Alexis

by Erica Rodgers

  “You’ll see,” he said. “Follow me!”

  They left the hotel and made their way toward the bridge. Alexis noticed quite a crowd gathering along the railings.

  For a moment she was afraid that something was wrong, but then she realized the people were smiling.

  “What’s all the commotion?” she asked. “I thought the festival was over.”

  “Not quite!” said David. “We close it out with the duck race!”

  Alexis looked at the bridge again and saw that everyone at the railings had a rubber ducky in their hands. They were passing the sheriff’s department when Elizabeth grabbed Alexis’s arm.

  “Look! Wonder where they’re taking Jim and Jerold?” she said.

  Alexis looked across the street. Two police officers were putting Jim and Jerold into the back of a police car.

  “Hey!” said David. “That’s the engineer I told you about! The one who wanted the stones from the bridge!” He was pointing to Jim.

  “It doesn’t surprise me,” said Alexis. “Those two were helping Dr. Edwards, but I don’t imagine that’s the only shady deal they were involved in. I wonder what they wanted them for, if not to destroy the bridge or ruin the race.”

  “Bet I know what they wanted the stones for,” Elizabeth said. “I updated the girls last night on what was going on. Awhile ago Kate texted me that she’d done a search on London Bridge artifacts and found someone selling stones from the London Bridge on several internet auction sites.”

  “You mean like eBay?” David asked.

  “Well, I’m not sure if it was eBay, but there are a lot of sites out there like that now,” Elizabeth said. “One of the sites she saw them on that requires a selling location listed Lake Havasu City. And the sellers’ names were words like Jerold, and J and J Auctions.”

  “We’ll have to tell Grandma so she can let the sheriff know. Then he can look into it,” Alexis said.

  “Has your grandma found out what’s going to happen to the letter from Princess Amelia?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Yes, she called the British Museum, and they are super-excited about finally having the letter. They even offered to let Lake Havasu City borrow it each year during the festival,” Alexis explained.

  Elizabeth looked at David and frowned. “You know there’s one other thing I don’t get. If it was you making the crack in the bridge, then what was the thing with the old hag cursing the bridge?”

  “I know which woman you mean,” David said. “That one dressed up to be really ugly? I heard her saying something about the bridge.”

  “Do you mean Meghan?” Suddenly the young teens realized that Grandma Windsor had joined them. “Are you talking about my friend Meghan?” she asked, linking arms with Alexis.

  “I don’t know. She was some old lady who looked like she stepped out of the movie The Princess Bride,” Alexis explained.

  “Oh yes, that’s Meghan!” Grandma exclaimed. “She’s actually not old. She’s quite young. She’s a drama student who likes to come to the festival dressed up as an old woman. She seems to have a talent for that kind of voice and for living in character. She’s great at curses.”

  “Grandma!” Alexis exclaimed.

  “Well, not real curses, silly. They’re all make-believe,” Grandma said. “She is convincing, isn’t she? If she can’t make it as an actress, I’m sure she has a future as a makeup artist.”

  “But she left a message for us,” Elizabeth said. “And why would she run away from us if she was your friend?”

  “Well, that’s just it, dears,” Grandma Windsor explained. “I had told her about this fabulous Camp Club Girls you have and all the mysteries you solve. I’m quite proud, you know. She was so afraid you’d be bored that she said she was going to try to stir up a bit of a mystery for you. Secret messages, anyway. She thought it would just be a spot of fun for you.”

  “You mean you knew all along?” Alexis asked.

  “Oh yes, dear. I meant to tell you about it before you thought there was a real mystery there, but it seems like you found your own mysteries to solve without Meghan’s help. I think she had a few more messages planned, but she had to leave town and go back to where she normally lives—Tucson, I think. Her mother got ill and needed her,” Grandma Windsor said. “Now Alexis, I need to scoot for a few minutes. I’m on my way to the sheriff’s office. Have to see him about that silly ticket his silly deputy gave me. I’ll see you at the hotel in a bit.”

  Grandma Windsor trotted off.

