Cam Jansen and the Summer Camp Mysteries

by David A. Adler

  Cam and Gina traded books.

  Betsy’s family liked to travel. She told Cam about the faraway places she had visited.

  One afternoon, during the second week of camp, Cam and the girls of G8 were getting out of the lake when Fran came to take them back to their bunk. Kitty, the camp’s pet cat, was following her.

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” Fran told the swim counselor. “Jacob and I were in the middle of a great game of tennis. I won.”

  Fran walked to the edge of the lake. She put both hands in the water. “Nice and warm,” she said. “So how did my G8 ducks enjoy their swim lessons?”

  “They did very well,” the swim counselor told her.

  Kitty looked up at Betsy.

  Meow!

  Fran called out to the girls, “We’re going back to the bunk to get changed. Baseball is next.”

  Cam and the other girls in G8 wrapped themselves in their towels. They walked quickly ahead, up the small hill near the lake to their bunk. Fran and Kitty followed them.

  “Hey, Cam,” Terri called as they walked. “Do you know how many times this summer we’ll take this walk from the lake?”

  Cam shook her head. She didn’t know.

  “Oh, that’s easy,” Terri said. “We go to the lake every day for swimming and three times a week for canoeing. Over three weeks, that’s thirty times.”

  They were walking across the small, grassy field near their bunk.

  “Hurry and change into shorts, T-shirts, and sneakers,” Fran told them. “And remember to get your baseball gloves.”

  Cam was the first one to step into the bunk.

  Cam quickly looked around the room, then she shouted, “Hey, what happened?”

  Beds had been pushed into the middle of the bunk. Sneakers and pants were piled on the beds. Shirts were hanging from the rafters. Hello G8! Guess Who! was written in chalk on the ceiling.

  The other G8 girls hurried into the bunk.

  “Who did this?” Terri asked.

  “I didn’t,” Betsy said. “I was at the lake.”

  Just then Fran and Kitty entered the bunk.

  “It’s a raid!” Fran shouted. “It’s a raid!”

  Fran clapped her hands and sang,

  “Don’t be afraid.

  It’s just a raid.

  We’ll get even.

  Even-Steven.

  Raid! Raid! Raid!”

  The G8 girls laughed and clapped along.

  “But who should we get even-Steven with?” Terri asked. “Who did this?”

  “I think it was G9,” Betsy said. “They are always racing us to the dining room and saying they’re better than us. Or maybe B8. We play them in baseball.”

  “Whoever did this didn’t steal my money,” Terri said. “I had eight dimes, three nickels, and twelve pennies in the cup by my bed and it’s all still here.”

  Gina found her bed and started to push it back to its spot.

  “We’ll clean up later,” Fran told her. “Right now we have to get ready for baseball. While you’re playing, I’ll be thinking.” She pointed to her head and grinned. “Thinking of ways to get even.”

  Cam and the other girls searched on the beds for their sneakers. There was a large lump beneath the blanket of one of the beds. Terri lifted the blanket and found their baseball gloves.

  Fran stood by the door to the bunk.

  “You know what we’ll do?” Fran said. “We’ll figure out who raided our bunk and we’ll move all their beds onto the grass. We’ll fill their left sneakers with popcorn and hide all their right sneakers. They’ll have to hop.”

  Betsy said, “No. We’ll put potato chips in their sneakers. It will be so funny hearing them crunch as they walk.”

  “Popcorn and potato chips,” Fran laughed. “This is so exciting.”

  “But first we have to know who raided us,” Terri said. “It’s a mystery, and Cam has solved lots of those. Maybe she’ll solve this one, too.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  “I solve mysteries by remembering something I’ve seen,” Cam told Terri as they walked to the baseball field. “But I don’t think I’ve seen anything that could help. When we left for the lake, our bunk was neat. When we came back, it was a mess. That’s all I know. I don’t know if that’s enough to figure out who raided us.”

  “Close your eyes and say, ‘Click!’ Terri suggested. “That should help.”

  “Not now,” Cam said. “I can’t close my eyes while I’m walking.”

