by Shari Barr
“Aunt Becca, may we use your computer to chat with the Camp Club Girls?” McKenzie asked.
“Sure. Is that the group of girls you met at camp awhile back?” Aunt Becca opened the refrigerator door and surveyed its contents.
“Yes, we have so much fun.” McKenzie led the way to the computer.
“We’re also really good at solving mysteries,” Alex piped up. “We’re going to try to figure out what happened to Mario and Bianca.”
“That could be a tough job,” Aunt Becca said, preheating the oven for a frozen pan of lasagna. “Lots of things could have happened to them. I know it’s not a nice thought, but sea lions have natural predators. Like sharks and killer whales.”
“That’s what Mr. Franks said, too. But would an animal get both of them at the same time?” McKenzie logged on to the computer.
Aunt Becca shrugged. “I’m surprised Mr. Franks was on the boat this morning. He’s one of Emerald Bay’s regular customers.”
McKenzie decided it was time to tell Aunt Becca everything they knew. “We heard a little boy on the beach say he saw a man and a woman steal Mario and Bianca yesterday morning. He said the man had a fish tattoo on his arm.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Mr. Franks has a tattoo just like that.”
Aunt Becca looked startled. “I can’t imagine why Mel Franks would steal sea lions. I know you girls like to solve mysteries, but when it involves other people, you have to be extra careful. After all, you didn’t see the man steal anything. And remember to talk to God first before doing anything that might hurt someone.”
“Oh, we will,” Alex said as she pulled a chair up beside McKenzie. “That’s one reason we like to talk to the other Camp Club Girls. We always pray for each other and help each other.”
“Okay. I’ll trust you girls to do the right thing. I guess I’m as curious as you are about those pups,” Aunt Becca said before slipping out the front door with a book.
Mickey lay at the girls’ feet as they signed in to the chat room. McKenzie told the girls about the conversation they had overheard on the beach earlier. Then McKenzie told them all about Mr. Franks capsizing their sailboat yesterday and the discovery of the cave on the inlet. She continued by sharing the news of their outing earlier that day with Mr. Lowry and his crew.
Bailey: Maybe Mr…uh…what’s his name…the cave man guy wanted to go to the cave and you were in his way.
Sydney: You mean, Mr. Franks? I don’t know why he tipped McKenzie and Alex’s sailboat, but we do have some clues already about the kidnappers. We know it was a man with a fish tattoo and a woman. Mr. Franks has a tattoo like that, but some other guy could have one, too.
Elizabeth: That’s right. But don’t forget the silver and red boat.
Kate: You’ll have to find the pups before you can prove anything. Can you watch for silver and red boats in the area? If that couple stole two pups, they might be back for more.
McKenzie: That would be good, Kate. But maybe we can watch Mr. and Mrs. Franks closely and find out what is going on.
Sydney: Sea lions, like all animals, do best in natural surroundings. Maybe the kidnappers took them to a natural environment somewhere to care for them, like a zoo.
The Camp Club Girls discussed the disappearance awhile longer. Before signing off, McKenzie promised to keep them posted with any new information about the investigation.
After supper McKenzie and Alex stepped outside with their cameras. Sunset was near. Alex hoped to get some pictures of bounding whales for the photography contest. As they approached the dock, Mr. Carney called to them from his backyard.
“Hey, Mr. C.,” McKenzie hollered, scurrying toward the older man sitting in his lawn chair reading in the fading light.
“I’ve been reading this book on local caves you picked up for me yesterday,” he said as he snapped the book shut. “It’s fascinating. According to the author, several little-known caves are on the Oregon coast. A couple of them are right around here.”
“Really? Where?” McKenzie asked excitedly.
“I’m just getting to that part, but it’s about too dark to read. Besides, I need to go in the house and finish packing my bag.” He paused. “My son is taking me to his home. I won’t be back until later tomorrow. I might have a few minutes to read before he gets here. Why don’t I loan the book to you when I get back?”
The girls eagerly agreed and then headed to the dock. Alex took several pictures of the western sky, painted with streaks of pink, orange, and blue. McKenzie sat on the dock, dangling her legs over the side. She kicked her feet in the cool, clear water. Alex lowered her camera and pointed out a family of loons gliding through the shadowy water of the cove.
