house!"

"Impossible!" said Jupiter Jones.

But he could not deny that there, charred into the linoleum, were three footprints--and they were the prints of naked feet.