The Samantha Wolf Mysteries Box Set: Books 1-3

by Tara Ellis

  Ranger starts whining again, and Sam motions to Ally to back away. They’ve heard enough, and she’s anxious to get back to camp before they’re missed. As they slowly begin their retreat, a familiar voice calls out from behind them!

  Spinning around in alarm, Sam is relieved to find that it’s Butterfingers. “Thank goodness!” she cries, stumbling towards her. “We need to get back to camp and find Nurse Pine!” Sam figures that the other board member will be their most likely ally, since Cowboy hasn’t returned from town yet.

  “Now why would I want to do that?” Butterfingers asks coyly. “Zorro!” she calls out, smirking at the two astonished girls. “I’ve got a present for you.”

  19

  THE TRUTH WON’T SET YOU FREE

  “You two are either really brave, or just very stupid,” Zorro states, shaking his head. With two flashlights aimed at them, Sam and Ally have no choice but to step forward, with Butterfingers herding them from behind.

  “I think it’s a combination of both,” Ms. Cooper observes, hands on her hips. “You should have let this go,” she cautions, her voice low and dangerous. “But you don’t know when it’s best to just mind your own business, do you? Well, you’re about to learn a big lesson.”

  Not liking the sound of that, Sam latches on to the hand that Ally has clamped over her arm. They crowd against each other as the space between them and the three adults narrows.

  “Good job, Babe,” Zorro says to Butterfingers.

  Babe? Sam thinks, looking back and forth between the two. “Oh no,” she moans under her breath. The two of them are obviously a couple. “So it was you all along?” she asks, turning to Butterfingers. “You were the one sabotaging us?”

  “You guys think you’re so smart,” the counselor sneers. “It was too easy.”

  “But we thought you were our friend,” Ally pleads. “How can you be a part of this?”

  A brief look of regret tugs at the counselor’s features, but she quickly pushes any feeling of remorse aside. “You have no idea what you’ve gotten into,” she counters, looking at each of them.

  “And they aren’t going to,” Ms. Cooper warns. “Ranger!” she shouts, bending to pick up the ropes that Zorro just untied from the barrels. “Put each of them on a horse and tie them to it. Make sure the ropes are nice and tight.”

  “Ah….” Ranger groans, clearly unhappy with the plan. “I didn’t sign on to be no kidnapper!”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” Ms. Cooper says to the cowering man. “You’re just going to take them out to the trail ride camp for the night. You’ll bring them back here in the morning and let them go. I’ll explain to their parents how they ran away because they were upset that they’d been expelled. By then, we’ll have everything cleaned up and anything related to this, out of my office. It will be strictly their word against all of ours.”

  “You won’t get away with this!” Sam shouts, sounding much more courageous than she feels. Looking around in desperation, she weighs the possibility of being able to outrun their captors.

  Stepping in close, Ms. Cooper crouches down to eye-level with Sam. Her green eyes look black in the dark, and her white teeth flash as she grins broadly. “Of course we will! You’re both known troublemakers, my dear, and everyone at camp will attest to the fact that you were upset today. No one would dare doubt us!”

  Sam’s stomach is hurting again. She has a sinking feeling that Ms. Cooper could be right. Thinking about how the whole story would sound, they might end up in more trouble.

  Sam is thankful when Cooper leans away from her, so she can start breathing again. But then the older woman turns and hands the rope out expectantly to Ranger. He hesitates, but eventually gives in and takes it. As he approaches them, Ally starts to cry.

  “Please don’t,” she begs, as he starts pushing them towards the horses. “We won’t tell anyone, I promise!”

  “Turn off the waterworks,” Zorro jeers cruelly. “It’s too late for that now. No one cares.”

  Not seeing any other options, Sam watches silently as Ranger ties Ally’s hands to the saddle horn. Ally is still weeping, but Sam’s face has hardened. Having come to the conclusion that trying to outrun them all would be a stupid thing to do, there’s still no way that she’s letting them get away with this. Her odds will be much better once they’re alone with Ranger.

