“You’re right. We’ll never be able to find clues around here,” Alex said, thinking of the hundreds of hiking boots, sneakers, and flip-flops that had already passed through that morning. “Maybe we’ll have more luck inside.”
“Come on, time for the tours!” Jerry announced.
Jerry directed a large group of people to Alexis. Alex’s group took off ahead of Kate’s group, and Alex led the visitors through the park. She pointed out interesting features but otherwise let them explore on their own. The most important thing was to make sure no one left the path. Already a first-grader had fallen into a bed of California thistle. A few of the green barbs were still visible in the seat of her khaki Bermuda shorts as the group continued.
Alexis was excited. Guiding a tour group was the perfect way to investigate the mystery sites. She could poke around and no one would even suspect that she was gathering evidence. It would just look like she was examining the plants.
When they reached the stream, the group had to wriggle its way around the baby Triceratops. The small dinosaur was still standing in the middle of the bridge, just as it had been shown on the news the night before. A science teacher from the local middle school reached out to touch him.
“Wow,” he said. “It feels so real!”
“Please don’t touch him, Mr. Bell,” said Alexis politely. “I think they’re very expensive and very delicate.”
“Sure, Alexis. He’s amazing! I could almost believe the rumors that the dinosaurs come to life! May I take a picture?”
“Of course,” said Alexis. “Take as many as you want.”
The crowd moved ahead to study the wildflower meadow, but Alexis lingered to look for clues on the bridge.
Nothing. Alexis knew she shouldn’t be surprised. Hundreds of visitors were trampling this area, just as they’d done at the entrance. The suspect could have left absolutely anything, and she would never know.
Alexis guided her group farther down the trail. At least she could still study the Tyrannosaurus Rex. His area was more secluded than the busy footbridge.
Alex knew that it had taken ten people and one huge crane to place the Tyrannosaurus Rex among the aspens and dogwoods on the other side of the meadow. The slender trunks of the trees made him seem taller than his thirty feet. Alexis knew that although the Tyrannosaurus Rex didn’t weigh anywhere near what a real Tyrannosaurus Rex would weigh, it was still well over a thousand pounds. There was no way Thad Swotter, or any other human, would be able to move this guy.
While the crowd stared at the mammoth creature, Alexis found the footprints that had been on the news. They were huge. She could even see the marks where the six-inch claws had scarred the earth.
She followed the tracks about a hundred yards. She looked back now and then to make sure no one from the group followed her. The footprints went all the way to the outer edge of Aspen Heights, where a chain-link fence marked the end of Miss Maria’s property. Alexis gasped.
A hole gaped in the middle of the fence, right where the footprints ended.
“What could have done that?” she whispered. Fence cutters? Maybe, but how hard was it to break through metal? It must have taken a lot of strength.
Alexis was supposed to follow the evidence, but now the evidence was starting to scare her. She saw no trace of humans here either—just dinosaur footprints and a fence that looked as if a pair of Jurassic jaws had torn right through it.
Impossible. She refused to believe that the dinosaurs were actually coming to life.
Alexis heard someone call her name. It sounded like Mr. Bell. The tour was probably ready to move on.
“Coming!” she cried, and she weaved her way back through the trees.
At the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the group was busy taking pictures of the dinosaur staged so beautifully among the aspen trees. Alexis saw that Kate’s group had caught up and was milling around the glade as well. One visitor was taking a video of the Tyrannosaurus Rex with his cell phone.
Alexis edged toward the dinosaur, just in case any clues were hiding in its monstrous shadow.
The dinosaur stood on its strong back legs. Its thighs were as thick as redwood trunks. Its arms, on the other hand, were tiny—hardly long enough to allow the creature to grasp his own hands. Alexis wondered if God might have given the Tyrannosaurus Rex monstrous teeth so the other dinosaurs wouldn’t laugh at his silly proportions.
His head moved proudly through the air, looking over the forest and their little tour. Alexis knew a hidden generator hummed, although the noise of the tourists masked its gentle noise.
