“I don’t think he’s going anywhere,” said Derek. He looked over at Dad. “Unless you want me to try to make things a little more interesting…”
Dad gave him a stern frown before walking into the ballroom. “Don’t get any ideas. I’ll hold two seats for you in my row. Come sit down once the guests have finished coming in.”
“Okay,” said Sam, flipping through his pile of programs.
A woman playing soft music on a grand piano next to the staircase changed tunes into something more formal. Caitlin’s dad moved into position at the front of the room with his camera. He had another assistant at the top of the stairs who would capture the photos of the wedding party coming down.
Caitlin followed her dad, holding an extra camera and a large flash. She looked pretty in a light pink dress. Sam was impressed, she really seemed to know what she was doing. Maybe she was right after all. In that elegant room, surrounded by history and decorations, it did feel like a movie.
After the last guest entered the ballroom, Sam and Derek joined their dad in the second row. Robert and three groomsmen stepped out from the side of the ballroom and lined up at the bottom of the grand staircase. They were all dressed in black tuxedos, just like the ushers. Sam smiled as he saw Nathan standing next to his dad in his tux as the best man. He was short, but he looked good.
The piano tune changed to a stately processional that Sam recognized, but he didn’t know the name of. Two bridesmaids came first, slowly stepping down the grand staircase. Each wore a long yellow dress and held a simple bouquet of white roses.
Sam felt chill bumps on his arms, like a cool breeze. His attention shifted to the side of the staircase. What was that? Something had moved, he was sure of it. He glanced around, but no one else had noticed. They were all concentrating on the wedding party coming down the stairs. He turned to look at Mo standing guard in the back of the room. The alligator was still in its cage. Thank goodness. Sam took a deep breath. Why was he so jumpy?
Derek nudged Sam with his elbow, nodding to the top of the stairs. Mom was coming down. She looked pretty in her yellow dress. Her hair was pulled up in a way that he’d never seen. She looked down at them and winked.
He took his eyes off Mom and stretched his neck to look beside the staircase. A dark shadow filled the floor right in front of the spot in the wall where they’d entered the passageway. Sam gulped. Something moved. Was that a leg? He poked Derek.
“Stop!” Derek whispered, pushing Sam’s hand away. Anita was at the crest of the staircase. Her long white gown trailed several feet behind her, stretching out on the red carpet of the staircase. Sam’s eyes darted back and forth from the side of the staircase to the red carpet. He glimpsed Anita’s white alligator shoes when she lifted the edge of her gown to walk.
When he looked back at the spot next to the stairs, the shadow was gone. He blinked his eyes. Had something been there or was his imagination just getting the best of him?
Anita reached the bottom step, and Robert moved over to meet her. Sam looked up at Dad and saw his face in a smile, his eyes still fixed on Mom. Should he say something? As Robert and Anita held hands and the minister started speaking, Sam sighed and shook his head. He needed to get alligators out of his mind.
***
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the band leader’s voice said over the loudspeaker, “we’re going to slow this one down a bit.”
Sam took a long sip of his punch as the band started playing a romantic tune. The wedding reception was in a large room off the balcony above the ballroom.
“Aren’t you going to ask me to dance, Sam Jackson?”
Sam looked up at Caitlin standing in front of him. Where had she come from? He gave a nervous smile. “Uh…”
“Of course he will, Caitlin,” his mom answered, nudging him toward the dance floor.
Sam felt his stomach tighten. His cheeks burned. He looked up at his mom with pleading eyes, but she just smiled.
Caitlin set her camera down on the table and walked with him onto the dance floor. Before he knew it, her hands were resting on his shoulders. He looked at the couple next to him and awkwardly copied how the man had his hands on the woman’s waist. He began shuffling his feet back and forth, following the flow of the music. Sort of.
Sam looked up at Caitlin. She was smiling, staring around the room. He tried to breathe. This wasn’t so bad.
“Ouch!” Caitlin said, moving her foot back. He’d stepped on her toe.
“Sorry,” he muttered, trying not to sweat. “I don’t really know how to dance.”
Caitlin giggled. “Me either.” She glanced around them. “But I think we’re doing okay. No one seems to be staring.”
