McKenzie

by Shari Barr

  “Let’s walk down the road behind the house,” McKenzie suggested as they traipsed across the yard.

  Biscuit ran ahead, straining against his leash. McKenzie breathed in the sweet smell of wild roses dotting the edge of the gravel road with tiny pink blossoms. Black cows grazed in the neighbor’s pasture, while baby calves ran and played. She spied Berniece and the rest of the herd far back in Uncle Luke’s pasture.

  “Good girl, Berniece. You just stay back there,” McKenzie said.

  A half mile ahead of them, an old wooden bridge stretched across a small stream. McKenzie kicked at the pieces of gravel with the toe of her shoe. At the bridge, she leaned over the railing, looking down at the bubbling flow of murky water. Even with the recent rain, the creek was so narrow a person could jump across. She remembered all the times she had played in the creek behind her parents’ house in Montana.

  “Let’s go down to the creek,” McKenzie suggested without waiting for Kate to answer. She climbed down the bank beside the bridge, picking her way through the tall, wet grass.

  When she arrived at the bank above the creek, she turned and waited for Kate. Biscuit, hidden in the grass, jumped up and down so he could see where he was going. Kate unhooked his leash, and he ran into the creek, slurping and splashing the dirty brown water.

  “Let’s walk beside the creek. We’ll need to stay on top of the bank, though. It’s too muddy to walk down there,” McKenzie said, following the winding creek bank.

  “It’s really pretty out here,” Kate said, swatting a mosquito on her arm.

  “I used to come down here a lot when I came to visit my aunt and uncle when I was little,” McKenzie said, pushing her way through the grass. “There’s a neat little pool that I used to throw rocks into. See, there it is.”

  Kate followed her friend’s gaze. “Can we go wading in it?”

  “Sure, why not,” McKenzie said, grinning as she sat down and pulled off her shoes.

  Kate stuffed her cell phone in her shoes after slipping them off. McKenzie did the same. Seconds later, they stumbled down the bank, trying to avoid the sharp rocks and sand burrs. Kate screeched as she stepped into the cool water. McKenzie felt the mud squishing between her toes as she stood beside the creek.

  “I feel like Bigfoot.” She giggled as big globs of mud stuck to her feet, leaving gigantic prints when she walked.

  Kate squealed as she tried to walk tiptoe in the chilly water. “This is sooo cold!” she cried.

  McKenzie stood in the water, eyeing the muddy bank above them. “Kate, I have a good idea. That bank would make a great mud slide,” she said, turning to her friend with a grin.

  “What’s a mud slide?” Kate asked, looking puzzled.

  “I’ll show you, but first I have to get wet.” McKenzie sat in the shallow water that was barely six inches deep. “Ooh, it’s cold,” she exclaimed, rising to her feet. Mud trickled down her legs as she climbed up the slippery slope to the top of the bank.

  With her shorts dripping wet, she sat down on the grass at the top. Then she slipped over the edge, giving herself a push. She screeched as she shot down the muddy, slimy bank like a greased pig, landing with a cannonball splash in the murky pool.

  “Oh Kate,” McKenzie exclaimed with mud dripping down her arms, legs, and face. “You’ve got to try that. It’s a blast!”

  Moments later, after dipping herself in the creek, Kate climbed the bank and sat down. With a swoosh she sailed down the slope and landed with a plop at McKenzie’s feet, spraying muddy water everywhere. “Wow! That was great,” Kate said with a laugh.

  Over and over the girls climbed and slid. Each time they plunked into the murky water, ooze splattered like an exploding water balloon filled with mud. Splotches of brown goo clung to their hair and faces. Biscuit joined them in the creek, jumping, yipping, and splashing.

  “You should see yourself,” Kate laughed. “I’ve got to take your picture and send it to the Camp Club Girls. After several attempts, she made it to the top of the bank without sliding back down. “Smile,” she said, clicking a snapshot with a muddy finger on her cell phone.

  “We’d better go get cleaned up before Uncle Luke and Aunt Cara get home.” McKenzie climbed the bank to Kate’s side, starting to feel a little nervous about their escapade. “We can get changed, and Aunt Cara will never know about this.”

