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“Camera, EMF equipment, sensors, that kind of thing,” the Bald Guy said. “Drink your coffee. We’ll let you know when we’re ready.”

Officer Marlowe narrowed her eyes but nodded.“We’ll give you fifteen minutes.” She set a timer on her watch.

“Got it,” the Bald Guy said, bumping into Mr. Slick Hair in their rush to get upstairs.

Officer Marlowe watched them go. Then she turned to Mrs. Third Floor.“Too bad. I’d be very interested in seeing what they’re doing up there.”

“Me too,” Walt said. She looked back at Wallace. “Rats?”

“Got it,” Wallace said, nodding toward Marco and Polo.

Without a word, the rats silently slipped out of their cage and disappeared into the vents.

“What is THAT supposed to be?” Marco and Polo peered out into the living room of Apartment 5B. Marco and Polo had gone into the upper vents while Wallace had gone to the lower vent behind the couch. They figured that was the best way not to miss anything. “Is that a GHOST?”

The Bald Guy had finished setting up the camera and had taken what looked like a gauzy pile of laundry out of his bag. He went down the hallway and ducked into one of the bedrooms just as Mr. Slick Hair hurried in with a big piece of what looked like Plexiglas.

“What is THAT supposed to be?” Marco said again. “And what is he doing in the bedroom?”

“We should check,” Polo said to Marco. “We need to figure this out.”

“Oh, don’t worry—it’s all clear now,” the white cat said. Marco and Polo jumped, bruising their noses on the vent grate.

The white cat burst out in a gale of laughter.“GET IT? It’s PLEXIGLAS, and I said it’s ALL CLEAR NOW.” She nudged Marco in the ribs and then sighed. “I kill myself. My talent is so wasted on rats like you.”

“What are you even DOING HERE?” Marco gasped. The cat freaked him out more than he liked to admit.

“Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready?” Polo demanded. “They’ll be here ANY MINUTE.”

“Oh, I’ve got plenty of time.” The white cat wiped her eyes and let out one last giggle. “But if they’re pulling this trick, your Mrs. Third Floor is in for a fright. I’ve seen this one before.”

“What? You have?” Marco pressed his face onto the vent to look into the living room. He could just make out Wallace near the edge of the couch below. “WALLACE!” he shrieked. “DID YOU HEAR THAT? SHE’S SEEN THIS BEFORE!”

“WHAT?” Wallace said, cupping his ear. Marco could be a little shrill when he screamed like that.

“Ask him if they’re hanging that cloth thing up in the bedroom.” The white cat lounged dramatically next to the vent. (Well, she did the best she could. It was a tight squeeze.)

“TELL US WHAT THEY’RE DOING!” Polo yelled down at Wallace.

He nodded at her and then hurried after the two men. He made the trip in short bursts—from the couch to the chair, from the chair to the table, and then to the entrance of the hallway. He edged slowly along the hallway wall until he could peek inside the room.

He reeled back.“Holy cow!” he squeaked. He turned and raced back to the couch in one move. There was no time to do the slow route.

“WHAT WAS IT?” Marco yelled, but Wallace ignored him. He just streaked right back under the couch and disappeared.

“Well, that doesn’t seem good,” Polo said, craning her neck to get a better look. She’d expected Wallace to say something. “Where did he go?”

A few seconds later they had the answer. Wallace shot up into the vent and collapsed at their feet.“Guys! That thing in there, it’s a ghost! They were hanging a ghost up on the ceiling!”

“Exactly,” the white cat purred. “Classic. Just what I thought.” She shrugged. “Well, you have to hand it to these guys, they know their business.”

“What do you mean?” Marco was pretty sure their business was scamming old ladies.

“It’s just a little something called Pepper’s Ghost,” the white cat said. “I’ve seen it many times.” She gave Marco a bashful look. “You may not know this, but when I was a kitten, I was known to pop out of a top hat every now and then.”

Three rats blinked at her.

“What?” Marco finally said.

“It’s a famous illusion,” she sighed. “An old magician’s trick. They set up the ghost dummy, or a person hides, whatever you want. Then you fix the Plexiglas and lights just so, and voil?! Ghost appears.” She looked at them sympathetically. “I’m sorry to say, but they’re going toscare the pants off your humans.”

“Not if we scare them first,” Wallace said, clenching his fists. He pressed his face up to the vent opening and scanned the room. He could just see Mr. Slick Hair setting up the Plexiglas. “JEROME! CHAD! You guys there?”

Jerome oozed out of the sink and waved lazily.“Naturally. What did you all decide? Are we going for scares or professional ruin?”

“BOTH!” Wallace yelled. “FULL STEAM AHEAD.”

Jerome smiled.“Excellent.” He waved a tentacle in the direction of the countertop. “Chad? Camera, please.”

A spot on the counter flickered and turned into a gray octopus. With a nod, Chad slid down the cabinets onto the floor.

Polo shuddered.“Heck, we don’t even need a fake ghost. That would scare Mrs. Third Floor right there.”