Kate

by Janice Thompson

  The girls heard a horn honk again.

  “That’s my dad,” Kate said. “He’s probably getting worried. Let’s make a run for it!”

  Sydney took off running and Kate followed. As always, she could barely keep up with her friend. “I’ve…been…eating…too…much…cheese!” she said as she slid back and forth across the slippery pavement. “It’s…slowing…me…down!”

  “Just…keep…going!” Sydney called out. “You’ll make it!”

  As they rounded the front of the building, the girls saw the Olivers’ car. Kate was never so happy to see her parents. She opened the car door and climbed in, happy to find it warm inside. Biscuit jumped in on top of her, his wet paws making her colder than ever. “Sit, boy!”

  He curled up next to her on the seat, panting.

  “I th–thought I w–was going to f–freeze out there!” she said with chattering teeth. Her hands were shaking so hard, she could barely close the door.

  “So, any more suspicious stuff to report?” Dexter asked, looking up from his handheld video game.

  “Is there ever!” Kate told the whole story about the man and the woman.

  Her mother gave her a stern look.

  “Kate Oliver, this is getting dangerous. You’re in over your head. I think it’s time to call the police.”

  “I understand your concerns.” Kate’s father reached over to pat her hand. “But let’s not get too worked up. It was just a car in a parking lot. No one set off any alarms or anything. And the girls are fine.” He looked at them both. “You are fine, aren’t you?”

  Kate nodded and Sydney muttered a quick, “Uh-huh.” However, inside, Kate still felt like a bowl full of jelly! She quivered all over! Was it from the cold…or fear?

  “We’d better get Biscuit back to the inn,” Kate’s mother said. “He looks tired.”

  Minutes later, they dropped him off at the inn. The adults chatted all the way to the restaurant, but Kate couldn’t seem to say a word. Instead, she just kept thinking about the man. Why was he scoping out the building? Were the footprints his? He was wearing tennis shoes, after all.

  They arrived at the restaurant in just a few minutes. As they started to get out of the car, Kate’s father turned her way.

  “Before we go inside, give me your digital measuring tape and I’ll measure my feet,” he said.

  “Why in the world would you do that?” Kate’s mother asked. “And in a restaurant parking lot, of all places!”

  “I’m trying to help Kate solve a big case!” He pulled off his shoes and Kate handed him the measuring tape. After a moment, he said, “My feet are 10.7 inches long and I wear a size ten. So I’m going to guess your suspect is probably a size nine in a men’s shoe.”

  “What makes you think it’s a man?” Aunt Molly asked. “Maybe that woman with the white coat has extra-large feet!”

  “Good point.” Kate shrugged. “We really don’t know.” As they walked into the restaurant, she leaned over and whispered to Sydney, “Hey, what size feet do you think that man had? The one behind the creamery, I mean.”

  “I wasn’t looking at his feet, Kate,” Sydney said, shaking her head. “Honestly! I was too busy trying not to get caught!”

  “Yeah, me too.” Kate sighed, then whispered a prayer of thanks. Thank You, Lord, that we didn’t get hurt back there. Thanks for sending my dad at just the right moment!

  As they entered the restaurant, Kate’s wrist began to buzz. “Oh! I have an email on my smartwatch.” As they waited to be seated, she checked it.

  “Who was it?” Sydney asked.

  “Elizabeth. She just wanted to let us know she was praying for us this morning.”

  “Wow!” Sydney smiled. “I’m glad she was! What a cool coincidence! We really needed it, didn’t we? Her timing was perfect!”

  “It sure was!” Kate agreed.

  “That’s how God works,” Aunt Molly said with a nod. “He works out every detail in His perfect timing.”

  The hostess led the Oliver family to a booth, and everyone sat down. As soon as she got the menu, Kate began to look it over. Her stomach was rumbling, and she could hardly wait to eat!

  Just then she heard a familiar voice. Looking up, she saw Michael in the next booth, talking to the waitress.

  “Hi, Michael,” Kate called out. She waved, trying to be friendly.

  He looked her way and nodded, then turned back to his handheld video game, not even pretending to be nice.

