Swamp of the Hideous Zombies (2 page)

Olivia was spoiling Otto’s summer!

She had arrived right after school ended and wouldn’t be going home until the end of August. She was staying with Ducky Doodle and Auntie Hick.

Otto didn’t mind Olivia in small doses, but she was too pushy.

When he found an old boat on the beach, Olivia insisted on helping repair it.

When he built a fort under the pier, Olivia had to build one, too.

She even got Uncle Tooth to help, so her
fort would be fancier than Otto’s.

“I thought you liked your cousin,” said Uncle Tooth. He and Otto were on their way home to Lone Point.

“She’s okay,” said Otto. “The trouble is, she’s always butting into things. But when
she
wants to do something, does she invite me? No!”

Uncle Tooth frowned. “Maybe she’s waiting for you to invite her first.”

Otto made a face. “Then I’d
never
get rid of her! You believe me about the zombie, don’t you, Uncle Tooth?”

“I believe in zombies,” Uncle Tooth said. “I had dealings with them years ago. Nasty things, zombies! But just because the person you saw
looked
like a zombie, it doesn’t mean that it
was
a zombie. You need more evidence.”

“I’ll get some,” said Otto. “This can be the
first case for my Monster Club!”

As soon as he got home, Otto ran to his room and got his telescope. That was for spying on the zombie.

He found a pad and pencil. They were for writing down important information.

Finally, he reached under his pillow, grabbed his Good-Luck Pebble, and stuffed it in his pocket. That was for protection.

Otto wished he had Olivia’s camera, but there was no point in asking to use it. She’d only say no.

“Wait until I prove my zombie theory,” thought Otto. “That’ll show her!”

The day was turning overcast, with an eerie light in the sky. Otto went to the end of the boardwalk, where Ducky Doodle liked to hang out. He searched in the sand for clues, but couldn’t find anything.

He noticed Mr. Sedley Mether sitting on a high rock. Sedley had a sketchbook propped in his lap. He kept glancing across the bay, then bending his head to draw.

“I’ll ask Sedley if he’s seen anything fishy,” thought Otto.

As he neared the high rock, Otto saw a tall, thin figure come up behind Sedley.

It was the old lady he had seen with the zombie!

Quickly, Otto hid in some tall grass. He peered through his telescope. The old lady was talking to Sedley. Then she handed him something and moved away.

The old lady passed Otto as she headed back toward the boardwalk. Otto was eager to follow her. But he was just as eager to know what she had said to Sedley Mether.

The instant she was out of sight, Otto
climbed the path up to the big rock.

“Hello, Sedley,” he called.

“Hello, Otto. Want to see my sketch?”

“Very nice … say, Sedley, what did that old lady want?”

“She said I was an excellent artist,” said Sedley Mether. “She wanted me to paint her portrait. I told her I’m much better at flowers. But she offered me a lot of money. So I’m thinking about it.”

“What did she give you?”

Sedley reached in his pocket and handed Otto a business card.

Otto read the card.

“It really says ‘Free Reading’?” asked Sedley.

“Yes,” said Otto. “But I don’t trust that old lady. I’d stay away from her, if I were you.”

He wrote the address in his notepad before returning the card to Sedley. This was his first clue! Otto scrambled down the rock, full of excitement.

Otto just knew that 1313 Triangular Square was linked to the zombie, and that the zombie was linked to Ducky Doodle. But he wasn’t sure how. He was going to check out the address and get some evidence.

Triangular Square was in the bad section of town. Otto didn’t come here very often. The buildings were old. Some were even deserted, with broken windows and boarded-up doors. Otto clutched his Good-Luck Pebble.

Suddenly, he heard a CLICK!

A familiar voice said, “Hey, you bozo,
you ruined my picture!”

“Olivia! What are you doing here?” gasped Otto.

“I thought if the newspaper published photos of these old buildings, people might want to fix them up.”

“But what are you doing
here?”
Otto insisted.

“Oh. After I left you, I met an old lady who gave me this card. It says she’s telling fortunes free,” said Olivia.

“Are you crazy?” Otto cried. “That’s the old lady with the zombie! She’s probably handing those out to everybody.”

“So? What’s the big—?”

Otto shushed her. The door of 1313 was opening!

Otto and Olivia ducked behind a garbage can.

Ducky Doodle walked out. There was a blank look in his eyes. The old lady followed. She was saying something to him.

Doodle nodded, then walked stiffly down the street. The old lady glanced around before going back inside.

“I knew it!” whispered Otto. “She’s turned him into a zombie!”

“I don’t know,” Olivia whispered back. “Doodle always looks blank.”

“We’ve got to follow him,” said Otto.

“You
follow him,” Olivia said. “I want to get pictures of that shop. I can see the headlines now:
FAKE FORTUNE
-
TELLER EXPOSED
!”

“We don’t know she’s a fake. She could be hypnotizing people,” said Otto. “Anyway, this is
my
investigation.”

“Oh, do you
own
it? Look! Ducky Doodle’s getting away!”

Otto sighed. There was Olivia, trying to run things again. But he was curious about Doodle. So he just said, “Be careful,” and ran off.

Otto was afraid he’d lost Doodle. Then he saw him crossing the old trolley line. “Doodle,” he said. “Are you all right?”