They turned and saw Derek on the side of the room making funny faces at them.
“Much,” she added.
Sam laughed. He started to relax. That was one of the reasons he liked being friends with Caitlin. She was easy to be around.
“Do you think they’re going to be happy?” Caitlin asked, nodding at Robert and Anita on the other side of the dance floor.
“I guess,” said Sam. “They seem to be happy now, right?”
Caitlin nodded. “I hope so.”
Sam looked at Nathan, sitting on the side of the room. “What about him?”
“I think he’s coming around,” said Caitlin. “I’m sure it will be hard though, with all the changes in his life. My mom says that everyone handles changes differently.”
“Yeah,” nodded Sam. He was starting to get the hang of this dancing stuff.
“There’s just one thing I don’t get,” said Caitlin.
“What?”
“Who let the alligator out of the cage?”
Sam shrugged. He’d been thinking about that too. “Maybe it just escaped.”
“By itself?” asked Caitlin.
“Maybe it was homesick.” He thought of the underground lake and all the alligators gathered around it. “Maybe the zoo alligator could sense all the others in the passageway. Maybe he was just trying to go home.” He nodded over at Nathan. “It’s hard to be in a new place sometimes.”
The slow song ended and Caitlin pulled her arms tighter around Sam’s neck and hugged him. “Thanks for the dance.”
Sam nodded and stepped back as a new song started up. Derek rushed over to them with a big grin. Sam put his hand up. “Don’t say a word.”
“What?” laughed Derek, dancing to the new song. It was faster than the last one. He looked over at Caitlin. “How do you like my moves?”
Nathan walked up to their group. He snickered at Derek. “Is that supposed to be dancing?”
“You know it,” answered Derek.
“Hey, I love this song!” said Caitlin, recognizing the tune. “It’s perfect, don’t you think?”
“What is it?” asked Sam.
Nathan looked surprised. “You don’t know Elton John? He’s from England. It’s brilliant!”
Sam listened to the words and started laughing.
“La, la, la, la, la, la!” sang Derek, rocking along to the mad piano playing. “This is Crocodile Rock!”
TWENTY-TWO
Sam was happy to finally be going home. It felt good to know that he’d be sleeping in his own bed without any fear of reptiles gobbling him up while he slept. He thought about all the crazy things that had happened that weekend at The Jefferson. He never imagined that a wedding could be so stressful, especially for a guest!
After the ceremony, he and Derek had led Mo and the hotel manager down through the secret passageway under the grand staircase. Things looked much different all lit up by flashlights. They felt different too with shoes on Sam’s feet and regular clothes instead of pajamas.
They found the old room with Lewis Ginter’s name on it. The men both marveled about the world map on the wall with Ginter’s travel markings, and some of the other documents in the desk and shelves were quite rare. The manager said the discovered items would make great additions to the display cases up in th
e hotel.
Derek tried to lead the way back to Alligator Lake, but it was hard to remember where they’d been. The twists and turns in the passageways were confusing. Mo was worried that they might get lost and the hotel manager acted nervous being in the tunnels. Both grownups seemed skeptical that the boys had really seen a lake of alligators underground.
They had finally found what looked like the doorway they’d entered on the way to the room with the alligators, but now it was just a tall pile of crumbled rocks. Sam remembered slamming into the beams and the avalanche of rocks as they ran away. It did seem like the same spot, but he couldn’t be sure if the rock pile had just formed the night before or had been there for decades.
There was no trace of a fire in the tunnels, much to the relief of the hotel manager. He said that one hotel fire in 1901 was enough. Nor were there any signs of alligators. Not that Sam wanted to find any. After a while, he had even started wondering if they’d dreamed the whole thing up, but deep down he knew they hadn’t. Besides, Derek and Nathan had seen it too.
Alligator Lake was real, even if it was buried behind a pile of rocks. Sam could still see the alligator’s beady eyes staring at him through the lantern light. He could feel the heat from the fire against his face. He shuddered again just thinking about it.
When they pulled into the driveway, Mr. Haskins waved at them from over his fence. Sam remembered what they’d said to him before the wedding, when he showed them the old picture from his wallet. They’d promised to tell him if anything crazy with alligators had happened. Well that was an understatement.
