“What kind of music do you like to play?” Elizabeth asked.
“All kinds,” said Joe. “Mostly rock ‘n’ roll. But I really like what you’re playing. I never knew Christian music could be so cool.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Being a Christian is pretty cool,” she told him.
Joe looked at his feet. “Yeah, my mom’s always trying to get me to go to church. Maybe I’ll have to try it.”
Kate approached, Biscuit at her heels. “So, did you talk to them about…you know?” she asked Elizabeth.
Her question immediately got his attention. Maria and Pedro approached and joined the conversation.
“Talk to us about what?” asked Joe.
Elizabeth shot Kate a frustrated look, but Kate simply adjusted her glasses and smiled.
What is she up to? Elizabeth wondered. We’re supposed to check with Uncle Dan before we make any more plans.
Just then, Elizabeth’s mother waved to her. James was seated on the ground beside her, dangling his feet into the river. “Elizabeth, what are you girls planning to do for lunch? Your father and I want to go to the mall, if you’re interested.”
“Well, we told Uncle Dan we’d meet him after Bible Camp. If it’s okay, we’d like to hang around here for a while,” she told her mother.
“Okay,” Mrs. Anderson said. She made sure Elizabeth had money for lunch, and waved good-bye. “We’ll meet you back at the hotel at two o’clock,” she called over her shoulder.
When she was gone, Joe asked her once again. “Talk to us about what?”
Kate spoke up. “We may need your help with a little project we’re working on. But right now, Elizabeth and I have to meet someone. Why don’t we meet you in an hour at the Rio Rio. You can order us some of those great tamales your mom was making yesterday.”
The threesome agreed, and Elizabeth and Kate headed toward the hotel. “What was that about?” Elizabeth questioned. “I thought we were supposed to keep our mouths shut until we talked to Uncle Dan again!”
“My mistake,” Kate apologized. “I saw you all deep in conversation and assumed that’s what you were talking about. What were you talking about, by the way?”
Elizabeth smiled. “We were talking about music. Did you hear Joe playing the guitar? He’s good.”
“It’s a match made in heaven,” Kate teased, and Elizabeth reached over and pulled Kate’s pink ball cap over her eyes. “Hey, stop that!” Kate called, straightening her cap.
Uncle Dan was waiting for them when they entered the lobby, and wasted no time in small talk. “I’ve been thinking about how we can catch these guys,” he said. “Kate, didn’t you say you brought a bag full of spy gizmos and gadgets?”
Kate nodded. “I have a bug we can plant to listen in on conversations. We thought we’d start with that.”
“Perfect,” said Uncle Dan. “I talked to Lyndel this morning—he’s the owner of River City Cruises. He said the problems started a couple of weeks before Santa Anna Tours opened for business. I also found out that the owner of Santa Anna Tours has a history of illegal behavior. I’m not sure what he’s capable of, so you girls need to stay safe. Don’t go wandering off into any lonely alleys or tunnels. Stay on the Riverwalk, stay together, and stay where there is a crowd.”
Elizabeth felt chills go up her spine. “This guy sounds dangerous.”
“He’s never been accused of anything violent—mostly petty theft and vandalism—but the bottom line is, he can’t be trusted. We don’t know what he’s capable of. Can I trust you girls to act responsibly?”
The girls nodded, wide-eyed.
“Okay, then. Here’s the plan,” he said, and the three spent the next half hour plotting and planning.
At 1:15 p.m., Kate and Elizabeth spotted their friends seated at the Rio Rio.
Joe smiled at Elizabeth. “We were about to give up on you,” he said. “Mom made this huge plate of tamales just for you, and I thought I would have to eat them myself.”
“Don’t you dare!” Elizabeth told him, and the group laughed. They made room for the two girls to sit down and politely joined Kate and Elizabeth as they prayed over their food.
Then, Maria leaned her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands. “Joe said you wanted to talk to us about something,” she said.
Elizabeth took a bite of the delicious tamales, and closed her eyes. “I have dreamed about these tamales. These are the best things I have ever tasted. Joe, do you think your mom would give me the recipe?”