  “Yes you can. I’ll hold your hand. You won’t get lost or bump into anything.”

  Terri took Cam’s hand. Then Cam closed her eyes and said, “Click!”

  “I’m looking at the bunk now,” Cam said with her eyes closed. “I’m looking at how it was just before we went to the lake. The beds were all against the wall. The bunk was very neat.”

  Terri led Cam onto the baseball field.

  “Click!” Cam said again.

  “Now I’m looking at the bunk when we came back from the lake. It was a real mess. There was even writing on the ceiling.”

  “Sit down,” Terri told Cam. “There’s a bench behind you.”

  Cam opened her eyes. She looked back. Then she sat on the bench.

  “I didn’t see any clues,” Cam said. “I just saw a neat bunk and a messy bunk.”

  Eric and Danny’s group, B8, was already on the field. Cam’s team was hitting first.

  Fran told each girl when she would bat. Cam would bat fifth, right after Terri. Fran also told each girl which position she would play in the field. Cam would play third base.

  Cam sat on the bench next to Terri. They waited for their turns to bat.

  Betsy was up first. Jim, the sports director, was pitching for both teams. He was the umpire, too.

  Betsy hit the ball toward Eric at shortstop. He moved over a few steps and caught it.

  “Maybe Eric knows something about the raid,” Terri said. “Betsy thought it might be B8. Let’s ask Eric.”

  Cam and Terri walked along the left side of the field.

  “Eric!” Cam called. “I need to ask you something.”

  “We’re in the middle of a game,” Jim told Cam and Terri. “Ask him later.”

  Cam and Terri sat on the ground by third base, right beside where Danny was playing.

  “Ask me,” Danny whispered.

  Terri asked, “Did you raid our bunk?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Don’t talk to Danny,” Cam said. “Everything is a joke to him.”

  Stacy swung and missed three times. She struck out.

  Gina was up next. She hit the ball high over the center fielder’s head. She ran around the bases for a home run. The girls of G8 cheered. Gina smiled. Then she went to her seat on the bench and picked up her book.

  “Terri,” Fran called. “You’re up.”

  Terri hurried to the backstop. She took a bat and stood by home plate.

  “So, what happened to your bunk?” Danny asked Cam. “Were there jokes written on the walls? Pajamas hanging from the ceiling? Jelly on the doorknob?”

  “No,” Cam told him. “No jokes and no jelly, so now I know you didn’t do it.”

  Terri swung. She hit the ball toward third base.

  “It’s yours, Danny,” Eric shouted.

  Danny turned just as the ball bounced in front of him. The ball rolled past him and he ran after it. While Danny chased the ball, Terri ran to second base.

  Now it was Cam’s turn at bat.

  She held her bat up and looked out at Jim. But suddenly she had an idea.

  “That might be it!” Cam said.

  Cam closed her eyes and said, “Click!”

  Jim threw the ball.

  “Strike one,” Jim called. “That ball was right over the plate.”

  “Hey! Open your eyes,” Fran shouted. “Baseball is more fun that way.”

  “Click!” Cam said again.

  Jim threw the ball.

  “Strike two,” Jim called.<
br />
  “I’ve got it,” Cam said and opened her eyes just as Jim threw the ball the third time.

  “Strike three,” Jim said. “You’re out.”

  “That’s it,” Cam said. “I know how to solve this mystery.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Terri ran in from second base. She took her glove from the bench. Then she asked Cam, “What happened?”

  “I clicked and saw something. We know our bunk was raided while we were at the lake. But every group is busy. It could only have been a group that was playing near our bunk. I clicked and remembered that the basketball courts are right by our bunk.”

  Cam and Terri walked out onto the field. Cam stopped close to third base. Terri’s position was shortstop, about twenty feet from Cam.

  “We’ve got to find out,” Cam said, “who was at the basketball courts while we were at the lake.”

  Jim turned to check if everyone was in position and ready to play.

  “Jim would know,” Cam said.

  Cam and Terri ran to him.

  “Who was playing basketball on the courts just before we got here?” they asked.

  “I don’t know. Now get back to your positions.”