  “Well, at least that answers that!” said Elizabeth. “Oh, you know, I decided I’m going to talk to Mr. Bill about buying that spoon with Princess Amelia on it. Mom gave me some money this morning. Alexis, I guess I’m as much of a romantic at heart as you are. I’m going to run and get it and will meet you at the bridge in about ten minutes. Here, hold my ducky for me, will you?” she said as she thrust the purple duck in Alexis’s hand.

  “So you’re a romantic at heart, hmm?” David asked, with a tender smile on his face.

  Alexis blushed and shrugged.

  “So any chance your grandma will be back in Lake Havasu?” asked David. “Maybe this winter?”

  “I don’t think so,” she said.

  “Oh,” said David. “I just know some old people like to come to Arizona in the winter. I mean, not like she’s old!”

  Alexis laughed.

  “No, she’s not really old,” she said. “And I think she’s coming to visit us for the holidays. Dad mentioned a trip up to Tahoe, but I don’t think I’ll be back down here anytime soon.”

  “Do you have an email address then?” asked David.

  “Better than that,” said Alexis. “The Camp Club Girls have a website!”

  “The what?”

  “It’s a long story,” said Alexis. She and David walked to the bridge while she explained to him about the Camp Club Girls and their mysteries. Then Elizabeth joined them, and all three leaned over the railing of the bridge and dropped their ducks into the water.

  Alexis didn’t know if it was because she had solved two cases, because she was with such good friends, or because God had just erased her fears. But for some reason, she wasn’t scared of the bridge anymore.

  Camp Club Girls:

  Alexis and the Lake Tahoe Tumult

  Cat’s Out of the Bag

  “Only about twenty more minutes to the hotel!” said Mr. Howell. Alexis’s dad hummed as he guided their rented car up the winding road that would take them to Lake Tahoe.

  The flat, icy landscape scattered with sagebrush had turned into snowy peaks. As Alexis gazed at them, her imagination started to go wild. She decided the snowy peaks reached into the bright blue sky like the jagged teeth of a crocodile—like the crocodiles she’d seen in a documentary on the Discovery Channel earlier in the month.

  And, of course, her thoughts of documentaries and the Discovery Channel made her think of the real purpose she and her friend Bailey, a fellow Camp Club Girl, had for going to Lake Tahoe with Alexis’s mom and dad and twin brothers.

  “Hey, Dad?” Alexis called. “Can we go straight to the animal reserve?”

  “I don’t see why not,” Mr. Howell said. “It’s too late to ski today, anyway. I’ll drop your mom and brothers off at the hotel. They can check in and hang out while I drive you out there. We’ll be back by dinner.”

  Alexis yawned and closed her eyes. She thought again about those big teeth on the crocodiles.

  Suddenly the car began to swerve and shake as if those crocodile teeth had gotten hold of the Howells’ car.

  “What’s going on?” asked Mrs. Howell.

  “Not sure!” said Mr. Howell. He was struggling to keep his hands on the steering wheel. Alexis looked out the window and realized that the car wasn’t all that was shaking.

  “Dad, is this an earthquake?” she asked.

  Mr. Howell didn’t answer. He was focused on dodging the rocks that had begun rolling down the hill above them.

  But almost as su
ddenly as the bouncing of the earth had begun, it stopped. Within a matter of minutes, the car was driving smoothly again.

  “What a way to start a vacation, huh?” Mr. Howell laughed nervously. “I think that was a small earthquake.”

  Alexis turned to Bailey, but her fellow Camp Club Girl was fast asleep, face pressed against the window. The breath from her gaping mouth was fogging the glass. Alexis peeked into the back of the van where her little brothers were also sleeping.

  There was no way Alexis could have slept, even before the earthquake. She was too excited about her documentary.

  The owners at the Tahoe Animal Reserve and Rescue at Lake Tahoe had agreed to let her tour and film their facilities. Her video would be about remembering nature in the middle of our world full of cement and SUVs.

  She was planning to enter the video in a contest for young amateur filmmakers. The winner of the contest would not only see the film shown on the Discovery Channel but would also receive scholarship money. And knowing how much her mother’s youngest sister was still paying on loans she’d taken out for college, Alexis knew it was never too early to start saving money for college!

