Thrill Ride Read online

  “Your son is the one who set off the M-80 on the roller coaster,” I told Uncle Bernie. “He also hooked up a generator to the carousel to make it go too fast. For all we know, he broke the safety bar on the Ferris wheel, too.”

  “And yesterday he pretended to be poisoned by a hot dog in order to throw us off the trail,” Joe put in. “He wanted us to think Big Jim had done it, but we didn’t fall for it.” He frowned at Little Bernie. “We know you’re the one who’s been sabotaging the park all along.”

  “That’s impossible,” Uncle Bernie said. But he looked scared. “Tell me the truth, Bernie.”

  “Why did they have to come here?” Little Bernie blubbered. “They ruined everything!”

  “Did you have something to do with what happened at the water park yesterday, Bernie?” I asked. “Were you trying to get rid of us then?”

  “I know a kid who works there,” he sobbed. “I bet him fifty dollars he wouldn’t put the cover on the tube. I didn’t do it!”

  “No, you just paid someone else to do it,” Joe said grimly.

  “What are you talking about?” Uncle Bernie asked.

  “A kid named Marc Krakowski tried to kill us at Splash World yesterday,” I explained. “Just like Little Bernie tried to kill us in the Hall of Horror five minutes ago. And just like he killed Maggie Soto on the Doom Rider last week.”

  “I didn’t mean to!” Little Bernie cried. “I just wanted a little bit of the roof to collapse so people on the roller coaster would be scared. I didn’t think a stupid firecracker would make such a big explosion. It was an accident!”

  One of the security guards pulled out his walkie-talkie and radioed for the police.

  Uncle Bernie had gone pale. “But why, son?” he gasped. “Why would you do such horrible things?”

  “I hate this stupid park!” Little Bernie cried. “It’s the only thing you care about! You don’t care about Mom, or me, or anything. Just the dumb amusement park!”

  “That’s not true,” Uncle Bernie protested.

  “Yes, it is,” Little Bernie sobbed. “I thought if people got scared to come here, you’d have to close the place down. Then we could have a normal life and you would pay some attention to me.”

  Uncle Bernie looked as if someone had punched him in the gut. “I only care about the park because I want it to be yours someday,” he said. “I never dreamed that you felt this way.”

  “You never bothered to ask me,” Little Bernie spat.

  A siren rang through the air, and a cop car came driving slowly through the crowd that had gathered outside the haunted house.

  Two police officers got out of the car and walked over to take Little Bernie into custody.

  He was still crying as they put him in the backseat of their cruiser.

  Uncle Bernie turned to us, still horrified. “I… I had no idea,” he said again.

  “I know,” I told him. “I’m sorry about your son.”

  He blinked at me. “I’m sorry he tried to kill you,” he said. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Your son could use a father right now,” Joe said. “Frank and I are fine. We can take care of ourselves.”

  Uncle Bernie nodded slowly. He turned to watch as the cops closed the door on his son. “Wait,” he called suddenly. “Wait for me.”

  He hurried over and got into the backseat next to Little Bernie.

  “Maybe now Little Bernie will get the attention he was looking for,” Joe said. He turned to me and smiled. “Another successful mission. We got the perp.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I never expected it to be a kid.”

  “Want to hit the log flume before we leave?” Joe asked.

  I thought about it. But right now, Uncle Bernie’s Fun Park was anything but fun. “Nah,” I said. “Let’s just go home.”

  “I have a better idea,” Joe said. “Let’s go back and find Vijay. We have to tell him how his pocket strobe—and some ATAC training—saved us from a zombie!”