  After the girls wiped their gooey feet on the grass, they slipped back into their tennis shoes. They tromped through the wet grass back to the road, with Biscuit bounding beside them.

  The sun had dipped low in the western sky, with only an orange sliver peeking above the horizon. The moment they reached the yard, McKenzie heard the crackling of tires on the gravel road behind them.

  “Uh-oh, we’re in trouble now,” McKenzie said anxiously when her aunt and uncle’s car pulled up beside them. She glanced down at the mud starting to harden on her legs and clothes.

  Uncle Luke’s window rolled down as the car came to a halt. For a moment no one spoke. Aunt Cara stared at them, her eyes wide and her mouth open. Then she broke out into a fit of laughter and Uncle Luke joined in.

  “So this is what happens when we leave you alone,” Aunt Cara said in between chuckles. “Go on to the house. We’ll hose you off outside.”

  Minutes later, the girls stood huddled in the yard as Uncle Luke pelted them with water from the garden hose. McKenzie shivered beneath the icy spray. Aunt Cara came out of the house with a couple of old bath towels.

  McKenzie’s teeth chattered while she wiped streaks of muddy water off her legs and arms. With towels wrapped around them, the girls sat on the back steps. After they’d dried off enough to go inside, Aunt Cara sent them upstairs for hot showers. Thirty minutes later, both girls sat cross-legged on the double bed giggling over the pictures on Kate’s cell phone.

  “I’m going to send these to Alexis, Bailey, Sydney, and Elizabeth,” Kate said, clicking on the girls’ names in her contact list.

  McKenzie stretched out on the bed and folded her hands behind her head. “We’ve been so busy that we haven’t had much time to work on the riddle we found in the journal.”

  “Let’s see who’s online,” Kate said, logging into the Camp Club Girls’ chat room.

  “Sydney and Bailey are here,” McKenzie said, peering over Kate’s shoulder.

  Bailey: I didn’t think you guys were going to show up. I got your pictures. You guys are a couple of cuties. Wish I could join in the fun.

  Kate: We wish you could be here too. Mud slides are so-o-o much fun.

  Sydney: With all that mud on your face, All I can see is your white teeth.

  McKenzie giggled. Kate quickly filled the girls in on the events of the day. As she finished, a new message popped up. Alexis had entered the chat room.

  Kate: Hey, Alex. What’s up?

  Alexis: I’ve been busy all day working on this mystery. I’ve been trying to figure out who the rose man is in the riddle. And I think I might know. I was watching an old movie with my mom this afternoon. The two main characters were trying to find this treasure called “the jewel of the Nile.” Later in the movie, the couple learned that the jewel wasn’t actually a jewel, but a man. Well, anyway, I got to thinking that maybe the rose man isn’t actually a man, but a name for an object. So I Googled the words rose and man. I surfed the web for quite a while, and then I found out that there’s a covered bridge in Madison County, Iowa, called the “Roseman.” You’re in Madison county, aren’t you?

  McKenzie and Kate glanced at each other.

  Kate: Yes.

  Alexis: Maybe the treasure is around this covered bridge. I checked online and your aunt and uncle don’t live far from it. Can you get to the bridge sometime soon and check it out?

  McKenzie leaned across Kate and typed. We’ll try. We’ll have to find someone to take us.

  The girls chatted for a while longer and then logged off. Minutes later they had slipped under the sheets.

  “Do you think we could go to the
Roseman Bridge tomorrow?” Kate asked, her voice soft.

  McKenzie rolled over, facing her friend. “I don’t know how we’d get there. Uncle Luke and Aunt Cara will be working.”

  “Do you think your aunt and uncle would let Charity drive us over there?” Kate asked.

  “Hmm. I sure hope so,” McKenzie answered. “I’ll have to ask them.”

  The girls were lying in bed chatting about the latest developments in the mystery when a knock sounded at their bedroom door. McKenzie turned her head as the door opened and Aunt Cara stuck her head inside the darkened room.

  “Oh, good. You girls aren’t asleep yet,” Aunt Cara said, flipping the ceiling light on. “Josh Sumner just called. He wondered if you two would like to go up in his balloon with him tomorrow evening.”

  McKenzie sat up, squinting in the bright light. “What did you tell him?”

  Aunt Cara grinned at the girls. “I told him I was sure you’d love to go with him.”

