Kate and the Wyoming Fossil Fiasco

by Janice Hanna

  “Yes, what’s up with you two?” Lauren asked, joining them. “You’ve been acting mighty suspicious!”

  “Oh, I, um …” Kate paused and looked at McKenzie. She didn’t know how much she should share with these girls. After all, she barely knew them!

  “Kate and I are on a secret adventure,” McKenzie said. “We’ll tell you all about it tomorrow or the next day.”

  “But we leave day after tomorrow,” Patti argued. “I don’t want to wait till then to find out your secret! Tell me now.”

  Kate shook her head. “What’s the point in calling it a secret if I tell it? But I will give you a clue. We’re trying to solve a mystery. Trying to figure something out.”

  “Hmm. A mystery.” Patti sighed. “How can I help you if I don’t know what it is?”

  Kate shrugged. Thankfully, her phone rang at that very moment, interrupting their conversation. She was

  surprised to hear Alexis’s voice on the other end of the line.

  “Kate, I know we’re meeting with the others online in a few minutes, but I wanted to talk to you first. This is important.”

  “Sure.” Kate rose from the bunk and went outside the cabin so that she could speak to Alexis privately. “What’s up?”

  “I’ve been doing some research on the staff at Stone’s Throw,” Alexis said. “I got the idea after watching that Paleo-World documentary again.”

  “What did you find out?”

  “All of their pictures are on the Web site, along with their names. There’s a fellow name Gerald Jenkins who owns the place.”

  “That’s Megan’s father,” Kate said. “Megan is our counselor.”

  “Right. Megan Jenkins. She was practically raised at the quarry. And there’s a guy named Conner who has all sorts of degrees. He’s a paleontologist.”

  “He’s really young,” Kate said. “Probably just twenty-five or so.”

  “From what I can gather, he’s really smart. He started as an intern at the quarry a long time ago, and now he’s back, working as a counselor.”

  “Right,” Kate said. “Anything else?”

  “Yes.” Alexis’s voice grew more serious. “There’s a guy named Gus who seemed a little suspicious to me.”

  Kate’s heart began to thump. “He seems odd to us, too!” she said. “What did you find out about him?”

  “Well, I don’t want to scare you, but he used to work for another quarry and he got fired. I read about it online. There was a big write-up in the paper a couple of years back. I had to dig deep to find it.”

  “Dig deep?” Kate couldn’t help but smile as Alexis used the words she’d been hearing so much. “Do you know why he was fired?”

  “Something to do with some fossils that were accidentally destroyed. Just promise me you’ll be careful around him, okay? I would feel terrible if something happened to you girls.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Kate said. “But we’ll be extra careful, just in case. And Alex … thank you for calling and telling me that.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll keep researching online to see if I can find out anything else about him.”

  “Thanks. See you online in a few minutes,” Kate said. As she clicked the END button on her phone, Megan walked by.

  “Well hello, Kate. Everything okay?”

  “Y—yes.” She forced a smile. She didn’t want Megan to know she suspected anyone just yet. “I was talking to my friend Alex.”

  “Friends are an important part of our lives, aren’t they?” Megan smiled. “God has blessed me with such great friends over the years.”

  She began to talk about her best friend—someone named Julia—and Kate sighed in relief. At least Megan

  hadn’t asked about the case!

  A few minutes later, Kate and McKenzie sat on Kate’s bed with the laptop open.

  “I sure hope the wireless Internet signal is strong,” Kate mumbled. “The other girls are probably already in the chat room waiting on us.”

  Thankfully, she signed on with no problem at all. Less than a minute later, she was in the chat room and could see that all of the others were already there, just as she predicted. Kate typed while McKenzie looked on.

  Bailey: Hi, K8!

  Elizabeth: Having a fossil-tastic adventure?

  Kate: Yes. We’ve learned a lot already!

  Sydney: About the case, I hope. I’ve been working hard on this end!

  Kate: Good. Before we get started, I wanted to ask a favor. I’m going to upload a picture that I took today. I need someone to spend a little time looking up this fossil online to see if you can locate it. It’s missing from the quarry’s museum.