  “Humph.” Kate crossed her arms at her chest.

  “Be quick to forgive, honey,” Aunt Molly reminded her. “Even when others don’t respond the way they should. That’s the perfect time to forgive…before you get upset.”

  “Yes, but he never responds the way he should,” Sydney said quietly. “And have you noticed he never looks happy?”

  “And why is he sitting all alone in a restaurant?” Kate asked. “That’s weird.”

  “Oh, I can explain that part. His mother is a waitress here.” Aunt Molly pointed at a woman with dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. “That’s who he was talking to. Her name is Maggie. She’s worked here for as long as I can remember, so Michael spends a lot of his free time here. Keeps him from being lonely, I guess.”

  “I see.” Kate raised her menu, trying to hide the fact that she was snooping.

  “The poor kid’s been through a lot,” Uncle Ollie said with a sad look on his face. “His dad left when he was only three, and now, of course, Michael has lost his grandpa. So anything we can do to keep him from being too lonely is a good thing.”

  “Oh, I know, but there’s something about him that worries me.” Sydney shook her head. “I don’t know what it is, exactly. Just…something.”

  “Are you worried he’ll beat you in the contest?” Uncle Ollie asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “’Cause I have it on good authority you’re pretty fast. I wouldn’t worry if I were you.”

  “Oh, I’m not worried. I promise.”

  Kate looked at her friend, wishing she could read her thoughts.

  Uncle Ollie rose from his seat and invited Michael to join them at their table. He came, but he didn’t look happy. When he sat next to Kate, she tried to smile…tried to be friendly. But he didn’t make it easy! He sat there like a bump on a log, just staring at his Nintendo Switch while everyone else talked.

  Kate’s cell phone rang, and she looked at the number. “Oh, it’s Bailey! I forgot to call her back.” She looked at her mother and asked, “Can I answer it? Do you mind?”

  “Go ahead, honey,” her mom said. “Just don’t be long. We need to order our food soon.”

  Kate nodded, then answered the phone with a smile. “Hey, Bailey! What’s up?”

  “I found some information online,” Bailey said, sounding breathless and overly excited, as always. “Did you know the Mad River Creamery fired their security guard several months ago?”

  “No. How did you find that out?”

  “I googled the name Mad River Creamery and went to every site that came up. Every one. Way down on the list I found a blog site that belongs to some nameless person, complaining about someone being fired from the creamery this past summer.”

  “Really? But you don’t know who owns that blog? That’s weird.”

  “Really weird!” Bailey said. “It was all very suspicious. Just sort of a warning for readers to stay away from the creamery. I guess this person was the one who got fired. Or maybe a relative or a friend…something like that.”

  “Ooo, the plot thickens!” Kate looked at Sydney in anticipation and whispered, “There’s more to this than meets the eye!”

  Sydney looked surprised, but didn’t say anything. Instead, she stared at Michael out of the corner of her eye, as if she didn’t trust him.

  “Did the website mention anything about rats?” Kate asked Bailey.

  As she said the word rats, everyone at the table looked her way. Kate’s mother shook her head, as if to say, This is not appropriate dinn
er table conversation, Kate! Kate mouthed the words “I’m sorry,” then put her hand over her mouth, waiting for Bailey’s response.

  After a moment, Bailey said, “No, but there was plenty of stuff on there about getting even!”

  “Very suspicious. Makes me wonder…” Kate started to say more, but noticed the look on her mom’s face. “Bailey, can I call you back later? We’re in a restaurant right now, and I need to order my meal.”

  “Sure. I’ll text you if I find out anything else.”

  “Please do.”

  Kate ended the call and turned back to everyone at the table with a cheery voice. “So, what’s everyone going to order? I’m starved!” She opened the menu and pointed to a large baked potato with all of the trimmings. “Mmm! This looks good. I’m going to get this.” After a moment, her gaze shifted to a picture of roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy. “Or this! Yummy! I haven’t had roast and potatoes in ages. And can we order dessert after, Mom? I’m starved!”

  She pointed to a picture of coconut cream pie. “They have my favorite!”