  Doing her best to look fearful rather than angry, Sam climbs up into the saddle and doesn’t protest when he wraps the rope painfully around her wrists, placing a bandana under it to avoid leaving any marks. Zorro double-checks the bindings before giving his approval, but then adds one more rope, tying Sam’s right foot to the stirrup.

  “For good measure,” he explains, winking at her.

  Biting her tongue, Sam swallows down a smart remark and instead stares straight ahead. Laughing, Zorro goes back to where his aunt is standing, and starts loading the empty barrels into the back of his truck.

  “Remember, Ranger,” Ms. Cooper says, as he gets onto his own horse. “Have them back here and released just after sunrise. I’ll be sending a search party out then, before their parents are due to arrive at 7:30. That way they’ll be ‘found’ and back at camp right around the same time. Then I want you to go back and get that barrel! Understand? I don’t want to see you again until you can tell me that it’s hidden somewhere that no one will find it.”

  “What if someone sees me?” Ranger asks, understandably worried about his role in the scheme.

  “I’m going to tell everyone that I’m sending you out to look tonight, as soon as the girls’ disappearance is discovered. It would make the most sense, since you know the trails so well and already have some horses stored up here. Cowboy would be the only one to question it, or demand to go with you. However, he isn’t here.”

  Smiling now, Ranger nods in agreement, finally seeming at ease with the situation. “Okay…yeah. I see how this could all work out. Just after sunrise. We’ll see you later, then.”

  With that, he kicks his horse forward and Sam and Ally’s mounts automatically follow. Once they’re around the first bend, Ally does her best to twist in the saddle and look at Sam. “What are we going to do?” she gasps, the fear in her eyes visible, even in the dark.

  “I have a plan,” Sam whispers back. “But you aren’t going to like it.”

  20

  WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

  Lexie knows something is up as soon as she sees Butterfingers and Ms. Cooper return to the bonfire together. Nudging first Sandy, and then Becky, she nods in their direction. It’s nearly one in the morning, and they’ve been anxiously waiting for the time to pass, afraid someone would notice that Sam and Ally were gone.

  As the two camp employees make their way around the dwindling fire, the three girls instinctively huddle a bit closer. Only a handful of campers are still there, the rest having returned to their cabins to sleep. Lexie looks around at who’s left, hopeful that perhaps someone else is the director’s target.

  “Girls, please come with us,” Ms. Cooper orders, slowing down just enough to make sure they all follow.

  Groaning inwardly, Lexie scrambles to catch up, pulling Sandy and Becky along behind her. They look at each other fearfully, but know better than to say anything aloud.

  Once they are gathered inside Cabin Navaho, Ms. Cooper tells them to take a seat and then eyes each of them sternly. “I have a very serious question for you,” she begins, “and I expect an honest answer.” When the girls indicate that they understand, she continues.

  “It appears that Sam and Ally, being the rebellious children that they are, have decided to run away from Camp Whispering Pines.” She’s produced what’s supposed to be a note left behind by them.

  The shocked reaction from the three is genuine, so there’s no chance of it being mistaken for anything else. “What I need to know from you,” she continues, “is what they said before they left this evening. Did you know they planned to do this?”

  “No!” Lexie is quick to
answer. Trying to read the message, all she can see are Sam and Ally’s names signed at the end. “Sam said they were tired and were coming back here. I figured that with everything that, umm….had happened, they didn’t feel much like hanging out with us.” Technically, it’s not a lie since Sam really did tell them that.

  “Well, I say good riddance!” Sandy announces, drawing surprised looks from everyone. “Seriously,” she continues in response to their scrutiny. “They’ve been nothing but trouble. First, they almost got us attacked by raccoons, and then they plugged the toilets, forcing us to walk all the way to the bathroom at the pool. Sam couldn’t even follow one simple rule. She could have gotten us killed on the horseback ride. Just wait ‘till I tell my father about it!”

  Lexie is almost buying the act, but then she sees the look of satisfaction on Ms. Cooper’s face and realizes that Sandy is a whole lot smarter than she seems.