  She quickly uploaded the picture of the tiny stingray sign.

  Bailey: What is that, Kate?

  Elizabeth: Yes, I’ve never seen anything like that.

  Kate: It’s a very valuable fossil that one of the campers—a guy named Joel—unearthed last summer. For the past year it’s been on display in the museum. But today, when he went to show it to me, he noticed it was missing. We don’t know if someone took it down for a reason or if it’s been stolen.

  Alexis: Why not just ask someone?

  Kate: I don’t want to raise any red flags. But it makes me curious, especially in light of the forged fossils. Maybe this is a bigger case than we thought! I’m hoping one of you can figure out what happened to it. Maybe if we can track down that fossil, we’ll find our answer.

  Sydney: Leave it to me. I’ll find that missing stingray if I have to swim upstream to do it!

  McKenzie laughed at that one.

  Elizabeth: I’ve been reading the story of Jacob and Esau a lot over the past week or so. And I’ve prayed and prayed, asking the Lord to show me how it fits with this case.

  Kate: What has He shown you?

  Elizabeth: Only that we have to be careful not to be fooled by people who are pretending to be something they’re not. Sometimes people put on a big smile and act nice, but on the inside they’re really not.

  A shiver ran down Kate’s spine. She thought at once of Grumpy Gus. Maybe Elizabeth was right. Maybe he was on the run from the law. Maybe he was just pretending to be a quarry worker.

  On the other hand, what about Mr. Jenkins? Sometimes the most honest-looking person turned out to be the real bad guy.

  And then there was Joel! Hadn’t she already suspected him?

  Kate: I’m so confused. The list of suspects is growing by the minute. I sure hope we can figure this out. Only two more days of camp left! I brought my fingerprinting kit, so I hope to lift some prints soon.

  Alexis: My uncle works in a fingerprinting lab. Maybe he would help.

  Kate: Great idea!

  Sydney: We’ll figure this out! We’re the Camp Club Girls, after all!

  Elizabeth: And we have the Lord on our side. There’s power when people agree in prayer!

  “She’s right,” McKenzie told Kate. “Six of us are all agreeing and praying!”

  “True.” Kate smiled, suddenly feeling better. She glanced at the screen, noticing Bailey’s next comment:

  Bailey: I wish I could be there with you. How is Biscuit?

  Kate: He’s with my parents. He’s not here.

  Bailey: Not there? How do you expect to solve a mystery without him?

  “She’s right, you know,” McKenzie said, reading over her shoulder. “Things would be easier with Biscuit here.”

  Kate sighed. “Megan was really nice to say I could use my gadgets. I don’t think she would be as nice if I asked to bring my dog to fossil camp!”

  “You never know.” McKenzie shrugged. “Maybe you could ask your dad to bring him when he picks us up. Might be fun. Ask Megan first, though.”

  “I’ll do that.” Kate turned her attention back to the screen, smiling as she read Elizabeth’s last line.

  Elizabeth: I have to sign off now, but I will be praying. Remember that Jacob and Esau story. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking they’re something—or someon
e—they’re not. Okay?

  All of the girls said their good-byes and before long the chat room was empty. Kate turned to McKenzie and sighed. “Looks like we’ve got to be extra careful, now that the suspects are piling up.”

  “Suspects?” Patti’s voice rang out. “What do you mean?” She sat on the edge of Kate’s bed.

  “Yes,” Lauren said, joining them. “Sounds like this secret thing you’re working on is getting exciting. Are you sure you can’t tell us something about it?”

  Kate shook her head. “I promise we’ll tell you later. Right now I need to pray about all of this.”

  “Did I hear someone say something about praying?” Megan’s voice rang out as she entered the room, her hair still wet from the shower.

  “Yes.” Kate nodded. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

  “Well prayer is the answer.” Megan winked. Drawing near to Kate, she whispered, “Remember what I told you earlier today. Spend some time digging in your Bible while you’re here. Do a little excavation in the scriptures. I think God will shine some light on your situation … whatever it is.”

