The girls went swimming in the neighborhood pool the next morning. Then promptly at 1:00 they sat at the Howells’ computer. Earlier, Kate had texted the Camp Club Girls who were available to meet them online for chat at 1 p.m. California time.
Promptly at 1:00, Alexis started the computer, while Kate pulled open her tiny battery-run notebook computer. “This is a new prototype one of my dad’s students is working on for Dell,” she explained. “Dad let me bring it as long as I’m careful. He even thought a road trial might be good for it,” Kate explained. “It’s even waterproof and is the smallest in existence.”
“Wow!” Alexis exclaimed. “It must be cool to have a dad who works with technology!”
“Well, it can’t do everything a full-sized computer can do,” Kate admitted. “But it can handle more functions than an iPhone.”
A subdued ding let the girls know a message was waiting.
Elizabeth: Hey y’all. How are things in sunny Calif? I hear we have a new mystery on our hands.
McKenzie: I don’t think I’ve recovered from the last mystery yet! Can this one beat our missing horse problem? Any more animals involved?
Kate: None so far. Unless you count Biscuit…who’s here and is barking that he loves you.
Biscuit yipped as if he could read the girls’ notes!
Alexis: But we are dealing with animatronics.
Elizabeth: What in the world are those?
Kate: Animated dinosaurs. They’re built to be the size of real dinosaurs and are electronically wired to show the mannerisms of real dinosaurs. Almost like movie props.
Bailey: Movie props? What are you guys involved in? Wish I could be there. I’d love to be in movies.
Alexis: Not movies! At a local park.
Sydney: They had those at a park in Virginia once when my aunt was filling in there for the park ranger department. They’re cool.
Bailey: Sounds like a good movie to me. We’ll call you Queen of the Dinosaurs, Alex. Maybe one will chase you up a tree.
Alexis: Just like that lady in King Kong got chased up a building, right?
Bailey: Something like that.
Kate: Anyway…no movies involved, Bailey. But there is a news anchor who’s a real dog.
Sydney: I hope you’re covering Biscuit’s ears.
Kate: Oops, no offense, Biscuit!
Alexis: Well, here’s what’s happening….
Alex filled the girls in on what was going on so far.
Elizabeth: So if Miss Maria saw everything right, the park was perfectly normal when it closed. So whatever happened occurred after dark but before lunchtime yesterday when you were there.
Kate: Right.
Sydney: Did you see anything strange in the park?
Alex: Well, at the fountain I noticed that there was only one set of footprints. Just those tiny Raptor ones. If a person had moved him, shouldn’t there have been human prints too? Boots or shoes or something?
McKenzie: But wouldn’t there be a lot of ways someone could erase tracks? Sometimes when I’m out in the woods on my horse, even in the mud we don’t leave tracks because the wind will blow leaves over the tracks.
Sydney: Or could someone have put down leaves or grass to start with so they wouldn’t leave tracks?
Bailey: They could have even used stilts or something so they didn’t leave prints. Did you see any holes in the ground?
Alex: I guess those things could have happened. I think if they had stilts that would have been too noticeable; you know, their bringing them into the center and taking them out.
McKenzie: Perhaps the first thing we need to do is figure out the motive. Why would anyone move the dinosaurs or decorate the park with footprints?
Bailey: Do you think someone is just trying to be mean? Do people dislike Miss Maria?
Alex: I think everyone likes her but the rude news anchor. Everyone at church loves Miss Maria. And if someone was hanging around the park bothering her, Jerry would have told us.
Elizabeth: Didn’t you say Miss Maria has some Christian stuff in the park? Maybe someone doesn’t like that.
Kate: Alex and I wonder if it’s a joke.
Alexis: After all, most kids would think it would be pretty funny to move a lady’s dinosaurs around and make them come to life!
Kate: Of course, they might get electrocuted in the process!
McKenzie: You know the area, Alex. Any bored kids around who might do this?
Alex: Thousands. Especially after that news anchor’s rude report. They might do it thinking it’s a joke, not to hurt Miss Maria.
