McKenzie

by Shari Barr

  “The manager told me one more thing,” Kate said. “He’s a real loner. He never tells anyone his name. All he goes by is the ‘Shara Smiles’ man.”

  “You’re kidding!” McKenzie almost shouted into the phone. “Then he really is her uncle! We just have to find out where he lives.”

  “Keep all of us Camp Club Girls posted on anything you find out about him. If God wants us to find this guy, He’ll help us do it,” Kate said before hanging up. “And I think He will—one clue at a time.”

  McKenzie glanced at Sydney, who was busy with the candy demonstration. Waving to get her attention, McKenzie gave her a thumbs-up. “I’ve got news!”

  “Meet me at Miss Val’s shop,” Sydney called over the crowd. “I’ll be done here in a few minutes.”

  McKenzie went to the saltwater taffy bins. She filled a bag with an assortment of her favorites—strawberry, raspberry, and candy corn flavors. After paying for it, she made a purchase at the kettle corn booth. Then she headed back to the basket shop.

  Soon Sydney arrived. McKenzie filled her in on Kate’s phone call as they chewed pieces of taffy. “Surely someone knows where Mr. Ford lives,” Sydney said.

  “Hopefully he’ll get the postcard I sent him before Thursday. He’ll surely look Shara up. I should have given him her cell number, but I didn’t even think of it,” McKenzie said, popping another piece of taffy in her mouth.

  McKenzie watched the basket demonstration come to an end. Miss Val stood and approached the girls. “Sydney, you can go change. I have to work another hour and a half. Why don’t you two go on some of the rides and have a little fun.”

  “Great!” Sydney jumped up, whisking off her apron and bonnet. “I’ll go change and be right back.”

  McKenzie carried her bags into Miss Val’s office and tucked them onto a shelf. Moments later Sydney arrived, wearing bright shorts and a striped tank top.

  “Let’s ride the PowderKeg,” McKenzie said, tugging Sydney after her as she zoomed through the crowds on the streets.

  The girls arrived breathless at the roller coaster and only had a short line before they climbed into the waiting car.

  Ka-chunk! The ride lunged forward so quickly that McKenzie’s head banged against the headrest. Her stomach lurched as the car twisted and spiraled along the tracks. Shrieks filled the air. The bravest riders stuck their arms high in the air, but McKenzie clung to the handlebar.

  The roller coaster climbed to a dizzying height. McKenzie squeezed her eyes shut for a minute but opened them as the car plunged down the other side of the track. She screamed when her bottom lifted off the seat.

  As quickly as the ride began, it was over. McKenzie swept her hair from her face and stood on shaky knees.

  “Wow, that was great!” Sydney cried, jumping from the car. “Want to do it again?”

  McKenzie groaned as she stumbled through the exit gate. “Not yet or I’ll launch my lunch.”

  “Okay.” Sydney laughed. “Let’s get a cold drink and cool off in some of the shops, since they’re air-conditioned.”

  After buying bottles of flavored water, the girls stepped into the closest shop. Candles of every style, color, and scent lined the shelves. A woman in a pioneer dress dipped wicks in a hot vat of wax as onlookers gathered.

  “Mmm. My mom would love one of these candles.” McKenzie sniffed a green candle with flowers carved into it. “I think I’ll get it for her.”

  She pulled her change from her pocket and handed it to the woman behind the counter. A nametag on her blue calico dress read TESSA.

  “Sydney, after we’re done here, let’s check out some more shops.”

  As Tessa handed McKenzie her change, the woman’s bracelet caught her attention. A tiny wooden medallion hung from a silver chain.

  McKenzie gasped. “May I see your bracelet, please?”

  The woman smiled and held her arm out for the girls to admire. Sydney touched the medallion and turned it over. “McKenzie, look. It has ‘SS’ carved on it!”

  Tessa’s smile suddenly disappeared as she dropped her arm. She tugged the long sleeve of her pioneer dress over the bracelet and turned away.

  “Next,” she said to the customer behind McKenzie.

  “Where did you get that?” McKenzie asked, still standing at the counter.

