I’m so glad Mom is right where she’s meant to be, doing underwater flips with such grace and wonder. I hand over her fin and she puts it on.
“Have you ever thought of incorporating a crown?” I ask.
Mom shakes her head. “I know I’m royalty. I don’t need a crown to prove it.”
The other dancers enter the room. They greet me with hugs and applause for my newspaper article. It feels good to be acknowledged for a job well done.
I think today’s Mermaid Club show is going to be extra special. I’ll be sitting in the front row, eager to watch.
Chapter Twenty
CHERYL’S FACE IS DEEP IN AN ENGINEERING BOOK. (Yup, not only is she into science, she’s also a wiz in math, mechanics.…) Now that Baldwin Studios has officially shipped out all their things and everyone is checked out of the hotel, Crossed Palms is back on familiar ground. It’s a little strange walking through the lobby and not running into a mermaid or two or a cluster of swamp things. I kind of miss it. But I don’t miss Mr. Davenport and his cigar smoking. I do miss his sweet ride.
“You never take a break, huh, Cheryl?” I say. “It’s time to leave!”
“I still have ten minutes left in my shift and so do you,” she says, pointing to the big clock hanging on the wall. Ugh. I’m just itching to take off my valet uniform, and I have no desire to head back to my station. Besides, there’s no point. In my mind, I have checked out of valeting and checked in to my house detective duties, even for my last ten minutes. “How about heading over to the Deep End? Celebrate surviving this week and not losing our jobs. What do you say?”
“Sounds like a plan,” she replies. “Yum, french fries. Now that the case is closed, how’s life in the quiet lane?”
I flip through Cheryl’s engineering book until she closes it and tucks it underneath her desk. “A little boring. I keep expecting Mr. Davenport to come out from somewhere barking out orders,” I say.
“No thanks. I won’t be missing that.”
“I’ll miss having to prove him wrong,” I say, laughing.
“Who doesn’t like doing that?” Cheryl says.
“Goldie.”
I turn to see Dad.
“Hey, Dad—I mean, Mr. Vance. Cheryl and I are having a really intense conversation about how much we are going to miss Mr. Davenport and Baldwin Studios.”
As much as Dad wants to hide his smirk, I can see it forming. It’s right there.
“We were lucky to have Baldwin Studios grace our hotel. When the movie comes out you’ll be able to see a little of St. Pascal,” he says. “That’s something to look forward to.”
I totally forgot that about it!
“Hey, maybe I’ll still make the cut as a baby sea creature,” I say. Picture that. A fifty-foot Goldie on the big screen. Whoa.
“Goldie as a sea creature,” Cheryl says. “I can’t wait to see that!”
“You might have to wait at least a year,” Dad says.
“A year?!” Cheryl and I both scream.
“Movies take a long time,” Dad replies. “Editing, coloring, music, sound. Reshoots. Who knows what else they’ll have to do?”
Movies. They are way too much work for me. I prefer my action right here and right now.
“Things have been slow. It’s okay for you girls to head out a little early,” Dad says. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Cheryl.”
Yes! Cheryl gathers her things. The Deep End is calling! French fries, here we come!
THE DEEP END IS ALSO DEVOID OF MOVIE EXTRAS, directors, and mermaids. Ho-hum. But the regulars are all back and it’s busier than ever. Cheryl and I grab a booth and order milk shakes to start us off.
“Hey, guys, what’s cooking?”
Rob strolls over with freshly pomaded hair and a nice polo shirt. He’s all spiffed up. He must have changed right after I left him at the valet station. Cheryl notices, too.
“You’re pretty dressed up, Rob,” I say. “Where are you off to in such stylish duds?”
Rob’s face turns completely red. Oops. I didn’t mean to put him on the spot. I’m just doing my thing, getting to the bottom of a mystery.
“Just came to eat fries. That’s on the agenda, right? Fries?”
Cheryl chuckles. Her face is a little red. They’re both hard-core blushing. It’s kind of cute.
“Fries are definitely on the agenda,” I say.
I sip on my milk shake while Rob hems and haws. He wants to say something, but instead of cutting the tension, I sit back and enjoy watching him get so flustered around Cheryl. Cheryl is just Cheryl. Super smart and beautiful.
“I was thinking, Cheryl. Not sure if you’ve got plans. But I was wondering…”
Cheryl looks down at her milk shake. She’s nervous, too. I’m just glad I’ve got a front-row seat to this. I lightly kick her under the table. She could at least help Rob out a bit. He looks like he’s going to faint.