He smiled. “We might be able to work something out. But first, you need to tell us what Kate was talking about earlier. What’s the big secret?”
Kate swallowed her bite of tamale then leaned back in her chair. “Well, you remember those guys who chased us yesterday? We think they’re the ones who are sabotaging the River City Cruise boats. But we may need your help to catch them.”
The Plan
The three cousins leaned forward. “Sounds exciting. What do you need us to do?” asked Joe.
Elizabeth began filling them in on the plan. “We’d like to use all of you, or at least a couple of you, as scapegoats. We want to blame you, very loudly and in public, for the problems with the River City boats. Then, the real bad guys will think we’re off their tails, when we’ll actually be watching their every move.”
Joe and Pedro looked at each other.
“What makes you think anyone would believe we had anything to do with it?” Joe asked. “We’re innocent.”
Maria burst into laughter. “Innocent? You? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time!” The girl looked at Elizabeth and Kate. “Trust me. Joe and Pedro have a reputation around here. Everyone would believe they did it.”
Pedro’s eyes grew large. “What do you mean, Joe and Pedro? What about you? You’re right there, whenever we do anything!”
“Hey, all I do is watch! The water balloons, the rubber snakes…”
“Shhhhh! Stop talking. You’ll make us look bad,” he told his friends, glancing at Elizabeth. Maria laughed.
“If you’re so innocent, why are you worried about looking bad? Your actions will speak for you,” Elizabeth said. She finally had him cornered. He had practically admitted dropping the water balloon on her.
Joe leaned back in his chair and looked down at his hands. Finally, he looked up at Elizabeth, and she could see the hurt in his eyes. “So you think we’re a bunch of hoodlums. Obviously, we’d be the best ones to take the rap for the vandalism.”
Elizabeth felt terrible. Yes, she had thought they were hoodlums—in the beginning. But now she knew better, and she wouldn’t want to hurt her new friends for anything.
The table grew quiet. She didn’t know what to say.
After an awkward silence, Kate saved the day. “Look, nobody is accusing anybody of being hoodlums. If we thought you were hoodlums, we wouldn’t ask you to help us. But don’t even try to play innocent with us, Joe. We know all about your little games. Innocent fun? Perhaps. But you dropped that water balloon on Elizabeth, and everyone knows it. So why don’t you just apologize and get it over with?”
Joe turned four shades of red, starting at his collar, then creeping up his chin, past his ears, and all the way to his head. After a moment, a smile crept onto his embarrassed face.
Elizabeth was taken off guard when he left his chair and knelt in front of her. The others snickered as they witnessed what was sure to be a great show.
“Señorita Anderson, it has been brought to my attention that, in my carelessness, I may have accidentally dropped a water balloon on your head,” Joe told her. “I am so clumsy, and that balloon just slipped right out of my hands. I would never, ever intentionally drop a water balloon on someone as sweet and lovely as you. Will you please forgive me?”
Now, it was Elizabeth’s turn to blush. Why couldn’t she think of something clever to say? “Wait a minute,” she said, rewinding his words in her mind. “Did you say it was an accident?”
The s
nickers got louder, and Joe just smiled.
“You expect me to believe that your dropping that water balloon on my head was an accident?” she continued. “I don’t think so. Try your little apology again.”
The group of witnesses laughed and waited to see what would happen next.
Joe laughed, too, but didn’t back down. “Of course it was an accident, Elizabeth. I was aiming for the person in front of you!”
There. He had admitted it. He had dropped that water balloon on purpose, and Elizabeth wasn’t sure she wanted to forgive him. She crossed her arms and tried to look angry, but it didn’t work. The whole thing was too funny.
Finally, in a dramatic show of mercy, Elizabeth stood to her feet, took the long-handled teaspoon that rested on the table, and looked at Joe like a queen looking down on a peasant.
“Although you don’t deserve my forgiveness, Señor Garcia, I shall grant it anyway. You”—she placed the teaspoon on one of his shoulders, like a scepter—”are pardoned.” Lifting the teaspoon over his head, she touched his other shoulder.
