Derek walked out of his dressing room and stood next to Sam. “Yeah,” he said, running his fingers through his hair, “but I make a suit look good.” He struck a pose as if he were the coolest kid in the entire seventh grade.
Oh brother, thought Sam.
“The Jefferson is a very fancy hotel,” said Mom. “You’ll be expected to look your best.”
Sam perked up at the name. “You mean like Thomas Jefferson? We’re staying at his house?” He grinned. That would be cool, suit or no suit.
“No, not Thomas Jefferson’s house,” said Mom. “That’s Monticello, out near Charlottesville. This is The Jefferson hotel. It was named after Thomas Jefferson, but it’s in downtown Richmond.”
“Never heard of it,” said Derek. “It’s fancy?”
Mom nodded. “Very fancy, and very old.” She held the yellow tie under Sam’s chin and frowned. “And very expensive. That’s why you’ve never been there.”
“But now we can go?” asked Derek. “Because of the wedding?”
“That’s right,” answered Mom. “I like the blue one,” she said, decisively. “What do you think, Sam?”
“Sure.” It was pointless to argue. It wouldn’t make a difference. If it were up to him, he’d wear his basketball high tops and a t-shirt to the wedding. The sooner they got out of this store the better.
“Perfect!” said Mom. “Then I think we’re all done. Why don’t you boys change back into your other clothes and I’ll pay for all this.”
“Thank goodness,” muttered Sam.
“Unless,” continued Mom, “you want to keep shopping...” She raised her eyebrows at them hopefully.
“No!” the boys said quickly. They’d been there too long already. Sometimes it seemed like Mom used events like this to make them try on clothes because she didn’t have any daughters to do that with regularly. Both of them rushed back into the cubicles to get undressed.
Mom frowned, but seemed content with what they’d picked out. Her cell phone buzzed, and she quickly retrieved it from her purse.
“Anita!” she exclaimed. “How are you? Have you landed?” Sam watched her hand grab the clothes he’d laid over the door of the changing room. He could hear her talking all the way to the checkout counter.
“This is going to be a disaster,” said Derek, stepping out of the dressing room.
Sam nodded his head. “Tell me about it.”
TWO
When they got home, the boys carried their bags from the minivan toward the house. Sam had a hard time keeping his long suit bag from dragging on the ground while also carrying two other bags that held shirts, a tie, a belt, socks and dress shoes. He felt like a pack mule. There had to be enough clothing for five weddings. He’d never been to one before, but he doubted that it could be worth all this.
Sam shivered in the cool breeze. Even though it didn’t get as cold in Virginia as it had back in their old home up north, January was still brisk.
Despite the temperature, Sam’s dad was standing in the front yard talking to their crusty old neighbor, Mr. Haskins. He was in his eighties and was nice enough, but a little kooky.
“Well, well,” said Mr. Haskins. “Where are you boys off to? Did your folks finally wise up and decide to ship you off to military school?”
Their dad laughed. “We haven’t gotten to that point quite yet.” He looked over at the boys. “But it could be something to keep in mind.” With a nod to Mr. Haskins, he followed their mom into the house. “Talk to you later, Jonas.”
“We have a wedding,” said Derek, after their dad had gone inside.
“A wedding, eh?” said Mr. Haskins, smiling. “You boys are a little young to be getting hitched, aren’t you?” He let out a dry cackle that sounded like a frog.
Sam rolled his eyes. Mr. Haskins was always giving them a hard time. He liked to lecture about how kids these days don’t have any manners and play too many video games. Even though he wasn’t sure what getting hitched meant, he knew it wasn’t anything to do with them. “It’s our mom’s friend.”
“It’s at The Jefferson,” said Derek. “Ever hear of it?”
Mr. Haskins’ eyes brightened, and he let out another cackle. “Hear of it? Why, I’ve heard of it all right.” He reached his hands into his pants pockets, pulling out his wallet.
“Are you going to pay us for going to the wedding?” said Derek, nudging Sam in the ribs with his elbow.
“Oh, sure, how much do you want?”
“Really?” said Derek, his eyes brightening.
Mr. Haskins waved his hand in disgust. “Ah, you’d believe anything, boy. Those video games are melting your brain, I’ll tell you what.” He pulled a square piece of paper out of his wallet and held it in front of Sam. It was an old black-and-white photograph. The edges were crumpled from being in the wallet.
“That’s at The Jefferson,” said Mr. Haskins. “A long time ago.”
Sam glanced down at the picture, then leaned in closer. A tall man in an old-fashioned uniform stood next to a shaggy-haired boy in a fancy room.
Derek crowded in to get a look. “Is that you?”
Mr. Haskins nodded. “I’m the little guy. My pap was the head bellman at The Jefferson for over forty years. When I finished school, I worked there for a spell too.”