“Do you think Mel and Tia Franks stole the sea lion pups?” Alex asked as she sat down cross-legged beside McKenzie.
“I don’t know. The evidence sure points to them.” McKenzie scratched her arm. “That is, if we can believe the story that little boy told.”
Alex sighed. “I wish we had seen the couple in the boat that morning. We only have a rumor to go on. We can’t accuse anyone based on that.”
McKenzie jumped as her cell phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket and flipped it open. “Hey, Sydney,” she said after recognizing her friend’s phone number. “What’s up?”
“When Bailey called Mr. Franks ‘Cave Man,’ I started thinking. Maybe Mr. Franks tipped your sailboat over on purpose yesterday.”
“Why would he do that?” McKenzie pulled her feet out of the water and tucked her wet legs beneath her.
“He tipped you over by the cave entrance, right? Maybe he didn’t want you to see something in that cave, like nets or something. I don’t know how anyone steals a sea lion, but maybe there’s stuff in there they use to capture sea mammals. If they stole two sea lions, they might steal more,” Sydney explained.
McKenzie thought for a moment. “I didn’t see anything in the cave. Except for a little bit of trash.”
“I thought if the thieves stole two pups, they might come back for more. I mean, who would know if any other sea lion pups were missing? If Susie wasn’t such a favorite for tourists, who would know Mario and Bianca were missing?” Sydney continued.
“I guess you’ve got a point,” McKenzie answered. “But there’s no way we can go back to the cave. Aunt Becca would never let us sail back over there.”
“Oh, well. It was just an idea,” Sydney said. “I’m just looking for clues.”
By the time McKenzie hung up the phone, darkness had settled in and a cool wind had come up. A full moon and a sprinkling of stars lit up the sky. The lights of the resorts farther down the beach dotted the shoreline. Talking about Mr. Franks and his strange behavior on Mr. Lowry’s boat made her feel uneasy. All the talk about thieves, missing sea lions, and dark caves made her shiver.
“Let’s go in,” McKenzie said as she stood and headed toward the light glowing in the kitchen window of the beach house.
“Good idea,” Alex said, in close pursuit. “I need a snack before bed, anyway.”
Hurrying up the sidewalk leading to the house, McKenzie set her camera on the porch railing. She kicked off her flip-flops and turned on the outside faucet. Then she stuck her foot under the stream of water to rinse the sand off her feet.
She jerked herself upright and froze in horror as a crazy, laughlike scream pierced the night!
The Intruder!
A feeling like icy cold fingers rippled up McKenzie’s neck as she lunged through the doorway. “What was that?” Her voice trembled as she turned to Alex.
A look of shock passed over Alex’s face, then she giggled. “You should see the look on your face. That’s just a loon calling for its mate.”
McKenzie’s face grew warm, and her breathing began to return to normal. “You mean that was a bird? It sounded like a maniac laughing and screaming at the same time.”
“Oooh-ooh-ooh-OOOH!” Alex let out a mournful cry. She raised her arms high and bent her fingers like crooke
d claws. “I’m a scary loon, and I’m going to get you.”
McKenzie playfully punched her friend in the arm. “That’s the creepiest-sounding bird I’ve ever heard. It sounded like a scream.”
“It used to scare me, too,” Alex said, grabbing a box of cheesy crackers from a kitchen cupboard. “But now I love to hear the loons calling to each other.”
McKenzie shivered as the loon’s cry carried through the open windows of the sun porch. She rubbed her arms to chase away the chill. As she reached for the light switch, something warm and fuzzy brushed against her leg.
“Aaaahhh!” she screeched, jumping as something cold and wet touched her hand.
Glancing down, she sighed with relief. “Oh, Mickey. I’m glad it’s you, boy.” She patted the dog’s head as he danced about her feet, whimpering.
“I think he needs to go out,” Alex said, bending to scratch Mickey’s ears. She held out a couple of crackers and dropped them, letting the dog catch them in his mouth. Then she reached up and grabbed a leash from a hook by the back door.