  Turning to Kate, McKenzie’s pulse began to race. She had always dreamed of riding in a hot-air balloon, but she never really thought she’d have a chance.

  “Woo-hoo!” she cried, giving Kate a high five. “Can you believe it, Kate? We’re going up!”

  The Stranger

  McKenzie and Kate stayed awake for a while chatting excitedly about the balloon ride the next day. When she first arrived at her aunt and uncle’s house, McKenzie never dreamed so much excitement would be waiting for her.

  “I can’t wait to go up with Josh, but we were going to try to get to the Roseman Bridge tomorrow. I have the feeling we need to hurry if we’re going to solve the mystery. Whoever has been messing around in the library could already be a step ahead of us,” McKenzie said, turning her thoughts to the mystery.

  The girls were silent for a minute. So much was happening that they didn’t seem to have enough time to solve the riddle and figure out who the thief was. McKenzie’s mind buzzed.

  Then Kate leaned on her elbow, interrupting her thoughts. “I’ve got a great idea! I could put my mini-camera on the porch of the old library and catch whoever is snooping around. We can let the camera spy for us while we go to farm camp and ballooning with Josh.”

  McKenzie rolled over to face Kate. “You know, that might work. Your gadgets always come in handy. Let’s get up early in the morning and set up before the workers arrive.”

  Kate slipped on her glasses and fiddled with the buttons on her watch. “I set my alarm for 5:30. That should give us plenty of time.”

  McKenzie lay back down and turned to her side. Time was running out to solve the mystery. Kate and she would both leave the first of the week. Somebody knew about the treasure. Was it the stranger hanging around the Farms? But who was he and how did he know about the treasure? Or was it Blake or someone else entirely?

  McKenzie’s mind whirled, and she thought she would never go to sleep. But the next thing she knew, Kate’s alarm went off before sunrise the next morning. Without turning on any lights, the girls quietly dressed in shorts and T-shirts. McKenzie put her hair up in a ponytail and stuffed her camo cap on her head. Kate slipped her mini-camera in her pocket along with a piece of wire she kept in her case of gadgets. They crept downstairs so they wouldn’t awaken Uncle Luke and Aunt Cara.

  “Come on, boy, you’re going with us. But you have to be quiet,” Kate said, clipping Biscuit to his leash. They tiptoed out the back door and headed down the lane toward Heritage Farms.

  A soft pink blush rippled the eastern horizon, and the air was still and warm. McKenzie breathed in the fresh, clean scent and listened to the quiet all around her. The only sound was a cow mooing somewhere on the distant side of the farm.

  She heard the horses thumping around in the round barn as the girls hurried past on their way into Cedar Grove. She tried to imagine what it would have looked like a hundred years ago with dozens of buggies driving up and down the streets. She could almost see the women in their long dresses, carrying their parasols.

  The girls’ tennis shoes slapped against the boardwalk as they scurried through town. As they approached the end of the block, a flash of light on the corner lot caught her eye. She reached out and grabbed Kate’s arm. “Look! There’s a light in the old library. Somebody’s in there!” McKenzie pulled Kate into the shadows of a row of hedges across the street from the library. McKenzie’s stomach churned with fear as she knelt behind the shrubbery. “The prowler is back! Uncle Luke didn’t even have a chance to change the locks yet,” she whispered.

  “What are we going to do?” Kate asked, holding Biscuit tightly beside her. “Should we call your uncle Luke?”

  “By the time he gets here, the intruder could be gone,” McKenzie whispered, feeling discouragement overwhelm her. “We have to think of something else.”

  “Well, we can’t put the camera on the porch now,” Kate whispered. “Whoever is in there will see us. This sure spoiled our plan.” Kate inched closer to McKenzie, tugging Biscuit’s leash to bring him nearer. She sighed, chewing her bottom lip. “There’s got to be another way,” she muttered.

  “There’s no place where we can hide and spy on them either,” McKenzie said, tugging her friend farther behind the shrubs. “The timber bordering the Farm’s property is too far away. Since the sun hasn’t come up yet, we wouldn’t be able to see the intruder’s face, anyway.”

  “Look,” Kate said, pointing toward the library. “The intruder left a window open in the main room. I’m going to send Biscuit in to spy for us.”