  “But you have a schedule,” Terri said.

  Jim turned away from Terri. He was about to pitch. Cam ran back to third base. Terri ran back to shortstop.

  Danny was the first to bat. He had his hat on backwards. He held his bat at the wrong end. He turned and faced Gina, the catcher, and said, “I’m ready.”

  Jim threw the ball over the middle of the plate.

  “Strike one!”

  “Hey,” Danny said, and turned to face Jim. “I wasn’t ready.”

  Danny turned his hat and bat around.

  “Are you ready now?” Jim asked.

  Danny nodded.

  Jim pitched the ball. Danny hit it on the ground toward Terri, who fielded it and threw to first base.

  As he ran, Danny waved his arms and yelled, “Ready or not, here I come.”

  The ball reached the base long before he did. Danny was out.

  The next batter swung three times and missed.

  There were two outs now as Eric came to the plate. He waved to Cam. Then he waited for Jim to pitch.

  Eric hit the first pitch high into the air, but not very far. Cam stood under it, waited, and caught the ball for the third out. Cam took the ball back to Jim.

  “Just a minute,” Jim said. He picked up the clipboard that was on the ground by his feet. He looked at the top page.

  “B8 was on two of the basketball courts. G9 was on the other two.”

  Cam stopped Eric on his way onto the field.

  “Did your group raid our bunk?”

  “No,” Eric said. “I wouldn’t do that.”

  “Did you see any of the girls from G9 leave the basketball courts?” Cam asked. “While you were playing basketball earlier, our bunk was raided. It was a real mess when we came back from the lake.”

  “I really don’t know about G9,” Eric said. “And I’ve got to get to my position.”

  Eric started toward his shortstop position. Then he stopped and called to Cam, “If you’re solving a mystery, I want to help.”

  Cam sat on the bench next to Terri. “It wasn’t Eric’s bunk that raided us, so it must have been G9,” Cam said. “They were playing near our bunk. It would have been easy for one or two of the girls to sneak off.”

  Cam and Terri watched three girls take their turns at bat. Each of them struck out.

  On their way back into the field Terri said, “Wait till we get even with G9. Fran will help us plan lots of mischief.”

  “First I have to be sure,” Cam said as she walked toward third base. “I don’t want to put popcorn or potato chips in G9’s sneakers if they didn’t raid us.”

  It happened when we were at the lake, Cam thought while she stood in the field. It had to be a group that was nearby.

  The first two batters hit the ball to the outfield. Laura caught them both.

  But maybe it wasn’t G9. Maybe another group did it, Cam thought. The younger girls’ groups pass our bunk all the time.

  The ball was hit on the ground.

  “Get it! Get it!” Fran shouted.

  Cam looked at Fran. Then she looked for the ball. It was headed right between her and Terri. Luckily Terri had been paying attention to the game. She ran to her right, reached down, and got the ball. She threw it to first base for the third out.

  On her way back to the bench, Cam passed Eric.

  “G9 didn’t do it,” Eric said. “I’ve been thinking about it and I’m sure. We were on the basketball courts closest to your bunk. If anyone from G9 raided your bunk, she would have walked past us. And no one did.”

  Maybe, Cam thought, one of the younger girls’ bunks did it.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  When they sat on the bench Terri told Cam, “I don’t want to put popcorn in anyone’s sneakers. I just want whoever messed up our bunk to put everything back where it was. The beds. The sneakers. The shirts. The pants. Raids are just a big mess.”

  Cam nodded. She also didn’t want to fill sneakers with popcorn. She’d rather eat popcorn and potato chips. And she wanted to solve this mystery.

  G8 got a few hits and scored two runs. Then Terri grounded out. It was Cam’s turn to bat.

  “Let’s go!” Fran shouted. “Hit it a mile!”

  Cam stepped up to the plate. She looked out at Jim and waited. He pitched and Cam swung. She hit the ball just out of the reach of the first baseman. The ball rolled into the outfield.

  Cam ran to first base.

  “Go,” Fran shouted. “Keep going!”

  Cam kept running.

  “Stop!” Fran shouted and held up her hands.