The boy pretended to be overtaken with relief and gratitude, and the others at the table shook with laughter. Kate and Maria even had tears rolling down their cheeks, they were laughing so hard.
When they finally got under control, Pedro pulled the conversation back to its original topic. “So, tell us again what we can do to help you.”
For the next half hour, they plotted and schemed over tortilla chips and tamales. When Kate and Elizabeth stood to leave, they felt both nervous and excited about the plan that would take place later that day.
Elizabeth sat in the overstuffed chair in the living area of their hotel room. Her feet were draped over the arm of the chair, and she casually twirled her long hair with her fingers.
“Mom and Dad, Kate and I were wondering if we could hang out with Uncle Dan this afternoon. He invited us to run some errands with him. Would that be okay?”
“Well, I just don’t want you girls getting in his way,” Mr. Anderson said. “But if he invited you, I suppose it’s okay,” he said.
Elizabeth rewarded him with a huge smile.
“I know how much you love your Uncle Dan, but he is coming to visit us in a couple of weeks. Not only that, but today we’re going to the science museum, and we don’t have anything like San Antonio’s Science Museum in Amarillo. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” said Mrs. Anderson.
Elizabeth nodded. “I know. The Science Museum is really fun, and I hate to miss it. But I’m excited about spending time with Uncle Dan. I think I’ll enjoy that more.”
“Okay. But stay with Uncle Dan, and stay out of trouble,” her mother told her with a wink. “We’ll probably go out to eat, too, so I’m not sure what time we’ll be back. Keep your cell phone with you, and call us if you need anything.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Elizabeth called as her parents and James walked out the door.
“Whew, that was close,” said Kate. “For a minute, I thought they were going to insist we go with them!”
“Well, they’re gone now, and we don’t have much time. Let’s get the other Camp Club Girls on the phone, and see what they’ve come up with,” Elizabeth told her.
Soon they had Bailey, Alex, and McKenzie on the phone. Sydney was at her gymnastics class, so they’d have to fill her in later.
“Okay, everyone, it’s crunch time. Since we talked to you last night, we’ve come up with a plan. In about forty-five minutes, we’re going to stage a big scene, and my Uncle Dan and his friend, who owns the River City Cruises, are going to blame Joe and Pedro for all the vandalism that’s been happening. Before that, we need to plant a listening device at the Santa Anna dock, but we’re not sure how we’ll do that. The Skipper knows who we are. They know we’re onto them, so they’ll be watching us. Any ideas?”
“What about having one of your new friends plant the device, before the whole scene plays out?” suggested Alex.
“That won’t work,” said Kate. “We were all together when those men chased us. They’ll recognize them, too.”
“Well then, what about Uncle Dan? They probably don’t know who he is, do they?” asked McKenzie.
Elizabeth and Kate looked at each other. That could work.
“That’s a good idea, McKenzie. Later, he’ll go down there, strike up a conversation with the captain, and somehow hide the bug on the dock,” Kate said.
“Then, Joe and Pedro can walk by,” Elizabeth added. “Uncle Dan will call out, ‘Hey, there they are!’ and start accusing them of vandalizing the riverboats. They’ll defend themselves for a few minutes, then leave. Then, Uncle Dan will change his mind about riding the boat, and leave, too.”
“This is where the listening device comes in,” Kate added. “After the whole scene plays out, we’re hoping the captain and his sidekick will start talking and say something that will incriminate them.”
“In-what-anate them?” asked Bailey.
“Incriminate,” Kate said. “It means we hope they’ll say something that will prove to us, and the police, that they are guilty of something.”
“Well…it could work. Let’s just hope Gilligan and the Skipper don’t figure out that Uncle Dan is related to you,” said Alex.
“Yep,” said Elizabeth. “We’ve already talked about that. Kate and I will sit at a nearby café. Lots of people just sit and talk. We’ll act oblivious to the whole thing.”
“Well, be careful. You don’t know what those men might do,” said McKenzie.
Kate promised that yes, they would be careful.
