Sydney: 4-in-1 Mysteries for Girls

by Jean Fischer

  “There, there now,” the man said, patting Biscuit’s head. “I have to kick you out, buddy—the health inspector says so.”

  Sydney picked up the end of Biscuit’s leash and apologized. “Are you the manager?” she said as Alexis took Biscuit outside.

  “I own the place,” the man said.

  “Where do we sign up for the fishing contest—the one on the docks?”

  “Right here.” The man looked past Sydney. “Are you signing up for your dad, or your brother, or someone else?”

  “I’m signing up for me!” Sydney said as Alexis came back into the shop.

  A man at the counter chuckled. “Girls don’t fish,” he said.

  Sydney felt the blood rush to her face. “We do too,” she told him. “Where’s the sign-up sheet?”

  The owner walked to the end of the counter and came back with some papers attached to a clipboard. “Here ’tis,” he said. “Do you know what you’re fishing for?”

  Sydney signed her name and Miller’s Resort, Cabin One. “I’m fishing for the biggest fish dockside.”

  The man at the counter chuckled again. “What kinds of fish?” he asked.

  Sydney had no idea what kinds of fish were in North Twin Lake, and she didn’t like that the man tried to make her look stupid. “All kinds!” she replied firmly.

  She handed the clipboard to Alexis. Alex hadn’t planned to compete, but when she heard the man laugh at Sydney’s answer, she signed her name too.

  “May we use the computer?” she asked.

  “Over there,” the owner said, pointing to the corner of the room.

  Sydney gave him back the clipboard. “Internet access is free, right?”

  “Correct,” the man said. He took a coffeepot from a heated plate behind the counter and filled the men’s cups.

  “Did you see that Duncan kid’s name on the list?” Alexis asked as they walked to the computer.

  “Yes, right at the top. He’s Duncan Lumley. Age twelve.”

  They sat down at the computer, and Sydney typed in her name and password. Then she logged on to the Camp Club Girls’ website. Bailey was online.

  Sydney: Hi, Bailey. Greetings from Tompkins’ Ice Cream Shop in the Northwoods! Alex says hi too. We’re on the shop’s computer.

  Bailey: Hi, guys! Alex, sorry I didn’t get to see you when you arrived in Chicago.

  Alexis: No problem. Maybe we can meet this weekend before I catch my plane.

  Sydney: You’ll never guess what we just did.

  Bailey: What?

  Sydney: Alex and I signed up for a fishing contest.

  Bailey: Get out of town! How come?

  Sydney: An obnoxious kid named Duncan is staying at our resort. He told me this morning that girls can’t fish. So we’re going to show him that girls not only fish, but girls WIN fishing contests.

  Bailey: You show him, Sydneykins. A resort? That sounds fancy.

  Alexis: Think again. It has an office, which is an old two-story cottage, and a row of small cabins not much bigger than our cabins at camp.

  Bailey: Cool.

  Sydney: So, do you know much about catching fish? That kid, Duncan, is using feather flies. I don’t know what he uses for bait, though. What do you think? Worms?

  Bailey: Hang on a minute.

  “Do you want an ice-cream cone?” Alexis asked Sydney.

  “Alex! You just had a big breakfast and two donuts,” Sydney exclaimed. “What’s up with you? You usually eat healthy.”

  “I know,” her friend answered, “but all this fresh air makes me hungry. I’ll wait. Maybe I can get an ice cream when we leave.”

  Bailey: Sorry guys. I went and asked my dad what he uses for bait. He fishes all the time. He said big fish like dough balls. Take a little glob of fresh dough, mix in some tuna, and roll it in corn meal. That’s the secret, he said. Put them in the fridge overnight to firm up. Make sure to stick them onto the hooks good. Otherwise, they’ll fall off.

  Sydney: Tuna? That sounds like cannibalism!

  Bailey: Fish are cannibals, Sydzie.

  Sydney: Gross. But tell your dad thanks. Will you set up a chat with the girls for tonight at 6:30 CDT? We saw a strange guy near the cabin last night, and we want to know whether you think he’s suspicious.

  Bailey: Will do. Why do you think he’s strange?

  Sydney: He looked like a mountain man, and he ran off into the woods. We couldn’t see much in the darkness.