  “I don’t remember,” Tessa said, glancing at McKenzie. “I’m too busy to talk right now.” Turning to her next customer, she continued, “Will there be anything else, ma’am?”

  McKenzie sighed and picked up her bag. Leaving the shop, she turned to Sydney. “What was that all about? She was eager to show us her bracelet until I asked her where she got it.”

  Sydney shrugged her shoulders. “She sure didn’t want to talk about it.”

  McKenzie’s phone rang, signaling a text message. The girls slid onto a shaded bench while McKenzie read her text.

  “Elizabeth was just wondering if we had any new clues yet,” she said. “I’m going to call her real quickly.”

  Elizabeth answered immediately, and McKenzie told her about the clerk wearing the carved bracelet. “I wonder if I should try to talk to her again.”

  “The woman may know Mr. Ford and could be protecting him for some reason,” Liz said. “I wouldn’t try talking to her again—not yet, anyway. Proverbs 16:23 says, ‘A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction.’”

  “Thanks, Liz. I’ll try to remember that,” McKenzie said before hanging up.

  The girls sipped their water as they walked toward the basket shop. They stopped in several woodcrafting shops but saw no more signs of Reggie Ford’s work.

  “Why don’t we ask the chief woodworker if he knows Mr. Ford?” McKenzie glanced at a man wearing a dirty canvas apron in the rear of the shop.

  “Do you know him?” Sydney asked, following her friend down the aisle.

  “Miss Val introduced me to him the other day. He’s really nice.” McKenzie waved to the man when he glanced her way.

  “Hey, McKenzie. How’s it going?” he asked, shuffling a large wooden giraffe into a corner of the shop.

  “Great,” she answered, pulling Sydney forward. “This is my friend Sydney. Sydney, this is Ted Jones.”

  Mr. Jones vigorously shook Sydney’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I think I’ve seen you helping Miss Val in the basket shop, haven’t I?”

  “Yes,” Sydney said. “This is the coolest job I’ve ever had. I’ve met so many nice people.”

  Mr. Jones nodded. “Meeting people is one of the best parts of this job. I’ve met all kinds.”

  “Do you know lots of woodworkers around Branson, Mr. Jones?” McKenzie asked eagerly.

  “Sure do.” He grabbed a broom and swept up a pile of wood shavings on the floor of the demonstration area. “Why do you ask?”

  “Do you know a man named Reggie Ford?” McKenzie asked. “He makes beautiful carvings. Fairies are his specialty.”

  Mr. Jones leaned on the handle of his broom. He thought for a minute and then shook his head. “Reggie Ford, hmmm. Can’t recall that I’ve ever heard of him, but I wish I did know him. I could use a new intern around here. My assistant moved out of state, and I’m short on help right now.”

  McKenzie sighed with disappointment. Why do we see Mr. Ford’s carvings but nobody knows him? This is weird.

  “I’m sorry I can’t help you,” Mr. Jones continued. “Is it important that you find him?”

  McKenzie nodded. “He’s our friend’s long-lost uncle. She hasn’t seen him in years.”

  “I’ll tell you what,” Mr. Jones said, looking sympathetic. “I’ll ask around about him. If I find out anything, I’ll let you know.”

  The girls thanked Mr. Jones and headed toward the basket shop. Miss Val was ready to leave, so McKenzie grabbed her purchases from the office, and they all headed to the parking lot.

  Back at Miss Val’s house, McKenzie spotted a package at the back door.

  “It’s for you,” Miss Val said, handing
it to her.

  McKenzie looked at the return address. “Hey, Kate sent me something by overnight express,” she exclaimed.

  She carried the box inside, ripped it open, and read the note inside. “These are my night vision goggles. Thought they might come in handy.”

  “Wow, she has the coolest gadgets,” Sydney said, taking the goggles from McKenzie. “Is there any electronic that she doesn’t have?”

  “I don’t think so,” McKenzie said, grabbing her camera on the coffee table. “Let’s check out our pictures from the lookout tower this morning.” She hooked her camera into the computer and sat down. Mr. Pibb made his usual appearance, jumping onto her lap.

