Jeff swallowed hard. He didn’t want to scare his younger brother by admitting that he, too, was nervous.
The ray of sunshine slanted down into the darkness. The boys sat in its pool of light. They could hear wind in the trees outside. Ravenous, they ate some licorice and shared Jeff’s banana sandwich. Their canteens were almost empty.
As the afternoon passed, the spot of sunshine slid up the wall, then disappeared. Now it was night. A star twinkled overhead and they heard crickets.
“You cold?”
“Freezing. It’s damp in here. That water’s still dripping somewhere.”
“Rub your arms fast, then your legs. It helps warm you up.”
“Okay. How long do you think we’ve been in here?”
“Hours.”
“At least here we have a tiny bit of light and fresh air. And Mom’s on duty until two a.m., so she should be coming home soon. She’ll see our note, then—”
“Jeff?”
“What?”
There was a rustling as David dug in his backpack for a piece of paper. He handed it to his brother. “When we were looking for our knives, I found this.”
Jeff held it up to the starlight. “Our note to Mom?” he questioned. “What’s it doing here?”
“We left in such a hurry. I guess I accidentally shoved it into my bag with my art stuff. I’m sorry, Jeff.”
“It’s okay, buddy. I was in a hurry, too. I wanted to get out here and really find something.”
David sneezed. He was shivering. “Our poor dogs,” he said. “Rascal worries when we’re not around and old Tessie gets cold so easy. They haven’t had dinner, either.”
“Well, at least they’re keeping each other company.”
“Yeah. Like us.”
16
An Unexpected Visitor
Jeff bolted awake. It was pitch-dark.
Where am I? he wondered. Then he felt his brother’s shoulder next to his. The cave. We’re still here.
“David?” He shook the younger boy’s arm. “Hear that?”
They looked up to the circle of starlight. How many hours had passed, they couldn’t tell. They listened. A faint jingling came from outside. It got louder.
“Is that Yum-Yum?” They grabbed each other, straining to hear. It seemed impossible.
“Yum-Yum!” they cried.
“How’d Claire get on the island?”
“Who cares? Here, I’ll lift you,” said Jeff. “Call her. Loud as you can.”
Up went David. He yelled their cousin’s name. The jingly bells stopped. He could see Claire’s light flash against the dark trees overhead.
“Jeff! David!” came Claire’s voice. “Where are you guys?”
“Here,” cried David.
“But where?”
“Shine your light along the ground. I’ll wave my hand.”
A minute passed, then they heard Claire again. “I still can’t see you.”
“Hey, Jeff,” said David. “I’ve got an idea. Maybe she’ll see this.” He pulled off his T-shirt, which was white. Then he wiggled it, bit by bit, up through the hole. The opening was just big enough for him to wave the shirt like a flag.
Finally, there came a steady beam of light, then the sound of running footsteps. A small hand clasped David’s. “Is this you?” cried Claire.
“Yes, yes!” Next David felt the sniffing noses and slobbery tongues of three dogs.
“Rascal! Tessie! Hey, Jeff, the dogs are all here. Claire, what time is it?”
“Almost midnight.”
“You’re kidding!”
“Nope. Not kidding. We’ve got to hurry before our parents get home. Or else they’ll ban us from here forever.”
Jeff wanted to get down to business. “Claire,” he shouted up to her, “you’re amazing. We’re so glad you’re here. But we need you to guide us out of this cave. Are you okay? Are you scared?”
“I made it over here by myself, didn’t I?”
“Right. Okay. Can you see our lookout tower?”
“Uh, hold on a minute. Yes. There’s moonlight behind it.”
Next, Jeff described how she could find the cave’s entrance from the base of that tree.
“And you probably can see where we crawled under the bushes,” David yelled. “The dirt is soft there.”
“Got it,” she said. “Tessie and Rascal will track you in no time. See you soon.” Her footsteps crunched away.
