by Janice Hanna
“I remember it was tough—especially because she wasn’t nice about it.” Kate shook her head, wondering how some people could be so mean. Why can’t everyone just be nice…like my mom and dad?
“Once, someone found my checking account number and stole some money from my bank account,” Uncle Ollie said. “He took hundreds of dollars and I was really mad. At first. But I got over it. I read that verse about forgiving as Jesus forgives and decided it wasn’t worth holding a grudge.”
“It never is,” Aunt Molly said. She turned to Kate with a wink. “And I’m sure you’ve already forgiven the boy in your class who made fun of you, haven’t you, honey?”
“Yes.” Kate nodded. “I’ve forgiven him.”
Sydney groaned and everyone looked her way.
“What’s wrong?” Kate’s mom asked with a worried look on her face. “Are you in pain?”
“No.” Sydney looked sad. “I guess I just have to learn to forgive myself. I got so excited, thinking I could win that contest, that I put all my hopes in myself instead of in God. And I let myself down by getting hurt.”
“You can hardly be mad at yourself for getting hurt!” Aunt Molly said. “That just doesn’t make sense!”
“Oh, I know. But I’m disappointed in myself because I was so sure I was going to win the prize.” Sydney shrugged. “Just goes to show you I was putting my trust in the wrong person. Me.” She looked at the floor, her eyes filling with tears. “I guess I do that a lot, actually. I’m pretty good at sports, so sometimes I think I can do things on my own without God’s help. I forget that He’s the one in charge.”
“I think we all do that sometimes,” Uncle Ollie admitted. “But God always forgives us, if we ask.”
“I will. I promise.” Sydney smiled. “And if He wants me to go on that mission trip, I’ll go—one way or the other.”
“That’s right! He always makes a way where there seems to be no way,” Kate’s dad said. “That’s a promise from the Bible. And you know God’s promises are true. He is faithful to do what He says He’s going to do.”
Sydney nodded and smiled for the first time all evening. “I feel so much better. Thank you for reminding me. I needed to hear that!”
Kate didn’t say anything, but she was glad for the reminder, too.
After dinner, they all gathered in the big central room, where they ate large slices of warm apple pie and drank apple cider flavored with cinnamon sticks. As Kate leaned back against the super-sized pillows on the sofa, she looked around the room and thanked God for the special people in her life. She also thanked Him for protecting her and getting her back to her family safely.
For a moment—a brief moment—she felt a little sad. After all, they only had three more days in Mad River Valley. She and Sydney hadn’t solved the mystery, and now Sydney wasn’t going to get to ski. Looked like things weren’t working out the way they’d hoped. Still, she had to believe God would work everything together for His good, just like Uncle Ollie said.
“A penny for your thoughts, Kate,” Aunt Molly said with a hint of a smile.
Kate turned to her with a grin. “Oh, I’m just thinking of how God always has bigger and better plans than we do!”
“He sure does!” Aunt Molly agreed. “And I have a sneaking suspicion He’s got more plans ahead than you know!”
Kate thought about that. Maybe Aunt Molly was right. Maybe there were plenty of adventures ahead!
A couple of hours later everyone headed off to bed.
“It’s been a long day,” Aunt Molly said with a yawn. “I’m going to sleep like a bug in a rug tonight.”
“Ooo! Did you have to say that?” Kate said. “Thinking of bugs reminds me of all those spiders we saw today in that old barn!”
“Sorry, kiddo,” said Aunt Molly. “I’m going to sleep well tonight.”
“I’m not sleepy at all,” Kate admitted. “My mind is still going, going, going! I can’t seem to stop thinking about everything.”
“Well, try to get some rest anyway, honey,” her mother said. “You need to enjoy our last few days in Vermont, and that won’t happen if you don’t get enough sleep.”
Kate and Sydney dressed for bed and then climbed under the covers. Kate tossed and turned for at least an hour. She finally gave up and kicked off the blanket.
“What’s up?” Sydney asked, opening one eye.
