Elizabeth's San Antonio Sleuthing

by Renae Brumbaugh

  Biscuit barked a friendly yap and settled back beneath Kate’s chair. “Biscuit loves children,” Kate said. “That’s one of the reasons Gary let me bring him. He hopes Biscuit will attract kids to the Bible club. Oh look! There’s Gary now!”

  Kate’s youth minister and several teenagers were headed toward the girls. “Hey there, Kate! Are you having fun yet?” Gary asked.

  “You’d better believe it! And Biscuit is already drawing attention.”

  “Good,” said the man. “Don’t forget, our mime troupe is performing at seven p.m. at the Fiesta Noche del Rio—it’s a little theater area right here on the Riverwalk. Elizabeth, I hope you’ll help us out this week. Kate tells me you’re a real firecracker when it comes to ministry work.”

  Elizabeth blushed. “I don’t know about that…,” she replied.

  “Don’t let her fool you. She plays the piano, sings, and has over half of the Bible memorized,” Kate said.

  “I do not,” Elizabeth said, laughing.

  Gary smiled. “Well, you’ll be a great addition to our team. You two have fun, and I’ll see you both at seven o’clock.” He followed the teenagers into a T-shirt shop.

  Elizabeth waved good-bye then looked across the river to find the group of teens. They were gone.

  Later that evening, Kate groaned. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson had treated the girls to a huge plate of the gooiest, cheesiest burritos Kate had ever eaten. “I’m stuffed,” she said.

  “Would you like some sopapillas?” asked the waitress, and the Andersons laughed. “Maybe later,” Mr. Anderson said.

  “It’s six forty-five,” Elizabeth said, looking at her watch. “Why don’t we go on over to the Fiesta Noche and try to get good seats. I can’t wait to see your youth group perform,” she told Kate.

  “We’ll all go,” said Mrs. Anderson. “But we’ll meet you girls there. I want to walk around for a few minutes.”

  Kate and Elizabeth waved good-bye and headed toward the Fiesta Noche. When they arrived they were surprised to see the red-cap boy and his friends. They were sprawled out in the center of the seating area, talking and laughing loudly. In Spanish. Elizabeth caught a few of the words, but her Spanish was rusty.

  When the teens saw the girls and Biscuit, they started talking about the perro. Elizabeth knew they were referring to Biscuit. The little dog strained his leash and barked. Redcap Boy said something the group thought was hilarious.

  Elizabeth and Kate looked at each other and took seats a few rows in front of the group. “Maybe we’ll overhear them admit to something,” whispered Kate. Biscuit watched the teenagers. He continued to softly growl.

  “No, Biscuit. Stop that!” said Kate, and the dog calmed a bit. But his ears remained stiff.

  The two girls tried to focus on the stage. “This is so cool!” said Kate. “I’ve never seen anything like this! The river runs between the stage and the audience. I guess they don’t have to worry about anyone rushing the stage.”

  Elizabeth laughed. “I guess not. They’re pretty safe over there, unless one of them falls in the water!”

  A door at the back of the stage opened, and two girls from Kate’s youth group stepped out. “Hi, Kate! Do you guys want to help us? You can cross at the bridge and come to the back if you want.”

  The two girls stood, Biscuit in tow, and retraced their path to the bridge. Just as they were about to cross they saw the Andersons.

  “Where are you going? I thought the show was about to start,” asked Sue Anderson.

  “We’ve been asked to help,” Elizabeth told her mother.

  Mrs. Anderson smiled. “That sounds like fun. We’ll be in the audience. We’ll meet you at the seating area after the performance.”

  Elizabeth, Kate, and Biscuit hurried across the bridge and through the back door of the stage area. Gary greeted them with a smile. “Hi, girls! You’re just in time. Most of our people are in costume, and we don’t want them to go onto the stage until the show starts. Could you two wheel this box of props out there? Just put the box by the back wall and come right back.”

  “No problem,” replied Elizabeth.

  Kate wasn’t sure what to do with Biscuit, so Elizabeth took the small dog and placed him inside the box.