They could hear Yum-Yum’s bells grow faint once again.
“I can’t believe it’s the middle of the night.”
“Me, neither. I hope we make it home before Mom does.”
“How do you think Claire found us?” David wondered.
“Beats me. I’m just glad Uncle Wyatt taught her about boats. He’s been letting her drive that outboard for months.”
“She’s smart all right.”
“Yeah. And that dog of hers isn’t so bad either.”
17
A Surprise
Jeff and David waited in the darkness for Claire. They finished the licorice while rubbing their arms to stay warm. Their canteens were now empty.
After some minutes, they heard a familiar noise. The panting of dogs and Yum-Yum’s jingly collar echoed through the tunnel.
“Here, Tessie! Here, Rascal!” the brothers called. “Here, Yum-Yum.” Suddenly they felt furry paws and wet noses. In the distance they could see Claire’s light along the walls, moving toward them.
When she arrived, they were so relieved to see her they both talked at once.
“Guess what! The McCoys made it out here after all.”
“We thought Mr. Wellback trapped us, but he didn’t.”
“How’d you get to the island, Claire?”
She told them about starting up the engine on her dad’s little boat. “It’s almost a full moon,” she said, “so the lake is easy to see. I figured something had happened when you guys weren’t home by sunset. The canoe wasn’t at the dock. There were no lights on in your cabin. When you didn’t answer your walkie-talkies, I knew I better get to the island.
“Anyway,” she continued, “Tessie and Rascal led me to the lookout tower, but just sniffed around in circles. I was so glad when I finally saw your white flag!”
Claire smiled at her cousins, but her expression quickly changed. “We gotta get going right now. Mom and Dad’ll send out a search party if I’m not home when they get back from the café. It closes in less than an hour.”
“We’re ready!” said the brothers.
“Okay, follow me. Hey, it’s really cold in here. Hold on a sec.” As Claire zipped up her sweatshirt, her flashlight slipped from her hand. Now in the dark, she stumbled. There was a loud snap and crackle beneath her shoes. “Eew!” she cried. “What is that?”
David retrieved her flashlight and shone it toward her. When Claire saw what she had stepped on, she screamed and jumped away.
“Gruesome,” Jeff said.
David’s eyes were wide. “Wow.”
18
The Mystery Deepens
Claire had fallen over a human skeleton.
It was propped in a corner, as if sitting up, and Claire had tripped on the dead man’s legs. Tatters of clothing were attached to the body. On the ground beside it lay a valise, an old leather suitcase.
Claire was too startled to comment. She felt bad about having stepped on the bones but was still grossed out.
In the shadowy darkness, Jeff leaned close for a better look. “It’s the bandit!” he cried. “He has two hands, but he’s missing—”
“He’s missing a foot,” David finished. “So that was his foot we found. I knew that newspaper story got it wrong. Hey, maybe the gold’s in that bag.”
They turned the valise upside down. It was empty except for a broken pencil and a thin black book. David grabbed it, hoping there were drawings or a map inside. He held it to the flashlight and opened the crackly pages.
“Just lines full of numbe
rs,” he said, disappointed.
“So here lies the Silver Spur Bandit,” said Jeff. “Too bad there’s no money.”
The cousins continued to gawk at the skeleton. For the moment, they forgot they were in a hurry. Then Claire said, “But what if the newspaper got it right? That it was the robber’s hand that was shot off?”
“Then if this isn’t the robber, who is it?” asked David.
“And why is he in this cave,” Jeff said, “locked up in this room? I can’t believe it’s been in the corner this whole time with us in here! That creeps me out!”
“Me, too!” said David. “What if we’d fallen on it in the dark?”
The cousins wondered if they should say a prayer or a few words of kindness, like in the movies, but Claire reminded them of their situation. She pressed a button on her watch with her sparkly pink fingernail. The time glowed green.
“It’s already 12:45!” she cried. “If we don’t get home soon, we’ll be in so much trouble.”