Kate joined Alex and started snapping pictures. “As soon as this tour is over, wait before you start the next one,” Alex told Kate. “I have something to tell you!”
Kate gave Alexis a searching look. “Okay, sounds like you found a clue.”
“Well, not a clue, but certainly something strange,” Alex said. “But we don’t have time to go into it now.”
“Okay,” Kate said, going back to her photography. “Stand by the Tyrannosaurus Rex and let me get a picture of you with it.”
Alex got near the animatron and dodged the thick tail as it swung back and forth. Alexis was looking for clues as to where the footprints began when she heard a loud crack and an angry roar! She looked up and didn’t have time to scream.
The Tyrannosaurus’s head plummeted toward her, hundreds of sharp teeth gleaming in the sun.
The tour group fled the aspen grove, some screaming and some laughing. Children were scared out of their minds, crying and hiding their heads in their mothers’ necks. Needless to say, the tour was over.
“Did you see that?” called one girl to her friend. “It almost bit that girl’s head off!”
Kate ran over to Alex. “Are you okay?”
Alex weakly nodded. She was still shaking.
“Come on. I think you need a Coke,” Kate said. “You need to sit down inside the visitors’ center and relax a minute.”
Alexis and Kate were following the crowd back to the visitors’ center at a slow walk. Alexis glanced back and saw the slumping dinosaur. He was bent over the spot where Alexis had been standing, and he wasn’t moving anymore.
Alexis didn’t think the Tyrannosaurus Rex had really attacked her, but she was shaken up. It was hard not to be scared when a head full of teeth came at you out of nowhere. On the other hand, it wasn’t hard to imagine what the Channel 13 guy would say about the park tonight.
Alexis could already hear it. “A young girl was attacked today by an animal that has been extinct for thousands of years….”
Alexis didn’t notice when they crossed back over the bridge, but Kate grabbed her arm and spun her around.
“Alexis!” she whispered. “The baby Triceratops—it stuck its tongue out at me!”
“I guess its mother needs to teach it some manners,” joked Alexis.
But Kate didn’t laugh.
“Alexis, look at the power cord…it isn’t plugged in.”
Puzzling Pictures
The panic caused by the Tyrannosaurus Rex spread through the park faster than fire. At the end of the afternoon, Mrs. Smith and Megan pushed the gates closed. Jerry had already been on the phone with Miss Maria and called the electrician who had helped set up the animatrons. Hopefully, he could figure out what was wrong with the dinosaur.
Alexis and Kate decided to use the free afternoon to sleuth. They decided it wasn’t enough to wait until something else happened. They had to get ahead and catch him in the act.
So now Alexis and Kate were dragging Jerry and Megan around the park with a handful of cameras.
“Hey, Alex,” said Jerry. “Why are we doing this?”
“We’re trying to find out how the dinosaurs are moving around at night,” said Alexis.
“Why does it matter?” asked Megan. “They’re bringing in a lot of business, aren’t they? Why don’t we just leave it alone?”
“Because Miss Maria says that moving them is dangerous. Someone co
uld get hurt. And I know it sounds crazy, but if they really are coming to life…someone could get torn apart.” The memory of a murderous mouth full of teeth flashed through Alexis’s mind. She shivered.
“Yeah,” said Kate. “People today get mad over a cold cup of coffee. What do you think they would do if their kid got eaten by a park display?”
Alexis laughed nervously. She knew that Kate was right. Last week one of her mom’s clients wanted to sue a fast-food restaurant because the ice in his drink melted too fast. Mrs. Howell had refused to pursue the lawsuit, of course, but it made Alexis think. The smallest, silliest things could make people so angry. A real dinosaur attack would make them furious.
The four kids walked past the entrance sign. The dinosaurs weren’t there anymore since Mrs. Smith had taken them all back to the dogwood grove. Alexis was sure they wouldn’t be at the entrance in the morning, but were they running all over the park by themselves? And what about the baby Triceratops? How had it stuck its tongue out without being plugged in?
What was really going on around here?
