On the Case

by Laura Dower

  Madison was pleased. At least sending copies of Aimee’s chain letter meant they were following the scary “pass this along to five more people” rule. That meant they would have good luck. Fiona had even added a date that had already passed to the top of the letter, so that Poison Ivy would get her copy and think she’d missed the chain-letter deadline. It was a perfect plan! Poison Ivy would definitely freak out if she suspected terrible luck coming her way.

  A teacher came up to the three BFFs and crossed her arms sternly. “Excuse me, girls,” she said. “The bell rang. Get back to your classrooms.”

  Madison waved to Aimee and Fiona and disappeared down the hall. “E me later!” she said to her friends.

  “Forget E. I’ll see you later!” Aimee giggled.

  At home later that night, Madison pulled on two pairs of striped socks to keep her feet warm. Temperatures had dropped during the evening. The weather report had said there was going to be snow. Before packing her ski-trip suitcase, Madison went online to check her e-mailbox. What a surprise! There were three e-mails. Two were from a store that sold toys at half price after the holidays. Madison hit DELETE. She hated junk e-mail. At least there was one real note from her faraway keypal, Bigwheels.

  From: Bigwheels

  To: MadFinn

  Subject: I Still Have a Cold

  Date: Wed 24 Feb 6:43 PM

  It’s official. I’ve been out of school for a week. I have never had a sore throat for this long. And I never thought I would say this, but I am actually getting sick of TV. They show the same movies over and over again.

  But that’s not the worst of it. My brother and sister r sick 2 so who do you think gets all the TLC? If you answer ME you’re wrong. Ur so lucky 2 B an only child.

  Hey r u still planning to redo your computer filing system over the school vacation? I wish we had school vacations @ the same time. Then I could come visit you and we could hang out together and talk and stuff. I would be soooo GTSY! And i could meet Hart!!! BTW: how is he?

  OMG I just sneezed all over my keyboard. That is so gross. OK. G2G!

  Yours till the temperature rises,

  Bigwheels aka Sneezy

  Madison laughed to herself and hit REPLY.

  From: MadFinn

  To: Bigwheels

  Subject: Re: I Still Have a Cold

  Date: Wed 24 Feb 8:29 PM

  Bless you! You sneezed, right? LOL I am so not redoing my filing this vacation and do you know why? I AM GOING SKIING AT A FOUR-STAR RESORT!!!

  My dad surprised me yesterday with the news. He’s taking me & my BFF Aimee to this place called Big Mountain it’s way up in NY somewhere, up near Canada almost. I heard movie stars even go there sometimes. I dunno. Maybe I’ll meet someone famous and fall madly in love and OOTB you’ll see me on the cover of Star Beat! YEAH, RIGHT!!!

  Oh yeah, about Hart. Well … I still like him. I think. He’s acting so weird lately. I just don’t think our relationship is going anywhere. For starters, we haven’t exactly established it as a relationship. I know he likes me. I think. It’s a little confusing. Aimee says I should check out other boys and get a new crush. What do u think I should do? Ur always good w/that stuff.

  I wish u had the same vacation as me. WE could have gone skiing together! U could see me fall on my face in a big snowdrift LOL b/c I am not a very good skier. I’m not a very good dresser for the ski slopes either which could be a problem considering how fancy shmancy this place is supposed to be. Right now I am about to start packing and my room is a disaster and … I better go! TTYL.

  Yours till the ski boots,

  Maddie

  p.s.: -=#:-)/

  that’s the wizard and his wand to wave all your sickness away--isn’t that fun? my friend sent it 2 me

  After closing her e-mailbox, Madison clicked on a search engine. If she was going to have any luck at all packing for the last-minute trip, she needed some ideas. Out of curiosity, she plugged in the words ski wardrobe and got 5 million hits. Were there really that many stylin’ ski ideas in the world? Madison clicked on the first three.

  SKI WARDROBE… SKI ACCESSORIES… SKI FASHION FIXES… comes with stormflap, 2 lower zipped warm lined pockets, lightly insulated for your ski wardrobe…

  SKIYOUMAMA SKIWEAR WHERE YOU BE COOL ON THE SLOPES

  Ski Wardrobe: Fleece hats, snowboards, headbands, scarves, fleece socks, mittens, and items that make perfect gifts

  GREAT LEAP SKI RESORT WEAR FOR YOUR SKI WARDROBE

  Average snow cover of 143 cm during the ski season. More Ski Runs. Length, vertical drop, difficulty, ski lift.