“You don’t mean we’re going back out there, do you?” McKenzie asked, feeling like a scaredy-cat.
“Aah, come with me.” Alex snapped the leash onto the dog’s collar. “Let’s just take Mickey out for a minute.”
McKenzie hesitated, but then followed Alex and Mickey out the door into the cool night air. The glow of the yard lights in front of each cabin lined the beach like a string of Christmas lights. The dog scampered about their feet, tugging the leash until Alex was almost running to keep up.
McKenzie scurried after them until Mickey stopped at the nearest tree and sniffed. Though the loons still called their eerie cry in the distance, she wasn’t as scared as she had been earlier. It still sounds creepy, but at least I know it’s just a bird, she thought.
“Uh-oh,” Alex said, looking at McKenzie as she tugged on the leash. “What time is it?”
“Five after ten,” McKenzie said after pushing the tiny button on the side of her watch so it would light up.
“I told Mom and Dad I’d call them at ten. I’d better do that now.” Alex handed McKenzie the leash. “I’ll be right back.”
Alex sped toward the back steps and let the screen door bang behind her. McKenzie let Mickey pull her toward the next tree. Come on, dog. Hurry up and do your business. I don’t like it out here alone.
McKenzie glanced around. The cabin to her right stood in darkness. Apparently the renters staying there weren’t home yet for the night. She turned toward Mr. Carney’s cabin on the other side of Aunt Becca’s cabin. The dark windows reminded her that the older man was spending the night with his son.
Her gaze continued to the left, noting the dark grove of pine trees standing like a black forest separating Mr. Carney’s cabin from the Hideaway.
McKenzie had never seen the Hideaway except from Aunt Becca’s airplane. Tucked behind the grove of trees, it was completely hidden from view. A maintenance road behind the cabins was the only entrance to the isolated cabin. Even then it was a quarter of a mile hike from the road to the Hideaway.
Mickey tugged McKenzie around the tree, sniffing the ground. An owl hooted somewhere in the top of a nearby tree. The wind whistled through the pine needles. McKenzie shivered while she watched Alex through the window, talking on the phone with her parents.
“Okay, Mickey,” she muttered as she tied the dog’s leash around a tree trunk. “I’m not waiting out here all night. It’s too creepy out here for me. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
McKenzie sprinted up the back steps and into the house, feeling like the biggest chicken ever. Normally, the dark didn’t bother her, but too many weird sounds were freaking her out. Sounds she wasn’t used to.
Once inside, she relaxed and grabbed a handful of peanuts from a bowl on the coffee table. She settled onto the arm of the couch. Alex smiled and kept chatting into the phone’s receiver.
Aunt Becca walked into the family room, wearing a purple terry-cloth bathrobe. She hugged McKenzie and whispered, “I’m going to bed. I’ve got to be at work early in the morning. Don’t stay up too late.”
McKenzie returned her hug and said, “Good night.” Aunt Becca gave Alex a quick squeeze and went down the hall to her bedroom.
After Alex hung up, McKenzie stood and wiped her hands on her jeans. “Finally,” she teased. “We’d better go get Mickey. He probably thinks we forgot him.”
The girls scurried out the back door and raced down the steps. Moonlight flickered through the branches that rustled in the night. Gentle rolling waves in the cove lapped upon the beach. A screen door slammed shut somewhere down the beach, and a shadowy couple walked across the moonlit sand. The cluster of torchlights in front of the resort looked like tiny dots flickering in the wind.
“Where did you leave him?” Alex asked, interrupting McKenzie’s thoughts.
McKenzie pointed at a tree bathed in the glow of the yard light. “Right there, next to the hammock.”
“I don’t see him,” Alex said as she squinted into the darkness.
McKenzie ran toward the tree. I’m sure this is where I left the dog. “Oh, great! His leash must have come untied. Where did he go?”
“Here, Mickey!” Alex called, looking toward the beach and then back to the yard. “Here, boy.”
McKenzie whistled. She paused and listened but didn’t hear an answering bark. Mickey, why did you have to run off? she asked silently, glancing about for any sign of the dog.