  “Well, they might be pains, but I hope that they’re okay. Are you looking for them?” Lexie directs the question to Butterfingers, who’s been very quiet.

  Glancing first at the director, the counselor plops down on her bed, exhausted. “We’ve sent Ranger to go looking for them, but that’s it until morning. It’s too dangerous to do anything else in the dark.”

  “You’re just going to leave them out there all night?” Becky asks in alarm, tears welling in her eyes. “What if they’re hurt?”

  “Stop being so dramatic!” Ms. Cooper shouts much louder than the situation calls for. “They are the ones who chose to put themselves in this position. I’m sure they’re probably hiding somewhere, perfectly safe. I imagine we’ll see them in the morning when they get hungry.” Turning to go, she whispers something to Butterfingers and then slams the screen door behind her on her way out.

  “Come on now, it’s time for you to go to bed.” The exhausted counselor doesn’t even get up, and kicks her shoes off before lying down. “I promise that we’ll look for them first thing if they aren’t back by morning.” Yawning, her eyes are already closed.

  Looking at each other curiously, Lexie, Sandy, and Becky sit quietly for several long minutes, until the steady and rhythmic snoring proves that Butterfingers is asleep. Creeping carefully to the light switch, Lexie snaps it off and then crouches down in front of the two other girls.

  “Something’s gone horribly wrong,” she whispers, eyes wide.

  “We need to call for help,” Becky suggests. “There has to be a phone here somewhere.”

  “There’s one in Ms. Cooper’s office,” Lexie confirms. “But you have to have a code to dial out. It’s an ancient system.”

  “What about 911?” Becky presses. “You don’t need a code for that, do you?”

  “I don’t know,” Lexie admits. “We could try, I guess. Wait!” she adds, remembering something. “There is a computer, and I know it has internet access, because I’ve seen it.”

  “I could email my dad,” Sandy says with purpose. “He’d believe me.”

  When Lexie and Becky look at her skeptically, Sandy lets out a big sigh of frustration. “I didn’t mean any of that stuff I said,” she insists. “And I already suspected Butterfingers.” When Sandy is met with questioning stares, she tries to explain. “Unlike you, I knew that I didn’t put the food in Sam and Ally’s bags. That only left one other person alone in the cabin that morning, after I left.”

  The three of them look accusingly at the sleeping form of the teen who was supposed to be their leader.

  “She was in on it all along!” Becky declares, wishing they had caught on sooner.

  “Let’s go,” Lexie urges, sneaking through the door, careful not to make the floorboards creak. When they are all on the front porch, they wait to hear the telltale snoring before heading for the woods.

  “What do you think they did to them?” Becky breaks the silence, voicing everyone’s fears. Stopping a safe distance off the trail, they gather together for support.

  “I don’t think Ms. Cooper is stupid enough to actually hurt them,” Lexie reassures them. “That’s why she’s telling everyone they ran away. She must have caught them spying. I’ll bet Sam and Ally discovered something important, and Ms. Cooper is making them look bad so no one will believe them. But we can’t take any chances. They’re out there in the woods somewhere and we have to help!”

  “I agree,” Sandy nods. “Think about it. If they really had run away, don’t you think they’d be calling the police and organizing a search party? No, they’re covering something up.”

  As they try not to think about their friends alone out in the dark mountains, a slight breeze blows around them, stirring up dried pine needles. Tilting her head slightly, Lexie raises a hand and motions them all to listen. There! From high up in the pine trees, a sound similar to whispered voices drifts down and surrounds them, filling the night with ghostly conversation.

  Turning her attention to the tree trunks near them, Lexie finds the plaque and points out that they’re standing under Mr. Pine’s tree. With a new sense of determination, they bravely find their way through the woods and to the back of the administration cabin.

  “Here, take this file!” The familiar voice reaches them through an open window, and they automatically crouch down.

  “What am I supposed to do with it?” Zorro asks his aunt. “I can’t take it to the office. My dad would kill me if he found out what we’ve been doing.” He doesn’t sound very happy.