  “This is hopeless,” Madison said as she moved her cursor across the screen. “What’s a breathable fleece snowboard hat?”

  She glanced at the Skiyoumama home page. A flashing block of text read, “The color graphite is all the rage on the ski slopes, with moss, slate, pale gold, ice blue, and lilac also showing up.”

  “Graphite? Moss?” Madison wondered aloud, flashing a look at her own closet. She was lucky to have one jacket hanging there that she could use for skiing. And it was plain old dark blue.

  It was time to call Aimee and ask for packing advice. Madison was certain that her appearance on the slopes at Big Mountain did not have to be a major fashion event, but she didn’t want to be a complete geek, either. There must be something in her closet that would look good.

  Aimee was happy to help.

  “Okay, first…” Aimee instructed on the telephone. “First, you need to have your basics, Maddie. Faded jeans…”

  Madison wandered over to her closet and picked up a pair from the laundry pile. “Um…” she said. She tossed them onto her bed. “Got ’em.”

  “Now,” Aimee said, “what about sweaters? And dresses? And that little corduroy skirt you have? You could wear that with cable-knit tights and those cool boots you got last Christmas.”

  “Huh?” Madison looked around. “I don’t know where the skirt is. I don’t even know if it fits me anymore, Aim.”

  “That’s okay. We’ll try another look,” Aimee said, sounding a lot like a makeover expert on a reality TV show. She listed more items for Madison to pack. Unfortunately, most of the clothes on Aimee’s list were nowhere to be found in Madison’s room. Madison felt as though her closet were nothing more than a vast winter fashion wasteland.

  “Rowwoooooooof!” Phin barked at Madison and the phone.

  “Maddie? Is that you?” Aimee yelled into the phone.

  “Phin!” Madison cried as the dog barked again and buried his wet nose in one of her sneakers. It was bad enough that she didn’t have the clothes Aimee was suggesting, but to have doggy drool all over the outfits that she did have? That was too much.

  “Aim, I have to go,” Madison gasped into the receiver. “Phin’s being a pest. Give me ten minutes, and I’ll call you back, ’kay?”

  She hung up the phone and burrowed in to a pile of sweaters that had tumbled down from a shelf. Phin came over and pounced on her back. As he squiggled around, Phin caught his paws on a blue cardigan sweater with wooden buttons. It looked like something Madison might have worn in second grade. Now, it was a definite no.

  Then, from the pile, Madison saw some clothes that would work. She yanked out a zip-up red hoodie that Stephanie had bought for her at the mall. She also found an old pair of red snow pants that had been buried way in the back of her closet.

  Two items down, twenty to go.

  Her suitcase was filling up slowly—but at least it was filling up.

  Chapter 3

  “MADDIE, HONEY,” MOM WHISPERED in a groggy voice. “Honey bear, it’s almost dawn.”

  Phin was still snoring. Lucky dog. He didn’t have to get up until everything was already packed into the car.

  Madison crawled out of bed and got into the shower. She’d managed to pack her suitcase the night before but hadn’t fallen asleep until after eleven-thirty, and now…

  All she could do was yawn.

&nbs
p; Dad would be there in an hour.

  Madison brushed her teeth, staring back at her own glassy-eyed reflection in the mirror. Bathroom light was the most unflattering light on the planet—especially at five in the morning. Madison wanted to crawl back into bed.

  She pulled on a pair of cargo pants, a pale yellow T-shirt, and a green zip-up fleece top that Dad had bought her in downtown Far Hills. It was warm. She was sleepy. That made an ideal combination. Her hair was misbehaving, so Madison yanked it back into a pink elastic and washed her face. She still couldn’t get the taste of sleep out of her mouth, so she grabbed the mouthwash from Mom’s bathroom. Had she been up this early in the morning—ever?

  Phin followed Madison downstairs. She was moving like Frankenstein’s monster, all stiff-legged, and Phin almost tripped over her feet.

  Ding-dong. Ding-dong.

  “I’ll get it!” Madison called out, as if Mom had had any intention of getting the door. Mom had sprawled back across her own bed with the words: “Wake me when your dad gets here.”

  Madison went to the door and opened it. On the porch landing stood Aimee, her purple suitcase on wheels waiting next to her.