Ducky Doodle did not look at Otto. He kept marching along, staring straight ahead. “Must find treasure,” he said.

“What treasure?” asked Otto.

“Must find treasure.”

“Did that old lady put you up to this?”

“Must find treasure.”

Otto knew he wasn’t going to get any clear answers from Doodle. He would just have to follow him closely and see where he ended up.

Meanwhile, Olivia was sneaking up on 1313 Triangular Square. The window shade was drawn. But she found a little space at the bottom to peek through.

It was dark inside. Where had the old lady gone?

Suddenly, a voice behind her said, “And just what do you think you’re doing?”

Olivia spun around and came face to face with Madame Webster!

“Y-you gave me this card,” she said. She held it up.

Madame Webster’s sour look changed to a sly smile.

“So I did. Is that a camera around your neck?” she asked, drawing closer. “I don’t like cameras. They make nosy people even nosier. You aren’t planning on taking any pictures around here, are you?”

Madame Webster pressed Olivia against the door of the shop.

“Just one!” cried Olivia. She flashed her camera in Madame Webster’s face.

Madame Webster blinked her eyes and screamed: “Clegg! Clegg! Come here! I need you!”

The shop door opened. Standing there was a large, hulking figure with wild, matted hair. Clegg was a zombie, too!

“Get the brat’s camera!” ordered Madame Webster.

Clegg lunged for Olivia, but she squirmed out of the way. She gave Clegg a swift kick on the shins before tearing off across the square.

Once she was at a safe distance, Olivia stopped and snapped a picture of the zombie.

“The
Boogle Bay Bugle
will buy this picture for sure!”

Otto followed Ducky Doodle to the shops along the docks.

“I hope he isn’t going to march off a pier into the water,” thought Otto.

Just then, Uncle Tooth came by. “Otto! You found Doodle!”

“I can’t stop him,” Otto said. “He’s been zombified.”

Suddenly, Doodle stopped by himself. He stood in front of Jack Whiskers’ Nautical Supplies and Hardware Store.

“Must get treasure,” he muttered, going inside. Otto and Tooth went in after him.

Doodle went straight to the shovels, grabbed one, and set it on his shoulder.

When he started to leave the shop, Jack Whiskers called, “Hey!”

Otto and Uncle Tooth grabbed Ducky Doodle. They pinned him to the ground. It was not easy. Doodle seemed to have developed double strength.

“The little thief!” Jack Whiskers said.

“It’s not his fault. He’s under a spell,” said Uncle Tooth. “Still, I think it would be a good idea to place him in jail until we can figure out what’s wrong with him.”

They were leading Ducky Doodle along the street when Auntie Hick ran over. “Doodle! For mercy’s sake! What’s going on?”

“We caught him trying to steal a shovel
from the hardware store,” said Uncle Tooth.

Auntie Hick gasped. “This is terrible! I’m sure someone put him up to it!”

“We agree,” Otto told her. “Ducky Doodle isn’t being punished. We’re putting him in jail for his own good.”

Auntie Hick came along to the jail. When they arrived, they found Olivia talking to Captain Poopdeck. “Guess what?” Olivia cried. “Madame Webster and a zombie named ‘Clegg’ tried to grab my camera!”

“Ha! Now do you believe me?” Otto said to Olivia.

“Yes. But I still don’t want to be in your stupid club. So don’t ask!”

Uncle Tooth raised his hand for silence. “First, let’s get Ducky Doodle in a cell. Then I want to hear all about what’s going on.”

Ducky Doodle was safely shut in a cell. Uncle Tooth lit his pipe and sat down to hear Otto’s and Olivia’s stories. Captain Poopdeck had a story of his own. At least four other people had been reported missing!

“I think it’s time we
all
went over to Triangular Square,” Uncle Tooth said.

Captain Poopdeck couldn’t come. He had to go check out another missing person.

Auntie Hick insisted on keeping Ducky Doodle company. She couldn’t bear to leave
him alone in such a state, even if he didn’t know her.

Otto, Uncle Tooth, and Olivia set forth. The sky had turned steely gray. Patches of black clouds rolled on a steady wind.

“Uncle Tooth, what exactly
is
a zombie?” Olivia said.

“Glad you asked,” answered Uncle Tooth. “A zombie is a person who isn’t a person anymore. Their spirit has been stolen. The person who holds the zombie’s spirit can make the zombie do whatever they want. By the way, it was smart of you to take pictures. We need all the evidence we can get.”

“What about
my
evidence?” cried Otto. “It was my idea to check out the shop to begin with. If I hadn’t seen the zombie first, you’d never …”

Uncle Tooth broke in. “Otto, there will be
no more arguing. If we want to get to the bottom of this, we all have to work together. Your part is just as important as everybody else’s. Now, can I count on you?”

“I guess so.”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean … Yes! You can count on me.”

“Excellent!” said Uncle Tooth.

They stopped in a doorway across the street from 1313 Triangular Square. “I know that place,” whispered Uncle Tooth. “It used to be the old button shop.”

Uncle Tooth was a man of action. He marched over and knocked on the door so hard that Otto jumped. Olivia aimed her camera. She was ready to snap a picture of whoever answered the door.