The girls searched the yard, peering behind every shrub and tree. McKenzie had an uneasy feeling. Soon all she could hear was the loud thumping in her chest.
“We need a flashlight,” Alex said, darting back inside the house.
Shivering as she waited on the back steps, McKenzie felt the cool breeze cut through her shirt. She considered going after a sweatshirt, but Alex bounded out the door and down the steps.
“Where should we look?” McKenzie asked, following her friend.
“How about that way?” Alex pointed toward Mr. Carney’s yard. The yard light by the beach shone through the tree branches, casting eerie shadows on the ground.
Scritch! Scratch! The branches scraped against the metal light pole. Alex switched on the flashlight as the girls stepped across the yard. She shined the light around Mr. Carney’s porch and peeked behind the bushes out front.
“Do you see him?” McKenzie whispered, peering over her friend’s shoulder.
“No, but I did find this.” Alex bent and picked up an object caught on the bush.
“That’s Mickey’s leash. He must have been caught and worked it loose.” McKenzie frowned as she took the leash and wrapped it around her hand. “At least we know we’re headed in the right direction.”
Taking a deep breath, McKenzie huddled close to Alex. They crossed Mr. Carney’s yard and approached the grove of trees. Wind whistled through the needles of the pines, standing like an army waiting to attack. Crickets chirped and bullfrogs croaked. A large bird swooped down from out of nowhere. And, of course, the crazy loons were still at it, making the hair on the back of McKenzie’s neck twitch.
I know now why people who want a secluded cabin would come to this resort, McKenzie thought. I’m glad our cabin is closer to the lodge where there are more people around.
McKenzie felt a chill run up her back. She couldn’t help feeling like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.
I’d better not see any flying monkeys, she thought with a tremble. She remembered how that part of the movie had terrified her when she was little.
She eyed the grove as if someone might be hiding there now. Every stump and shadow beckoned eerily. The sweet, tangy scent of the pine trees wafted over her in the night air. A faint whimper came from somewhere deep in the grove.
“I hear something.” McKenzie paused and then called softly, just in case someone else was listening nearby. “Mickey, here boy.”
Again, she heard the faintest whimpering cry. She clutched Alex’s arm. “Did you
hear that?”
“Yes. We’d better go look for him,” Alex said, pointing the beam of light into the darkness.
Hanging on to each other, the girls stepped into the shadows. They ducked beneath branches as they called Mickey’s name. Pine needles stung McKenzie in the face, and her shirt caught on a bramble. She tugged it loose and hurried onward.
She knew they had to be getting close to the Hideaway. When they came to the yard of the last cabin, the small, boxlike cottage stood dark and lifeless. McKenzie knew why it was given the name Hideaway. It was completely hidden from the rest of the cabins and the main stretch of beach. The moonlight shining on the windowpanes stared at her like glassy eyes. Once she thought she saw a flash of light inside, but when she looked again, everything was dark.
“So this is where the Frankses are staying?” Alex asked, pointing the flashlight at the house.
“Yeah, but shut your light off. There’s enough moonlight coming through the trees so we can see without it,” McKenzie whispered. “I don’t think anybody’s home, but if they are, I don’t want to get caught out here.”
McKenzie tipped her head as another whimper carried on the wind. “I heard it again!” McKenzie said. “It sounded like it came from over there—past the house.”
Pulling Alex with her, McKenzie raced past the screened-in porch on the cabin to a cluster of bushes hugging the far side of the yard. A yip sounded—closer this time.
“Shine your light back here.” McKenzie turned to Alex and knelt beside the shrubs.
McKenzie felt something wet on her arm as two beady eyes shined in the flashlight beam. A long slobbery tongue hung from a gaping mouth.
“Mickey!” Alex cried. “Oh, look, McKenzie. His collar’s caught on a branch.”
While Alex held the flashlight, McKenzie quickly untangled the dog. He jumped the moment he was free, yipping and licking the girls’ faces. Despite being scared, she couldn’t help but giggle with relief that they had found Mickey.
McKenzie clipped the leash back on the collar and pulled the dog from his hiding spot. “We need to get out of here before the Frankses get home.”