The Secret of Robber's Cave (Cabin Creek Mysteries Book 1)

by Kristiana Gregory

  He grabbed his binoculars from his bedpost. Then he jumped up to wake his ten-year-old brother, David, who was wrapped in his quilt on the floor. Tessie, their old yellow Lab, was stretched out on David’s bed as usual, her head on the pillow. Not bothered by minor disturbances, Tessie slept on.

  “David, look! Hurry! A boat’s at the island. Something’s not right.”

  David popped up. Still in his T-shirt and shorts from yesterday, he was ready for action. “Okay. I’m awake.” He found his binoculars among the clutter of socks and shoes beside him.

  In the starlight, the brothers could see Lost Island. Their secret fort was hidden in the island’s forest, but they weren’t concerned with the fort now. Circling near the rocky point was an aluminum fishing boat that had a shiny stripe along its side. Someone was in the bow, holding up a lantern—the boys couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. The engine had slowed to a putter ... putter ... putter.

  Suddenly, a large object rolled over the side. It splashed into the black water and sank from view. Though half a mile across the lake, the noise was as loud as if from their kitchen downstairs. Jeff and David looked at each other, then raised their binoculars again. Now the boat had been pulled ashore, and someone was walking on the island.

  Jeff lowered his voice so he wouldn’t wake their mother. “Did that look like someone threw a body overboard?” he asked his younger brother.

  “Definitely.”

  They listened until once again the night was still. Stars wiggled on the surface of the dark lake. Though it seemed peaceful, the boys were uneasy. Jeff reached over a Monopoly game scattered on the carpet for his walkie- talkie.

  “We have to let Claire know.” He clicked a dial, then held down a button. “Claire?” he whispered into the speaker. “Wake up. Over.” He paused a moment, then repeated his message.

  Claire was their nine-year-old cousin and best friend. She, too, lived on the lake. Her log home was close enough to Jeff and David’s that they could signal each other from their bedroom windows. A footbridge over the creek connected the two properties. When they wanted to talk late at night, the cousins used two-way radios turned down low, so they wouldn’t bother their parents. They wished they had cell phones, but there was no reception in these mountains.

  Soon, a girl’s voice came through the static. “Claire Posey reporting for duty. What’s up, guys? Over.” “Suspicious activity,” said Jeff. “Will debrief tomorrow. Come to breakfast at seven o’clock. Over.” He and his brother liked to use military time.

  “Jeff, we were already planning to make pancakes together, remember? Over.”

  “Oh, right. I forgot. See you tomorrow, then. Over.” To David he said, “Now do the secret code.”

  David aimed his flashlight at Claire’s window. He waved it around, then turned it off and on several times. In response, Claire tugged the strings on her venetian blinds: Open. Shut. Open. Twice. Then, for a grand finale, David smooshed his face against the glass, shining his light up through his nose. At that, Claire closed her blinds. “What code did you give her?” Jeff asked, getting back into bed.

  “Oh, the usual.”

  “You mean, you made something up?”

  “Yep.” David returned to his nest on the floor and rolled into his quilt. “Hey, Jeff, what if that really was a body?”

  Jeff checked under his pillow to make sure his flashlight was still there. “Well, if it is a body,” he replied, “then someone was murdered.”

  Read all of the

  CABIN CREEK

  MYSTERIES

  Turn the page to see the others:

  #3 THE LEGEND OF SKULL CLIFF: When a camper disappears from the dangerous lookout at Skull Cliff, the cousins wonder if it is the old town curse at work. Then the police discover a ransom note, and everyone is in search of a kidnaper. But Jeff, David, and Claire can't make the clues fit. Was the bossy boy from the city kidnapped, or did something even spookier take place on Skull Cliff?

  #4 THE HAUNTING OF HILLSIDE SCHOOL: When a girl's face appears, then disappears, outside a window of their spooky old schoolhouse, the cousins think they've seen a ghost. More strange clues -- piano music lilting through empty halls, a secret passageway, and an old portrait that looks like the girl from the window -- make Jeff, David, and Claire begin to wonder: Is their school just spooky, or could it be ... haunted?

