Elizabeth's San Antonio Sleuthing

by Renae Brumbaugh

  Another riverboat passed but didn’t stop to help. Its captain looked long and hard at the stranded group. The man leaned forward, one foot propped on the boat’s railing, and the sun glinted off his polished shoe.

  Is he smiling? thought Elizabeth. Why doesn’t he offer to help us? She noticed the competing company’s logo on the side of the boat—Santa Anna Tours. Maybe they have rules about helping the competition or something….

  “Here, let me give you a hand,” said Elizabeth’s father, leaping into the water. Together, the two men pushed the boat to the edge of the water and secured it to the cement siding with ropes.

  The riverboat captain hefted himself onto the sidewalk then held out a hand to help Mr. Anderson. “Thank you, sir. I’ll make sure your family gets free rides for the rest of your visit here in San Antonio.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” said Robert Anderson. “I was happy to help.”

  The captain helped his passengers disembark. The tall, grumbly man from the back row stepped off. In a loud voice, he said, “I’d rather have a refund than a free ride. From now on, I’ll take my business to Santa Anna Tours. Now that’s a boat you can count on.”

  The rude man walked away, continuing his tirade as he went. The riverboat captain kept a polite smile pasted on his face, but Elizabeth wasn’t fooled. The man was concerned about his business.

  “Hey, can I jump in before I get out?” asked James. Elizabeth’s little brother loved an adventure. And he loved to get wet.

  “No, you can’t,” replied Sue Anderson, helping the six-year-old off the boat. “One wet male in the family is enough for now.”

  Elizabeth helped her mother step across to the sidewalk. “I’ll go swimming with you when we get back to the hotel,” she told James. Moving close to her father, she listened to the conversation between him and the captain.

  “I don’t understand what could have happened,” the man said. “We service the motors every week. But this is the third time this has happened in two weeks!”

  “That is strange,” replied Elizabeth’s dad. “Who services your boats? Perhaps they’ve started doing something different…ordering parts from a new company or something.”

  “Maybe so…,” said the man. “Thank you again for your help.”

  “No problem,” replied Elizabeth’s dad. He was sopping wet from the waist down, and he looked pretty funny. “Let’s go eat Mexican food!” he said to his family.

  “Uh, Dad? Don’t you think you should get into some dry clothes first?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Nonsense. In this Texas heat, I’ll be dry in no time. And besides, I’m starved!” He led his family the few steps to the closest outdoor café, the Rio Rio. The Riverwalk was lined with restaurants, and the Andersons had decided to eat at every one. The host seated them at a table bordering the water.

  Elizabeth’s family studied their menus, discussing which new dish to try, but Elizabeth wasn’t interested in food. Looking at her watch, she said, “In two more hours I’m going to see Kate!”

  A couple of hours later, Elizabeth sat in the ornate lobby of the plush hotel. The Andersons could never have afforded such luxury if Uncle Dan hadn’t gotten them a discount. He had also helped Kate’s youth group get a good rate for their San Antonio mission trip.

  Pulling the letter—actually an e-mail that Elizabeth had printed—from her pocket, she unfolded it. It was wrinkled and smudged from all the times Elizabeth had read it during the past few weeks.

  Dear Elizabeth,

  I’m coming to Texas! My church youth group is planning a mission trip to the San Antonio Riverwalk, and they’re letting me come along. I have always wanted to see Texas.

  How close are you to San Antonio? Do you think you could meet me there? I would love to see you again. Since it doesn’t look like you’ll come to Philadelphia any time soon, maybe this will work.

  We are still in the planning stages of the mission trip. I’m not sure where we’ll stay yet. Let me know if you think you can meet me there. You have to come. You just have to!

  I’ll talk to you soon. Biscuit sends kisses.

  Love, Kate

  Elizabeth smiled as she refolded the letter. San Antonio was one of the Andersons’ favorite getaway places! Within two weeks after Elizabeth received the letter, Uncle Dan had helped Kate’s youth minister make all the arrangements. And now, the youth group from Kate’s church would be here any minute! She watched out the front windows of the lobby, looking for a church van from Philadelphia.