The four of them walked the entire park, looking for the best places to put the cameras. Kate stuck one near the Triceratops meadow. She crept along the edge of the grass, placed the camera on a rock, and ran all the way back to the trail. She kept glancing over her shoulder, as if she expected the Triceratops to charge any second. Alexis couldn’t blame her.
Next they put cameras where the dinosaurs had been found out of place—near the fountain and the entrance sign.
“These things are tiny!” said Megan, leaning on the wall of the fountain and looking at one of the cameras. “Where’s the film?”
“Film?” said Kate. “Please. These babies are digital.”
“Where on earth did you get this many digital cameras?” said Jerry.
“My dad uses them at his work. These are the models from a couple years ago. They have bigger and better ones now. Actually, smaller and better.” Kate snickered at her joke and led the group through the bushes and toward the Raptors.
“You’re such a nerd!” Alexis teased. “What would I do without you?”
Kate smiled and bent down to place the last camera on the ground. She hid it in a clump of fuzzy mule ears. The bright yellow flowers dusted pollen all over her arm. She adjusted the camera so the lens was watching the path to the visitors’ center.
“There! It’s done!” Alexis said triumphantly.
“So,” said Jerry to Kate, “do those cameras just take a picture every five minutes or something?”
“No way,” said Kate. “We could miss tons of stuff if we did it that way! I turned on the motion sensor. Anytime these little red lights sense something move, they’ll snap a picture.” Jerry pushed Megan playfully in front of the camera.
SNAP!
“It works!” he said.
“Of course it works!” said Kate. “And now I have a picture of your sister’s ankle clogging my memory card!” Kate leaned down and hit the DELETE button.
“You’re amazing, Kate,” said Alexis. “I am so glad you came to visit! If it weren’t for you, I’d be doing an all-night stakeout.”
Megan giggled. “That’s not my idea of a slumber party—spending the night in a park of dinosaurs that may or may not eat you!” she said.
“We’d better get back to the front. Mom will be here any time,” Alexis said.
On their way back to the parking lot, Alexis stopped to check the donations box. Mrs. Smith liked the idea and had helped her hang it up. It was a simple wooden box with a lock on the lid and a hole in the top so people could drop in additional donations. The small sign on it read, DONATIONS APPRECIATED! ALL FUNDS KEEP THE PARK BEAUTIFUL FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT! THANK YOU!
The box contained seventy-nine cents, three gum wrappers, and a check for fifteen dollars from Mr. Bell, the science teacher.
“Visitors weren’t very generous today, were they?” asked Jerry.
“Mr. Bell was,” said Alexis. “Did you expect a miracle?”
“Why not?” asked Megan.
“Huh?”
“Why not expect a miracle?” said Megan a little louder. “I’ve been praying for one a lot lately. I mean, if God could do all those cool things in the Bible, surely He can take some time to help Miss Maria.”
“I think He is,” said Kate. “She has us to help her while she’s hurt. And it’s probably only a matter of time before the money comes in.”
“How can you be so sure?” asked Jerry.
Alexis wanted to answer him. She wanted to be like Elizabeth and break out a Bible verse that explained exactly why she trusted God to fix this mess, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t explain why she trusted so completely in something she couldn’t see. Jerry believed in God—they went to the same church. But Alexis sensed that he had a hard time trusting anyone but himself.
“I’m not sure how,” Alexis finally said, “but I know it will happen.” She smiled at him, hoping it would make him feel better. He smiled back, but Alexis could tell that he wasn’t convinced. Mrs. Howell’s old red van pulled up to the curb.
“See you guys tomorrow!” Alexis and Kate called. As Alexis got in the car, she still wished she was better at explaining what was in her heart. Somehow she knew everything would work out.
There was no more investigating to do at the moment. The cameras would do their job, and hopefully the Camp Club Girls would have fresh evidence to go on in the morning.
While they waited for dinner, Alexis and Kate thought of a new way to help Miss Maria. They went to work on the computer designing a poster for the park and then sent a copy to the other Camp Club Girls. Bailey emailed back that it looked like a movie poster.
