Finders Keepers

by Melanie Mcfarlane

  I peered through the screen door. It was too dark to see anything inside. But maybe he was in there. I knew there was a bedroom in the back that he referred to as “the Captain’s quarters.”

  “Captain?” I called out. “Are you there?”

  A muffled cry came from the other side of the door. I yanked open the screen door and stepped inside.

  “What are you doing?” Bug hissed behind me.

  “Someone needs help,” I whispered.

  The Captain’s room was empty. There was nothing but a bed, a trunk and another door.

  Someone cried out from behind that door. Then I heard a large crash. I pushed the door open and almost knocked over the Captain.

  “What the—” the Captain began. “Macy? Sam? Bug? What are you doing in my bedroom?”

  “We heard a noise!” I said. “I thought you were in trouble.”

  “Oh,” the Captain said, squinting past us. “I’m just moving this large fish tank out of storage.”

  “What for?” Bug asked.

  “You know that shell you brought me?” the Captain said. “I think the lake has a lot of hidden treasures in it. Maybe you can help me find more. And where better to show off interesting finds than at the Trove? It would be a great tourist attraction.”

  My face dropped. The Captain would be disappointed to hear that we needed the shell back.

  “What? I thought treasure hunters like you three would be excited to put your findings on exhibit,” the Captain said. “You’ll get to keep your claim on each, of course.”

  “It is a great idea,” I said, thinking about all the cool rocks, shells and other treasures we’d found in the past. “But we need that shell back.”

  The Captain looked surprised. “Oh, really? Did you find its owner?”

  “Sort of,” Bug said.

  “No,” Sam said at the same time.

  The Captain frowned.

  “We’ll replace it with something really cool,” I added. “We promise.”

  “Okay then,” the Captain said. “Follow me.”

  He led the three of us to the front of the store. He ducked behind the counter and started rooting around in some bins. “I know I put it here somewhere. Hmmm. Or maybe it was over here. No. What the—?” The Captain stood up, his face red and strands of his long hair escaping its ponytail. “It’s gone. I don’t understand.”

  “What?” I said. “Are you sure you didn’t move it?”

  “I know it was here last night when I closed the store,” the Captain said. “That’s what gave me the idea to pull out the old fish tank.”

  “But it’s really imp—” Bug began.

  Sam elbowed him in the ribs, cutting him off.

  The Captain narrowed his gaze at Bug, then turned to Sam and finally to me. “Is there something you kids aren’t telling me?”

  “No, uh, we just really wanted it back,” I said. “You know, it’s not every day you find such a cool shell. And, like you said, it’s probably not worth much.”

  The Captain nodded in agreement. “I’ll check with Drake when he’s back. He’s out on a hunt right now. That shell has to be around here somewhere.”

  “Call us as soon as you find it,” Bug said.

  “Deal,” the Captain said. “Whoa! Look at the time. I better get a move on. Oh, and I’m sorry to tell you kids, but I’m out of ice cream until further notice.”

  “No ice cream?” I said. Could this day get any worse?

  “There was a problem with the supplier,” the Captain said. “But I hope we’ll get it sorted out soon.”

  He unlocked the front door, and the three of us shuffled outside. How would we break the news to MerKay? Her shell, the only thing that could help her get back home, was missing.

  Chapter Seven

  MerKay was not there when we got back to Joy’s cabin to tell them the news. “The Beast must have stolen it,” said Joy. “I bet it knows MerKay is close.”

  Bug, Sam and I marched back to my cabin for lunch. Mom’s Jeep was parked in our driveway. She must have finished work early.

  “Do you think it was the Beast who took the shell?” Bug asked me before we went into the house. He looked frightened.

  “Maybe,” I said. “We’d have to find the Beast first to know for sure though.”

  “How are we ever going to find a monster around here?” Sam asked.

  “Hey, kids,” Mom said as we walked in. “Why so glum?”

  “We lost something,” Bug said, setting his binoculars on the table as he sat down.

  “Something really important,” Sam added, sitting next to him.

