Mrs. Beasly turned out to be an elderly lady who lived all alone in a house on Elm Street. She told the detectives the extent of her problem over milk and cookies the next afternoon.
“Things keep disappearing," she said as she passed the plate. "Nothing big like that sofa there, small things mostly."
"And you think a ghost is doing it?" asked John.
“Well, I just don't know, it could well be. At first I thought it might just be a burglar. But those two nice boys who live next door, Jerry and Gus, they told me they looked through my window one night and saw a ghost right here in this room. They said it was just at midnight too!"
John nodded grimly and took another bite on his cookie. "Midnight, eh? That's the time for ghosts all right."
"I don't know what to think, I just don't know," sighed Mrs. Beasly. "Ever since my husband died it's been one thing after another. First it was ants and then the mice. It's a very old house and it does have its peculiarities, but if it has ghosts too I don't know what I'll do!"
"Maybe the ghost's your husband," suggested Jessica.
"Walter?" said Mrs. Beasly and she sniffed. "Walter's been dead twenty years. He's never done anything like this before."
"Maybe he's getting bored," said Ben. "You know, being dead all the time and everything."
"Well that could very well be," said Mrs. Beasly. "Walter never was one for just sitting around. But it isn't him, it couldn't be. Walter never liked oreos you know."
"Oreos?" said Sally. "What do oreos have to do with it?"
"Beats me," said Mrs. Beasly. "But there they are. Or aren't, as you might want to say it."
"Aren't where?"
"Wherever I left them," explained Mrs. Beasly. "On the counter say, like last night. I left them out when I went up to bed but in the morning, do you think I can find them?"
"The ghost is stealing your cookies?" asked Jessica.
"He sure is!" Mrs. Beasly exclaimed. "Oreos especially, why that ghost's stolen two bags in the last week. So it isn't Walter, I can tell you that. Walter wouldn't touch an oreo if you paid him."
"The ghost only steals cookies?" asked Mike.
"Well that's the way it started out," explained Mrs. Beasly. "But last week I lost some money as well. Jerry and Gus, they tried to help. They said I should put the money out and if I did then the ghost would take it and go away. It didn't work at all. The ghost took the money all right but it kept coming back just the same."
Mrs. Beasly went to the kitchen to get some more cookies. The detectives looked at each other.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked John. Everyone nodded.
"I don't think she has a ghost at all," said Sally. "I think it's just Jerry and Gus from next door."
"Oh no!" cried Mrs. Beasly from the kitchen. "Come quick! The cookies! They're gone!"
When the B.A.D. kids arrived there wasn't a sign of a ghost at all, but they did see two figures slipping over the fence In the back yard. John sprang into action right away.
"Mike! Ben! Hop that fence and case the alley. Check the garbage cans for clues and call in over the walkie-talkie. Use the usual code."
"Right!" called out Ben.
"We're on it, chief!" cried Mike and the two boys took off.
John turned to Sally and Jessica next. "You two cover the front yard," he told them. "Hide yourselves good and stay undercover. I've got a hunch you might see something."
"Right away!" they cried and they were off too.
Then John turned to Mrs. Beasly. "The kids from B.A.D. will take your case," he told her.
"That's very nice of you," she answered.
“It'll be a while before we can start. We’ll have to plan the operation very carefully. We can’t come back until Saturday," John told her.
"Fine," said Mrs. Beasly. "So long as you catch my ghost."
"Don't worry," John told her. "The Kids From B.A.D. always get their man and it's the same thing with ghosts!"
John thanked Mrs. Beasly for the cookies and milk and went out to the yard. Sally was up in the apple tree. Jessica was hiding in the hedge. John didn't want to give them away so he walked right by without blinking an eye. But when he was part-way down the block he whistled them in.
"What's the status on our prime suspects?" John asked them.
"Jerry and Gus?" said Sally. "They showed up a few minutes after we went into hiding. They came running up the side of their house and went inside the front door."
"It's pretty sure they stole the cookies all right," said Jessica. "I saw them up close when they went by the hedge. Their teeth had chocolate stuff on them."
"Sounds like a positive make," John agreed.
John's walkie-talkie suddenly crackled to life.
"Dracula one, this is Vampire Bat! Do you copy? Do you read? Over!"
John pushed the broadcast button and answered right away.
"This is Dracula One, I read you loud and clear. Over!"
"Dracula one, we've got a code 18 in the alley here. We'll pick it up and then code 88. You want us to code 43 on that 88, Dracula one? Over!
"That's affirmative Vampire Bat, 43 that 88. This is Dracula one going over and out."
“Vampire Bat coming under and in,"
"They found the cookie bag?" said Sally.
"Sounds like it," said John. "Jerry and Gus, they must've ditched the bag in the alley before they circled around to the front. Come on, let's get back to headquarters."