  “I like the cherry pie,” Dexter said, pointing at another picture.

  “Their apple pie is great,” Uncle Ollie added, “but not as great as your Aunt Molly’s!”

  “Pie has a lot of empty calories, Kate,” Sydney whispered. “It’s not really good for you.”

  “Empty?” Kate looked at her friend, curious.

  “That just means it’s not really good for you, but it’s fattening,” Sydney explained. “Most sweets are nothing but empty calories.”

  “Oh.” Kate closed the menu and thought about that for a minute. Finally, she cheered up. “But I feel full after I eat pie, not empty. So it can’t be all bad, right?” She flashed a smile at Sydney, who laughed.

  “I love you, Kate,” Sydney said. “You always see the good in everything.”

  “Especially in food!” Kate giggled. “And I’m starving right now!”

  “Solving mysteries makes you hungry, eh?” her father asked. “That’s my girl. But you’ll never really starve, that’s for sure!”

  “Nope! I have the best appetite in town.”

  “And the best nose for snooping,” her mother added. “And I’m assuming Bailey was calling with news about the creamery?”

  “Well, yes, but…” She shrugged. “I don’t want to bother you guys with this while we’re eating.”

  “Tell us,” Aunt Molly said. “We want to know.”

  “Well, Bailey thinks maybe she’s stumbled across a clue. Something that will help us figure out who’s sabotaging the creamery.”

  “If someone’s sabotaging the creamery,” Aunt Molly reminded her. “We still don’t know for sure.”

  “Yes.” Kate nodded. “That’s true.” Even as she spoke the words, however, she knew that it was true. Someone was trying to sabotage the creamery. And she would figure out who…and why!

  “What’s the deal with you girls?” Michael rolled his eyes. “Why is it so important to figure this out? What are you trying to prove, anyway?”

  “Trying to prove?” Kate asked, confused. “Nothing, really.”

  “We just like to help people.” Sydney shrugged. “It’s what we do.”

  “And they’re good at it!” Dexter added.

  Michael rolled his eyes. “Why do you want to help those Hamptons?” He muttered something under his breath.

  “Don’t you like the Hamptons?” she asked.

  Instead of answering, he got up and left the restaurant without even saying good-bye.

  “Well, that was strange,” Aunt Molly said with a stunned expression.

  “Very!” Kate’s mother added.

  “Not like him at all,” Ollie added. “In fact, I’ve never seen this side of him. Very odd.”

  “I’m telling you, something about that boy bothers me,” Sydney added. “I can’t put my finger on it, but he’s just…weird.” After a second, she looked ashamed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m trying not to judge people, and look what I just did.” She sighed.

  “We all make mistakes,” Kate added, “but you’re right about the fact that something about him seems suspicious.”

  Thankfully, the waitress showed up at the table.

  “Hi, Maggie!” Aunt Molly said with a smile. “Good to see you.”

  “Well, it’s great to see you too,” she said. “You’re my favorite customers, you know.”

  “She says that to all of her customers,” Uncle Ollie whispered in Kate’s ear.

  “I heard that, Ollie Oliver, and you know it’s not true!” Maggie grinned. “You folks are my very favorite.” She looked around and asked, “Hey, what happened to that son of mine? I thought I saw him sitting here with you.”

  “He was.” Uncle Ollie shook his head. “Not sure what happened, but he left in a hurry.”

  “Hmm.” She shook her head. “He’s been acting mighty strange since my pop…” Maggie’s eyes filled with tears, and Kate suddenly felt very sorry for her.

  “I’m sorry,” Kate said, feeling a lump grow in her throat. How terrible it must be to lose your father! She looked over at her dad and tried—just for a moment—to imagine it. The idea was so painful she pushed it away immediately.

  “Sorry to get all emotional on you.” Maggie wiped the tears out of her eyes with the back of her hand and smiled. “What would you like to order, folks?”

  Kate ordered the soup and sandwich combo, then listened as everyone else ordered. Everything sounded so good! At the end, she changed her order to a burger and fries to match her dad’s.

  While they waited for the food, Sydney changed the topic to the upcoming competition.