  Mom brought over a plate of sandwiches and joined us at the table. “Was it valuable?” she asked.

  “Priceless,” I said.

  Mom stopped eating. “Don’t tell me you were digging in my jewelry box.”

  “Mom!” I rolled my eyes. “No. It was a special shell.”

  “One of a kind,” Sam added.

  “Magical,” Bug said. I kicked him under the table. He scowled at me.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Mom said. “Maybe you can find another treasure this afternoon. I have to work later, but I thought we could do something fun for couple of hours. Maybe go out to the bison pen together and then swing by the flats.”

  Bug squealed. The flats were the best spot in the area for bird-watching, and he loved going there. I thought Mom’s plan was boring until something occurred to me. Maybe some of the signs at the bison pen would have historical clues that could lead us to the Beast. Maybe there was a reason it had brought MerKay to Buffalo Pound Lake.

  “Good idea, Mom,” I said, “We’ve got some hunting to do.”

  She smiled. “Great. Sam, call your mom and make sure it’s okay,” she said.

  When we arrived at the bison pen, I climbed the steps to the lookout two at a time. By the time I reached the third level, I was out of breath. The bison pen stretched out below, so big that I couldn’t see the back fence. I had been here many times, although I had hardly ever seen bison.

  A sign on the top level explained how the hills around the lake had been used by hunters to trap bison for food. I skimmed through the text, but I couldn’t find anything that would lead us to the Beast.

  “Any luck?” I asked Sam and Bug, joining them at the railing.

  “Not one bison,” Sam said, passing me Bug’s binoculars.

  I held up the binoculars and scanned the pen. There were hills, trees and grass as far as the eye could see. Sam was right. No bison.

  “You know,” Bug said, “there’s no way a bison could be the Beast.”

  “I know.” I sighed. “I just hoped that we’d find information here to help MerKay.”

  “Sorry, kids,” Mom said. “I should have brought you out with me yesterday There were quite a few roaming around.”

  “Why were you called out here again?” I asked as I scanned the trail that ran alongside the pen.

  “Vandals cut the fence,” she said. “Luckily, someone spotted the gap before any bison got out.”

  “Did you get it fixed?” Sam asked.

  “Just a patch job for now,” Mom said. “A new fence will go up later today.”

  Hmm. A large hole in the fence. I wondered why it was needed. That sounded like a mystery for a treasure hunter. I passed the binoculars back to Bug.

  “Mom, can we go to the flats now?” asked Bug.

  “Ugh, Mom,” I said. “Do we have to? Sam and I were hoping we could hike down to the bison trail. I want to see the big hole.”

  Bug’s eyes grew large. “But I want to see the birds!”

  “We don’t have time to do both, I’m afraid,” Mom said. “Anyway, not much to see. The hole’s been patched. And it’s not safe for hikers until it’s properly secured.”

  “Then we’ll take the trail on the other side,” I said. “We won’t go anywhere near the hole. I promise.”

  Mom gave me a stern look, then turned to Sam. “What about you, Sam? The
flats or the bison trail?”

  Sam looked sideways at me. I gave him my best stare down. “Um, the bison trail, I guess.”

  Mom looked at Bug, who had his arms crossed, and sighed. “Okay, why don’t we split up? You two go check out the trail, and I’ll take Ben to the flats. But you have to promise to meet me back at the Jeep in one hour. Deal?”

  “Deal!” I said, already making for the stairs.

  “And stay away from the north fence!” Mom called after us.

  Sam and I walked along the path between the bison pen and the lake. From the lookout, it was just over a mile to get to the trail. Mom was smart. It would take us almost exactly one hour to hike there and back. She had left us no time for looking for clues. But I didn’t plan to go all the way to the trail. I was determined to check the north fence. Sam and I would find the hole, hunt around and then head back to the Jeep in time to meet Mom.

  “Why did you want to hike so bad?” Sam asked. “Shouldn’t we be looking for the missing shell?”

  “Think about it, Sam,” I said. “Someone cut a large hole in the bison pen just after we found the shell. That sounds fishy.”

