“Hi, guys,” he said as he saw them approach.
“Hey, Jamie,” they replied.
“What are you doing?” asked Charlie.
“I’m rebuilding the lifeguard stand,” said Jamie. “It’s getting rickety and unsafe. We can’t have our lifeguard falling over, can we?” He grinned. “Then who would watch all you fellas out in the water?”
The boys were silent for a moment.
“That is just so nice of you,” Charlie finally said. The other boys all nodded.
“Well, thanks,” said Jamie, laughing. He then paused and shaded his eyes with his hands as he squinted at them.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you guys? You look like your dog died!” He paused. “Nobody’s dog died, did it?”
“No,” said Bill, as the other boys shook their heads and looked sympathetically at Jamie.
“Well, that’s good,” said Jamie, turning back to his project. “So why the long faces?”
“It’s nothing,” said Striker. “We were just thinking it’s a pretty hot day to be working, that’s all.”
“Yep, you’re right about that.” Jamie wiped his forehead. “But you’ve gotta do what needs doing.”
He cheerfully reinforced the joint between two planks with a screw gun.
“I guess,” said Charlie.
“Good thing you’re being paid,” said Richard with a weak laugh.
Jamie smiled. “Actually, I’m not being paid right now. It’s my afternoon off.”
“It is?” said Bill. “Then, why are you working?”
“If I fix this now, it will save me a lot of effort in the future,” said Jamie. “And it will make a nicer – not to mention safer – camp for you kids.”
He leaned back to check the newly built frame with a level.
“Looks good,” he said, squinting at the level. He turned to the boys. “Now, I want you guys to go have some fun. I’ll take care of the work.”
“Okay,” said Charlie.
“Thanks,” added Bill.
They walked away, thoughtfully slurping their snow cones.
“He’s pretty awesome,” said Richard.
Striker nodded. “He is. But you know . . . I think that we might want to change tonight’s party.”
“Huh?” asked the boys.
“Don’t you think he deserves it?” asked Charlie.
“Of course,” said Striker. “But I don’t think it should be a going-away party.”
What kind of party should it be?
Solution
Jamie isn’t the one who is leaving Camp Leopold – Mr. Cutchins is.
When Charlie overhead Mr. Cutchins and Jamie’s conversation, he incorrectly assumed that because Mr. Cutchins would miss Jamie the next year, that Jamie was the one leaving.
In truth, Mr. Cutchins was ready to retire. Being attacked in a full-scale water balloon ambush made him realize that he felt too old and too tired to run the summer camp full time. He was ready to hand over the reins. And who best to take over the camp from him but the other half of the “dynamic duo” – everyone’s favorite counselor, Jamie?
But how did Striker figure this out?
When the boys found Jamie rebuilding the lifeguard tower, they actually found Jamie investing in the camp.
To invest is to spend money, time, and effort now to raise the standard of living in the future. Jamie saved himself trouble in the future by fixing the lifeguard stand today, before someone got hurt. This was so important to Jamie that he even worked on it on his afternoon off!
If Jamie was leaving the camp, why would he be concerned with saving himself work in the future – he wouldn’t be there to enjoy the fruits of his labor!
From that clue, Striker guessed that Jamie would be remaining at camp. But the conversation that Charlie overheard indicated that someone was leaving Camp Leopold. If it wasn’t Jamie, then it had to be Mr. Cutchins.
The party that night around the bonfire was a wonderful celebration. Two banners hung across the picnic tables. One read, “Happy Retirement, Mr. Cutchins!” The other, “Congratulations, Jamie – New Camp Leader!”
Striker loaded his plate with two vanilla cupcakes and sat on a log beside Bill. He leaned back and looked across the fire at the two guests of honor.
Mr. Cutchins and Jamie each wore silly hats that the campers made for them. Jamie pretended to conduct Jared and Chris in the band, while Mr. Cutchins happily munched on a cupcake.
“I wonder what camp will be like with Jamie in charge,” said Bill, watching the other campers talking and laughing. Charlie and Richard were hanging out in the middle of a large group of kids. Charlie was trying to tell a story, while Richard kept interrupting to add details. Everyone was laughing.
“I guess we’ll just have to come back next year to find out!” said a soft voice behind them.
Striker looked over his shoulder to see Sheila. She and Amy had walked up behind Striker and Bill and were smiling down at them.
Striker grinned and turned back to the fire. “Bring it on.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maggie M. Larche thinks economics is more fun than jumping on a trampoline while eating cotton candy. A Florida native, she currently lives in Daphne, Alabama, with her husband, son, and daughter. Striker Jones was born from her personal fondness for a good mystery.
Striker Jones and the Midnight Archer Page 7