  “Do you think you’re ready, honey?” Aunt Molly asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve only had one practice,” Sydney said. “But Kate and I are going back to the Rat tomorrow so I can try again.”

  “I’m glad you’re learning to ski, Kate,” Aunt Molly said. “And you never know…we may turn you into a sports fan after all!”

  “That would be the day!” Kate’s father said. “My girl is far too busy helping me with all of my gadgets and gizmos to think about sports when we’re home. That’s one reason I’m glad we’re in Mad River Valley. She can stop thinking about electronics and start thinking about just being a kid!”

  Kate shrugged. “Skiing is okay, but you know me, Dad. I’d rather be working on one of the robots with you.”

  After a moment’s pause, she added, “Oh, and by the way…speaking of robots…” She went on to tell him Sydney’s idea about the snow-bot.

  “Snow-bot?” He looked at her with a sparkle in his eyes. “What a marvelous idea. Maybe when we get home, we could actually build a little snow-bot and use it for ski demonstrations! Can’t you see it now?” He went off on a tangent, talking about how they could sell the robot to people who wanted to learn how to ski.

  “Wonderful idea!” Uncle Ollie threw in.

  “Hey, it was my idea,” Sydney said with a pretend pout. “If you make millions off of this robot, do I get some of the profits?”

  “Of course, of course!” Kate’s dad laughed. “You’ll get a percentage and so will Kate. Who knows…” He grinned from ear to ear. “Snow-bot might just be a big hit!”

  “Oh, I hope so!”

  Everyone went on to talk about skiing, but Kate’s thoughts were on something else. She kept thinking about what happened at the creamery. The man and woman in the car…what were they doing there? Something about them just didn’t seem right. And what was up with those footprints? Did they belong to the man…or someone else? How would she ever find out?

  Glancing out the window, she happened to notice Michael passing by. The minute she saw him, a chill came over her. Something about him made her very nervous. Very nervous, indeed.

  With a sigh, she turned back to her family and friends, determined to stay focused on the important things. Lord, don’t ever let me forget the people who are right in front of me
! They’re more important than any case!

  Right now, the investigation could wait!

  Lost in the Maze

  On Friday, just one day before the big competition, Kate went with Sydney to ski one more time. This time she wasn’t as nervous as before. In fact, she almost looked forward to it.

  “I’m getting faster every time!” Sydney said, looking more confident than she had in days. “But there are still a couple of areas that slow me down. I need to figure out how to pick up speed in those places!”

  “Yes, there are some crazy twists and turns on the course,” Kate agreed. After all, she’d already fallen several times and had the bruises to prove it!

  “I think I can make it to the bottom without falling this time,” Sydney said. “But I want to increase my speed in the tricky places. So let’s do our best to get to the bottom in record time today, okay?”

  “Sure. And I’ll time us.” Kate pointed to her super-duper watch. “I’ll bet you’re the fastest one out there!”

  “Hardly!” Sydney laughed. “But maybe I’ll do better today than last time.”

  The girls dressed in their warmest clothes and prepared to head off to the slopes.

  “Do you think you’ll be okay without me?” Kate’s mom asked. “Molly and I have plans to visit Michael’s mother today. She seems a little lonely, so we want to cheer her up by taking her to the tearoom for some girl time.”

  “That’s sweet, Mom,” Kate said. “But don’t worry about us. Mad River Valley is a safe place. Nothing’ll happen.”

  “They’ll be fine,” Aunt Molly assured her. “It’s a safe course, and lots of people are around. Don’t fret!”

  “Well, just stay as warm as you can.” Kate’s mom handed her some money. “And if you get cold, go inside and buy some hot chocolate. Promise? And don’t forget to call if you need anything. We’re just a few minutes away.”

  “I promise, Mom.” Kate grinned. “But don’t worry! I’m twelve now, remember? And it’s not like I haven’t been to the slopes before. We just went the other day. This time I’m sure it will be even easier than before.”

  “I know, but it’s hard to watch your children grow up and do things on their own!” Kate’s mom shrugged and her eyes misted.