Mr. Jacobs looked disappointed. He tipped his hat to the woman, thanked her, and headed out the door.
The girls stared after him, mouths hanging open, when the clerk startled them. “Can I help you find something?”
Elizabeth and McKenzie began taking off their costumes and returning them to the proper places. “Oh, no thank you. We were just having a little fun. This is a great shop you have,” Elizabeth told her.
The bell jangled again as Mrs. Phillips walked through the door.
“Are you ready, girls?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” they called, and left the store. They wanted to discuss the scene they’d just witnessed, but that conversation would have to wait.
Back at the motel, Elizabeth and McKenzie exchanged frustrated looks. They hadn’t found a moment of privacy since they were at the shop. First they had stopped at Dairy Queen for hamburgers. Then Mrs. Phillips had asked the girls to entertain Evan for a while.
They were about to meet Megan when the phone rang. “It’s for you, Elizabeth,” said Mr. Phillips. It was her mom.
“Hi, baby. Are you having fun?” Mrs. Anderson asked.
“Yes, ma’am. We’ve been busy today.”
“That’s good. Listen, I know Ruby is taking you to the bank, and then for ice cream. After that, why don’t you swing back by the hotel and pick up Evan? I’ve already talked to the Phillipses about this. You all can spend the evening over here so McKenzie’s parents can have a date.”
Elizabeth groaned inwardly, but said only, “Yes, ma’am.” Evan was a nice kid, but two little boys could put a real wrench in their sleuthing plans. After hanging up, she shared the news with McKenzie, who did groan. Loudly.
Mr. and Mrs. Phillips looked at the girls and chuckled.
With a wave, the two girls finally escaped to the restaurant. When the door shut behind them, they began their frantic whispers.
“Can you believe that man? Calling Megan’s grandmother a ‘poor waitress,’ like she was some charity case. And who does he think he is, anyway? It’s none of his business!” McKenzie said.
“Well, technically, she was a poor waitress. But we know the rest of the story, and he doesn’t. I wonder how he knows that much, though,” Elizabeth responded. The sun had disappeared behind some more gray clouds, and the storm threatened to return.
Rounding the corner, they found Megan and her mom waiting for them. Mrs. Smith was dressed in her maid’s uniform. Her hair was coming out of its clip, and she wore no makeup. Still, Elizabeth thought she looked more like a runway model than a maid.
“Hop in, everyone. The quicker we get to the bank, the quicker we can hit the Marble Slab,” said the woman, referring to the popular ice cream shop.
All three girls climbed into the backseat of the old sedan, and Ruby Smith laughed. “I feel like a chauffeur,” she told them.
On the way to the bank, McKenzie and Elizabeth whispered to Megan, telling her about the event in the thrift shop.
They were interrupted by Mrs. Smith. “Am I supposed to be hearing this?” she asked. “Because I can hear almost every word you are saying. Something about a tall cowboy in a girlie thrift store? That must have been a funny sight.”
The girls laughed nervously but stopped talking. They didn’t want Mrs. Smith to know about Mr. Jacobs. Not yet, anyway.
They pulled into the bank parking lot, slid out of the car, and went inside the old building. “You all wait here while I make my deposits,” Mrs. Smith told them, gesturing to a long bench. “After that, I have an appointment with Mr. Sanders, the bank’s vice president. Megan, you can come with me and tell him what you’ve heard.”
The girls took a seat and waited as Mrs. Smith approached the teller. A few minutes later, she joined the girls on the bench.
Before long, a balding man approached. “Hello, Ruby,” he said. “This is a lovely group you have with you.”
Ruby smiled and introduced the girls, and then she and Megan entered the office to the left of the bench. The door was pushed shut, but it bounced open just a crack.
Elizabeth and McKenzie scooted closer to the door, hoping to hear the conversation. They heard bits and pieces and knew Megan would fill them in on the details later. Still, they strained to catch the words being spoken.