  Cam stopped on second base.

  “Nice hit,” Eric said.

  Laura, the next batter, stood at the plate. Jim pitched and Laura swung.

  Cam started toward third base.

  Laura hit the ball right at Eric near second base. He caught it and Laura was out. He raced to the base, stepped on it, and Cam was out, too.

  “Nice going,” Jim said. “It’s a double play.”

  Tweet! Tweet! He blew his whistle.

  “That’s it,” he called. “We’ll finish the game tomorrow.”

  “We have tennis next,” Eric told Cam as they walked off the field. “But first we have to go back to our bunk to get our rackets and tennis balls.”

  Cam stopped. “What did you just say?” she asked.

  “We have tennis next,” Eric said.

  “Yes, and of course you need a tennis racket to play tennis.” Cam smiled.

  She folded her arms and thought for a moment.

  “I think you did it,” she told Eric. “I think you helped me solve another mystery.”

  Cam closed her eyes. She said, “Click!” She said, “Click!” again.

  Cam opened her eyes and told Eric, “Come with me. I think I know who raided our bunk.”

  Eric followed Cam off the field. They walked toward Fran and Terri.

  “Hi, Fran,” Cam said, and smiled. “When you came to the lake you should have told us our bunk was such a mess.”

  “How would she know it was a mess?” Terri asked.

  “Fran was playing tennis while we were swimming,” Cam said. “But she didn’t have her tennis racket with her when she came to the lake.”

  “That’s right,” Terri said. “If she put her racket away before she came to pick us up, she would have seen the mess.”

  “Fran, you dipped both of your hands in the lake and said, ‘Nice and warm.”’

  “It was nice and warm,” Fran said.

  “But I bet you didn’t care how warm the water was,” Cam said. “I bet you dipped your hands in the water to wash off the chalk dust.”

  “What chalk dust?” Fran asked.

  “You used chalk to write HELLO G8. GUESS WHO! on the ceiling. Well, I guessed who,” Cam said. “You! Whi
le we were swimming, you had plenty of time to raid our bunk.”

  “You think I did that!” Fran said. “You think I raided my own bunk!”

  Cam nodded.

  “But why?” Fran asked.

  “Yes, why?” Terri asked Cam. “Why would Fran raid our bunk?”

  “Because raids are fun,” Fran said. “They’re exciting. They’re mysterious.”

  “They’re messy,” Terri said.

  “Oh, Terri,” Fran said, “you’re so neat. I’ve seen you practicing math. All the numbers are lined up in columns just like the beds in our bunk.” She smiled at the girls. “I wanted to have some fun. I wanted all of us to have some fun.”

  The other girls in G8 were sitting on the bench alongside the baseball field.

  “What do we do now?” Terri asked.

  “You don’t have to do anything,” Fran said. “While you’re in arts and crafts, I’ll clean up the bunk. Then I’ll tell the other girls.”

  When G8 reached arts and crafts, Fran collected all their baseball gloves.

  “I’ll take these back to the bunk,” she said. “And when arts and crafts is done, I have a surprise for all of you.”

  Betsy said, “I hope the surprise is ice cream.”

  When everyone was seated in the art room, Ruth, the arts and crafts counselor, gave each of the girls a wood base and wet reeds. She showed them how to weave the reeds and make a basket.

  Cam and the others worked the entire period on their baskets. Ruth helped them. After about an hour, Fran returned.

  “What’s the surprise?” Betsy asked her.

  “The bunk is all cleaned up,” Fran answered. “All the beds are back where they belong.”

  “That’s the surprise?” Betsy asked. She was disappointed.

  “Did you catch the group that raided our bunk?” Gina asked.

  “It wasn’t a group,” Fran said. “It was just one person. And I didn’t catch her. Cam and Terri did.”

  “And Eric helped,” Cam said.

  Fran nodded. “It was me,” she said. “They caught me. I thought a raid would be fun. I thought it would be exciting. I even thought it might help our team spirit when we played baseball and basketball against the other groups. But do you know what? It was just a lot of mess and a lot of work to clean up. I’m sorry I did it.”