  Sydney pulled up a chair beside her as Miss Val headed upstairs. “These are cool pictures. Look, you can even see those waterfalls down there in the trees. Let’s send these to the Camp Club Girls. I bet most of them have never been to Branson or the Ozarks. They’ll love seeing what it looks like down here.”

  McKenzie agreed, quickly sending copies to their four friends from camp. “Now, let’s look at your pictures.”

  Sydney hooked up her camera, and they looked at her pictures next. All the pictures from the lookout tower had turned out great. Sydney compressed her photo files and emailed them to her family in Washington, DC.

  Miss Val fixed supper and when they had finished, she suggested going back into town to play miniature golf. The girls helped clean up the dishes and headed back out to the car. McKenzie grabbed the night vision goggles and her camera, hoping to take some nighttime pictures.

  On the way back to town, they traveled the curvy roads common to the Ozarks. McKenzie had never seen so many winding roads in her entire life. The ride into Branson was almost like riding a roller coaster—up and down, round and round.

  Once in town, Miss Val headed down the Strip and then pulled into Lost Treasure Golf. The three adventurers climbed aboard the miniature train and headed through make-believe mining caves and ancient ruins to get to the course. McKenzie stuck her hand out, trying to get wet, as they traveled behind the waterfall.

  “I’m horrible at golf,” McKenzie muttered a few minutes later as her ball sailed off the course and landed with a plop in a pool beneath the waterfall.

  Miss Val easily beat them both. When they left the golf course, Highway 76, the main road, was packed with cars leaving the shows.

  “Miss Val, would you mind stopping at the Dixie Showcase?” McKenzie asked as they approached the attraction. “The show is over, so maybe I can get some pictures of the horses and their stalls when there aren’t any customers around.”

  “Sure, we can do that,” Miss Val said, pulling the car into the drive. The parking lot was nearly empty, so she pulled into a parking spot in the front. “You girls go ahead. I’ll wait here.”

  McKenzie slung her camera strap over her head, and Sydney grabbed the night vision goggles. They walked along the sidewalk to the horses’ stalls along the outside of the building. McKenzie lifted her camera and snapped several shots. These horses are gorgeous, she thought, but not as pretty as my horse, Sahara, back home. I sure hope Evan is taking good care of her. I hope he remembers to ride her every day.

  “Let’s head to the parking lot at the side,” she suggested after a few minutes. “I can get more of the building that way.”

  The girls walked beneath the streetlights toward the empty lot beyond the building. Headlights flickered behind the trees and shrubs as cars traveled down the Strip. The outer edges of the parking lot were engulfed in shadows. McKenzie snapped and snapped, trying to get the perfect picture of the Belgians and quarter horses.

  “I think I got some good shots,” McKenzie said, turning off her camera.

  Sydney grabbed McKenzie’s arm and whispered anxiously, “I thought I saw something in the shadows behind the Showcase.” She lifted the goggles to her eyes, peering into the darkness.

  McKenzie looked in the direction Sydney pointed but saw only trees and shrubs. She shrugged and turned away. “I don’t see anything.”

  “Maybe I imagined it,” Sydney said, lowering the goggles.

  They started heading back across the parking lot when McKenzie jumped at a thundering sound behind her.

  Clip-clop! Clip-clop! Clip-clop! McKenzie froze at the sound of horse’s hooves pounding across the pavement.

  “Yee-haw!” a voice rang out.

  McKenzie turned and stared. A figure wearing a gray Confederate uniform raced across the far end of the parking lot on a brown quarter horse!

  A Mysterious Note

  As quickly as the unknown rider appeared, he vanished behind the Dixie Showcase.

  “Who or what was that?” Sydney asked, taking a step closer to McKenzie.

  “I–I’m not sure,” McKenzie stammered, staring in disbelief at the now-empty corner of the parking lot.

  “Do you think it was the ghost of old Beau Hatfield?” Sydney asked, her voice trembling.

  McKenzie hurried to the far corner of the building, peering around it cautiously. The lot was empty.

  Where did the horse and rider go? They couldn’t just disappear, she thought.

  Turning, she glimpsed a small object on the ground, shining in the streetlights. She picked up a large gold button. Had the rider lost it, or had it been here all along?

