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ghost tours.”
    Jessie told them about the lack of mud
around the wagon. “I’m adding Isiah to the
list,” she said.
    “We do know he likes to dress up in
costumes,” Violet said thoughtfully. “He
likes to act too. Whoever is playing the tricks
is good at pretending to be the headless
horseman.”
    “Why would he play a trick on Annika?”
Benny asked. “They are supposed to be
friends. I like Isiah.”
    “I do too.” Jessie took her notebook out but
didn’t write anything down.
    “He really wants to be the one who does
the ghost tours.” Henry said, turning away
from the window. “Maybe he’s hoping
she’ll be so scared that she’ll let him lead
the tours.”
    “If Isiah had been riding a black horse,
where did he put it?” Jessie asked. “We know
it wasn’t Ghost or Spook. You can’t make
white horses look black.”
    “That’s part of the mystery,” Violet said.
    Jessie wrote down Isiah’s name, but the
rest of the Aldens could tell she didn’t like his
name on the list.
    The next morning Jessie and the other
children helped Mrs. Vanderhoff make
more crullers.
    “There are many different kinds of crullers,
but I think my family’s recipe is the best,”
Mrs. Vanderhoff said as they mixed the flour
and cinnamon and other ingredients. “The
shape is important. First, you take a piece of
dough and roll it between your hands until
it looks like piece of rope.” She gave each of
the Aldens their own dough to work with.
Jessie did hers and then helped Benny.
    When everyone had the dough in the
right shape, Mrs. Vanderhoff showed them
how to fold each piece in two so the dough
looked like a braid. “Next we cut them into
sections and fry them in hot oil. Be careful
because the oil can spatter.” She showed
Jessie how to use tongs to put the dough
in the oil. “When the doughnuts are nice
and brown, we take them out and roll them
in sugar.”
    “The most important part!” Benny said.
    “I think the most important part is to taste
them!” Henry teased.
    While they were eating the crullers, Mrs.
Vanderhoff said, “I want you all to enjoy
yourselves while you’re in town. Annika,
why don’t you take our guests to the Harvest
Festival and the Halloween costume parade
in the town square? There will be food
booths and music and games. If you’d like to
dress up in costumes, you might be able to
find something in the attic to wear.”
    “We would like that,” Jessie said. “There
are some wonderful old clothes up there.”
    “I’ll help you look for something,” Annika
said. “I might wear a costume too.”
    They hurried up to the attic, excited about
the parade. “I feel bad that we have to leave
Watch shut up while we’re out having fun,”
Benny said.
    “Watch can go too,” Annika said as she
opened one of the trunks. “Some people
bring their dogs dressed up in costumes.”
    One trunk was full of colorful dresses
covered in rows of fringe. There were
headbands that matched, and each one had a
big feather attached. “I think girls from the
1920s wore these sorts of dresses,” Jessie said.
    “That’s right,” Annika said. She put a blue
headband on. “The girls who wore these
dresses were called flappers.”
    “Flappers? That’s funny,” Benny said. “Did
they do this?” He ran in a circle flapping his
arms. Everyone laughed.
    “Not like that,” Jessie said, “but I want to
be a flapper.”
    “Me too.” Violet picked up a purple dress.
“I’d like to wear this one.” The dresses were too
long for Jessie and Violet, so Mrs. McGregor
helped them pin them up to the right length.
    “This looks like a uniform.” Henry put on
a black jacket with gold stripes on the sleeves.
    “That belonged to my grandfather,” Annika
said. “He was a pilot during World War II.”
    “Can I be a pilot too?” Benny asked.
    Violet said, “I don’t think there is another
uniform. Even if there was, I’m afraid it
wouldn’t fit you.”
    Jessie picked up a battered brown hat.