  The two girls pushed the heavy box on wheels to the stage area. The seats were filling up, and Elizabeth waved at her parents.

  “Look! It’s Beth!” shouted James.

  Suddenly, Elizabeth lost her footing and fell on her backside. Center stage. Red-cap, having heard James call her name, started laughing. “Way to go, Beth!” he called.

  Why, the nerve of that boy! she thought. I’ll show him! Instead of being embarrassed, she decided to play up her public disaster. Standing to her feet, she faced the audience and took a grand bow.

  Red-cap hooted with laughter, and the audience cheered. She kept bowing until Kate ran out and grabbed her, pulling her, smiling and waving, off the stage.

  “What was that about?” asked Kate with a laugh. “What happened to the girl who doesn’t like to be on stage?”

  “I never said I don’t like to be on stage,” Elizabeth countered. “I said I don’t like to play the piano or sing in front of others. Falling and looking like an idiot? I can handle that just fine.”

  Gary and the others in the youth group laughed and patted Elizabeth on the back. “Good job, girls. You can head back over and sit in the audience now, if you want.”

  “Okay,” said Elizabeth, realizing they wouldn’t be able to see much of the show from backstage.

  They were halfway across the bridge when Kate stopped. “Biscuit!” she cried. “We left him in the box!”

  The girls saw that the performers were already walking onto the stage. Wide-eyed, they looked at each other.

  “What will we do?” asked Elizabeth.

  “I don’t know. I guess we can’t do anything except watch and see what happens!”

  The two girls quickly went to the seating area and sat down. The performers had white painted faces and began presenting a mime. Music played in the background as the main character mimed being lost. His facial expressions were comical, and the audience laughed at all the right times.

  However, Elizabeth and Kate watched the box at the back of the stage. At any moment, they expected Biscuit to leap out and make his grand stage debut.

  Pa–pa–pa–put! Rrrrr…rrrrrrr…pa–pa put…rrrrrrr…rrrr…rrrrr… The audience’s attention turned to the riverboat coming around the bend. This time, however, the boat seemed out of control, and was headed straight for the stage, straight for the performers!

  Boom! The boat banged into the platform. The passengers on the boat gasped and clung to the sides. Fortunately, it wasn’t going fast enough for anyone to fall overboard.

  It did, however, cause quite a stir on the stage. The performers backed away from the boat, and one of the mimes landed in the box where Biscuit was! They heard a loud yelp, and then saw Biscuit wiggling out of the box! He leaped onto the stage, causing even more excitement among the mimes.

  Biscuit ran this way, then that on the stage, not knowing how to escape. Kate yelled, “Biscuit! It’s okay, boy! Calm down!”

  Hearing his beloved owner’s voice, he searched the crowd for her. Spotting her across the river, he didn’t even hesitate. He splashed right into the water and swam to the other side, while people cheered and clapped. The riverboat captain looked frustrated, his passengers looked confused, and the audience wondered if it was all part of the show!

  Reaching the other side, Biscuit climbed out, shaking water onto the entire front row and leaving them squealing. The little dog lunged through the audience, leaving wet, muddy paw prints in his wake, and flew into Kate’s arms.

  “Hey, cut that out,” Kate cried as he covered her with drippy kisses. He transferred his messy love to Elizabeth for a moment, then back to Kate. Before long, the audience began applauding, as if they had enjoyed the show.

  Gary came onto the stage and announced, “He
llo, folks! As you can see, we are having some technical difficulties. Just hold tight, and we’ll start our performance again in a few minutes.”

  He then helped the riverboat captain onto the stage. Together, they helped the boat’s occupants onto the stage and out the back door.

  Elizabeth heard snickering behind her. She turned to see Red-cap pointing and laughing at the riverboat captain, just as he and his friends had done earlier in the day.

  “I wonder what could be causing so many of the boats to break down,” she said.

  “It’s a mystery to me,” Kate replied. “Maybe we should investigate. This sounds like a job for the…” She paused, waiting for Elizabeth to chime in.

  “Camp Club Girls!” they said together, then laughed.