Elizabeth looked at her watch. “We’ve got to get going. Uncle Dan’s probably waiting for us. Oh! Did anyone research surgeries for a strawberry hemangioma birthmark?”
“I did, and I found out some interesting things,” said McKenzie. “But we’ll talk later. You go on, and call us as soon as the plan is executed. We want to hear every detail!”
The girls hung up, and after taking some deep breaths, Kate and Elizabeth headed downstairs to the lobby.
Uncle Dan was waiting for them, as expected. “Are youready to go?” he asked, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.
Elizabeth nodded. “We talked to our friends, and everything is set up. But we’re hoping you can be the one to plant the listening device. The boat captain will be suspicious if he sees us hanging around his dock.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem for you. Just wait until the boat is on a tour, and the captain’s not around. But I’ll do it if you want.”
“You’d better. There were two men, and even if the Skipper isn’t around, I don’t know where Gilligan might be,” Elizabeth told him.
Uncle Dan nodded, and Kate handed him the device. He held it up to the light and examined it. “Wow. This is tiny. How far does the sound broadcast?”
Kate smiled proudly. “Elizabeth and I can be all the way at the other end of the Riverwalk, and we’ll still hear the conversation.”
“That’s cool,” he said.
Elizabeth looked out the glass lobby doors and saw Joe and Pedro standing near the Riverwalk. The lobby doors opened, and Maria walked in.
“The guys are ready to look guilty. They’ll follow your cue,” Maria told them, then returned to her cousins.
Uncle Dan eyed the group. “So they’re the ones, huh? Let’s hope they’re good actors. I suppose it’s good that they’ve never met me. It will seem more natural.”
Something in the pit of Elizabeth’s stomach told her this wasn’t going to go as planned. But she kept quiet. They had gone to all this trouble; she couldn’t see the point in backing out now.
“You girls go find a place to sit and wait. I suggest you go to that little ice cream parlor with the balcony. If you sit up high, you’ll be able to see us better,” he suggested.
“Ice cream parlor?” asked Kate. “Sounds good to me. I’m starved!”
Elizabeth laughed. “Let’s go,” she said. “Uncle Dan, we’re turning the listening device on now. Give u
s five minutes, and then tell us when you’re leaving the lobby. You won’t be able to hear us, but we’ll hear you.”
Uncle Dan nodded, and Kate and Elizabeth exited the lobby, trying to ignore their four friends standing outside. The last thing they needed was for the captain or his friend to see them together again.
For a split second, Elizabeth glanced at Joe. She couldn’t seem to stop herself. He was watching her! She looked away, and led Kate to the ice cream parlor. Together, they climbed the steep stairs. “You go in and order, and I’ll stay here on the balcony. This table is perfect. Look! We have a clear shot of the boat dock. We’ll be able to see everything.”
“Okay,” agreed Kate. “I’ll go get our ice cream. What do you want?”
“Anything chocolate,” Elizabeth replied as she sat down.
Kate soon returned, and the girls were taking their first bites of ice cream when Elizabeth spotted something. “Kate, look!” She pointed to a small shoe-shine booth. There, enjoying a shoe shine, was the Skipper. He was only a few yards from his boat dock, but his back was to it.
Uncle Dan’s voice came over the tiny speaker. “Leaving the lobby, heading for the boat dock.” The girls watched as Uncle Dan rolled his wheelchair to the railing as if to wait in the ticket line. He grabbed onto the railing as if he needed it for support, and Elizabeth smiled. She knew he was actually planting the listening device. The magnetic back clung securely to the underside of the metal railing—they had tested it earlier.
The Skipper approached with his newly shined shoes. He reached out to help Uncle Dan, and smiled.
“Welcome to Santa Anna Tours! How can I help you?” he asked.
So far, so good, thought Elizabeth.
“I’m thinking about taking one of your tours. But I’m a little hesitant,” Uncle Dan told the man.
The captain lifted his eyebrows. “Oh? Why is that?”
“I’ve noticed a lot of the boats are breaking down. As you can see, since I’m in a wheelchair, it isn’t easy for me to get on and off the boats. I certainly don’t want to take the chance of getting myself or my chair wet.”
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