  “A watched pot never boils,” said a voice from behind her. “Hi, Uncle Dan. I can’t help it! I can’t wait to see Kate!” Elizabeth told him.

  “I heard you had an exciting morning at the Riverwalk,” he said.

  “Yeah, it was the strangest thing! We were puttering along listening to the captain tell stories and point out the sights when the motor just died!”

  Uncle Dan looked concerned. “The owner of that riverboat company is a friend of mine. That’s been happening a lot lately, and it’s not good for his business.”

  “I sure hope they fix the problem so—They’re here!” Elizabeth jumped up as she saw the blue church van pull into the parking lot. Rushing through the ornate doors, she stopped herself before running into the flow of traffic.

  “Maybe you should wait here for her,” said Uncle Dan, following her.

  Soon, the van doors opened, and teenaged boys and girls climbed out. One by one, Elizabeth watched each new person. No Kate. No Kate. Where is Kate? The group of teens approached the lobby, laughing and talking. Some of them smiled politely at Elizabeth.

  Suddenly, like the parting of the Red Sea, they started moving to either side as a blond wisp of a girl with black-framed glasses pushed through. “Excuse me! Pardon me, coming through! I’ve got to find my friend…Elizabeth!”

  Kate dropped her bags and dashed to Elizabeth. “Oh, am I ever glad to see you! That was one long trip. But I’m finally here! And you’re here!”

  Suddenly, Kate’s backpack began barking.

  “Biscuit!” shouted Elizabeth. “Wow, Kate, I can’t believe you’re both here at last! We are going to have so much fun!” She hugged her friend, then helped free the wiggling dog.

  “Biscuit, did you ride the whole way in that backpack?” Elizabeth stroked the small dog’s black and white fur while fighting off slobbery puppy kisses.

  “He slept most of the way,” said Kate. “I’m so glad your uncle said I could bring him. He’s missed you, Elizabeth! And so have I.”

  A twentysomething man approached and said, “You must be Elizabeth. Kate has talked of nothing else for the entire trip. I’m Gary, Kate’s youth minister.”

  Elizabeth shook the man’s hand. He said, “Kate, we’ll be on the fifth floor if you need us.”

  “Thanks, Gary,” she said, and the two girls gathered Kate’s backpack and suitcase and headed for the elevator.

  Biscuit, on the other hand, gave a series of excited barks. “Maybe we’d better find a patch of grass first, so Biscuit can take care of business,” said Kate.

  Both girls laughed, and Kate clipped a leash onto the dog’s collar. Uncle Dan pointed them toward the back door, which led to a small courtyard. Within minutes, they were on their way to the Andersons’ room on the fourth floor.

  “I can’t wait to tell you what happened this morning,” Elizabeth told her friend.

  “I can’t wait to see the Riverwalk! And the Alamo! And the Tower of the Americas! How soon can we get started?” asked Kate.

  “Whoa, there! Slow down, tourist. We have plenty of time. We don’t have to see everything today. Why don’t we start by getting your things unpacked? Then we’ll head to the Riverwalk. Are you hungry? The food here is great,” Elizabeth said.

  Kate gave her a comical look. “What do you mean, ‘Am I hungry?’ I’m always hungry!”

  Elizabeth’s parents were in the suite when the girls arrived. The room was set up with two bedrooms—one for Mr. and Mrs. And
erson, and one for Kate and Elizabeth. James slept on the pull-out sofa in the living room.

  “Wow, this place sure is fancy. I’ve never stayed in a hotel this nice!” exclaimed Kate.

  “Neither have we.” Elizabeth laughed. “It’s one of the perks of having an uncle who works here. Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet Kate. Kate, this is my mom and dad, Robert and Sue Anderson.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you both,” said Kate, reaching to shake their hands.

  Suddenly Biscuit growled. Something was moving under the kitchen table. The chairs shifted, and James crawled out. Biscuit decided the moving boy wasn’t a threat, and began wagging his tail.

  “This is my little brother, James,” continued Elizabeth.

  James waved, but kept his eyes on Biscuit. “Can I pet him?” he asked.

  As if to answer the question, Biscuit jumped on James and began licking his face. James fell over, giggling, but Biscuit showed no signs of letting up.