Alexis smiled. Alexis loved to look at the posters at the movie theaters. In the middle of the poster was a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex. He was standing in the middle of a ring of redwoods, lifting his head in what looked like an ear-splitting roar. In front of him, walking paths wove in and out of the trees. Beautiful flowers and plants were scattered in the shade. At the top of the poster, huge letters read: ASPEN HEIGHTS CONSERVATION PARK: EXPERIENCE NATURE, PAST AND PRESENT!
“This looks great!” said Kate. “You’re really creative, Alexis.”
“Thanks, but I couldn’t have done it without your help! I’m not good at all of these computer programs.” They printed off one copy of the poster and held it up.
“If we put these around town, they should draw more people to the park!” said Alexis.
“Between those and the donations box, something has to happen,” said Kate.
Mr. Howell brought home pizza, so the girls sat down with pepperoni and pineapple to watch the evening news. Alexis’s mom had agreed they could watch TV from the table as long as Thad Swotter was reporting on Aspen Heights.
“It’s on, Mom!” cried Alexis. “Come here!”
Nikki, the Channel 13 anchor, was talking to the camera. The picture in the upper right-hand corner of the television screen showed the giant head of Miss Maria’s Tyrannosaurus Rex.
“And here’s Thad Swotter with the report,” she said.
“Thanks, Nikki. Today was a scary day out here at Aspen Heights.”
Alexis thought she recognized the scenery behind him. Soon the shape of the Tyrannosaurus loomed just behind the reporter, and she knew she was right.
“He’s in the park!” Alexis said. “How did he get in after we closed?”
“Shh! Listen!” said Kate. Thad Swotter’s voice barely cut through Alexis’s swirling thoughts.
“Any doubts about strange happenings in this park were dissolved today when one of the mechanical dinosaurs actually attacked a young girl. As seen in this footage from a cell phone, the girl barely escaped with her life.”
Thad Swotter’s face was replaced by a video of Alexis diving for the ground as the Tyrannosaurus Rex’s head fell toward her. Someone screamed, and at first Alexis thought it had come from the TV. It hadn’t. It was her mother.
“Alex
is Grace Howell!” she yelled. “What on earth is going on at that place? I said you could help at the park while Miss Maria is hurt, but this? It looks like things are getting dangerous.”
Mrs. Howell stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for an explanation. Alexis’s dad got up and walked toward the kitchen.
“More pizza, anyone?” he asked uneasily.
No one answered.
“It’s not as bad as it looks, Mom,” said Alexis. “You’re always saying the news blows things out of proportion, remember? We were giving a tour, and…I’m not really sure what happened, but I’m fine!”
“Well, I don’t like the idea of you being so close to those things. If they are prone to sudden movements, or if they break down—”
“We’ll be more careful, Mom,” said Alexis. “I promise! Please don’t keep us away from the park. Miss Maria still needs us!”
“Fine, but I expect you two to be careful while you investigate. And from now on, I want daily updates. If I’m related to the detective, I shouldn’t have to hear about everything on the news.” Mrs. Howell called over her shoulder to the kitchen, “Now’s a good time for that pizza, Rich!”
The next day, Alexis and Kate got to the park before anyone else did. They picked up all of the cameras, and as they walked through the park, they noticed that only one dinosaur had moved. As usual, it was one of the Raptors. The girls put him back where he belonged and settled down in a back room of the visitors’ center where they could use the computer.
Only three of the four cameras had taken pictures. Most of them were of nighttime creatures. The tail of a raccoon or a flapping bat. There was a series of pictures of an owl picking up a mouse, no doubt planning to make a meal out of it.
“Wow! Those could be on the Discovery Channel!” said Alexis.
Thad Swotter and his cameraman made appearances in the pictures too. Alexis got excited at first, thinking she’d catch them in action. But then she remembered the newscast. They weren’t moving the dinosaurs. The camera had taken pictures of them while they were shooting their story. Alexis sighed.
“Is that all we have?” She was beginning to get frustrated. Usually when she was on a case she didn’t have gadgets like Kate’s cameras to help her. She thought for sure that they would make things easier. So far they hadn’t.
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