Kate: By the way, I’ll send you the link to the news story. The local channel has a video of it on their website.
Elizabeth: What’s the plan of action?
Alex: We need more information. We’ll have to investigate the scenes—the fountain and the Triceratops area.
After a little bit more chat, the girls signed off.
“We can look harder for clues and do some interviews,” Kate reassured Alex. “Maybe someone saw something.”
“Yeah. Jerry and Megan live just outside the park, near Miss Maria. They might have noticed someone suspicious sneaking around,” Alexis said.
At the dinner table that night, Alexis’s thoughts turned to Miss Maria’s money problems. How could the park raise enough to stay open? She prodded her family for ideas, but no one thought of anything original.
“She should charge a small fee to get in,” said Mr. Howell.
“She does, but it’s certainly not enough to cover all the bills, Rich,” said Mrs. Howell as she dished salad onto the plates. “And I know she hates doing that. I told her before that she should raise the rates, but she won’t agree to that.”
“I hate this stuff!” said one of the twins, poking at his salad.
“Yeah! We’re not rabbits!” said the other. But they both wolfed down the food in seconds.
“Mom’s right,” said Alexis, ignoring her brothers. “Miss Maria would never make people pay.”
“What about extra donations?” asked Kate. “Would she accept gifts from people who wanted to give?”
“Kate, that’s it!” said Alexis. “We could put a box at the entrance for donations. If visitors want to help, they can!”
“Oooh!” said one of the twins. “Put one by the bathroom and make people pay for their toilet paper!”
Mr. Howell was caught off guard. He burst out laughing, and a piece of lettuce flapped out of his mouth and onto his chin. Mrs. Howell shot a killer glance at the boys and then at her husband. The twins piled mashed potatoes onto their plates in silence. Alexis had a feeling that her dad sometimes got into more trouble than her brothers.
“Mom,” said Alexis quietly, “can we turn on the TV?”
“You know I hate having that thing on while we eat,” Mrs. Howell said. She put the chicken on the table and dashed off to get the rolls out of the oven.
“I know,” Alexis called after her, “but there’s supposed to be another story about the park!”
“Okay, but just for a few minutes.”
Alexis got the remote off the TV and pressed a button. Thad Swotter’s face appeared on the screen. His neon purple tie with blue stripes clashed horribly with his yellow hair.
“The reopening of Aspen Heights today was shrouded in mystery,” the reporter said. “Maria Santos put mechanical dinosaurs in her nature park to draw in visitors. But it seems that the animatrons have begun wreaking havoc instead.”
A picture of the Triceratops jumped onto the screen. The scene clipped away to show footprints. Swotter’s voice broke in to explain.
“It seems that these footprints were not part of the original display. They just appeared. In fact, Maria Santos was injured today while inspecting them. Also, a small Raptor was found this afternoon a long way from his herd.”
Now a picture of the fountain sprang onto the screen.
“He was found here, at the edge of the water, taking a drink. One park volunteer said th
at the dinosaurs may have simply come to life. I laughed at first, but that was before my camera captured this.”
Another series of pictures ran across the television. Dinosaurs and footprints were scattered all over the park, where none had been earlier. All the small, nonmechanical Raptors were huddled around the entrance sign as if they were reading it. The baby Triceratops was in the middle of the bridge that crossed the creek. But the last picture was the scariest one of all: Tyrannosaurus Rex tracks. They led to the outer fence and back, as if the giant carnivore had been looking for a way out of the park.
“This is way too science fiction,” said Alexis. She jumped out of her chair and ran to the phone.
“Alexis, please finish your dinner,” said her mother as Alex dialed. Alexis held up a finger and begged silently for “just one minute.” The phone on the other end of the line began to ring.
“Hello?” said a voice.
“Jerry! Are you watching this?” said Alexis.
“The news? Yeah! Isn’t it cool?”
“It’s crazy!” said Alexis. “Why didn’t you tell me the dinosaurs had moved again?”