  “It looks like those two will be fast friends,” Kate said.

  Elizabeth picked up Kate’s bags and said, “Come on. I’ll show you our room.”

  The two headed into their bedroom, and Kate flopped on the bed. “This will be so much fun. I’m so glad you and your family could come.”

  “San Antonio is one of our favorite places. We come here a lot, but we usually stay at a discount motel. Now that Uncle Dan’s working at this hotel, we’ll probably visit even more.”

  Kate unzipped her suitcase and pulled out her laptop. “I need to set up my computer. I haven’t been able to update my blog or check the comments in two days! Oh, hey, check out my new business card.” She handed Elizabeth a small card that read:

  SUPER SLEUTHS, INC.

  KATE OLIVER, SUPER SLEUTH

  HTTP://SUPERSLEUTHSINC.BLOGSPOT.COM/

  FOR ANSWERS TO ALL YOUR SLEUTHING QUESTIONS!

  “Cool!” said Elizabeth. “Bring a handful of them with you to the Riverwalk. You can pass them out.”

  “Good idea,” said Kate as she plugged in her small computer.

  Elizabeth glanced into the open suitcase and had to laugh. Only a few clothes were in the suitcase. Most of it was packed with electronic gadgets and doodads.

  Kate’s fingers began to fly as she punched in her blog’s address and logged in with her password. “Hooray! I have six comments!” she exclaimed.

  Elizabeth looked over Kate’s shoulder as she began responding to each one. “Your blog is really getting popular. Besides the comment from Bailey, the rest are from people I’ve never heard of.”

  Kate smiled. “Two of them are from my cousins. But the other three are from strangers. My blog is getting famous!”

  “Well, hurry up. I want to hear about all these gadgets you brought. And I’m eager to show you the Riverwalk,” Elizabeth told her.

  “Most of these comments are just telling me they like my blog. It’s more fun when I get actual questions to answer. But hey, I’m not complaining.” She finished typing her last response, then turned her attention to her suitcase. “A lot of these are the same ones I had when we were at camp together. But here’s a new one. It’s a bug.”

  “A bug?” Elizabeth asked, crinkling her nose.

  “Yeah, you know. Like the spies use. You can hide it and listen. It’s better than the one we used on Biscuit’s collar at camp. Instead of recording, we can actually listen as the conversation is taking place.”

  “Oh, kind of like a walkie-talkie?” asked Elizabeth.

  “Well, sort of. Picture those police shows, where the police hide outside the house in a van, listening to the bad guys’ conversation. This is what they use.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes widened as she held the tiny tool. “Whoa,” she whispered. “This is too cool.”

  Kate held out another small device. “This is a tracker. Why don’t you put it on your phone while I’m here, to keep from losing it. During the trip, I had it on Biscuit’s collar, in case we got separated.”

  “That’s a good idea,” said Elizabeth, slipping the device on her phone. “So, are you ready to go?”

  “Yep,” Kate said, and the girls headed to the living room.

  “Mom, Dad, can we roam around the Riverwalk for a little while?” asked Elizabeth.

  “Yes, but don’t go past the Fiesta Noche. The time now is two forty-five. Take your cell phone and check in with us in an hour. Plan to meet us in the lobby at five o’clock for dinner,” said Mrs. Anderson.

  Kate slipped the leash around Biscuit’s neck and attached the small tracker to his collar. With a wave, the two girls headed out the door.

  In the lobby, the girls pushed open the heavy glass doors that led to the Riverwalk. Outside, Kate adjusted her glasses. “Whoa! This is so cool. It’s even better than the pictures! Here, hold this,” she said, handing Biscuit’s leash to Elizabeth. She rummaged through her backpack and pulled out her camera phone. “Smile!” she said, and snapped a picture of Elizabeth kneeling next to Biscuit. A riverboat rumbled past in the background.

  Kate then pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number.

  “Who are you calling?” Elizabeth asked.

  “My parents. They told me to call them as soon as I arrived, but I got so excited, I forgot.”