  So even though she was only twelve, Alex, as most of her friends called her, was going to get started. She loved movies. She knew when she grew up, she wanted to work with films in some way, perhaps as a director. She’d lived in Sacramento all her life and knew of several good colleges that offered classes to prepare students for the film industry.

  Since she loved to operate a camera, Alexis was very excited to enter the contest.

  And what better place to record nature than in Lake Tahoe? From the time pioneers had discovered the lake in 1844, it had been a tourist attraction. People from all around the world visited the area to enjoy its beauty.

  The lake sat in a bowl of earth surrounded by mountains and pine trees on every side. Tahoe was the world’s third clearest lake. Alexis had been waterskiing here before, and she remembered how she could see the bottom in places that were over one hundred feet deep. The lake was on the border of Nevada and California, with half of the lake in each state and the border running from north to south.

  No matter which side of the lake you were on—the California side or the Nevada side—the lake was lined with plenty of resorts, vacation homes, and convention centers. In the winter, the area was also a popular place to ski and snowboard. Olympic medal winners had even been known to practice there.

  Alexis had even seen these award winners practicing the last time she’d been at Lake Tahoe. Her dad attended conventions once or twice a year at the lake. And whenever they could, the whole Howell family accompanied him. They enjoyed the activities while Mr. Howell went to his business meetings.

  Alexis recognized the landscape and held her breath for her favorite part of the drive. One last corner, and there it was. The view before them was a wonderful panorama. The brilliant lake shone in the sunlight like a perfectly smooth sapphire. The sight made Alexis gasp, even though she’d expected it. Suddenly the view was gone, replaced by walls and darkness.

  Beep! Beep! Beep-Beep! Alexis’s dad honked the horn.

  “What’s wrong?” Bailey jerked out of her slumber. “Are we falling off the cliff, Lexi?”

  “Lexi? I’m Lexi now?” Alex asked with a smile. Bailey was well known for the nicknames she gave others.

  Bailey didn’t answer. She just grabbed Alexis’s coat in fear. She frantically looked around. “It’s dark!”

  “No, Bailey! We’re not falling off the cliff. We’re passing through Cave Rock. It’s a tunnel that has been around forever.”

  “Well, why was your dad honking the car horn?” asked Bailey, still a little dazed. “Scared me to death!”

  “Sorry about that,” said Alexis. “My dad honks every time we go through a tunnel. This wasn’t bad because the tunnel was short. You should have seen this one time! We were on the East Coast, and we went through this tunnel that was about a mile long. Dad honked all the way through! Doesn’t your dad honk the car horn when you go through tunnels?”

  “You really need to come to the center of the nation,” Bailey answered. “Where I live, we’re in the middle of the United States. The land is pretty flat there.”

  “Flat? You mean like the desert?”

  “Well, we have hills and stuff. But we don’t have mountains—especially not with tunnels,” Bailey explained. “You have to go up to Wisconsin to see the bigger hills and huge rocks. They might have tunnels up there. I don’t know.”

  Bailey lived near the middle of the state of Illinois, outside a city named Peoria. She was also still a preteen and the youngest of the group who called themselves the Camp Club Girls. The girls had all met when they shared a cabin at Lake Discovery Camp. They had become the best of friends as they solved a mystery together. And since then, the Camp Club Girls had continued to solve mysteries—mysteries that had baffled many adults!

  As they drove into the resort area of Lake Tahoe, Alexis pointed out the hotel and convention center where they’d be staying. “It’s called a hotel, but it’s really a resort,” she said.

  “What’s the difference?” Bailey asked.

  “I’m not sure,” said Alex. “I think resorts have more activities going on, and this place has a ski run and all sorts of fun stuff.

  “And we can also enjoy any of the activities in town. They have a great transportation system—it’s a cute little shuttle bus that has places to get on and off it. So we can explore the whole city if we want,” Alex explained.

  In no time they had dropped off Mrs. Howell and the twins at the hotel. The girls waited in the car while Alexis’s dad checked in Mrs. Howell and the boys and helped them get their luggage to the room. Then he returned to the van.

  “Chauffeur’s back,” Mr. Howell announced cheerfully as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “Next stop: Tahoe Animal Reserve.”

