Halfway through my sandwich, Miss Smith passed me.
“Hi, Harley; how’s your summer going?”
Around a mouthful of sandwich, I told her about the haying job and enjoying the Fourth of July.
“I saw that Will’s team won the dinghy races,” she said. “That was something to see!”
“Sure was,” I smiled. “Been a bit dull since then, though. He’s at work all the time.”
“Ah, that’s too bad, then,” she said, sounding disappointed.
“Why?”
“I’d been planning to ask if you all would be interested in helping out at the country music festival. We need some extra people this year. Do you know if he ever gets any time off?”
“Oh, um, maybe. What’s involved?”
“You’d be helping with parking, or guiding people across the road from the parking lot to the gate.”
I shrugged, remembering how bored I was most of the time. Why not?
“When is it?”
“Two weekends from now. We’ll meet with you on Thursday morning, and then you can get passes to the concerts as well.”
I grinned. We all had been raised on country music, and I knew there were some big names showing up.
“Okay. I’ll check with the others, but it should be fine with them. Even Will gets some time off on the weekends. Oh, but we don’t have a ride, unless Karis can work as well.”
“That’d be fine with me,” Miss Smith said. “Karis would be a big help. They’re expecting more people than last year, so like I said, we need the extra staff.” Just then, Stacey called her to come pick up her finished order. As she walked away, Miss Smith turned over her shoulder and called, “Thanks so much, Harley. I’ll see you there.”
***
When I got home, Karis surprised me by offering to take me up to Chace’s house. I gladly accepted, grabbed some old shorts for swimming, and hopped in the car. As we rounded the curve at Cabbage Creek campground, I spotted a white Ford Taurus sitting in the day use parking lot. Karis must’ve seen it at the same time I did, because I felt the car slow, but she continued on. At the next driveway, she pulled the vehicle to a stop. A cattle gate blocked the way back into the field; a large padlock and chain added to the deterrent to any trespassers.
“Come on, Harley. Let’s go.”
I looked at her blankly. She waved for me to get out of the car. I shrugged and did as she suggested. Mr. Behr's warning about the professor nagged at my thoughts like a persistent mosquito, but I ignored it and followed my sister.
“Harley, look at those plates.”
Karis pointed to the license on the Taurus. They were government plates! How had we missed that before?
“Do those mean the professor is working for the state?” I asked.
“Not necessarily,” she said thoughtfully. “The school busses have government plates, too.”
I nodded, but then thought of something. “But usually the school vehicles have state plates and say publicly owned. These say US Government.”
Karis’ eyebrows raised. “Maybe then, but I don’t know.”
Suddenly Mr. Behr's warning sounded like fantastic advice.
“We need to know what he’s up to, though.” Karis stepped up to the car and looked in. She tried the handle, but the door was locked. “Look, Harley.” She pointed with her finger against the window.
I pressed my face to the window and used my hand to shield the glare of the sun. What I saw blew my mind. The back seat was filled with all kinds of electrical equipment. Boxes, LCD screens, and meters of all sizes were packed into the space. I whistled, but it was cut short when I saw a symbol that I’d only seen in movies.
“Karis,” I whispered in awe. “Look at that.”
“Let’s go, Harley. We can’t deal with this on our own.”
I nodded, mute, and the silence followed us all the way back to the car. The thud of the doors and the snick of seatbelts only seemed to punctuate it. Karis placed her hands on the steering wheel, staring straight ahead, too still for comfort. After several minutes, she started the engine and put the vehicle in gear.
Not a word passed between us while we wound upriver to the old barn, even after Karis put the car in park and killed the engine. We sat for a while, the clicking of the cooling car barely registering in my ears while we stared unseeing at the dry fields.
Harley? Karis? Steria’s voice was barely more than a whisper in my mind. What is wrong?
I looked to Karis, but she just shook her head helplessly. So I answered, “Remember how we told you about Professor Raleigh Well, we now know he isn’t working for a university. He’s a government agent.”