  #5 THE BLIZZARD ON BLUE MOUNTAIN: Jeff, David, and Claire love their winter break jobs at the ski chalet on Blue Mountain, where they get to snowboard and go sledding between shifts of cleaning and tending to the grounds. But when things start going missing from the chalet, the cousins find themselves prime suspects. Can they solve the mystery before they get ski-lifted out of their winter wonderland? Or will trying to solve the case make them the frosty culprit's next target?

  #6 THE SECRET OF THE JUNKYARD SHADOW: The cousins discover a mysterious stranger sneaking into the local dump. When bikes, toasters, and other items disappear all over town, they begin to suspect he might be up to no good. But when these items show up again, fixed and freshly painted, Jeff, David, and Claire are confused. What kind of thief repairs and returns his stolen goods?

  #7 THE PHANTOM OF HIDDEN HORSE RANCH: During summer vacation the cousins are excited to visit their grandparents on Hidden Horse Ranch. They get to sleep in a bunkhouse, swim in a pond with a rope swing, and ride horses any time they want. But they arrive to find that a mysterious fire has destroyed the stables, and the herd has escaped into the nearby canyons. Also troubling, valuable objects have been disappearing from the ranch house. As Jeff, David, and Claire follow clues and suspects, they keep running into dead-ends and wonder if the ranch has a phantom.

  About the author:

  Kristiana Gregory's popular Cabin Creek Mysteries are from stories she told her sons where they were little and needed a bribe to go to bed. All she needed to say was, "Do you guys want to hear a Jeff and David story?" and boom, they were there. The Phantom of Hidden Horse Ranch is #7 in the series, and continues the cousins'

  adventures in the rugged American West.

  Kristiana grew up in Manhattan Beach, California, two blocks from the ocean and has always loved to make up stories. Her first rejection letter at age eleven was for a poem she wrote in class when she was supposed to be doing a math assignment. She's had a myriad of odd jobs: telephone operator, lifeguard, camp counselor, reporter, book reviewer & columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and finally author.

  Jenny of the Tetons (Harcourt) won the Golden Kite Award in 1989 and was the first of two-dozen historical novels for middle-grade readers. Bronte's Book Club is set in a town by the sea and is inspired by her own childhood and the girls' book club she led for several years.

  The Waiting Light: Clementine's Story, takes place in an Idaho mining camp of 1866, based on the song, "My Darling Clementine." It was chosen as the Idaho book for the 2010 National Book Festival, sponsored by the Library of Congress: honorary Chairs were President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Kristiana's most recent title in Scholastic's Dear America series is Cannons At Dawn, a sequel to the best-selling The Winter of Red Snow, which was made into a movie for the HBO Family Channel.

  Her memoir, Blue Skies: One Author's Journey reveals behind-the-scenes of children's publishing, and the origin of ideas.

  Kristiana and her husband have two adult sons, and live in Idaho with their two golden retrievers. In her spare time she loves to swim, hike, read, look at the clouds, and hang out with friends.

  http://notesfromthesunroom.blogspot.com/

  http://www.amazon.com/Kristiana-Gregory/e/B000APTEWK

  Kristiana's Books

  1989 -- JENNY OF THE TETONS

  An Indian attack leaves young Carrie Hill wounded and alone. Hating and fearing the Indians who killed her parents, Carrie joins the English trapper Beaver Dick Leigh to help care for his growing family. To her dismay, Carrie discovers that his wife, Jenny, is a Shoshone Indian. But as her wounds heal at Jenny's gentle
hands, Carrie begins to respect and love this kind and sensitive woman as well as to appreciate the magnificence of the towering Tetons and the Indians' feeling of oneness with nature. Jenny Lake and Leigh Lake in Wyoming are named after this couple.

  ** SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Fiction

  ** "This is heartfelt historical fiction, and readers will relish each page of the adventure." -Publishers Weekly

  1990 -- THE LEGEND OF JIMMY SPOON

  Twelve-year-old Jimmy Spoon yearns for the life of adventure he is certain a horse would bring. So when two Shoshoni boys offer him a horse, on the condition he ride with them to their camp, Jimmy sneaks away from his family in Salt Lake City to follow the boys. But the journey is harder and much longer than he imagined, and when Jimmy arrives at the Shoshoni camp he discovers that he is expected to stay -- as a member of the tribe!

