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with the weird feelings she’d gotten at school, she tried to recall everything that had been going on whenever she’d felt the presence of the ghost.
    The first time had been on Thursday, right after L.J.’s arrival, when Mr. Henry had told L.J. to sit beside Allie and he had made his rude remark. Allie had been angry with L.J., and a little frightened by him.
    The next communication at school had taken place on the last day. All the kids had been at their desks, talking about the past year’s events. L.J., she remembered, had acted thoroughly bored until the subject of Hoover came up, when he had begun talking to Mr. Henry about Hoover having puppies. Hoover, Allie recalled with a smile, hadn’t liked that idea. But her smile faded as she remembered Hoover’s odd behavior, behavior that had reminded her that Hoover, as well as Michael, could sense the presence of ghosts.
    Then Allie thought about the three times she’d had ghostly feelings at the pet shop. Twice when she and Dub were outside watching the new puppies in the window, and then again when they were inside talking to Enid.
    Two of the incidents featured L.J. Four of them involved dogs or puppies. The dreams had contained the same whimpering that Allie had heard both at the pet shop and at school. All the communications had come from a ghost who wouldn’t talk to her.
    Allie ran these facts over and over through her tired brain. Then, lying in the dark beside Michael, she took a sharp breath. The pieces of the puzzle fell together and she knew .
    The ghost wasn’t talking because it couldn’t.
    It was trying to reach her through sounds and smells because those were all it had.
    Michael had awakened with allergy attacks both times he had had the scary dream.
    Michael was allergic to dogs.
    This ghost was a dog.
    It seemed so obvious all of a sudden that Allie felt stupid for not figuring it out earlier. At the same time, it struck her as almost silly—a ghost dog ? Who could blame her for not thinking of that ? She almost laughed, until she remembered the sound of those pleading cries.
    Okay, so her ghost was a dog. And it needed her help.

Six
    Allie awoke next to Michael. It was the first day of summer vacation, the first day of doggy-sitting for Hoover, and the first day she knew that her latest ghost was a dog. She couldn’t wait to talk to Dub.
    During her previous adventures with ghosts, she and Dub had used the computer to find facts about the spirit world. They had learned that a ghost returned to the world of the living because it had a mission to fulfill. A spirit might have to right a wrong or an injustice, reveal important information, exact revenge, or accomplish something else that would allow it to rest in peace.
    What pressing business could cause a dog to have a restless spirit? She had to talk to Dub.
    â€œMike,” she said softly. “Come on, get up.”
    Michael wriggled around a bit, then opened his eyes sleepily. Allie could see that the allergic reaction to his dream encounter with the ghost dog hadn’t worn off completely yet. She handed him another tissue.
    â€œYou okay?” she asked.
    Michael nodded, wiping his nose.
    â€œRemember, the dream is our secret, okay?”
    Michael nodded again.
    Allie felt guilty about making Michael join her in a secret from their parents. But she had never figured out how to explain to them that she and Michael were both ghost magnets.
    Her mother and father were basically great. They were nice and funny and always tried to understand her, but they tended to worry about her “overactive imagination.” Once she’d heard them talking in worried voices about having her see a psychiatrist. She didn’t even want to imagine trying to tell a shrink she saw ghosts. It was one of those things that grownups, parents and probably doctors in particular, just wouldn’t get.
    Allie didn’t want her mother and father to be concerned