Why does that scare you, Harley?
How could I explain it to her? Images from all the science fiction movies I’d ever seen with aliens and government officials flashed through my mind. My dream with the professor and his net gun came back in full clarity.
He will do this? Never before had fear tinged Steria’s words. She’d always seemed confident and in control.
I nodded, pained that she’d sensed all that. “Maybe more.”
Then we had best make sure he doesn’t find me. Steria gained back some of her usual bravado.
***
We spent the morning with Chace and Steria, trying to relax at the barn and watching her fly, but there was a pervasive sense of unease that everyone was trying not to talk about. I expected Professor Raleigh to show up, waving some badge and demanding we hand Steria over to him. After a lunch I couldn’t remember tasting, we decided to try going swimming with Steria, but the malaise clung to us, so instead we skipped rocks and walked along the shore for a while. Eventually, when Steria went hunting, we did get in the water, and it seemed like the flowing water carried away some of the cloud we had been feeling. Before long we were splashing and having a good time, and the symbol we had seen seemed a mere distant memory.
“Harley James!” Karis yelled. I grinned and scooped up another handful of water, laughing at her already dripping eyelashes. Her eyes filled with fire, and I instantly abandoned any plan of a second attack. I dove into the river with Chace right behind me. She shook her head with her hands on her hips. She reminded me of Mom. I didn’t dare say that, though. Suddenly, I saw her expression change, registering the sort of fear that I normally associated with baseless accusations and unfair authority figures. Slowly, I looked over my shoulder. Standing on the far bank was the professor, a full frame Nikon holstered on one hip, a beeping gadget on the other. He looked extremely unhappy and agitated as he walked to the edge of the water. “Why do I keep running into you kids?”
I shrugged.
Chace wiped water from his face. “Maybe because you keep coming to my home. Remember what my dad told you last time you were here?”
“I’m by no stretch of the imagination anywhere on your property. From my research, this side of the river is BLM land. There’s nothing you can do about it. Nothing at all.”
“Just make sure you stay on that side of the river then,” Chace said.
“Don’t worry, I will. But when I do come back, I’ll have every legal right on my side.”
A shiver ran over my body. I wanted to blame the wind that blew up the river valley, but I knew better.
With a wave of his hand, the professor—no, the agent, as we now knew—turned and walked away from the river.
Chapter 16: A Music Festival
“Come on, Harley,” Karis called. “Get up. We need to be at the festival by nine.”
I turned over and groaned. The dream had returned last night and brought another asthma attack along for the ride. I took a deep breath and hauled myself out of bed. I really was looking forward to the festival; it’d be the first time since the fireworks that we’d all be together. I didn’t even mind having Karis there with us. Most kids would think it was weird, but with all that’d happened with Professor Raleigh and Steria, Karis was as much a part of the group now as the rest of us, big sister status notwit
hstanding.
Mom had fixed french toast—my favorite—and Karis and I made some amiable small talk with the other guests at the breakfast table. I was reminded of that early morning conversation with Professor Raleigh back in April. As I chewed, I wondered what the government wanted with Steria. No good ideas came to mind, and I passed most of the rest of the meal in a nervous silence. Clearing the table, we bid our guests good day.
Karis picked up Will and Cherise on our way out; Chace had a ride with a neighbor. The music festival grounds were rented from a local rancher. Music lovers camped in their fancy RVs and walked from their miniature homes on wheels to the actual concert arena. Miss Smith had left a parking pass for us at the market, so the man directing traffic waved us on to the parking lot for vendors. I hadn’t been to the festival before and was thoroughly impressed with the layout and manpower involved. More volunteers guided us to our parking spot, then pointed us in the direction of the gate where we’d meet our supervisor.