“How was I supposed to know?” said Jerry. “We closed the park after Miss Maria got hurt. I walked around the park before I closed it to make sure no stragglers were still in it. Everything was fine then. Then Megan and I cleaned the concession stand. I sure didn’t hear or see anything. Miss Maria called a little later, asking us to let the news crew in to film some shots. I didn’t stay with them; I had paperwork to do.”
“Okay,” said Alexis. “I was just shocked, that’s all. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Alexis hung up the phone and crossed her arms. On the television, Thad Swotter was still rambling about dinosaurs coming to life.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” Alexis explained as she sat back down at the table. “Jerry practically lives at the park and didn’t know about the dinosaurs moving again. So how did the reporter know?”
“Yeah, Thad Swotter doesn’t even like the park, so it’s not like he’ll hang around there for hours waiting for something to happen,” Kate added.
“Wait!” Alexis exclaimed. “Thad Swotter doesn’t like the park!”
Kate’s eyes widened.
“How did he know the dinosaurs had moved again?” she murmured. “Wasn’t the park already closed?”
“Yeah,” said Alexis. “It had been closed for hours.” She leaned forward and quietly continued, “He knew because he was there, Kate. I bet he took the pictures after he moved the dinosaurs himself!”
The girls watched the screen as the camera zoomed in. Thad Swotter’s goofy grin was more than a little suspicious. He was enjoying Miss Maria’s troubles way too much.
“Enjoy it while you can, Mr. Swotter,” Alexis said. “The Camp Club Girls are on to you now.”
Jurassic Jaws
TO: Camp Club Girls
SUBJECT: Mystery Suspect
Suspect: Thad Swotter
Possible Motives: 1. Dislike of the park and Miss Maria. (He called her a “bat” yesterday and complained about the plants related to Christian history.)
2. Just to get a story—he is a young reporter who wants to be the best. A huge story, like dinosaurs coming to life, would give him quite a boost.
Evidence: Dinosaur positions found changed after news crew had been there.
Alexis hit the SEND key on her email and picked up Biscuit’s leash. She would take him for a walk around the block while Kate was getting dressed. It would give her some quiet time away from her little brothers.
Alexis stepped outside and stood on the front porch for a moment, breathing in the dewy Sacramento morning.
Her cell phone suddenly buzzed with a text.
Hi! BETH HERE. YOU‘RE UP EARLY. GOT YOUR EMAIL.
Alexis: LUV THIS TIME OF DAY. REMINDS ME THAT EVERY DAY IS A NEW BEGINNING. NO MTR HOW BAD ONE DAY IS, THE NEXT IS ALWAYS NEW AND DIFF.
Elizabeth: MAYBE THAT‘S WHAT GOD MEANS WHEN HE SAYS HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING. READ LAMENTATIONS 3:22-23. CUL8R.
Alexis stumbled as Biscuit pulled her onto the sidewalk.
“Okay, I’m coming! Want to help me figure out this case while you’re sniffing around?” Biscuit looked back at her as if puzzled. Then he dove headfirst into a clump of orange honeysuckle.
“Gotta tell you, Biscuit,” said Alexis. “I think you’re letting the Camp Club Girls down!”
Alexis thought about the mystery. She knew they could connect Thad Swotter to the mysterious movements of the dinosaurs. The question was, how?
At first it sounded strange. Why would a grown man resort to such silly tricks? Was Swotter just playing a joke on Miss Maria?
Possibly, but if he was, he was going to a lot of work just to annoy someone he barely knew. The second motive made more sense. If Swotter was the only reporter able to get pictures of the dinosaurs, it might give him a boost at his job. He had been sent to cover the opening of the dinosaur exhibit. While this was a big deal for Miss Maria, Alexis knew that a couple of robots at a nature park weren’t really big news in California’s capital.
In fact, Alexis couldn’t remember seeing Thad Swotter before yesterday. He was probably the new guy—the new guy who wanted to make it to the top as fast as he could.
That reminded Alexis of a movie she had seen. The main character was a reporter who had to cover the worst stories ever, like cat fashion shows. Maybe Thad Swotter was like that guy and wanted a more dramatic story. Maybe he wanted one so much, he was making it happen.