“It doesn’t matter how hard I try, I just can’t go to sleep,” Kate said with a loud sigh.
“How come?” Sydney asked with a yawn.
“I have too much on my mind. Things are all jumbled up.”
“Really? What do you mean?”
“My thoughts must look kind of like the curds and whey in that big container at the creamery. Everything is all mixed up. Lumpy.”
Sydney chuckled. “Sounds funny, but I’m not really sure what you’re talking about.”
“Well, I have a lot on my mind. The competition. The creamery. The picture of that rat. The woman in the white coat…and her husband. Michael and the barn filled with spiders.” She shook her head. “It’s just a lot to think about. I’m having trouble falling asleep with my mind whirling like this.”
“Well, try counting sheep,” Sydney suggested.
Kate pulled the blanket back up and closed her eyes, but for some reason, all she saw were rats and spiders. “Ugh!” She tried to fall asleep with her eyes open, but that didn’t work, either. Suddenly, Kate sat up in the bed and gasped. “Sydney! I just remembered something!”
Sydney rolled over in the bed and groaned. “We’re never going to get any sleep!”
“I know, but this is important!”
“What is it?”
“The man behind the creamery…the one with the woman in the white coat…”
“What about him?” Sydney asked with a yawn.
“His name was Mark.” Kate pushed the covers back once more, suddenly very nervous. “Remember? The woman called him by that name!”
“So?”
“So, Alexis said Mark was the name of the man who owns Cheese De-Lite, Mad River’s main competitor. Right?”
“Ah.” Sydney sat up in the bed. “That’s right. And didn’t she say his picture was on the Web site?”
“Yes, I think so. There’s only one way to know for sure!”
The girls sprang from the bed and tiptoed out into the great room of the inn, where Uncle Ollie kept two computers for guests to use. Kate quickly signed online and typed in “CHEESE DE-LITE.” When the Web page came up, she gasped.
“Oh, Sydney, look!” She pointed at the screen. Right there—in living color—was a professional photo of the man and the woman they’d seen on the tour that day, and again behind the creamery. “Mark and Abigail Collingsworth, owners of Cheese De-Lite in central Vermont.” Kate shook her head as she read the words aloud. “Do you think they…”
“I don’t know.” Sydney began to pace back and forth. “I suppose it’s possible. Maybe they want to make Mad River Creamery look bad so they can steal their customers.”
“Seems weird.” Kate thought about it. “Why would they go to such trouble? Why not just hire an advertising firm to come up with better commercials or something?” She began to list several different possibilities, but none of them made sense.
“I don’t know.” Sydney shrugged.
Kate shook her head and continued to stare at the photo. “I just have the strangest feeling about these two. I can’t put my finger on it.”
“What are you thinking?” Sydney asked. “Tell me…please!”
Just then a light snapped on in the room. “What in the world are you girls doing up after midnight?”
Kate turned when she heard her dad’s voice. “Oh, Dad, I’m sorry! We didn’t mean to wake you up, but we just found another piece to the puzzle!”
All of the noise woke up Biscuit, who began to yap and run in circles. Before long, Uncle Ollie came into the room. Then Kate’s mom. Then Aunt Molly. Then Dexter, who rubbed his
eyes and looked at them all like he thought it was morning.
“What’s happening, girls?” Aunt Molly said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Kate turned her attention to the Web site, showing it to the others.
“Do these people look familiar to you?” she asked.
“Not at all.” Aunt Molly squinted. “Wish I had my glasses on…I’d be able to see better. But they don’t look familiar to me. What about you, Ollie? Do you know these folks?”
“I don’t recognize them.” He snapped his fingers. “But, come to think of it, I did hear Michael say some couple was snooping around town, asking a lot of questions about the creamery.”
“Michael said that?” Kate released a breath, then leaned back in her chair.
“Yes.”
Even stranger. “This is Mark Collingsworth,” Kate explained, pointing at the picture of the man. “And his wife, Abby.”
“What about them?” Aunt Molly asked.