  “Maybe it was one of those animal-rights groups,” Sam said. “You know, Free the Bison or something.”

  “Nah,” I said. “The bison are protected here. I think someone was trying to hide something inside the pen. But maybe they got caught before they could cover their tracks.”

  “Hide what?” Sam asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said, motioning to the fence. “But if they needed a hole this big, it must be something special.”

  Even though a new sheet of chain link covered up the damage, the outline of the hole stood out like a secret door.

  “That’s bigger than a bison,” Sam said. “What do you think they were trying to do?”

  I looked down the hill toward the marsh. Did the vandals have a boat? Why else would they need to cut the fence on this side of the lake? None of it made any sense.

  Up ahead a line of trees blocked the view. If I was going to hide something, that would be the perfect spot.

  “Sam,” I called out. “Follow me.”

  “Oh man,” he said. “Are we still hiking?”

  “No,” I said. “We’re treasure hunting. What if the vandal was trying to get something out of the pen? Remember how MerKay told us she’d been kept in a tank when she first arrived at the lake?”

  “Right,” Sam said. “And there were creatures all around unlike anything she’d ever seen before.”

  “Yes!” I said. “At first I thought she meant humans. But I bet it was the bison. What if the Beast was keeping her hidden somewhere inside the pen? And now he’s getting ready to hunt down MerKay again,” I said as we approached the row of trees. “Look!”

  An old cube van with the faint logo of a seafood company on its side was hidden behind the trees. I tiptoed toward the van, careful to keep my head low.

  “Maybe we should call someone for help,” Sam said. He looked nervous.

  “And tell them what?” I asked. “That we found an old abandoned van?”

  I took a deep breath and reached for the driver’s-door handle. Treasure-hunting rule number four: Courage is your best tool. The door creaked on its rusty hinges, and for a moment I almost slammed the door shut and ran away. But I held back my fear and opened the door all the way.

  I pulled myself up to the driver’s seat. Eww! It smelled like rotten fish inside. I pinched my nose and looked around. Empty soda cans of pop covered the floor. Open on the passenger seat was a map, with a big red circle drawn around the lake. Behind the seat were fishing rods and nets. But there was no sign of the shell.

  Something grunted outside the van. I froze. Mom had said all the bison were back in the pen. Could she have been wrong? Had one escaped?

  “Sam?” I whispered. “Was that you?”

  Sam didn’t answer. And then I spotted something pink and shimmery hanging from the mirror. Aha! The missing shell piece! I grabbed it and slid it into my pocket.

  “Macy,” a man’s voice said. “Is that you?”

  I turned around and found myself face-to-face with another park ranger. It was Mom’s deputy, Mark.

  “Get down here right now,” he said. “I’m calling your mother.”

  Chapter Eight

  Back at the lookout, Mom waited in front of the Jeep. Her hands were on her hips, and she was frowning. But with each step I took, I felt the piece of shell rubbing against my leg. This had been all worth it.

  “Get in the Jeep,” Mom said. She talked to Mark for a few minutes.

  I slipped into the back seat. Sam was already in the middle, and Bug was on his other side.

  “What happened?” Bug asked. “Mom is really mad at you.”

  “I found the missing piece,” I said, pulling it from my pocket and handing it over to Bug.

  “You went treasure hunting?” he stammered. “Without me?”

  “You wanted to go birding,” I said.

  “But I thought I was part of your team,” Bug said, his lips trembling.

  “You are,” I said, but Bug scowled and looked out his window.

  Sighing, I put the shell back in my pocket. Mom’s door opened, and I braced myself for her questions.

  “Macy,” she said as she climbed in. “What were you thinking?”

  “We found the hole in the fence,” I said. “I just wanted to see it.”

  “But I told you to stay away from there,” she said. “And why were you in that van? Don’t you know that’s trespassing?”

  “What do you mean?” I argued. “That van must belong to the vandals. You should be happy. I figured out who wrecked the fence.”

