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Holly Holmes, the 16 year old girl sleuth, was on holiday in Cornwall with her mum and dad. She was relaxing on the beach feeling really pleased with herself. Not only had her mum bought her a brand new lime green bikini for her holiday, she had also just solved a mystery in Scotland and helped an old lady to move back into a castle.
Holly had just begun to snooze when she became aware of someone standing over her. She opened her eyes and saw a teenaged girl looking down at her.
‘You are Holly Holmes, the famous sleuth aren’t you’? said the girl.
‘My names Holly but I am certainly not famous’ said Holly. However, since her exploits in Scotland had been published in the newspapers, Holly had become well known.
‘I just wondered if you would be interested in solving a mystery while you are here’ said the girl. At the mention of the word mystery Holly’s ears pricked up. 'It’s the cliffs just off the coast said the girl’ they were used by smugglers in the old days and they are supposed to be haunted’!
‘How do we get there’ said Holly.
‘We can get one of the fishermen to take us in a boat’ said the girl who introduced herself as Chloe.

‘I just need to check with my mum and dad, and then get changed and pick up my sleuth kit’ said Holly.
With her parent’s permission, Holly and her new friend go to the harbour and get on a boat. A sailor with a gnarled face takes the boat to the cliffs that Chloe had been talking about. Chloe stays with the boat while Holly climbs the cliff to the cave, her sleuth kit in her shoulder bag.
Holly enters the cave and is sure she can hear something. Then Holly notices a faint, sweet aroma in the air. Holly starts to feel dizzy and wonders what the sweet smell is. Suddenly there is an evil laugh and before her eyes a pirate like figure seems to appear out of the wall! The cave begins to spin before Holly’s eyes and she feels herself falling. Overcome, Holly faints and crumples to the cave floor, unconscious!
Later Holly begins to regain consciousness and her eyes flutter open. She pulls herself up to her elbows and looks around – she is not in the cave any more, but laid on the grass overlooking the sea. What can have happened thought Holly. Holly struggles to her feet but the air is still sickly sweet. Suddenly, the seagulls seem to be flying upside down and everything starts to spin. Holly begins to fall and hits the grass. Unable to rouse herself, Holly faints once more and slips back into unconsciousness!!
When Holly regains consciousness, her mum, dad and Chloe are looking down at her. ‘Thank goodness she’s coming to’ says her mum. Holly realises she is laid in her bed.
She tries to sit up but almost faints. ‘Oooh, I have a terrible headache’ says Holly. Holly lay’s in bed while her mum and dad tell her Chloe had come to them when she disappeared in the cave and they found her unconscious on top of the cliffs.
‘Something strange is happening there’ said Holly ‘I must go back’! ‘But not now’ admonished her mum.
Holly pulled the sheet up under her chin and closed her eyes. Within second, the young sleuth was fast asleep.
Next day Holly, along with Chloe and the police went to the caves but before they went in put on special breathing masks. As they went further into the caves, the police pointed to the roof of the cave where a video camera was strapped. So the ghost was just a video projected onto the wall.
They came to a door and broke it down and quickly arrested the three men inside and located loads of smuggled perfume at the back of the cave!
The police later explained that when the crooks had seen her enter the cave they had released a special spray which had knocked Holly out. While she had been unconscious one of them had carried the young sleuth onto the cliff tops, but the spray which had knocked Holly out was still around in the air and had caused Holly to faint again.
The crooks had been smuggling perfume and using one of the old smuggler hideouts to stash it before selling it on the black market and the police praised Holly for her bravery. They had hoped the projection of the old pirate would scare people off and create the impression the caves were haunted.
Holly was pleased that she knew there was a reason for her fainting spells and that the men had been bought to justice. Together with Chloe and the police Holly Holmes had solved the mystery of the Cornish cliffs.