  “Ready, spaghetti?” Aimee said. She was awfully perky for that early in the morning, Madison thought. And her hair looked perfect, nothing like Madison’s bed head.

  “Nhhhunnnh,” Madison grunted. “Morning.”

  “You look so good! I’m so excited. Aren’t you so excited? I can’t believe you asked me to go with you. You are the best!” She leaned into Madison and gave her a big hug.

  “No problem,” Madison said.

  Aimee stepped inside the front door. “Can you wait a sec? I just have to pee,” she said with a smile, and she dashed for the downstairs bathroom.

  Madison sat in a chair in the hall and cradled her head in her hands. Phin jumped up onto her lap, panting, his little tongue hanging out. She closed her eyes. It would be fine once they were on the road with Dad and Stephanie, but at the moment, Madison could still feel the magnetic pull of her bed… sleeeeeeep! She couldn’t deal with a chipper best friend and dog.

  “I love those pants!” Aimee said when she bounded back out of the bathroom. “You’ve never worn those before. Have you ever worn those before?”

  Aimee wore a purple heather turtleneck sweater, flared cutoffs, and black leather boots. Well, they weren’t real leather. The health-conscious Gillespie family only bought things made of fake leather. It looked a lot like the real thing, though.

  Madison’s mom shuffled down the stairs into the hallway. “Hey, girls,” she mumbled. “How are you, Aimee? Have you eaten breakfast yet? Why don’t I fix you both some juice and cereal?”

  Aimee grinned. “Sure!” she said. “Some OJ would be cool.”

  Madison’s stomach grumbled, but she couldn’t even think about food. The sun was barely up.

  They sat together at the kitchen table. Mom turned on the radio and a soft disco beat filled the room.

  “This is ‘Ask Me How I Feel’! I love this song,” Aimee said. “Can you turn it up?”

  Soon the room was filled with soft yellow light. As Mom turned up the radio, Madison yawned and stretched. Sleep was finally fading.

  “Come on, Maddie!” Aimee shouted, jumping up to dance.

  Phinnie chased Aimee’s feet as she moved from side to side; his little tail wagged behind him.

  Madison rubbed her eyes and laughed. “Aim, it’s six o’clock in the morning. I’m beat. How can you dance?”

  “Any time is a good time to dance,” Aimee said, shaking her hips. She pulled Madison up to dance. “Besides, isn’t this your favorite song?” she asked.

  Madison started to giggle as she attempted to shake her hips, too. But her rhythm was a little off this morning. Even Phin was dancing better than she was.

  Mom smiled. “I wish I had my camera. You girls crack me up. You’re so beautiful…”

  “Beautiful? Oh, Mom,” Madison sighed. “Don’t get all mushy on me now.”

  “I still can’t believe we’re really, truly going to Big Mountain,” Aimee said. “I read in Star Beat that Foster Lane spends his weekends there in the winter.”

  “Foster Lane? Is that a real name? Who’s he?” Mom asked.

  Aimee feigned disbelief. Her jaw dropped open. “Mrs. Finn!” she exclaimed. “Foster is a major hottie. He’s on that TV show Lost in Tucson.”

  “Whoa,” Mom said, chuckling. “I thought I was pretty hip, but I’ve never heard of him or his show. And I work in the movie business!”

  Madison laughed. “Wait! I’m starting to get that weird butterfly feeling,” she said. “Right here.” Madison pointed to her stomach.

  “I know. Me, too,” Aimee said. “This trip is the deal.”

  Ding-dong.

  “And there’s your dad!” Aimee squealed.

  Mom zipped up the canvas bag with Phin’s dog food and chew toys in it. She set aside his beanbag for sleeping, although there probably wasn’t enough room in Dad’s car for it. Dad had rented a Jeep for driving up to the mountains. Some luggage could go on top of the car, some would be stacked in the back, but it would be a tight squeeze with the five of them: Dad, Stephanie, Madison, Aimee, and Phineas T. Finn.

  “You girls ready?” Dad called out from the hallway. He’d let himself in at the front door, which wasn’t really all that weird, considering the fact that this had once been his house, too. Madison still felt strange when he rang the doorbell.

  “Dad!” Madison yelled as she ran for the door. She gave him a big hug. So did Aimee.

  “I should be around for most of the week,” Mom said. “If you need anything.”

  “Thank you, Francine,” Dad said.