Mrs. Smith’s voice was soft and sweet. They heard, “…my mother…bank account…curious…”
Then the banker’s voice, “Yes…did leave…lovely woman…still open…interest…”
They heard Mrs. Smith’s voice again, “Megan…rumors…safe-deposit box…”
Megan added something to the conversation, but the girls couldn’t make out the words. Didn’t she know to speak up when her friends were eavesdropping?
There was a shuffling of some papers, then a faint noise. Was he typing on a computer?
The banker’s voice came back. “No…record…safe-deposit…nothing…”
There was a scooting of chairs, and the two girls on the bench slid to their original positions. The door opened, and Mr. Sanders shook Mrs. Smith’s hand. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more,” he said. “Good day, ladies.”
Megan looked disappointed, and Mrs. Smith patted her on the back. “It would have been nice to have found those mysterious marbles. But we’ve done fine without them, haven’t we? We don’t need a hidden treasure. I have all the treasure I need in you, sweet girl.”
Megan smiled at her mother and gave her a hug. But Elizabeth knew this wasn’t the end of the search. The group headed out the door. The mystery would have to wait; it was time for ice cream.
Back at Elizabeth’s house, the girls shut the door to her bedroom. The young detectives were ready to talk seriously.
“Tell me again what happened at the thrift shop,” Megan said.
Elizabeth and McKenzie took turns telling the story, and Megan laughed out loud when she heard about the costumes. “I wish I had been there!” she said. “I can just see you two, all decked out in sunglasses and wigs. You must have looked ridiculous!”
“Actually, we looked pretty good,” said Elizabeth.
McKenzie giggled. “Um, Elizabeth, I hate to tell you this, but that black wig did not look good on you! You definitely can’t pull it off like Hannah Montana can. I think you need to stay a blond,” she said.
Elizabeth laughed. “Come to think of it, your freckles did look rather out of place with that yellow wig. And those tiny little sunglasses!”
“Well you looked like a demented movie star with those huge things you were wearing!”
All three girls were on the floor now, laughing at the silliness of it all.
Before they could get any further in the story, they heard a thud on Elizabeth’s door. Then another, and another. Elizabeth got up and opened her door, only to have a miniature car crash into her ankle. “Ouch!” she cried.
James and Evan sat on the floor at the end of the hallway, with Matchbox cars lined up in front of them. “Sorry, Beth. We’re racing,” said James.
Elizabeth sighed a heavy sigh. “Why can’t you do that in your bedroom?” she asked her brother.
“Because there’s not enough space,” he told her matter-of-factly. She stepped to his doorway and saw what he meant. Toys were scattered across every inch of the floor.
“You’d better clean up that mess before Mom sees,” she told him.
James looked crestfallen. “But that will take too long,” he said. “I want to race with Evan.”
Elizabeth felt a wave of compassion for her little brother. He really was a good kid, even if he was annoying at times. “I’ll tell you what. You and Evan pick up your toys, and then we’ll sit with you in the driveway so you can race out there.”
James looked at his sister as if she were his hero. He wasn’t allowed in the front yard without supervision, but he loved to race his cars up and down the long driveway.
Just then, a loud clap of thunder startled them all. James’s face fell, and he said, “We can’t. It’s raining
.”
Sure enough, it looked like the heavens had opened up. Lightning flashed, rain poured in heavy sheets, and water gushed off the sidewalks and into the gutters.
Another loud crash of thunder was followed by a pop, and everything went black.
The girls squealed and huddled together.
James and Evan stayed seated at the end of the hallway. Through the dark, they heard Evan’s voice saying, “This is so cool!”
Then James said, “Hey, let’s race cars in the dark!”
A moment later, Elizabeth yelped in pain. Another flash of lightning revealed that a Hot Wheels car had crashed into her ankle. Again. “James, cut that out!”
“Sorry, Beth,” he said. She shut her door, leaving the boys in the black hallway.
The three girls gathered at the window to watch the show. Thunder clapped. A fierce wind forced the trees to sway into unnatural positions. Somewhere in the distance a car alarm went off. The whole scene was scary and fascinating.
Suddenly, a pair of headlights pulled into Megan’s driveway, behind her mom’s car. They shut off, and all was black again.
“I wonder who that could be,” Megan said.