  There was an answer at the other end of the line, and Kate began talking to her mother. Elizabeth walked with Biscuit to the water’s edge, taking in the scenery. Soon, she heard a familiar pa–pa–pa–put…rrrr…rrrr…pa–pa–put. Looking to her left, she could see that once again, a River City Cruise boat had died.

  Kate hung up the phone and said, “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Then, noticing Elizabeth’s concerned look, she said, “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, another riverboat just died. Let me tell you what happened to us this morning.”

  The two girls walked toward one of the stone bridges while Elizabeth relayed the story.

  “Maybe we should use a different riverboat company, if we ride at all. I’m not sure I want to end up in a dead boat!” Kate responded.

  “Maybe,” Elizabeth said. “I just think it’s strange. My family has been to this Riverwalk many times, and we ride the boats every time. This has never happened before. Now, all of a sudden, riverboats are dying all over the place!”

  Another boat puttered by, this one from Santa Anna Tours. The girls watched as the new boat moved past the stalled boat without even offering help. This time, they could hear its captain make a joke about the stalled boat, and the passengers laughed.

  “I guess you folks chose the right boat to ride,” said the captain of the working boat.

  Biscuit pulled away from Elizabeth and barked. A bird had landed just feet from him, and was pecking on a tortilla chip someone had dropped. With one last look at the boats, the girls tugged on Biscuit’s leash and headed in the opposite direction.

  “Come on,” said Kate. “I’m starved.”

  “Okay! Let’s go over this bridge. The restaurant on the other side serves the best tortilla chips and salsa you’ve ever tast—”

  Elizabeth stopped short as they reached the top of the stone bridge. A group of teenagers stood there, pointing and laughing at the stalled boat, and shouting things in Spanish.

  And right in the middle of them was the boy with the red cap.

  Kate and Elizabeth on Duty!

  “Come with me,” Elizabeth said, grabbing Kate’s arm and dragging the girl behind her.

  “Whoa, what’s the rush?” Kate asked, doing her best to keep up.

  The group hushed as Elizabeth, Kate, and Biscuit appeared, but barely gave them room to pass. One of them smiled at Biscuit, who barked in return.

  “Easy, little guy. I’m not going to hurt you,” the boy said.

  Elizabeth kept moving. She wanted to stay close, but she wasn’t ready to talk to her suspects yet. As soon as the girls and Biscuit were descending the stairs on the other side, the group started talking again. Biscuit resisted Kate’s lead and continued barki
ng at the group.

  “Biscuit, cut that out!” she scolded. Finally, the little dog obeyed.

  Elizabeth led Kate to a nearby café and found an empty table. The waiter immediately placed a basket of tortilla chips and a bowl of salsa in front of them. “Cool!” said Kate. “Now that’s what I call service! Now, do you want to tell me what that was about?”

  Elizabeth leaned forward and motioned toward the group, which was still standing on the bridge. “I haven’t told you about the water balloon.” Over chips and salsa, she explained the whole story to her friend.

  “Aha! A mystery to solve. Never fear, Elizabeth, my dear. I have everything we could possibly need to catch those guys. And when they’re caught, we’ll throw the book at them!”

  Elizabeth giggled at Kate’s enthusiasm. Yep. Those guys don’t know what they’re in for, she thought.

  They continued munching and chatting about their plans.

  “Gary wants me to help with the Bible club every day. I told him you’d probably want to help, too.”

  “That sounds like fun. What will you be doing?” Elizabeth asked, keeping an eye on the group, which had now moved to a café on the other side of the bridge. She had a clear view of them from her spot.

  “It’s supposed to be right here on the Riverwalk somewhere. Something about a little church in a plaza or something? We’re going to do a Bible club for kids and hopefully draw in some of the locals. Apparently, a lot of kids hang out at the Riverwalk, and we’re going to try to get them involved.”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me. It’s probably at the Little Church at La Villita. It’s a historic landmark, but also an active church.”

  Just then, Biscuit wagged his tail and pulled against his leash, which was attached to Kate’s chair. A little girl in a pink dress walked by, holding her mother’s hand. She looked about four years old. Large brown eyes peeked through brown curls that cascaded down her cheeks and covered most of her face. When she noticed Elizabeth and Kate looking at her, she buried her face in her mother’s skirt. The two continued on their way.