  Based on the true story of Elijah Nick Wilson. Wilson, Wyoming is named after this pioneer.

  ** "[A] carefully researched, sympathetic, well-balanced picture of life on the frontier; authentic details of daily life are deftly woven into a moving story." - Kirkus Reviews

  1992 -- EARTHQUAKE AT DAWN

  It's April 18, 1906, and a powerful earthquake has just rocked San Francisco. Photographer Edith Irvine and her assistant, Daisy Valentine, survive the tragedy. Armed with Edith's camera, the two women set out to document the shocking devastation -- even as buildings crumble around them and soldiers promise to shoot anyone trying to photograph the crippled city.

  Based on the real-life experience of photographer Edith Irvine, this harrowing tale of bravery and survival includes many of Edith's now-famous photographs.

  ** "Touching and exciting, this close-up has immediacy and an authentic voice that brings history vividly to life." - Kirkus Reviews

  ** ALA Best Book for Young Adults

  ** California Commonwealth Award for Juvenile Fiction

  1994 -- JIMMY SPOON AND THE PONY EXPRESS

  Jimmy knew from the moment he laid eyes on the ad, that he had to ride for the Pony Express:

  "Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily, orphans preferred. Wages $24 a week ..."

  And no one was more qualified than Jimmy. He had lived with the Shoshoni for years and had learned their ways. No white boy could ride like Jimmy Spoon. But fifty miles a day isn't an easy ride -- even for him. And the trails are dangerous. Living conditions are primitive; there are outlaws, angry tribes, blistering heat, and below-zero winters. And all along, Jimmy yearns to return to his Shoshoni family, especially to rekindle his friendship with the lovely Nahanee.

  A continuation of the true story of Elijah Nick Wilson.

  ** " ... terrific ... " - VOYA

  ** " ... exciting ... those who have not read Legend will certainly want to do so after finishing this one." - School Library Journal

  1995 -- THE STOWAWAY: A TALE OF CALIFORNIA PIRATES

  When the sails of the buccaneer ships first appear on the horizon, Carlito and his friends are excited to see what real pirates look like. But once the ships drop anchor, the pirates attack. And on one terrible night, Carlito witnesses a brutal murder -- his father's. Carlito declares he will take revenge, but as soon as he climbs on board the murderer's ship he is trapped. The pirates have set sail, and Carlito is a stowaway. He can't stay hidden for long.

  ** "This riveting drama is based on an actual pirate attack in the early 1800s." -- Parents Magazine, A Best Pick of 1995

  2008 -- BRONTE'S BOOK CLUB

  When twelve-year old Bronte moves to a small California beach town, she tries to form a book club in order to make friends. It has a rocky start with jealousy, quarrels, and gossip. But as the girls discuss the historical novel Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, they see parallels in their lives and that of the main character, Karana, the Chumash Indian who had lived alone on San Nicholas Island during the mid-1800s. As they reflect on, and quote from the story they begin to discover true friendship. And of course, a good dog is involved!

  ** "[A] poignantly wholesome offering." - Kirkus Reviews

  ** "This book shows how talking about a great story can spark connections." - Booklist

  2011 -- STALKED

  When Rikke Svendsen, a 15-year-old Danish servant arrives at Ellis Island in 1912, she realizes that a fellow passenger on her voyage across the Atlantic -- whose advances she had spurned -- is stalking her. In the chaos of immigration and trying to flee him, she gets stranded in New York City instead of being able to meet family in Racine, Wisconsin. Relieved to have eluded the man, she finds work in the tenements as a seamstress for a film company and struggles to earn money for a train ticket north. Meanwhile, through letters and telegrams, she learns that mysterious accidents are befalling her loved ones in Racine with deadly results. As Rikke pieces together clues, frantic for her beloved Viggo, she seeks to unravel what or who is behind the terror.