“Yes, Rob?” Cheryl says.
“Want to go see a movie? There’s a double feature tonight: Dracula and Frankenstein.”
Scary movies.
“Okay, Rob. I’ll go to the movies,” Cheryl says, and Robs smiles the biggest smile ever witnessed by humankind.
“Want to join us?” Rob asks.
Oh no. I don’t want to be a third wheel. Besides, I have plans of my own.
“No thanks. I’ve got a thing I have to do.”
Cheryl looks at me quizzically. “I thought the mystery behind the diamond swimming cap has been solved. Aren’t you off duty?”
I grab a couple of fries and leave a few bills on the table. “I am. I think it’s time for a new adventure,” I say. “Have fun at the movies. And look out for Miss Dupart. She stars in the Dracula film!”
No more driving ritzy cars today. It’s back to my Big Blue, which is fine and dandy with me. I can truly appreciate St. Pascal when I cruise around on my bike. I once again watch families take their evening strolls. Couples getting ice cream. Jim of Jim’s Emporium waves a hello. He’s about to close up shop soon.
There’s one shop that will stay open for a few more hours. I park my bike and head into Wax Lips. As I enter, Diane is nowhere to be found. Bummer. I wonder if she has the day off. Go figure. The one day I get the courage to actually try and talk to her, she isn’t here.
“Looking for anything special?” the owner asks, and I shake my head. Oh well. I tried. I guess it’s not meant to be.
“No thanks.”
I head to the door.
“Oh, hey, Goldie!”
Diane comes out from the back of the store with a stack of albums in her hand. I’m literally beaming. She’s wearing a striped shirt and cropped denim capris. She’s so cool.
“Hi! I thought you weren’t working today,” I say, walking over to maybe give her a hand.
“Nope, I’m here. Just unpacking new orders. Check this out.”
She puts the stack down and walks over to me and shows me an album I’ve never seen before. “Her name is Eartha Kitt.”
Eartha Kitt is wearing a beautiful, poufy dress on the cover. She’s looking directly at the camera with such assuredness. Boldness. She’s a little different from the other singers out there. Something about Eartha Kitt reminds me of Josephine when she first stepped out in her Bejeweled Aqua Chapeau and sequined mermaid outfit. Fearless and magnificent.
“I was just about to pop this on the player,” Diane says. “Want to listen?”
A big band sweepingly plays while Eartha Kitt sings “C’est si bon” with a purring quality. I’m loving it. I’m also loving how much Diane gets into the music.
“Do you know what she’s saying?” I ask.
Diane shakes her head.
“I don’t know every word, but c’est si bon means it is so good.”
“C’est si bon. It is good!”
We both sway to the music.
This is it. I have absolutely nothing to lose. What was the thing Mom always says? I shouldn’t let fear stop me from doing what I want
to do.
“So, Diane,” I say.
“Yes?”
“I was thinking of taking a walk by the beach. Collect some seashells. Want to come with?”
“Seashell hunting, like explorers,” Diane says. “I like that.”
She said yes! A simple ask and she said yes. Why didn’t I do it sooner?
“Yes, an adventure,” I say, my smile wider than ever before.
Diane and I listen to the rest of the Eartha Kitt album. I like when Eartha Kitt rolls her words. Diane and I take turns imitating Eartha Kitt until we can’t stop laughing.
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers began publishing books in 1926.
Keep reading with us.
LittleBrownYoungReaders.com
Twitter.com/LittleBrownYR
Instagram.com/LittleBrownYoungReaders
Facebook.com/LittleBrownYoungReaders
Acknowledgments
Like most people, I fell in love with Goldie Vance after reading the comic books created by the amazing Hope Larson and Brittney Williams. Who wouldn’t love a young detective who is such a funny and fearless go-getter? I’m so lucky I get to explore this world and live my sleuth dreams. Big thanks to editor extraordinaire Rachel Poloski at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Boom! Studios for the fun opportunity! And a big shout-out to my awesome agent, Eddie Schneider.
About the Author
Lilliam Rivera is an award-winning writer and author of the young adult novels Dealing in Dreams and The Education of Margot Sanchez. Her favorite TV detective is Columbo, and she wishes she could be half as smart and adventurous as Goldie! Lilliam lives in Los Angeles, California.
The Hotel Whodunit Page 15