Too bad he’s not as funny as the guy in the movie, thought Alexis.
Would it really be that bad if Swotter wanted a good story? Alexis didn’t think so, but moving the dinosaurs around did more than draw attention—it put people at risk. Miss Maria said between the weight of the dinosaurs and the sensitivity of their electrical setup—the hidden generators—someone could get hurt tampering with them.
Not only that, but if one of the dinosaurs got damaged, Maria would have to pay for it. That would be expensive, and Maria certainly couldn’t handle an expense like that.
Thad Swotter must be using the park to catapult his way into stardom, no matter what it costs anyone else, Alex thought.
Alexis Howell was not about to let him succeed. She started jogging back to the house to discuss her thoughts with Kate.
After breakfast Mrs. Howell dropped the girls off at the park. It looked like a completely different place. The little Raptors were still huddled around the entry sign, but that was not what made Alexis gasp. The parking lot was full.
Hundreds of people were entering the park. After five minutes of pushing through the crowd, Alexis and Kate found Elena Smith, the woman who helped Miss Maria run the park. She was also Jerry and Megan’s mother. In her late thirties, she had a wonderful sense of humor. The thick, dark hair that usually fell to the middle of her back was pulled up in a ponytail.
“Wow, Mrs. Smith!” called Alexis. “This must be a record! I’ve never seen so many people here before!” But Mrs. Smith looked anything but happy.
“This is crazy! Only three of us are here to answer questions! We ran out of maps fifteen minutes after opening too. Megan is inside making black and white copies to hand out.”
“But this is good, right?” asked Kate. “More visitors are what Miss Maria needed, right?”
“Yes,” said Mrs. Smith, “but not like this. These people don’t really care about the park. They only want to see the dinosaurs that ‘come to life.’ Hey!” Mrs. Smith yelled over the crowd to a pair of girls who had left the path. “You’re not allowed to walk over there!”
“We’re not walking!” one of the teens answered. “We’re skipping!” And they were. They were skipping right through the Jeffrey Pine saplings that had been planted by the church preschool class.
“You see?” said Mrs. Smith. “This has been happening all morning. Don’t they realize they could kill those trees? They’re delicate!” Mrs. Smith
stomped off to make sure the trees were okay.
Alexis and Kate turned toward the visitors’ center. Jerry met them in the doorway.
“Did you get up early?” asked Alexis. She noticed that Jerry’s eyes were all red and puffy. He didn’t answer her question.
“Isn’t this great!?” he said, pointing to the teeming crowd.
“I don’t know,” said Alex. “It seems a little out of control.” A tangle of loud kids rushed by, knocking into her without excusing themselves.
“Yeah,” said Megan. “But we’ll fix that.” She handed Alex, Kate, and Jerry each a stack of maps.
“We’re going to start giving guided tours!” said Jerry. “We can each lead one. Some people will still wander around on their own, but this will help us spread out and keep an eye on things.”
“That’s a good idea,” said Alexis. “Someone’s already rearranging the park at night. The last thing we need is visitors doing the same thing during the day!”
Alexis and Kate paused near the entrance sign. The little herd of Raptors was examining it, rocking their heads back and forth as if the writing confused them.
“They’re turned on!” said Alexis. “The Raptor that was moved yesterday wasn’t plugged back in. It was just sitting on the fountain.”
Kate found the cord that powered the Raptors and followed it across the path to a large bush. A deep humm hummm came from behind its leaves.
“It’s a generator!” Kate said. She ran back to where Alexis stood near the sign. “Not only did the suspect move the dinosaurs, he moved the generator too. Then he plugged them back in!”
Whoever did this had put a lot of effort into it. Generators were heavy, Alexis knew, but a full-grown man—or reporter—would have been able to do it easily.
Alexis examined the dinosaurs one more time.
“These do look pretty funny,” she admitted to Kate.
“Yeah, they’re cute, standing and reading the park rules,” Kate admitted. “Whoever did it has a sense of humor. But look at this ground!”
Kate pointed to the trampled grass. “I was hoping we’d find some clues.”
Alexis Page 3