  Bailey: There aren’t any mountains in Wisconsin, are there?

  Sydney: I know. But that’s the best way I can describe him. He looked like someone who lives alone in the mountains. Think of Heidi’s grandfather, or better yet John the Baptist, the guy in the Bible who was a loner and wore clothes made of camel’s hair. He stayed alive by eating locusts and wild honey.

  Bailey: John lived in the desert, Sydz, and he was Jesus’ cousin.

  Sydney: Whatever. Just think of a big, bearded, lonesome guy, with a backpack and tattered clothes.

  Bailey: OK. I’ll tell the girls. We’ll meet you here at 6:30. In the meantime, good luck with the old man of the woods.

  Sydney: Thanks, Bailey. See you later.

  Alexis chewed a hangnail on her thumb, a bad habit she wished she didn’t have.

  “So, do you still want ice cream?” Sydney asked.

  “No. I’ve changed my mind,” said Alexis. “Maybe when we come back tonight. I have an idea, though.”

  “What’s that?” said Sydney.

  “There’s a grocery store across the street. Let’s get some frozen pizza dough and other stuff to make pizza. The dough will be thawed out by suppertime. We can make pizza tonight and keep some of the dough for bait. What do you think?”

  “Great idea,” said Sydney, shutting down the computer. “Let’s go shopping.”

  “Happy fishing,” the man at the lunch counter said sarcastically as the girls left the shop. Sydney and Alexis ignored him.

  Biscuit sat patiently just outside the door, his leash tied to a big, iron hook screwed into the building’s outer wall.

  “Just a few more minutes, boy,” said Alexis, petting his fluffy fur. “We’re going across the street to buy groceries. Then we’ll come back to get you.”

  Biscuit whined softly and raised his right paw as if to say, Please don’t leave me here.

  “I’m texting Aunt Dee,” Sydney said as Alexis reassured Biscuit. She took out her cell phone and typed NEED LIST OF KINDS/SIZES OF FISH IN N. TWIN LAKE AND BEST WAY 2 CATCH THEM. WILL XPLAIN L8R. SYD.

  “Okay, that’s done. Now let’s get the stuff for the dough balls.”

  The girls left Biscuit and crossed the street.

  Sydney and Alexis loaded a large package of frozen pizza dough into their shopping cart. Then they added pepperoni, some olive oil, cornmeal, a big bag of shredded pizza cheese, and a can of tomato sauce.

  “How about some mushrooms?” asked Alexis. “Do you like them on your pizza?”

  “Sure,” said Sydney. “And onions too.”

  Alexis put a carton of mushrooms and an onion into the shopping cart. Then they headed to the checkout counter. Just as they were about to pay for their groceries, Sydney remembered something. “Where can I find canned tuna?” she asked the cashier.

  “At the end of aisle ten.”

  Sydney hurried off and returned with three cans of tuna.

  “Three!” Alexis exclaimed.

  “I want to catch lots of fish,” said Sydney.

  They left the store carrying paper bags filled with groceries, and headed back across the street.

  “Hey!” Alexis said. “Biscuit’s gone!”

  Biscuit’s leash and collar hung from the hook, but Biscuit was nowhere in sight. The owner of Tompkins’ Ice Cream Shop stood outside. “That way,” he said, pointing in the direction of the resort. “He slipped out of his collar and scampered off.”

  Sydney shoved her grocery bags at Alexis and sprinted as fast as she could down Twin Lakes Road.
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  “Wow, can that girl run!” the man said.

  “She did track and field in the Junior Olympics,” said Alexis, taking Biscuit’s leash off the hook in the wall. She dropped it and his collar into one of the grocery bags. Then she hurried after Sydney. When she got to the resort, she found her friend alone on the cabin’s front porch.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Sydney cried. “He’s lost!”

  A sinking feeling swept through Alexis’s stomach as she put up the groceries and hung up Biscuit’s collar. “We have to find him, Sydney. But where do we start to look? He could be anywhere.”

  Ruff-ruff! Ruff-ruff! Biscuit’s bark came from far away—deep in the woods surrounding the lake. “Biscuit!” they shouted. “Biscuit! Biscuit! Here, boy!”

  When Biscuit didn’t come, they dashed into the forest, hurrying toward the sound of his bark.