  Madison grabbed her two smaller bags. Aimee rolled her suitcase back out onto the porch. Mom kissed Maddie, Aimee, and Phin good-bye.

  “I packed his little doggy sweater,” Mom said. “The one that Gramma Helen knit for him.”

  “Awwwww, that is so-o-o-o-o sweet!” Aimee said.

  Even though Madison was feeling much more alert, Aimee’s high-pitched squeals were still a little over the top.

  Everyone said a second round of good-byes and then the travelers headed for the car. Stephanie was inside, half covered by a wool blanket.

  “Good morning,” Madison said as she squeezed into the back. It was a snug fit. Phin wasn’t sure where he was supposed to go. Finally, he curled up in a ball on Madison’s lap. Aimee got in on the other side.

  Madison stared out the window as they pulled away. By now, the sky was white with morning light. Trucks headed for delivery stops. City buses chugged along on their early-morning routes. There were only a few other cars along the road.

  They passed the Far Hills Animal Clinic, where Madison liked to volunteer. They even drove past a tomblike Far Hills Junior High.

  “It’s official. We’re really on winter break,” Madison said with a sigh. “I never thought it would come, but now it’s here. And we’re leaving town!”

  “Um… can we listen to the radio?” Aimee asked.

  “Sure,” Stephanie said. She clicked on a station. “Ask Me How I Feel” was playing.

  “No way!” Aimee cried.

  “The same song!” Madison screamed.

  Dad jumped. The car lurched. Phin scrambled into the front seat.

  “Phin! Madison!” Dad groaned. He used her full first name only when he was annoyed at something.

  “Oh, sorry, Dad,” Madison said. “It’s just that this song was playing on the radio at Mom’s, too, just a few minutes ago, and if you randomly hear the same song like that, it means that it’s your lucky song. Doesn’t it, Aim?”

  “You’re the one who believes in all that superstitious stuff,” Aimee said.

  “Well,” Dad said, “I don’t care if it is your lucky song. That’s no reason to scream in the car. I thought something was wrong.”

  Aimee made a “whoopsie” face. Madison squirmed in her seat.

  They drove o
n. Once they hit the highway, everyone (except Dad, of course) started to doze off.

  Madison awoke half an hour later with a cramp in her leg. Stephanie was looking out the window, or sleeping—Madison couldn’t tell. Phin slept on Stephanie’s lap. Dad was listening to talk radio, not the cool music station they’d been listening to before. Aimee was still out cold, her mouth hanging open the way it usually did when she slept. She always slept funny. Once, at a sleepover, Madison, Fiona, and their other friend Lindsay watched as Aimee rolled over, mouth open, asleep, onto her giant teddy bear. The next day, Aimee woke up with fur on her tongue.

  “Daddy?” Madison asked softly from the back seat. “I’m going to use my laptop. Is that okay?”

  “Of course,” he said. “That’s why I got you the laptop. So you could take it anywhere you wanted.”

  “I mean, is it okay if we don’t talk?” Madison asked. “I don’t want you to think I’m being rude or that I don’t want to talk or… well, you know what I mean.”

  Dad looked briefly over his shoulder at her and then turned back to the road. He could see Madison through his rearview mirror.

  “Maddie, this is your vacation,” he said. “Do whatever you want.”

  Madison logged on and opened a new file.

  On the Road

  Rude Awakening: I thought taking a trip with Dad and Stephanie would drive me crazy. But this vacation feels like it’s driving in a very different direction.

  Big news: in addition to keeping her mouth wide open like a trout, Aimee snores! I never knew that, even after all the times I slept over at her house and she slept over at mine. Or maybe she snores because she is sitting up. I wish I had my video so I had proof. She will totally deny that she does this.

  I forgot that once you drive out of Far Hills, there are so many trees and mountains, and everything here is dusted with snow. Dad says that when we get up to the Adirondack mountains, we’ll be climbing in altitude. It gets colder, so there’s even more snow on the ground. He’s good with all that science data. I know he watches the Weather Channel a lot.

  Oh, wow! As I’m writing this, we just passed this HUGE farm with cows everywhere. And I can see there’s a flurry of snow in the air now. Stephanie’s waking up in the front seat. She rolled down her window for a little fresh air and WHAMMO! A gust of snowy air blew right into her face. Between the snow and the snores, this is pretty funny stuff. But I’m trying desperately not to laugh back here.