  “Well then, throw it away!” Ms. Cooper answers. “This has all gotten out of hand. I won’t risk it being found in our trash. I’d go throw it on the fire, but there are still several kids and counselors out there. I can’t afford to do anything suspicious right now.”

  The conversation becomes muffled as the Ms. Cooper and Zorro move towards the front part of the office. The sound of a door opening and closing follows. After a couple of minutes, a truck starts up and pulls away.

  The girls can barely make out the director as she walks towards her private cabin. Once she’s out of sight, Sandy sneaks around to the door, but finds it locked. Their only other option is an open window. After some debate, Lexie climbs onto Becky’s back and hauls herself through the opening. Sandy goes next with Lexie’s help, and finally the two of them lift Becky in.

  Going straight for the phone, Becky is crestfallen when there’s no response to dialing 911, other than an odd beeping tone. “Looks like the computer is our only option,” she confirms.

  Sandy is already behind the desk, pushing at keys to wake up the sleeping monitor. “It’s asking for a password!” she cries, unsure what to do.

  “Try the guest log in,” Becky suggests, coming around to stand next to Sandy. Clicking some keys to take them back to the main screen, their faces glow blue as the monitor casts light into the dark room.

  “Got it!” Sandy shouts, quickly slapping a hand over her mouth. She lowers her voice and works feverishly, logging into her email account and typing out a desperate letter to her dad. Outlining everything that’s happened, she explains that two of her friends are in grave danger and she needs his help. Begging him to come as soon as he gets the message, she closes by saying that it could all be because of him trying to buy the camp.

  She asks Lexie and Becky to read the email before she sends it. “If my father feels that his actions might be responsible for someone else’s trouble, he’ll be sure to come,” Sandy explains.

  Lexie and Becky cross their fingers as Sandy hits the send button, hoping it will be enough.

  21

  UNEXPECTED RESCUE

  Sam and Ally have been riding in heavy silence for thirty minutes, since Ranger yelled at them to stop talking. Sam is trying to ignore the sounds of the woods, which feed her wild imagination with terrible thoughts. She figures they have another half hour to go before they reach the edge of the ravine, where she can put her plan into motion. She’ll need to figure out a way to tell Ally. Otherwise, it won’t work.

  To Sam’s dismay, Ranger suddenly steers his horse
away from the trail and into the trees, on a path that she can’t even see. “Where are we going?” she asks, alarmed.

  “We have to give you kids a full day of entertainment when we’re on the trail ride, so we take the scenic route. This is a shortcut and will get us to the camp in less than half the time. Don’t worry,” he continues, misplacing her concern. “Your horses know where they’re going. They’ll follow me.”

  Her plot to escape now ruined by the change in direction, Sam looks around with growing fear, not knowing where they are.

  “Why are you doing this?” Ally surprises Sam with her bold question. “You could go to jail for a long time!”

  “I’m just doing what I’m told!” Ranger protests. “Zorro won’t let nothing bad happen. This is all just a big mistake. You’ll see. Now stop talking!”

  Not wanting to push her luck, Ally wisely follows his order and they fall back into an awkward silence. But Sam can tell her friend’s question rattled him and wonders if they can talk their way out of the predicament once they get to the camp.

  For the next twenty minutes, they plod along at a brisk pace. Eventually, Ranger starts to pull ahead and Sam takes the opportunity to come up alongside Ally.

  “So?” Ally asks hopefully. “Should we make a run for it, or something?”

  “Nah,” Sam whispers, shaking her head. “We wouldn’t get far with our hands tied up. I’ve been pulling as hard as I can at these ropes and they won’t budge. He’ll catch right up to us. My idea was to-” Sam breaks off when she hears frantic neighing up ahead.

  Straining to see in the murky darkness, she can just make out stirrups flashing in the moonlight as Ranger’s horse begins to buck wildly. Confused, Sam looks over at Ally, who is starting to struggle with her own horse.