  Alexis grabbed Sydney’s arm, stopping her dead in her tracks.

  “What?” Sydney protested.

  “We need to mark our trail,” said Alexis. “Remember? We learned it in camp. If we aren’t familiar with our surroundings, we should mark a trail so we can find our way back.”

  She found some pinecones on the path and stacked them into a neat little pyramid. Then she laid a stick next to them, pointing in the direction they’d come from. “Whenever we make a turn, we have to mark the place,” she said.

  The girls continued in the direction of Biscuit’s barking, stopping to mark the trail every time they turned. After a while, they didn’t hear his barking anymore. They only heard birds chirping loudly in the trees.

  “Why do you think he stopped barking?” Sydney asked. “Or … do you think that someone stopped him from barking?”

  “I don’t know,” Alexis said. “But I just said a silent prayer and asked God to keep him safe.”

  “I’m praying too,” said Sydney.

  Tall trees blocked out most of the sunlight, and soft pine needles covered the cool forest floor. The girls looked for Biscuit’s pawprints there, but found nothing.

  “I hope he didn’t run into a bear,” said Alexis.

  “I doubt it,” said Sydney. “Besides, Biscuit could outrun a bear or any other wild animal. He’s fast.”

  “I guess so,” said Alexis, marking their trail with a little pile of stones.

  Sydney walked on ahead of her and disappeared among the trees.

  “Yeeeeeeah! No! No! Stop it!”

  Alex ran toward her friend’s screams. She found Sydney lying face down on the ground with her hands over her head. Biscuit licked her face with his long, pink tongue.

  “Oh Biscuit!” Alexis gushed. She picked up the little dog.

  “Eewwwww, Biscuit. You stink!”

  “I know,” said Sydney, getting up and brushing herself off. “He smells awful. Biscuit, where have you been? What’s all that smelly stuff in your fur?”

  Biscuit let out a sad whimper. Alexis put him down, and he sat in front of her. He raised a paw.

  “He came out of nowhere and ran between my legs,” Sydney said. “I tripped over him and fell. Stay with him. I’m going to walk over there and see if I can find out what he got into.”

  Sydney wove her way through the brush and the pine trees sniffing the air for anything that smelled like Biscuit now smelled.

  “Alexis, come here,” she called. “I see something.”

  Reluctantly, Alexis picked Biscuit up and went to where Sydney was.

  “Look at that,” Sydney said, pointing slightly to the right.

  In the distance, deep in the forest, she saw an eerie purple glow. It was the color of lilac nail polish, not a deep purple, but soft and wispy. It lit up the trees, making the forest look enchanted.

  “Whoa,” said Alexis. “What do you think that is?”

  “Should we go and check it out?” Sydney asked.

  Alexis looked at Biscuit. “I don’t trust him not to run again,” she said. “Otherwise, I’d love to check it out. We’d better take him home.”

  “I guess so,” said Sydney. “Unless—”

  She saw a Virginia Creeper vine growing around a nearby tree trunk. She reached for it.

  “Stop!” Alexis said, grabbing Sydney’s hand. “It’s poison ivy!”

  “No, it’s not. It has five leaves, not three.” Sydney broke off a piece, and tied it around Biscuit’s neck. “These vines are strong, and they’ll make a good collar.”

  She broke off a longer piece and tied it to the collar like a rope. “There, now he has a leash. Oh Biscuit, you smell just terrible!”

  Biscuit looked at her and sighed.

  Cautiously, the girls walked through the forest toward the light.

  “Maybe we’re seeing the Northern Lights,” Alexis suggested.

  “Nice try,” Sydney said. “But you can only see the Northern Lights at night.”

  They kept moving toward the purple glow. If they walked just a few more yards, they might discover what caused it.

  WHOOOOOSH!

  Suddenly, the forest came alive. A noise surrounded them, like air rushing through a tunnel.

  “Go back! Go back! Go back!”

  At the sound of the loud whisper, Alexis screamed.

  Sydney scooped Biscuit into her arms.

  The girls ran for their lives!

  Lost

  “Run!” Alexis cried. “Hurry!”

  The girls ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Then Sydney stopped.

  “Wait,” she said. She grabbed Alexis’s arm. “I don’t think it’s following us.”