They peered through the darkness, trying to catch a glimpse of the unknown guest. A flash of lightning revealed a tall dark figure in a cowboy hat, heading for Megan’s porch.
Through the Hole in the Wall
The three girls gasped. They peered through the darkness, hoping to catch another glimpse of the man.
“What in the world is he doing here?” asked McKenzie.
“I don’t know, but my mom is alone. We’ve got to do something!” said Megan.
“I’ll grab my flashlight. Megan, you unlock my window. We’ll crawl through and stay hidden until we can figure out what’s going on.” Elizabeth felt around in the dark, pulling open the drawer to her bedside table. Locating the flashlight, she clicked it on and returned to the window, which was now wide open. Wind and rain gushed through, getting her curtains all wet.
The three girls slipped through the window, and Elizabeth pulled it shut behind her. She would have a lot of explaining to do if her parents found the wet room, but this was important. Ruby was in danger.
The girls ran, staying low to the ground. Pow! Rain soaked their skin. Crash! A flash of lightning revealed an empty porch. Mr. Jacobs’s truck was still parked in the driveway.
“Come on!” Megan called out. Through the window, Ruby appeared to be lighting candles. Soon their soft glow gave light for the girls to see what was going on.
Jacobs spoke, but they couldn’t hear the words. Ruby laughed. Then Mr. Jacobs began moving around the house with the flashlight!
“He’s looking for the marbles,” McKenzie said.
“But why is she letting him?” asked Elizabeth. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Somebody has to stop him,” said Megan. She stood and pushed open her front door.
Ruby Smith was startled. “Megan? What are you doing out in this weather? I thought you were at Elizabeth’s house!”
Elizabeth and McKenzie appeared in the doorway. The girls shivered like puppies fresh from a bath, dripping water all over the hardwood floor.
“Oh my goodness! Girls, get in here. Let me find you some towels.” Ruby pulled the girls inside and shut the door behind them.
Mr. Jacobs appeared from the hallway. “What on earth? Girls, are you okay?”
Ruby picked up a candle and brushed past Mr. Jacobs into the hallway. She returned with an armload of thick, fluffy towels. Each girl took one and dried herself. Suddenly, there was a loud Pop! and the electricity returned.
The house lit up, and the television began broadcasting the Home and Garden network, Ruby’s favorite. Weather updates scrolled across the bottom of the screen.
Ruby stood, hands on hips, looking at the girls. Finally, her eyes rested on Megan. “Explain yourself, young lady. Why would you go running around in a storm like this? You could have gotten struck by lightning!”
Elizabeth and McKenzie looked at their sopping shoes. Megan lifted her chin and said, “We were worried about you, Mama. We were in Elizabeth’s room, and we saw a strange car pull into the driveway, and…” her eyes flashed to Mr. Jacobs. “And we saw a man coming onto our porch.”
Mr. Jacobs stepped forward. “Well now, that would be scary. That was very brave of you to come and check on your mother. I’m sorry. I never meant to frighten anyone.”
Megan held the man’s eyes, as if waiting for an explanation. She was usually very respectful to her elders. But she was also very protective of her mother.
Jacobs continued. “I was driving a couple of blocks from here when the power went out. I thought of you and your mama here by yourselves. I thought I’d come check on you.” The man shifted his cowboy hat from one hand to the other, then back again. He looked nervous.
Megan held his eyes but said nothing. Elizabeth and McKenzie watched the scene. The electric clock on the side table flashed on and off, on and off.
Mr. Jacobs said, “Well, it looks like everyone is okay, so I guess I’ll head back to the motel. Sorry to have frightened you girls.”
Ruby held out her arm in protest. “Oh, don’t go before I can fix you a cup of coffee. You’re soaking wet! Here, take a towel.”
The man smiled gently at Ruby and said, “Aww, no ma’am. I’ll be fine. But thank you.” With that, he tipped his hat to her and left.
Ruby Smith’s eyes swung to the girls standing in front of her, landing on her daughter. “Let’s get you three warmed up. Then, you have some tall talkin’ to do.”
