Hot Time in the Heights - Hansen Boys Mystery (Part 3)

Paul,Jeff and Brad decided on a multipronged battle strategy to rein in the ghost crews and the ghost bands, starting with getting rid of the single chaser balls that Roger Healey had told them had caused the most problems.. Once these were delt with, he told the boys, the rest of the situation would take care of itself. He based this idea on what he learned of the Hansen Boys' experience in Buffalo and Rochester,NY.

However, what they did not know was that the ghost bands also had chaser balls accompanying them in the dozen or so abandoned night clubs in which they operated. When dealing with the ghost bands, the chaser balls were to be delt with first. While planning their battle strategy, the boys went touring a round Maple Heights looking for any ghost crews that may have been operating during the day, as a few in Buffalo and Rochester had been known to do. A part of the strategy was to trace the drone vans to the garage or warehouse size building that they came from.. Since Maple Heights Transit System had a large garage for its bus fleet, it seemed reasonable that the drone vans operated out of a building of similar size on Dunham Road.

The boys spotted one of the drone vans parked on Dunham with the equipment all set up and ghost crew of three pairs of light green pants each worn by a pair of the alien balls crouching down and with antennae fully extended. The chaser ball sat by the ventilator machine ready to chase anyone straying near the site.

Paul decided to set the chaser ball up by playing a tape of Guaraldi jazz piano music. The drumming sounded so much like a typical ghost band where an alien rubber ball, rather than a live drummer, did the drumming that the chaser ball was aroused and just as the chaser ball made contact with Jeff's khakis, Paul shot it with a dart gun and the chaser ball collapsed. Paul said, "let's take this thing to have it analized by Sam Fujiama." The boys then picked up the dark green alien ball, put it in a special container and proceeded on their way to scout out other locations where there were ghost crews operating.

On Libby Road, not far from Clement, the boys spotted another ghost crew, this one wearing light brown pants, with black belts in the usual crouching position, with the outlines of the pairs of alien rubber balls wearing them discernible as well as twin antennae fully extended. As Paul was shooting the chaser ball on each ghost crew, Jeff was making note of the color of pants each pair of alien rubber balls on each ghost crew was wearing. These alien balls were generally dark green in color and more aggressive than those seen in either Buffalo or Rochester. Jeff also noted that the alien balls preferred cotton twill pants such as 'dickies' and khakis for the ghost crews. All usually wore black belts as well.