  “Why do we find mysteries everywhere we go?” asked Elizabeth.

  “It’s almost as if the mysteries find us,” said Kate.

  Elizabeth began speaking under her breath.

  “What? I can’t hear you,” said Kate.

  Elizabeth laughed. “I just thought of a mystery verse. ‘God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ It’s in Colossians 1:27.”

  Kate just stared at her friend. “How do you do that? You know a verse for everything.”

  “Well, I wish I were half as good at figuring out all those gadgets you carry around with you.”

  Kate laughed. “I guess we can’t all be good at everything. But at least we’re both good at solving mysteries. And I have a feeling this will be a tough one.”

  The girls leaned back as the mimes made their second entry onto the stage. Yep. This was going to be a tough one, all right.

  Later that night, Elizabeth looked over Kate’s shoulder as she typed onto her blog:

  Hypothetical Mystery Challenge:

  A taxi company that has always been reliable suddenly begins to experience difficulties. All over town, the taxi motors begin dying, even though the cars are serviced weekly. The company’s reputation suffers.

  Who or what might be responsible?

  “That’s a really good idea, Kate!” said Elizabeth, patting her friend on the shoulder.

  Kate smiled with satisfaction. “From time to time, I write a pretend mystery for my readers to solve. Little do they know, the mysteries are real. I just change enough details so no one will figure it out.”

  “What a clever way to get some outside help. Now, let’s send out an SOS to the other Camp Club Girls. They’re sure to help us figure it out. I don’t even know where to start.”

  Kate typed the whole story, including the riverboat mishap, Elizabeth’s water balloon experience, and the teenaged troublemakers. In the subject line, she wrote: New Mystery! Need Help!

  She continued on, typing what she and Elizabeth had seen so far. Just a couple of minutes after she pressed SEND, Elizabeth’s cell phone rang. It was Sydney.

  “Hey, Beth. I just read the e-mail. Tell Kate she’d better learn to swim if she’s going to solve a river mystery.”

  Kate, who was standing close enough to the phone to hear, responded, “Ha, ha. Very funny. I plan to stay on dry land for this mystery, thank you very much.”

  Elizabeth and Sydney laughed. Kate was brilliant. Nearly a genius. But an athlete, she was not.

  “We don’t even know where to start. Do you have any suggestions?” Elizabeth asked Sydney.

  “Well, those teenagers sound suspicious to me. You said they were laughing and pointing at the boats? It doesn’t seem funny. Maybe they had something to do with it.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking,” said Elizabeth.

  “Well, keep me posted. And tell Kate not to fall in.” With a quick good-bye, Sydney hung up.

  Checking the computer screen, they saw two more e-mails had come in. One was from Bailey:

  Nail the teenagers! Follow their every move. I’ll bet they are the guilty parties.

  The next was from McKenzie:

  Are there any competing riverboat companies?

  Elizabeth and Kate looked at each other.

  “There is that other company that never stops to help. I wonder if they are trying to drum up more business for themselves,” Elizabeth mused.

  “That’s a definite possibility. I wonder what Miss Hollywood is going to suggest.” As if on cue, Alex’s user name popped up on the live chat page.

  Alex: Oh, this is soooo Nancy Drew! I wish I were there with you all.

  Kate: We wish you were here, too. Any ideas about the first step we should take?

  Alex: I think you should follow those teenagers, but don’t rule out other possibilities yet.

  Kate: We haven’t.

  Alex: Notice everything. Does anyone have anything to gain by forcing this riverboat company out of business? Who owns the company? Do any company leaders have any enemies?

  Kate moved to the side, and Elizabeth typed: Those are good questions. I think we have enough to get us started now. Thanks.

  Alex: This will be tough. Send me the names of the riverboat companies, and I’ll do some background research.

  Elizabeth: Will do. We’ll get started now. Talk to you soon!

  Just then, there was a knock on the door, and the two girls peeked out of their doorway into the living area. It was Uncle Dan. “I hope I didn’t wake you all up,” he said.

  Robert Anderson invited his brother in. “No, we’re still wide awake. Come on in.”