  Before McKenzie could respond, Kate pulled Biscuit closer and attached the tiny camera to the dog’s collar with the wire. “I’ll be right back,” she whispered, unhooking the leash and handing it to McKenzie. “Wait here.”

  Kate scooped Biscuit into her arms and fled silently across the shadowy lawn. McKenzie prayed silently for her friend as she knelt beneath the open window and lifted Biscuit onto the window frame. Seconds later, he disappeared inside the library.

  Kate, barely visible in the purplish light of dawn, darted back to McKenzie, still hiding behind the bushes. Never in her life had McKenzie prayed for a dog as urgently as she did now. She knew God loved animals. Surely He would protect Kate’s little dog.

  The girls peered through the branches, watching the library anxiously. “We’d better hide somewhere else so we won’t get caught,” McKenzie said hurriedly. “Biscuit will find us later.”

  The girls turned and fled across the yard, racing around the corner of the old doctor’s office to the far side. Streaks of violet and pink glowed on the horizon as dawn approached. Soon it would be light enough that someone could see them.

  She glanced around, looking for a hiding place. “In there,” she whispered, pointing to a pioneer wagon parked next to the building. She climbed inside, pulling Kate in after her. Lying flat on their stomachs, the girls found a heavy tarp in the back and pulled it over them.

  Biscuit’s yipping cut through the silence, muffled from inside the library. Seconds later, McKenzie heard angry voices floating out the open window. Biscuit continued to howl as the voices grew louder. She lifted the tarp and peeked over the top of the wagon.

  Lord, please don’t let them hurt Biscuit, McKenzie prayed. Be careful, boy!

  “There’s more than one intruder in there, and I think they’re leaving!” Kate whispered. “Their voices are louder. Whoever was in the library is outside now.”

  Arrff, arrff, arrff, Biscuit yipped, his barking echoing. McKenzie’s palms grew sweaty and her stomach twitched. I think sending him inside was a bad idea! He’s not a very big dog, and there are at least two bad guys!

  Kate gripped her arm tightly. “Look! Someone is running into the timber behind the library.”

  McKenzie peered in the direction Kate motioned. “There are two men! But it’s so dark and they’re so far away, I can’t tell who they are.”

  “Get back down in case they turn and see us.” Kate ducked her head back down inside the wagon, keeping the tarp pulled
over them.

  Thump-thump, thump-thump, McKenzie’s heart beat rapidly. Sweat formed on her brow as the air beneath the tarp grew warm. After what seemed an eternity, she lifted her head and peeked above the side of the wagon. “I don’t think anyone’s watching. Let’s get out before we croak.”

  McKenzie tossed the tarp off and slipped over the side of the wagon. The breeze felt good against her sweaty body. A sliver of orange sun was pushing its way over the horizon, sending long shadows across the ground.

  “Where’s Biscuit?” Kate whispered in McKenzie’s ear.

  The girls knelt behind the wagon wheel and glanced around. McKenzie didn’t know whether or not to call for the dog. Someone could be watching and listening from the timber.

  Kate whistled, soft and low. McKenzie held her breath, half-expecting the intruders to crash down on them. She jumped as a bundle of fur bounded around the corner nearly knocking them over.

  “Biscuit!” Kate cried, letting the dog lick her face as she switched off the camera, still attached to his collar.

  McKenzie glanced around cautiously, noting any activity on the quiet streets of Cedar Grove. Thankfully, the town was still empty. “Let’s head for home. Some of the employees have probably already arrived to do chores at the farm. We won’t look as suspicious now if someone sees us.”

  The girls left the safety of their hiding spot and hurried along the boardwalk in the direction of the Randalls’ home. Still glancing around nervously, McKenzie broke into a jog. After glancing behind her to make sure Kate was following, she ran past the round barn. Then they slipped through the back gate and raced up the lane toward home.

  Once inside, McKenzie let the back door bang behind them. She stepped into the kitchen, now filled with early morning sunlight, and heaved a sigh of relief. Never had it felt so good to be home.

  “Uncle Luke and Aunt Cara have already gone to work,” she said, noticing a plate of cinnamon rolls her aunt had set on the counter to cool. Her stomach rumbled as she sniffed the aroma.