  McKenzie’s heart raced. She didn’t know what to think. Where had the rider come from, and where did he go? Was there a way he could get inside the Showcase? He had to be hiding somewhere around here. He couldn’t ride down Branson’s busy streets and not be seen.

  “Somebody is trying to fool everyone.” McKenzie rejoined Sydney and showed her the button. “It’s like he appeared out of nowhere. Then I blinked, and he was gone again. It has to be a prank. There are no such things as ghosts.”

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting out of here,” Sydney said, hurrying toward the front parking lot. “Maybe ‘Old Beau’ didn’t expect anybody to be back here. What if he comes back?”

  Good point, McKenzie thought, turning to Sydney. Though she wanted to find out who the mystery rider was, running away seemed like a better idea. She shoved the button in her pocket and scurried after Sydney, who was already halfway across the lot. They rounded the corner of the building, nearly running into Miss Val.

  “There you are. I was beginning to think you were lost,” Miss Val said, leading the way back to the car.

  Both girls chattered at the same time, telling Miss Val all about the mystery rider. McKenzie recalled the rider appearing out of nowhere.

  He could be anyone. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she barely noticed the trip through town. Before she knew it, Miss Val was pulling into their driveway.

  “So the mystery man rides again,” Miss Val said, shutting off the engine. “Somebody is sure getting people worked up.”

  “Two mysteries,” Sydney said, walking up the front steps. “Think we can solve this one too?”

  McKenzie thought for a moment. Maybe they should concentrate on finding Mr. Ford. If the security cameras couldn’t catch the ghost rider, it didn’t seem likely that they could either. On the other hand, she couldn’t pass up the chance to solve a good mystery.

  She shrugged as they stepped inside. “I don’t know if we can solve it or not, but I do know one thing. I’m sure going to try.”

  The next day, McKenzie had practice at the Dixie Showcase before the performance. When Miss Val dropped her off, Shara pulled into the parking lot beside them.

  As the two girls walked toward the employee entrance, Shara said breathlessly, “Guess what? Heather called me this morning and said the security cameras caught a glimpse of a Confederate soldier riding through the parking lot last night. Then this morning someone had changed the flags again.”

  McKenzie stopped in her tracks. “You’re kidding. Last night Sydney and I saw someone riding a horse through the back parking lot. He was wearing a Confederate uniform and yelling.”

  “Seriously?” Shara ask
ed in amazement. “Did you get a good look at him?”

  McKenzie shook her head. “It was almost dark, and he rode so fast. I have no idea what he looked like, other than the uniform.”

  “Hmm,” Shara said as they stepped inside the back entrance. “Heather said this has happened about once a week all summer. No one has been able to catch the person yet. He sure is sneaky.”

  “I wish we could solve this mystery too,” McKenzie said, stopping at the dressing room doors.

  “Have you found out anything new about Uncle Reggie yet?” Shara asked hopefully.

  McKenzie told Shara about finding the necklace at Silver Dollar City and that the manager only knew him as the Shara Smiles man.

  Shara beamed. “Oh McKenzie! That’s wonderful. He must be in Branson after all. Did you find out anything else?”

  “Oh yes. I about forgot. When Sydney and I were in the candle shop, a clerk was wearing a bracelet that looked like your uncle’s work. When we asked her about it, she acted nervous.”

  “That’s weird.” Shara frowned. “I wonder if she knows him.”

  McKenzie remembered that Elizabeth had wondered the same thing. But why would the woman not want to tell them where she got her bracelet? It didn’t make sense.

  “I wish I could help you look for him. But I’m working so many hours at the Showcase, I don’t have time left to do anything else.” Shara sighed and raked her fingers through her long hair.

  “Oh, don’t feel bad,” McKenzie said. “Remember, the Camp Club Girls love a good mystery.”

  Shara laughed. “Okay, but let me know if I can do anything to help. I do get some time off.”

  McKenzie agreed to do so. “I need to get ready for practice. I’ll let you know if we find out anything new.”

  McKenzie and the other horseback riders quickly practiced their routine while the director watched. He pointed out imperfections in their act until everyone performed flawlessly.