In the tunnel, the cousins came upon two paths. One turned left, the other turned right.
“Claire?” said Jeff. “Do you remember which way you came in?”
Just then, another swarm of bats swooped overhead, the beating of their wings creating wind. Claire screamed. A foul odor made the cousins’ eyes water.
“This place is terrible,” she cried. “I can’t believe you guys came in here without a plan.” She swept her light back and forth. “There. Up ahead. We have to follow that.”
“A golf ball?” David said. “Where’d it come from?”
“Remember the bucket of balls from your garage?”
“Hey, there’s another one up there,” said Jeff.
“It’s a trail. Just like Hansel and Gretel,” said Claire.
“Who?”
“You know, the story about the witch who lived in a forest and ate little children?” Claire asked, not pausing for a response. “Hansel and Gretel escaped because they had left stones along their path, all the way from their village. So when they ran out of the woods, they could find their way home. Come on, Jeff and David. We really gotta hurry.”
David looked back at his brother. “Why didn’t we think of that?”
“She’s better at planning,” said Jeff. “That’s why.”
19
A New Theory
Claire’s trail of golf balls led them out into the night.
The moon was setting behind the mountain. But because the sky was still aglow, the cousins found their way through the woods to the beach. Jeff and David tied a rope to the canoe so they could tow it home. Then they watched as Claire started the outboard engine. The motorboat puttered across the lake under a canopy of stars.
When they reached the far shore, the cousins secured their crafts to the dock. The boys walked Claire and Yum-Yum to her cabin then ran home. After feeding their dogs, they hurried upstairs to their bedroom. From their window they saw headlights coming down the road from town. It was Aunt Lilly and Uncle Wyatt. Their jeep turned onto the driveway next door.
“Just in time,” the brothers said. Now they crawled under their warm quilts. They were chilled after so many hours in the cave, and exhausted. While whispering about the skeleton, they fell sound asleep.
It was two o’clock in the morning. Soon Mom would be driving home from her shift at the animal hospital.
The cousins slept in the next morning, they were so tired. For lunch they rode their bikes to the Western Café. They ordered burgers and fries for this important meeting.
Jeff began. “Well,” he said, “we finally know that something really did happen on Lost Island. Whoever died in the cave was missing a foot and someone locked him in.”
“And we found silver spurs,” Claire said.
David wrote these clues in his sketchbook. “And we know the litterbug McCoys were on the island,” he said. “Maybe they’ve even found the cave.”
“Okay, what about the librarian?” Claire asked. “She didn’t seem to care at all about the maps. But remember how nervous she was? She kept fidgeting and wouldn’t look us in the eye. Was she just acting? Does she know something?”
David drew a giant Q on the page. He listed his questions:
“I wonder how Mr. Wellback knew the maps were missing. Remember how he said we wouldn’t find anything in the atlases? And why was he spying on us from the dock yesterday? Another thing—why does he fake a limp? We saw him carrying all that lumber, and he wasn’t limping then.”
“And why doesn’t he want us on Lost Island?” Claire asked.
“Maybe his old grandpa sheriff buried some gold out there,” Jeff replied, “and told his family about it. Now all these years later, Grumpy Gus wants to find it before we do.”
The cousins were quiet, pondering these theories. They passed around ketchup for their fries. Claire gave Jeff her pickle. He gave her his lettuce and tomato. While David looked under the table for his napkin, they quickly transferred their black olives to his plate.
The napkin found, David used it to wipe the mayonnaise off his bun.
A waitress brought three milk shakes to their booth. She was an older lady with curly gray hair.
“Kids,” she said, “I couldn’t help but overhear you discussing Grumpy Gus. That old man has been trying for years to prove his ancestor was an honest sheriff, but no one believes him. He’s just trying to make himself look good by clearing the family name, that’s all. You better stay away from the old coot.”