“They own a creamery about fifty miles away. A competitor. This is the man Sydney and I saw the other day behind the building. And this woman was with him.”
“Wow. Very suspicious.” Uncle Ollie nodded. “We’ll have to call the Hamptons in the morning and tell them.” He scratched his bald head and pursed his lips. “Do you think he and his wife are the ones sabotaging the creamery?”
Kate sighed. “Maybe. I’m not sure. We don’t really have any proof, and I hate to accuse someone unless I know for sure.”
“We just know they were doing something behind the building that day,” Sydney added.
“Well, let’s talk about this in the morning,” Kate’s dad said with a yawn. “There’s no point trying to solve a mystery in the middle of the night. We all need our rest, especially if we’re going to go to the Winter Festival.”
Kate’s heart twisted at his words. If Sydney couldn’t compete, what was the point in going?
Just as the girls crawled back into bed once more, Sydney sat up with a silly grin on her face. “I have a brilliant-beyond-brilliant idea!”
“What is it?” Kate asked, yawning.
“Just because I can’t enter the competition doesn’t mean you can’t.”
“W–what?” Kate sat straight up and stared at her friend in disbelief. “Did you just say what I thought you said? You want me to take your place in the competition?”
“Sure! Why not? You did a great job skiing down the Rat. And I’d be willing to bet the people in charge of the festival will transfer my entry fee to you once they hear that I’m injured.”
“But, why?”
“Because…” Sydney took her hand and gently squeezed it. “I think it would be good for you. For ages now I’ve heard you say you’re no good at sports. I really think you would do a great job and it would prove—once and for all—that you can overcome your fear of sports.”
“But…a competition?” Kate shivered just thinking about it. “That’s not the best place to prove something to myself.”
“Don’t you see, Kate?” Sydney said. “The only person you’d be competing against is yourself. This wouldn’t have to be about anyone else. Just you. Face your fears head-on like I did. Ski down that mountain and you’ll be a winner, no matter how fast you go. See what I’m saying?”
“I guess so.” Kate pulled the covers up and leaned back against her pillows. “But I’ll have to pray about it. I just don’t know yet. I’ll let you know in the morning, okay?”
“Okay.” Sydney chuckled. “But get ready, Kate! I have a feeling you’re going to be skiing tomorrow afternoon.”
As Kate closed her eyes, she tried to picture herself sailing down a mountain. For some reason, every time she thought about it, she pictured Michael…whizzing by her, going a hundred miles an hour.
Thinking of Michael made her wonder—once again—why he’d been at the old spider-filled barn. Just a coincidence, or were there darker forces at work? And why had he left them there without saying a word? Very strange, even for him!
Kate’s eyes grew heavy and she finally drifted off to sleep, dreaming dreams of red barns, snow-covered mountains…and rats. Big, hairy rats.
Racing the Rat
Kate stood at the top of the hill, staring down. Somewhere between her middle of the night conversation with Sydney and now, she had decided to do it. She’d entered the skiing competition. And now, looking at the steep hill below, she was finally ready to face her biggest fear. “I can do this! I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me!”
Off in the distance, she heard Sydney’s voice calling out. “Go, Inspector Gadget! Ski the Rat!”
“You can do it, honey.” Her mother’s voice echoed across the packed snow.
“Join the Rat Pack!” Uncle Ollie threw in his two cents’ worth.
Hearing the words The Rat Pack reminded Kate that they hadn’t yet solved the mystery about the creamery. Thinking about the creamery made her think of the woman in the white coat and the man with the sour expression on his face. Thinking of the man and woman reminded her of the day she and Sydney had hidden behind the Dumpster. And for some reason, thinking of the Dumpster reminded her of Bailey and how her phone rang at just the right—er, wrong—time.
“Why am I thinking about that right now?” Kate scolded herself. “I’m supposed to be getting ready to ski, not solve a crime!”