  Kate nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it.” She smiled at her counselor, and then thought about all of the questions rolling around in her mind. Who forged the fossils? Why was Gus so grumpy? Was Joel somehow involved in all of this? And what about Mr. Jenkins? Was he just pretending not to know who replaced the real fossils with fakes?

  Kate padded off to the showers, her mind reeling in several directions at once. Tonight she had more questions than answers. Hopefully, tomorrow she would have more answers than questions.

  Sugar, Sugar

  Early the next morning—long before the sun came up—a loud clanging woke Kate.

  “What is that?” she grumbled, sitting up in the bed. “It’s the quarry bell,” Megan said, stretching. “It goes off every morning at five thirty.”

  “F—five thirty?” McKenzie bounded up from her slumber. “A—are you kidding me?”

  “Nope.” Megan laughed. “I’m used to it.”

  “Well I’m not.” Kate yawned.

  “Why are we up at five thirty?” Lauren asked from a bed on the other side of the room.

  Megan yawned. “It’s better to work early in the morning before it gets too hot. Besides, we have a busy day planned for you kids. The sooner we get going, the more we’ll accomplish.”

  “Ugh.” Kate rolled over in the bed and pulled the covers up over her head, wishing she could catch a few more Zs. Unfortunately, the bell started clanging again. She pushed the covers back and got out of bed, heading into the bathroom to

  change into her clothes.

  “What time is breakfast?” she heard McKenzie asking Megan.

  “Six o’clock. And the excavation begins at seven,” Megan explained. “But I think that still leaves you girls plenty of time to read your Bibles and pray, if you’d like to do that before breakfast.”

  Kate yawned as she thought about the busy day ahead. She was tempted to skip her Bible reading and just go straight to breakfast, but decided against it. Maybe God had something He wanted to show her in the Bible. She reached for her laptop and signed on to the Internet, going at once to her favorite online Bible site.

  “Where is the story of Jacob and Esau again?” she whispered to McKenzie.

  “I think it’s in Genesis … right?” McKenzie didn’t look convinced.

  “Maybe.” Kate began to type in the words Jacob and Esau until the scripture came up. “It’s Genesis, chapter 25,” she said. Skimming over it was the easy part. Trying to figure out what a story about two brothers had to do with this case was quite another! She read the story more carefully the second time, really thinking about it as she did.

  “So Jacob wanted something that rightfully belonged to his brother Esau. He wanted his birthright … right?”

  “I think that’s it,” McKenzie said.

  “To get it, Jacob dressed up in a hairy costume and

  pretended to be Esau so his father would give him the blessing that really belonged to his brother.” She stopped reading and thought. “Sometimes people really do pretend to be one thing when they’re really another,” she whispered. “People aren’t always who we think they are.”

  “Are you thinking of someone in particular?” McKenzie whispered.

  “Maybe.” She shook her head. Who did she suspect the most, after all? Gus? Mr. Jenkins? Joel? It would be hard to say at this point.

  She wrapped up her Bible study and walked to the dining hall with the others. Once inside, Kate noticed Gus standing near the kitchen door. She nudged McKenzie.

  “Look. There he is again.”

  “He still looks grumpy,” McKenzie said. “I think we need to stay away from him.”

  “I’m not so sure.” Kate paused. “Hey, I have an idea.” She looked down at her lunch tray and saw the two doughnuts. “I’m going to try an experiment. Watch and see. I’ll make him smile.”

  McKenzie shook her head. “I don’t think so, Kate.”

  “It never hurts to try.” Kate walked over to him, and he looked up from his work.

  “What do you need, kid?” he asked.

  “Oh, nothing. I just wanted to give you something.” She reached out showed him the doughnut. He looked at her with a stunned expression.

  “What’s that for?”

  Kate shrugged. “Just because. I thought you might like it.”

  “Well I don’t. I’m diabetic. Can’t eat sugar. What are you trying to do? Kill me? Did some of those kids tell you to do that?”