As we walked, country music filled the air from a hundred different speakers, all playing different songs for the people in range of each individual sound system. A tractor with a trailer holding long benches rumbled past, filled with people going from parking to the concert area. Beneath its wheels, we could see the larger version of the billowing dust clouds that sprang up under every step we took. The sun beat down relentlessly despite the early hour, and I wished I’d brought a hat.
More volunteers directed us across the road to an open field where pavilions created the gates for entrance to the concert itself. Another long tent held tables filled with small boxes holding wristbands and other miscellaneous supplies. A large screen TV broadcasted the happenings on the stage somewhere off in the distance, but there wasn’t much going on yet besides a few sound technicians and gofers going over the setup.
A lady behind one of the tables motioned us to her.
“You kids volunteers?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Karis greeted her. “Miss Smith with the school told us about it.”
The lady nodded, bent over, and brought some t-shirts out of a box she had next to her.
“Here you go: One for each of you, and let me get your bracelets...” she rifled around in another box as we pulled the t-shirts on over our own.
She came up with several nylon bands and fastened one on each of our wrists. “Now, don’t pull it too snug,” she warned. “The clasp is only designed to slide tighter. The bracelet is your ticket for the weekend to any of the concerts. Give me a minute to get Zach; he’ll let you know what you’re doing.”
We nodded and adjusted the bracelets to a comfortable length, looking around and orienting ourselves in the enormous space. Spread out before us was a sloped field, with the stage nestled at the bottom. The vendors’ tables flanked the approach to the stage and circled around the seating areas, and I smelled the beginnings of carnival food and other dishes coming from my left. Before long, Zach showed up and led us to the gate. He put a scanner in each of our hands and directed our attention to the barcode on each bracelet.
“Scan every person before letting them continue to the security check point. If you have a problem, just wave, and I’ll come help you out.”
***
The next four hours passed without any problems. It was a bit monotonous, but at the same time fun. I saw a bunch of people that I knew, so we chatted as they waited to pass through the security check. Finally, I was given a break and a lunch voucher, which I took gratefully.
Zach had told me that both the Rotary Club food booth and the clam chowder booth had the best meal choices. As I tried to decide which to do, a friendly voice greeted me. I turned to see Mr. Behr.
“Hi, Harley, how’s your summer going?”
“Busy. I’m helping at the gate today with the others.”
He nodded. “I saw Cherise. How’s our project going? Is she okay?”
I understood that his cryptic questions referred to Steria, and I nodded. “I need to talk with you about it, but I don’t get off for another four hours. Can we chat then?”
“Sure. I’m here all day.”
The next four hours seemed to drag by. More people moved through my line, an endless motley of faces and bracelets. At last, Zach came and collected my scanner.
“Still willing to do this tomorrow, Harley?”
I grinned and wiped a hand across my forehead for the thousandth time. “Sure, as long as it doesn’t rain.”
He laughed. “With the summer we’ve had, I really doubt it. Any other year, and I’d say I’d need to find a new volunteer.”
“See you tomorrow, then.”
I met up with the others inside the gate. Music was blaring from the large speakers as Thompson Square sang. I wanted to find a quieter spot to call Mr. Behr. Before I could tell anyone about meeting him, Karis grabbed my arm and turned me around.
“What—” I exclaimed, but there was no way she heard me over the song.
Karis put her ear to mine. “Look over there. It’s Professor Raleigh. He doesn’t exactly blend in with the country music fans.”
I turned to look where she had pointed. Sure enough, the professor stood out like a hunter’s orange vest in the forest. He wore khaki dress pants with a red polo shirt; everyone around him was in blue jeans, button up plaid shirts, and cowboy hats and boots or Romeos. He was facing away from us and heading toward the food vendors.
“Come on, guys,” Chace hollered over the noise. “We’ve got to find out what he’s after.”
“Wait!” I surprised myself with the force of the command. “Let’s call Mr. Behr first.”
“Why?” Cherise scrunched her nose.
“I saw him when I went on break. He’s here and wants to meet with us. Maybe he can help.”