“No way!” said Derek. “You worked there?”
Mr. Haskins nodded. “Yes siree. Quite a place, that hotel. And all kinds of famous people came through there...presidents, businessmen, celebrities…” He leaned down and looked at them with wide eyes. “Once, I carried the bags of Mr. Elvis Presley.”
Sam scrunched his eyebrows. “Who?”
Mr. Haskins placed his hand on his forehead. “You’ve gotta be kidding me, boy.”
“Elvis, Sam,” said Derek. “You know…” He twisted his hips in a strange little dance and sang in a goofy voice. “I’m all shook up, uh-huh!”
Sam just stared at him blankly. Maybe his brother had finally lost his mind.
Derek grinned. “You’re a little young to understand.”
Sam scowled at his brother as Mr. Haskins nodded. “I kid you not. 1956. He was playing at the Mosque Theatre. I showed him to his room.”
“Wow. That’s pretty cool,” said Derek.
Sam looked closer at the picture. There was something really strange about it. A fountain in the background had something large in the water. He knew what it looked like, but that was impossible.
Sam pointed at the picture. “What’s that thing in the fountain? It looks like an alligator.”
“Hotels don’t have alligators in fountains,” said Derek, laughing.
Mr. Haskins chuckled. “This one did. The hotel kept them as pets over the years.”
Sam focused on the fountain again. It was an alligator! It was stretched out in the water, looking like it could reach up and chomp on the boy at any moment. There didn’t seem to be a cage. Who would leave a real alligator loose with people around? That was crazy.
“They were gone when I worked there,” said Mr. Haskins, “but a few were still around when I visited my pap as a boy. It was wild!”
“You can say that again!” exclaimed Derek.
Mr. Haskins smiled. “One of my favorite stories about The Jefferson was when an alligator wandered away from the lobby and into the library.”
Sam’s eyes grew wider. “It did?” His stomach turned. He couldn’t imagine staying at a place where alligators roamed free. It was way too dangerous.
Mr. Haskins nodded.
“What did it do in the library?” asked Derek.
“Well,” continued Mr. Haskins, “an older woman was sitting in the library reading, and she somehow mistook the alligator for a footstool.”
“What?” exclaimed Derek.
“She sat on it?” asked Sam.
“Well, she put her feet on it, at least,” said Mr. Haskins. “Suddenly, her footstool started to walk away from her, and she nearly lost it.” He chuckled. “Must have been quite the scene
, eh?”
Sam nodded his head. “What did she do?”
“Aw, she ran out of the library as fast as she could.”
“I don’t blame her,” said Sam.
“That’s crazy,” said Derek.
Mr. Haskins grinned. “Like I said, quite a place, that hotel.”
Dad stuck his head out the front door. “Boys, lunch is ready.”
Sam took a breath, taking in Mr. Haskins’ story. “Alright, well…see you later.” He handed the picture back to his neighbor.
“Yeah, thanks for showing us the picture,” said Derek. “We’ll tell you if anything like that happens at the wedding.”
Mr. Haskins stepped toward his house and waved. “Good luck, boys. And look out for those gators.”
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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
Acknowledgements
I really never imagined I’d be writing books, but it’s been an amazing time. Thank you to all my readers, young and old(er), who have joined me on this journey.
I couldn’t do any of this without the love, grace, and inspiration that I receive from my family. Thank you to my wife, Mary, and my three boys, Matthew, Josh, and Aaron, for cheering me on along the journey.
Thank you also to so many friends and family who have supported my efforts and provided enthusiasm and encouragement - Alicia, Ryan, Mom, Dad, Robin, Jean, Ray, Ali, and Julie. All my friends at Bettie Weaver Elementary, CHAT, Sarah, Ray, and the team at the St. John’s Church Foundation, Colonial Williamsburg, Bella Arte Gallery, and James River Writers. Thanks also to my favorite writing podcasts, which provide invaluable resources to me and indie writers everywhere: the Creative Penn Podcast, Self Publishing Podcast, and Rocking Self Publishing Podcast, for hours of inspiration and ideas while driving and flying. Thanks to my editor, Kim Sheard at Another View Editing, and Dane at Ebook Launch for designing all the great new covers for The Virginia Mysteries series.
To all the young readers and writers I’ve met over the past two years – dream big and keep pushing toward your goals. You never know what adventure you might stumble upon along the way.
Steven Smith has been writing books in The Virginia Mysteries series since 2013. He lives with his wife, three young sons, and a golden retriever named Charlie, in Richmond, Virginia. You might also enjoy his parenting memoir, Splashing in the Deep End: Adventures Raising Boys.
Also 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.
A portion 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.
The Virginia Mysteries Collection: Books 1-3 Page 29