  ** Awarded the GOLD MEDAL for Young Adult Mystery from Literary Classics.

  ** "An atmospheric confection that will thrill YA readers...Gregory achieves a realistic, rich atmosphere with insightful details about the immigration process and New York tenements in the early 1900s." - Kirkus Reviews

  1998 -- ORPHAN RUNAWAYS: THE PERILOUS ESCAPE TO BODIE

  When 12-year-old Danny and six-year-old Judd lose their parents to pneumonia in 1878, they are sent to an orphanage in San Francisco. The headmaster wants to separate the brothers and send them to different families, but because they have only each other they escape. They make their way to the dangerous mining camp of Bodie, California in the High Sierra to be with their Uncle Hank. A tenderhearted croupier named Madame Mustache (true person!) takes them under her wing, along with other orphans roaming the raucous town. When the boys find their Uncle Hank and learn he's involved with a Chinese woman, they realize life with him won't be what they had expected.

  ** Maps, glossary, photos. Short chapters and high adventure for reluctant readers. Great for classrooms studying California history.

  2013 -- THE WAITING LIGHT: CLEMENTINE'S STORY

  Sixteen-year-old Clementine Kidd dreams of becoming a doctor. But her hopes are complicated by the lawlessness of a mining town in 1866 Idaho Territory, prejudice against the Chinese, and the affections of handsome Boone Reno. When tragedy strikes, a chain of desperate events is unleashed. What must Clementine risk to save her family and follow her dreams?

  Originally titled 'My Darlin' Clementine,' this riveting historical novel won the 2010 Idaho choice for the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Library of Congress.

  For readers age 10 and up, an historical mystery with themes of love and redemption. Updated Author's Note. Inspired by the American folksong of that name.

  PRAIRIE RIVER:

  2003 -- #1 A JOURNEY OF FAITH

  Nessa can't remember a home other than the orphanage, and now she has no choice but to leave. Her plan is to escape on the next stagecoach west -- one headed toward Prairie River, Kansas, a town in the middle of nowhere.

  When Nessa arrives at the small settlement, she has no money and nowhere to go. Worst of all, she is alone. The townspeople are suspicious of her. They see her as a newcomer with no family and no past. Nessa is about to learn that life on the prairie is hard -- it's a trial of her strength and her faith as a Christian.

  2003 -- #2 A GRATEFUL HARVEST

  It hasn't been easy for Nessa to find her place in Prairie River. She is having difficulty making friends, and her position as the local teacher is on shaky ground. Many townspeople still question whether she, a runaway orphan, can be trusted.

  Nessa struggles to keep a positive outlook despite the scrutiny. But when an unexpected threat endangers her and her students, she must find a way to keep the children safe. With so much at risk she must dispel all the doubts that have been plaguing her -- most of all her own.

  2004 -- #3 WINTER TIDINGS

  Nessa is feeling at home in Pra
irie River until one blustery night. Reverend McDuff arrives unexpectedly at the Lockett's door. At once Nessa's hopes of leaving her past behind are shattered. She had told only Ivy and Mrs. Lockett her secret -- her reason for fleeing Missouri. Now the whole town will find out.

  Nessa keeps remembering that Albert had promised to warn her if the reverend headed west, but she hasn't heard a word from her dear friend. Now she will have to face Reverend McDuff on her own. In what promises to be a long and fierce winter, Nessa must be stronger than ever.

  2005 -- #4 HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL

  Nessa's winter was fraught will bitter trials. But now the promise of spring has come to Prairie River -- and so has Albert. Albert is Nessa's oldest friend from the orphanage. She had prayed that he would join her in Kansas ever since she journeyed to the small, remote town a year ago.

  But a year is a long time, and Nessa is discouraged when Albert's arrival is not what she had imagined. Things are different between them, and Nessa must reconcile the changes if she has any hope that their old friendship will bloom into something new.

  DEAR AMERICA:

  1996 -- THE WINTER OF RED SNOW: The Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart—Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 1777 [** made into a movie for the HBO Family Channel]

  2011 -- CANNONS AT DAWN: The Second Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart—Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 1779

  1997 -- ACROSS THE WIDE AND LONESOME PRAIRIE: The Diary of Hattie Campbell—The Oregon Trail, 1847

  1999 -- THE GREAT RAILROAD RACE: The Diary of Libby West—Utah Territory, 1868

  2001 -- SEEDS OF HOPE—The Gold Rush Diary of Susanna Fairchild—California Territory, 1849