She took her place and tried to prepare herself the best she could.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe I’m doing this!” Kate bent her knees and looked down at the long, slender skis. “Lord,” she prayed, her eyes now closed, “help me get to the bottom without falling. Oh, and Lord, if You could help me win, I promise to use the money to bless someone else!”
She opened her eyes and looked at the hill below. “It’s just a hill. And I’m just like a little robot, about to glide from the top of the hill to the bottom. No big deal! What am I so worried about?”
Of course, there was that part where hundreds of people were watching her, but once she got started, she wouldn’t have time to even think about them. No, all she had to think about was getting to the bottom without falling!
At the pop of the starter’s pistol, Kate dug her poles into the snow and pushed off. As she began to sail down the hill, the cold wind whipped at her face. In fact, the wind was so strong it nearly knocked her down a time or two. Thankfully she managed to stay on her feet!
She came to the first curve and bent her knees, leaning into it. “C’mon, Snow-Bot!” she whispered. “You can do this!”
Kate managed to straighten out her position after making the curve…without falling! “Woo-hoo!” she called out to no one but the wind. “I did it!” Up ahead she saw a sharp curve to the left. “Uh-oh.” She whispered another prayer, then bent her knees to make it around the turn.
Picking up speed, she almost lost control. After a bit of wobbling, she sailed on down, down, down. The trees off in the distance seemed to fly by, their snow-covered branches nothing but a blur.
For a moment, she remembered what had happened yesterday…how Sydney had injured her ankle in that very spot. How Kate had searched for a trail through those trees to find help. How they’d ended up in an old red barn with spiders. How Michael was there with his backpack on.
Michael. Hmm.
“Don’t think about that right now!” Kate whispered to herself. “Just stay focused! Stay focused!”
After a couple more twists and turns, the bottom of the hill was in sight. Kate crouched a bit, trying to get more speed.
“C’mon, c’mon!” With faster speed than ever, she soared over the finish line, then—like a good robot would do—turned her feet to come to an abrupt stop. Kate’s heart raced a hundred miles an hour.
“I did it! I did it!” She pulled off her goggles and began to cheer at the top of her lungs. She could hear the roar of the crowd and felt a little embarrassed. Kate put her hands over her mouth and giggled. Making it to the bottom without falling fe
lt so good! And Sydney was right! She had proven something to herself.
I’m not bad at sports! I need to stop saying that!
One by one, she watched the other skiers in her age group. A couple of them fell. One of them made it all the way to the bottom, but didn’t seem to be moving as fast. One girl was really, really good. Kate watched her as she came sailing down the hill. Her bright blue snowsuit stood out against the bright white snow.
“Wow, she looks like a pro.” At the very last minute, the girl lost control of her skis and went sprawling in the snow.
“Oh man! I hope she’s okay,” Kate whispered.
Thankfully, the girl rose to her feet and raised her hand to show everyone she wasn’t injured. Everyone cheered and she skied down to the bottom of the hill and took a bow.
Finally it was Michael’s turn. Kate had almost forgotten he was competing until she saw him. She could hear Uncle Ollie’s cheers off in the distance.
Michael is really blessed to have Uncle Ollie in his life. He needs someone like that to support him.
Michael started off well and even made the first curve with no problem. But then, at the second big turn, he almost lost his footing. Thankfully, he didn’t fall, but it did slow him down a little. He still skied very well, and Kate knew he’d made up for the lost time. At least, it seemed like it! She was surprised when she saw his time come up on the board. Oh wow. It took him almost a full second longer to reach the bottom than me. Weird.
Only one skier was left. Kate watched as the boy sailed down the hill like a professional skier.
“Wow, he’s so good!” She watched in awe as he gracefully moved back and forth on his skis. Then, just before he reached the final turn, his skis somehow bumped up against each other and he toppled over! A loud gasp went up from the crowd.
“Oh, that’s terrible!” Kate covered her eyes, not wanting to look. Hopefully he wasn’t badly hurt.
It took a couple of minutes for him to stand, but he finally managed. The crowd applauded his efforts, and he responded with a dramatic bow. Kate laughed. He’s a great sport!