  Bailey and Alexis had their eyes wide open, trying to take in all the sights as Mr. Howell drove through town and out into land that was still on the brim of the lake, but not as filled with resorts.

  In only moments they were pulling up a long, snowy driveway to the animal reserve. A large wooden sign topped with snow read TAHOE ANIMAL RESERVE AND RESCUE. Mr. Howell parked in front of a small cabin that was painted a light shade of moss green. There was more than a foot of snow piled on the roof.

  “I guess this is it!” said Mr. Howell. He got out of the car and immediately slid, nearly falling to the ground.

  “Ouch!” he called. “Watch out for the ice!”

  Just then the front door to the cabin opened, and a lady in a parka came running out.

  “I’m so sorry!” she said. “I must have forgotten to put the salt out this morning!”

  “Salt?” Bailey asked Alexis. She shut her door gently, trying to keep her footing. “Did I miss something?”

  “Salt melts ice,” said Alexis. “Something to do with lowering the freezing point of water.”

  “Very good!” said the woman. She reached down to help Alexis and Bailey up the steps. “You’re a smart one! You must be the documentary girls.”

  “That’s us!” said Bailey. “Are you ready to be famous? If we win, our video will be on the Discovery Channel!”

  “That would be fabulous! I’m Karen Ingles. My husband and I own the reserve.” Karen Ingles reached out to shake Mr. Howell’s hand and then the girls’ hands. “Come on in, you three! I’ll show you around, and you can tell me more about your video.”

  The inside of the cabin was very cozy. Alexis noticed that it looked to be half house and half office. A roaring fire filled a beautiful stone fireplace. A few old couches were near the fire, and Alexis felt it would not just be a comfortable place to sit but would be a great location to film an interview or two. Looking toward the side of the cabin, Alexis could see a small kitchen and a large desk with papers strewn all over it. A door behind the desk led deeper into the cabin. Karen hung her parka on a coatrack and told the res
t of them to do the same.

  “Thank you so much for allowing us to do this, Mrs. Ingles,” said Alexis.

  “Please, Karen is fine. And don’t mention it. We don’t usually give tours, let alone allow people to film our animals, but your email was so wonderful that I couldn’t refuse. I could tell you two girls really cared about the animals, and it’s a chance for college scholarships too! Besides, you made me laugh.”

  Alexis smiled and was about to say something when her father yelped.

  The girls spun around to see Mr. Howell jump up on the couch. He was shaking and pointing to something on the floor.

  There, curled up on a rug in front of the fire, was a full-grown bobcat!

  “Don’t worry, sir,” said Karen. “That’s only Bubbles. He’s kind of a pet.”

  Bubbles opened his eyes and lifted his nose in the air, sniffing.

  “Dad, get off the couch!” said Alexis, embarrassed. “I don’t think he’s going to hurt you. Besides, you do know that bobcats can jump, right? The couch won’t do you much good.”

  Everyone laughed. Mr. Howell even chuckled nervously as he stepped down off the striped cushion.

  “Why do Bubbles’s eyes look strange?” asked Bailey. She had crept closer and was sitting on the stone of the fireplace, only feet from the large cat.

  “He’s blind,” said Karen. “That’s the only reason he’s kept as a pet. The vet couldn’t fix his sight, so he’ll never be released into the wild again. He’d die out there, so we let him stay here.”

  “That’s so cool!” said Bailey. “I want a bobcat!”

  “Well, some people do keep them as pets, but it’s dangerous. They are wild, no matter how sweet and fluffy they look. See Bubbles’s poufy paws? The claws in them are three inches long and could cut your throat in seconds.”

  Bailey backed slowly away and coughed.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” said Karen. “He won’t hurt you. We’ve had him for years. But that is something you need to remember while you’re around the other animals in our sanctuary. No matter how cute they are, they’re wild. They will react according to their instincts, no matter what your intentions are. Things like bats and raccoons can give you rabies not to mention nasty scars. The owls’ talons aren’t very friendly either. If you’re going to do this documentary, you have to remember to follow our rules, and never—never—approach any animal without us. Got it?”