  Mom shook her head and turned to face me. “No, Macy, I am not happy. We don’t know that the van and the vandalism are connected. But climbing into the van was very reckless of you. Not only did you put yourself in danger, but Sam too. What if the owner of that van had been in it? What if he’d gotten mad—or worse? You really gave me quite a fright.”

  I looked away. I wished I could tell Mom about MerKay, the Beast and the shell, but I had sworn on my handbook that I would not. Even if I hadn’t, Mom would never believe me now.

  Mom continued. “I don’t know what to do with you except ground you.”

  “What?” I cried. “For how long?”

  “One week. I want you to remember that when I tell you not to do something, I mean it.”

  “A week?” I said. “That’s not fair! Summer is almost over.”

  “Well, maybe next time you will listen to me.” Mom turned away and started the Jeep.

  On the drive home I considered sneaking out that night after everyone had fallen asleep and letting Joy and MerKay know I had the missing piece. But if Mom caught me, what other awful punishment would she give me? Clean the public toilets? Shovel bison poop? Ground me for the rest of summer?

  A darker thought occurred to me too. What if I kept the shell? Then would I be in control of MerKay? I shook my head. I’d sworn on my book to protect her. A deal was a deal. MerKay needed the shell.

  Bug was still mad at me, but I needed his help.

  “Bug,” I whispered, “take this.” I pulled the shell from my pocket and poked it into his side.

  “What do you want?” Bug asked, swatting my hand away.

  “You need to get this to Joy,” I whispered.

  Bug shook his head. “You do it. You like doing stuff by yourself.”

  “Bug,” I hissed. “You know this is important.”

  He snatched the shell from my hand and hid it in his pocket. Then he ignored me for the rest of the way home. When we pulled into our driveway, I elbowed Bug in the ribs.

  “Oh, uh, Mom,” Bug said. “Can Macy take me to the beach? I think I left my bird book there.”

  Mom turned in her seat and looked from Bug to me. “No, Ben. I’m sorry. Macy is grounded.”

  “But I need it,” Bug said. “I need to check on that bird I
saw at the flats.”

  Mom sighed. Then she got an idea. “Sam, would you mind taking Ben? I can even pay you to watch him for an hour.”

  “What?” I said. “You never pay me to watch Bug.”

  Mom narrowed her eyes at me, and I quickly looked away.

  “You don’t need to pay me, Mrs. K.,” Sam said. “I’ll take good care of him, I promise.”

  As I watched Sam and Bug take off, a pang of jealousy stabbed me in the gut. I should have been the one taking the shell to MerKay. I’d taken all the risks. I had found the treasure. How many treasure hunters were prevented from enjoying their treasure because their moms had grounded them?

  Waiting for Bug to get back was agonizing. I wanted to know everything that had happened and what MerKay and Joy were planning. But instead here I was, locked up like a common criminal.

  I was lying on my bed, reading, when I heard him return. He stomped down the hall. He looked at me and then deliberately turned away. He slammed his bedroom door.

  Clearly he was still mad. But I needed to know what had happened. I took a deep breath. I knocked softly on his door before pushing it open. Bug was on his bed, studying his bird book. He didn’t look up. He kept his eyes on the book, pretending I wasn’t there.

  “Listen, Bug,” I said, sitting on the edge of his bed. “I’m really sorry I left you out of the plan. But I’m paying for it now. You know that Mom grounded me for a week, right?”

  Bug put down his book. “A whole week is torture.”

  I nodded. For once we could agree on something. “And you would have been grounded too.” That probably wasn’t true, but I had to win him over. “So it’s a good thing I didn’t take you, right?”

  Bug bit his bottom lip, then shrugged. “I guess so. But you shouldn’t keep secrets, Macy. We’re a team.”

  “You’re right. And I’m very sorry. I won’t do it again.” I gave him a little side hug. “Will you tell me what happened, Bug? Was MerKay happy to get the shell piece back?”

  “We didn’t see MerKay,” Bug said. “But we gave it to Joy and told her everything. She said to tell you to hold tight. She would think up a plan.”