  Alexis quit running. She stood huffing and puffing, trying to catch her breath. Gigantic pine trees surrounded them, and she wrapped her arms around one of the trunks to brace herself.

  “I can’t hear it anymore,” said Sydney. She set Biscuit down in a soft pile of leaves. “What do you think it was?”

  “A bear, maybe?” Alexis answered.

  “Bears don’t glow purple and talk,” Sydney said. “Shhhhh.”

  They listened. The whooshing had become a buzz, barely noticeable, locked deep inside the forest.

  “Did you hear what it said?” asked Alexis. “‘Get out! Get out! Get out!’”

  “That’s not what I heard,” Sydney told her. “I heard ‘Go back! Go back! Go back!’ But whatever it said, something doesn’t want us here.”

  Biscuit rolled happily in the pine needles. He didn’t seem bothered by the spooky sound in the woods.

  “We need to get out of here,” Sydney said. She picked up the end of Biscuit’s viney leash and started walking.

  “Syd?” Alexis asked, “Are you sure the resort is that way?”

  Sydney stopped. She looked left and right and all around. “I think we came from over there,” she said, pointing to her left.

  “I think it’s that way,” said Alexis, pointing to her right. “I didn’t pay attention to where we were going when we ran away. And unless we find our trail markers, I think we’re”—she hesitated—“lost.”

  Sydney sighed. “Okay. We’ve been lost in the woods before. Let’s just stay calm and practice what we learned at Discovery Lake Camp.”

  “Well, the first thing you’re supposed to do is blow a whistle,” said Alexis, “which we don’t have. Or shout to get someone’s attention. And the last thing we want to do right now is draw attention to ourselves. Whatever is out there probably wonders where we are. So making noise is not an option.”

  “I’m thinking,” Sydney said. “We learned at camp to look for water, like a river or stream, and follow it. That way we might run into someone canoeing, or fishing, or whatever.”

  Alexis started chewing her hangnail again. “That would be great except that the only water around here is the lake, and we don’t know where that is right now. Besides, we don’t want to run into whatever it is that’s trying to get us.”

  “We don’t know for sure that it’s trying to get us,” said Sydney. “What’s up with you, Alex? You’re always the one with the
positive, realistic attitude.”

  “Well, I think ‘go back’ or ‘get out’ or whatever it said is enough for us to know that it doesn’t want us around,” Alexis argued. “Anyhow, I’m sure we can find our way home. We just need to stay calm.” She looked at her watch.

  “What time is it?” Sydney asked.

  “Almost noon.”

  Sydney handed Biscuit’s leash to Alexis. Then she started walking in circles around the pine trees.

  “What are you doing?” Alex wondered.

  “Looking for moss. It grows on the north side of tree trunks. The woods are south of the resort, so if we can find north, then we’ll know which direction to go.”

  Biscuit decided that Sydney was playing a game. He pulled hard on his viney leash until it snapped in two. Then, joyfully, he pranced around the tree trunks with her.

  Alexis busied herself with marking the spot where they were. She piled up some pine branches and laid two sticks in a criss-cross on top of them. “There,” she said. “This is our starting point. If we see this again, we’ll know that we’re walking in circles. Why don’t you just call your Aunt Dee and tell her we’re lost? You have your cell phone.”

  “Oh, right,” Sydney complained as she inspected another trunk. “I’ll call her in the middle of her interview and say, ‘Aunt Dee, we’re lost in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, and something wicked is in here with us. Do you think you might be able to get away for a few minutes and come find us?’”

  “It was just an idea,” said Alexis.

  Biscuit stopped and sniffed the air. His ears perked up. He let out a little Ar-roof, and then off he ran into the forest.

  “Oh no,” said Sydney, “Not again! Let’s go.”

  “Wait,” said Alexis. “Remember what that thing said. Are you sure you want to go back in there?”

  “Think about it, Alex—it’s Biscuit. We have to go. If we lost him, Kate would never forgive us.”

  “She would too,” said Alexis, stalling for time. “She has to. The Bible says to.”

  Sydney took off after Biscuit. Reluctantly, Alexis followed. “We have to be quiet,” she said. “If we start calling for him, whatever it is might hear us.”