Derek told the old man about meeting Mo and everything they’d seen in the passageways. Mr. Haskins just listened, taking it all in with his usual crooked smile. Sam didn’t know if he believed their story either, but there was a glimmer in his eyes that said he just might.
There was something about that old hotel that seemed like it would stick in one’s memory. Maybe it was all the history, the long staircase, or just the alligators. Whatever it was, Sam knew he wouldn’t forget it either.
Perhaps someday he’d be an old man like Mr. Haskins, and he’d tell some kids all about the crazy scary weekend that he went to The Jefferson for a wedding, and along the way, met its most unusual guests.
Join Sam and Derek’s Next Adventure!
The Virginia Mysteries Book 5
Sam, Derek and Caitlin have encountered many mysteries together, but when they visit Maymont, Richmond’s historic estate, danger seems to be lurking at every corner. A chance meeting with a mysterious stranger at the wild animal habitats and a secret code begins a determined hunt to rescue a symbol of our nation’s strength. After Sam receives an eerie message in the middle of the night, Derek and Caitlin devise a plan that leads to a secret abandoned palace, tucked high into the Blue Ridge Mountains near the Appalachian Trail. But once they discover the truth, this might be one mystery that’s too much for the kids to bear.
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The Virginia Mysteries
Adventures with a twist of history
Book 1: Summer of the Woods
Book 2: Mystery on Church Hill
Book 3: Ghosts of Belle Isle
Book 4: Secret of the Staircase
Book 5: Midnight at the Mansion
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Splashing in the Deep End: Adventures Raising Boys
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Acknowledgements
If I’d tried to peer up ahead three years ago, I wouldn’t have suspected where this road would lead. Thousands of books sold, hundreds of kids and families that I’ve been able to meet. As Sam would say, it’s been sweet!
The generous supply of grace from my family means so much. I couldn’t do this without their inspiration and patience. Thank you to my wife, Mary, and my three boys, Matthew, Josh, and Aaron, for cheering me on along the journey and allowing me to stretch for my passions.
Thank you also to so many friends and family who have supported my efforts and provided enthusiasm and encouragement - Alicia, Ryan, Mom, Dad, Jean, Ray Robin, Julia, Richmond Children’s Writers critique group, CHAT, Ali, and Julie. Thanks to my editor, Kim Sheard at Another View Editing for keeping everything clear and concise, Janie Dullard at Lector’s Books for her proofreading, and Dane at Ebook Launch for designing all the awesome covers for the series.
To Virginia, my adopted home, thank you for bursting with history, and for the enthusiasm of all who live here for learning about and from its past.
Secret of the Staircase is Steven Smith's fourth book in The Virginia Mysteries series. He lives with his wife, three young sons, and a golden retriever named Charlie, in Richmond, Virginia. He often writes about their adventures on his blog, MyBoys3.com.
Books by Steven K. Smith
Summer of the Woods
Mystery on Church Hill
Ghosts of Belle Isle
Secret of the Staircase
Midnight at the Mansion
Splashing in the Deep End: Adventures Raising Boys
MyBoys3 Press Supports CHAT
Sam and Derek aren’t the only kids that crave adventure. Whether near woods in the country or amidst tall buildings and the busy urban streets of a city, every child needs exciting ways to explore his or her imagination, excel at learning and have fun.
Ten percent of the proceeds from The Virginia Mysteries series will be donated to the great work of CHAT (Church Hill Activities & Tutoring). CHAT is a non-profit group that works with kids in the Church Hill neighborhood of inner-city Richmond, Virginia.
CHAT started in 2001 when a family from the West End suburbs of Richmond went “all in” to invest in the residents of the Church Hill community – they bought a home and moved into the neighborhood! CHAT’s vision is Opening Homes, Transforming Lives, Rebuilding Communities. They literally open up their homes to provide after-school tutoring, life-skills training, leadership programs, a private academy for at-risk high school students, community events, summer camps and more.
To learn more about CHAT, including opportunities to volunteer or contribute financially, visit their website:
www.chatrichmond.org.
Secret of the Staircase (The Virginia Mysteries Book 4) Page 9