The girls followed the woman into the kitchen and sat around the oak table as Mrs. Smith made hot cocoa. While the water was boiling, she picked up the phone and dialed. “Sue? This is Ruby. The girls are at my house. I just wanted you to know they’re safe.…No, they haven’t explained themselves yet. We’re getting to that.…Okay, I’ll see one of you in a minute.”
Elizabeth groaned inwardly. How would she explain sneaking out the window? It hadn’t seemed like a bad idea at the time. But now, it was going to be hard to defend.
Moments later, there was a knock at the door, and Ruby rushed to let Robert Anderson in. He didn’t look happy. “Elizabeth, what were you thinking? The boys said you sneaked out your window! And in a storm? That’s not like you at all. Explain, young lady.”
Elizabeth took a deep breath and sent a desperate plea to heaven. “We weren’t trying to be bad. We just got scared, and the electricity was off, and then we saw Mr. Jacobs coming toward the porch, and we knew Megan’s mom was here by herself, and—”
“Wait a minute,” interrupted Ruby. “You knew it was Mr. Jacobs? It sounded to me like you thought he was a stranger!”
Megan answered. “Mom, we thought it might be Mr. Jacobs, but we didn’t know for sure. And there’s more. We don’t trust him.”
The two adults looked at each other and then at the girls. Elizabeth’s dad sat down and leaned forward. “We’ve got all night. Start talking.”
The girls remained silent, not knowing where to begin. Finally, Elizabeth and Megan began pouring out the story from beginning to end, one pausing as the other jumped in, back and forth like a tennis match. McKenzie added a detail here and there.
The two adults looked at the girls, stunned. “So you’ve been trying to solve a mystery?” asked Mr. Anderson.
The girls nodded. Elizabeth’s dad leaned back in his chair, and a great belly laugh erupted that continued for several minutes. The girls weren’t sure how to respond.
Mrs. Smith chuckled too, but she appeared to be laughing more at her neighbor than at the situation.
Finally, the man pulled himself together and gave Elizabeth a stern look. “I’m glad you wanted to help Megan’s mom. But what you did was foolish. First of all, it is never okay to sneak out your window, unless something dangerous is inside the house, like a fire. Second, it is never okay to go running around in a storm. You all could have been s
eriously hurt. Third, it was foolish of you to think you could save Mrs. Smith from any man. You should have come to me immediately.”
Elizabeth looked at her father. She hated disappointing him. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“You’re forgiven,” he said. “But you still have to be punished. I’m not going to ground you while McKenzie is here. But when the Phillips’s vacation is over, you’re going to be seeing a lot of the inside of our house.”
Later that night, McKenzie and Elizabeth lay awake whispering. Their room at the Big Texan had a small living area with a pullout bed, which gave the girls some privacy.
“Did you notice that my dad and Megan’s mom weren’t concerned about Mr. Jacobs?” Elizabeth asked.
“Yeah, I did,” whispered McKenzie. “Your dad thought the whole thing was funny.”
“My dad has a good sense about people. But the fact that Mr. Jacobs is looking for the marbles is strange,” she said. “Maybe we should just come out and ask him about it.”
McKenzie thought. “No. He clearly has plans for those marbles. But Megan and her mom could use the money. I’m still not sure I trust him.”
“Me neither,” replied Elizabeth. “We have to find those marbles before he does.”
The girls were quiet for a few minutes. Then McKenzie rolled to face her friend. “Hey, Elizabeth…since the marbles never made it to the bank, I wonder if they really are hidden at the restaurant.”
“I was thinking that too. We’ll go there first thing in the morning,” she said sleepily.
The two sleuths were awake and dressed before dawn the next morning. They walked to the restaurant, which was open early for breakfast. A waitress they’d not seen before seated them, and the girls studied the menu.
“We need to get into that supply closet,” said Elizabeth, her eyes scanning the walls and floor planks. “That secret panel seems like the perfect hiding place.”
“What time does Megan come in?” asked McKenzie.
Elizabeth’s eyes focused on someone behind McKenzie, and a grin spread across her face. “Right now,” she said.
Camp Club Girls: Elizabeth Page 16