She gave them extra napkins then left. Not until she went behind the counter did anyone say a word.
Jeff looked over his shoulder to make sure people at the next table weren’t listening. In a low voice he said, “Now what about the skeleton? When should we tell the police?”
“Today,” was Claire’s quick answer. “Before Rex and Ronald find it and do something to it. You said you found the candy wrapper by the cave’s entrance, right? So they probably know how to get inside.”
David frowned. “So if we tell the police about the skeleton, what happens to Fort Grizzly Paw? It won’t be a secret anymore with cops swarming around. They’ll tell their kids, then everyone in Cabin Creek will know.”
The cousins looked out the window, again thoughtful. It was a hot afternoon. They could see the lake. A swimmers’ beach was there and a dock with paddleboats. Teenagers were playing volleyball in the sand. Others Rollerbladed, some had skateboards. A basketball court was busy.
Jeff poked a straw into his shake then took a loud slurp. “Maybe it won’t be so bad. Lost Island is far away and hard to find. And except for the McCoys, not that many kids have their own boats for getting there.”
“Plus,” Claire said, “there’s tons of stuff for kids to do here in town. No one cares about Lost Island like we do.”
David grinned. “That’s for ding-dong sure.” Even though he suspected Mr. Wellback, he liked how the old man said things.
20
The Police Station
After lunch, the cousins rode through town to the police station. The captain listened to their story. He studied David’s drawing of the skeleton, which he had sketched from memory. Just for fun, David had added a spider crawling over the skull, and also a rat sitting on the bony shoulder.
“This is quite good, young fellow,” the man said. “All my life I’ve wondered if there was any truth to that legend. And now we might have some evidence.” He tipped back his chair to gaze out the window. The view of Blue Mountain and the lake was like a postcard.
The cousins waited while the captain seemed lost in memory. His eyes were dreamy and he had a slight smile. This is when they noticed a woman in the next office, working at a computer. She seemed familiar.
“The librarian!” Claire whispered, nudging Jeff and David. “She works here, too.”
Suddenly the captain sat up, as if he had been caught napping. “What’s that you say?”
When he saw the children staring, he said, “Oh, she’s
my sister. Helps me out on Fridays. Do you know her?”
The cousins looked at one another, careful about what to say. “Only that she’s the new librarian,” Jeff replied. “We saw her the other day.”
“Heavens,” the man said. “Poor girl had to quit after her first day. She was so allergic to dust from the old books, her eyes stung and stung. She couldn’t even see straight. It’s too bad, too. She’s new in town and it would’ve given her a chance to make friends.
"Now, where were we? Oh, yes. We have some business to take care of. I know the museum director will be interested in the spurs you found, but too bad there’s no money to divvy up.
"Anyhow," the captain continued, "we need your help guiding investigators into that cave. I’ll speak with your parents. If it’s okay with them, can you kids meet our team at the island next Wednesday morning? Say, nine o’clock?”
“Yes, sir,” replied Jeff.
“You’ll see our red canoe on the north shore,” David said.
“And our dogs,” added Claire. “They’re very suspicious of strangers, so don’t make any sudden moves.” Claire had heard this line in a movie and liked its dramatic effect.
As the cousins rode away from the police station, they discussed the grouchy woman from the library, the captain’s sister.
“Since she has allergies,” Claire said, “that explains why she was rubbing her nose and blinking. Those atlases are really old and dusty.”
“And maybe she was nervous because it was her first day,” David suggested.
“We were whispering a lot,” Jeff said. “Maybe that’s why she stared at us.”
Continuing home, they passed the park and baseball field. Behind the library, they came to an empty lot with a handmade sign: community garden. They were surprised to see Mr. Wellback there with a hoe and wheelbarrow. He rested on a bench. In front of him stretched rows of dirt, dotted with tiny green plants.
The Secret of Robber's Cave (Cabin Creek Mysteries Book 1) Page 5