  She put the doughnut back on her tray, suddenly nervous. “No. No one said a word about it. And I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were diabetic. I was just trying to be nice.”

  “Well be nice to someone else. I have work to do.”

  “But …” She watched as he disappeared through the door with the No CAMPERS ALLOWED sign above it. As he disappeared from sight, a creepy feeling came over her. She still wondered what he did back in that room. Sure, he probably shipped fossils. But what else?

  “That didn’t go very well, did it?” McKenzie asked, drawing near.

  “No.” Kate shook her head. “He’s diabetic. Who knew?”

  “Oh wow. And you offered him sugar, of all things.”

  “Yes, he thought I did it on purpose. Can you believe that?”

  “Well maybe other people have been mean to him,” McKenzie said. “You never know.”

  “Maybe.” Kate sighed. “But McKenzie. If he’s diabetic, why was he carrying around a jumbo-sized bag of brown sugar yesterday? Answer that.”

  McKenzie shrugged. “I have no idea, but you’re right. It doesn’t make sense! I will say this though. If he’s claiming to be a diabetic, that’s the perfect cover.”

  “What do you mean?” Kate asked.

  “I mean, no one would ever suspect a diabetic of using sugar to forge anything. See?”

  “Ooo yeah. Good point.” Kate nodded. “Gus will be a tough nut to crack. But I feel like we need to know more about him.”

  “It’s getting more and more obvious that he is behind this, don’t you think?” McKenzie asked.

  Kate shrugged. “Maybe. Only time will tell. One thing is for sure. He has access. He’s in that room all alone.”

  “True.”

  A familiar voice interrupted their conversation. Conner walked by carrying a large bag. “Hey, kids.” He flashed a warm smile. “What did you think of the breakfast?”

  “Good.” Kate nodded. “I really liked the doughnuts.”

  “Doughnuts?” He held one up. “Girls, these aren’t doughnuts. They’re life preservers!” Conner doubled over in laughter and before long they all joined him.

  “He’s really funny,” Kate whispered.

  “Yeah,” McKenzie nodded. “And he’s a great counselor, too. I heard some of the guys talking about him yesterday. They really like him a lot.”

  “Just like we like Megan.”

  Conner shifted his bag to hi
s other arm. “We’re going to have a great morning, but I need to drop off these samples first. See you soon.” He walked through the door into the private area.

  “Maybe Conner will catch Grumpy Gus in the act,” Kate whispered.

  “Maybe.” McKenzie shrugged.

  Kate yawned as Megan passed by.

  “Sleepy, Kate?” her counselor asked.

  “Sort of.”

  “Didn’t you sleep well?”

  “Not really.” She shook her head.

  “Miss your family?” Megan asked.

  “Sort of, but I have something else on my mind. It’s hard to sleep when your thoughts are tumbling around in your head.”

  “Anything I can do to help?” Megan asked.

  Kate shook her head, knowing better than to say too much.

  Megan said, “The second day at fossil camp is always the best. We’re going to have a treasure hunt.”

  “Treasure hunt?” McKenzie looked confused.

  “Yes, we’ll divide the campers into two teams—boys and girls. I’ll lead the girls’ team and Conner will lead the boys’. We’ll give you kids a list of fossils—three different kinds—and the first team to find all three wins.”

  She began to talk about the treasure hunt so much that Kate found it hard to focus. She kept yawning. Hopefully she would wake up before heading out to excavate. She needed to pay close attention today. Surely an adventure lay ahead!

  The Treasure Hunt

  As the campers gathered at the excavation site, Conner turned to them with0 a smile.

  “I have some news for you,” he said. “Most of you know Joel.” He gestured to Joel, whose cheeks turned red.

  “Because of Joel’s skill in locating valuable fossils, he’s our resident ‘rock’ star.” Conner slapped his knee and laughed. “Get it? Rock star?”

  Kate laughed. So did McKenzie. But not Megan. She rolled her eyes and whispered, “Don’t let Conner distract you. He’s just trying to get you girls worked up to think the boys are better than you are. He pulls something like this at every camp.”