I fumbled with my phone, trying to dial the number. Once I had that accomplished, it was another hassle just trying to hear. I plugged one ear and held the phone to the other. By the time I’d explained everything to Mr. Behr, we’d lost the professor in the crowd. Chace was hopping mad, but I tried to calm him.
“You saw how he’s dressed, Chace. No way we could lose him for long.”
“Right, Harley.” Sarcasm dripped from his words. “There’s only fifteen thousand people here. How’re we going to find him?”
“Just like we’ve found everyone else we know. He’s bound to show back up.”
Chace shook his head. We all headed in the direction Professor Raleigh had gone. Somewhere between the coffee shop, the Rotary Club’s burger shack, the Chowder House, and other smaller food vendors, Karis spotted him. He was chatting with someone I didn’t recognize.
“Who’s that?” Will stood on tip-toe to see better.
I shrugged. The two seemed deeply immersed in their discussion. They didn’t see another larger man back up to them, and so they weren’t able to avoid colliding with him as they turned. At the impact, the man lost his grip on his cup, and it sailed up in the air to land at the feet of Professor Raleigh and his conversation partner, splashing bright red punch liberally over the man’s jeans.
Cherise’s gaped, and Karis held her hand over her mouth, fighting not to laugh. I couldn’t help but let a giggle escape. Mr. Behr had found the professor first.
“...so sorry.” A lull in the music allowed us to hear Mr. Behr. “Here, let me help.”
He proceeded to ineffectively use several napkins to clean up the mess.
“Sir,” Professor Raleigh said, but when Mr. Behr didn’t stop, he repeated it. “Sir, please, I’m sure my colleague can clean this up on his own.”
Mr. Behr straightened up. “Why, hello. It’s Professor Raleigh, right?”
The professor paused, a quizzical expression on his face. “Do I know you?”
“We met up Myrtle River back in May. You were looking for rocks at the time, I believe. I’m Mr. Behr, local science teacher.”
The professor’s face registered a guarded recognition. “Ah, yes. Yes, I remember. You gave me warning about traip
sing up along the river. I thank you for that. It kept me from being accosted with shotguns.”
“I’m so glad I could be of help. Did you find those thundereggs you were looking for?”
We inched forward to hear as the music on the stage started back up. The professor had his back to us, and Mr. Behr was studiously ignoring us.
Professor Raleigh’s face twisted in disgust. “No, I was stupid and didn’t do all the research myself. I enlisted the help of some teenagers, and they stole my find. They claim they never saw it, but I don’t believe them.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that. I’m sure you did the best you could; you couldn’t know they would make off with it. Besides, even the best scientists have helpers with their research.”
“Why, thank you for your kind words, but really, I am sure you don’t want to spend your time chatting with me. You came to a concert to enjoy the music.”
The professor edged away, but Mr. Behr raised a hand.
“Actually, Professor Raleigh, it’s much more enjoyable over here where I don’t have my eardrums blown away. Who’s your friend?” Me. Behr turned to the other man. “You seem familiar, but I can’t place where.”
“I’m with the South Coast Search and Rescue.”
“Oh, then you must just look like someone I know. Anyway, what brings you here, Professor?” Mr. Behr asked. “Do you like country music?”
The professor laughed, almost a bark. “Hardly. Actually, this place may hold a key to my current research.”
“Which is?”
Professor Raleigh looked to his left and right, then shrugged. “Seeing you are a man of science, I suppose I can tell you. I have a theory that it’s possible to discover animal life by following geological signs.” When Mr. Behr leaned in to hear more, the professor continued. “You know certain stones and rocks contain minerals. Those minerals can be traced to specific needs in animals. So, where those minerals exist is where those animals will be found. I think I’ll have some luck here, and, of course, I’d never be allowed on the ranch grounds if there wasn’t a concert going on.”
An Unexpected Adventure Page 7