  Uncle Dan wheeled into the room. He looked worried. “My friend Lyndel needs me to go with him to the police station. He owns River City Cruises—the one with all the boats breaking down. Now, one of his boats has been spray-painted by vandals. Neon pink! Of all people for this to happen to. He’s got enough to deal with already.”

  “I’m so sorry,” said Sue Anderson. “What is this world coming to?”

  Mr. Anderson rubbed his chin. “Lyndel…I believe that was the name of the captain I helped this morning. Can I do anything?”

  Uncle Dan shook his head. “No. He just wants me to come for moral support. I wanted to let you know I’ll be gone for a while, but you can reach me on my cell phone.” He said good night and left.

  The two girls looked at each other, and retreated into their room. Vandals! Could the two events be related?

  Teenagers Ahead!

  The next morning, Kate, Elizabeth, and Biscuit stopped by the breakfast buffet at the hotel on their way to the Little Church at La Villita. Kate finished off a banana, an orange, a chocolate chip muffin, and was working on a cherry Danish.

  “I don’t know where you put it all,” said Elizabeth, laughing. “You’re like a hummingbird—so tiny, yet always eating.”

  Kate smiled and kept working on her last bites. “I can’t help it. I’m always starving,” she said. “But then, last month I went about two weeks when I wasn’t hungry at all. I hardly ate a thing, and my mom thought I was sick. Go figure.”

  When the girls arrived at the church, Gary smiled and welcomed the girls. “I’m so glad you’re here. Elizabeth, Kate told me you are musical. The girl who was planning to lead music for us lost her voice. Would you mind leading the children in a few songs, while we finish setting up?”

  Elizabeth looked at the children gathering in front of the church. The Bible club wasn’t supposed to start for another half hour, but these children looked eager to begin.

  “No problem,” Elizabeth told the man, and walked up the steps in front of the small church.

  “Good morning, everyone! My name is Elizabeth. Welcome to Bible Camp!”

  A dozen pairs of eyes looked at her in expectation. “How many of you like to sing?”

  A few of the children raised their hands. “Great!” Elizabeth told them. “Why don’t you, and you, and you come up here and help me lead everyone in some songs?”

  She pointed out three of the children who’d raised their hands, and they scrambled up the steps to stand next to her.

  Elizabeth
tried to think of songs everyone would know. “Let’s sing, ‘This Little Light of Mine,’ “ she said, and started singing.

  Only a few of them seemed to know the song, but they were quick learners. The group continued with “Jesus Loves Me,” and Elizabeth taught them the motions to some silly songs. The crowd grew as more children joined the group. Before long, Gary signaled to Elizabeth that she could stop, and the man climbed the steps and addressed the group.

  “Welcome to Bible Camp!” the man said. “We’re glad you’re here today. We’re going to have a lot of fun.”

  As Gary continued telling the children about the upcoming games, snacks, and Bible stories, Elizabeth heard snickering. She turned to see the same group of teenagers from the day before. They were standing in the shadows of a small art museum, and they seemed to be making fun of Gary.

  Why, the nerve! she thought. Well, good. You’re here, right under my nose. And I’ll find a way to make you ‘fess up!

  Gary didn’t miss a beat, though. “Hey guys! Glad you’re here. Come on up here with the rest of us. We’ll put you to work!” Gary’s smile was genuine, and the teenagers looked embarrassed.

  “No thanks,” said Red-cap Boy, and the group shuffled away.

  “Come back if you change your minds,” called Gary, and continued his speech.

  The group of forty children was divided into three rotating groups: games, crafts, and Bible stories. Kate was helping with crafts, and moved to a long table set against the side of the old church. Elizabeth moved inside the church to help keep the children quiet during the Bible story time.

  As she was about to enter the tall double doors, she noticed a movement to her right, in the shadows.

  Those pesky teenagers again! Why won’t they just leave us alone? Leaning over the railing, she peered further into the shadows, and saw a little girl. Is that the little girl we saw with her mother on the Riverwalk yesterday?

  Biscuit, whose leash was attached to the railing, barked and wagged his tail.