Bailey and the Santa Fe Secret

by Linda McQuinn Carlblom

  Elan looked down over his shoulder, then up at the rest of the cliff above him. He inched his right hand up the cliff wall until he found a handhold. He did the same with his foot. Over and over, he repeated the motion. Soon he was three-fourths of the way up.

  “He looks so small up there.” Sweat dripped down Bailey’s face, and she wiped it with her sleeve. “I bet he’s as high as my dad’s four-story office building downtown!”

  “If he makes it to the top, how in the world will he get back down?” Elizabeth wondered aloud.

  “One step at a time, child,” the chief told her.

  Bailey noticed Paco and his pals had grown unusually quiet. She nudged Elizabeth and nodded in the boys’ direction. “Dorko doesn’t have such big things to say now, does he?”

  “Nope.” Elizabeth smiled. “This stunt has really shut him up. Let’s keep praying Elan doesn’t fall. And that Paco learns a lesson from this.”

  Bailey turned at the sound of rocks falling and gasps from the crowd. Her hands flew to her mouth.

  “Oh no!” a woman behind her screamed.

  Elan had lost his grip and slid about five feet down the side of the cliff. He caught himself on a tree rooted in a crack in the rock wall.

  “I can’t watch!” Halona wailed. Bailey’s mother put her arms around her sobbing cousin.

  “Deep breath, Elan,” the chief called. “Steady yourself. You’re okay.”

  Elan appeared to listen. Clutching the branch, he searched for a foothold. Then he laid his forehead against the cliff.

  A man wearing jeans and a polo shirt hurried to Halona. “I came as soon as I heard.”

  “Pastor John!” Halona grasped his outstretched hand like a lifeline.

  The pastor then shook hands with Chief Maska, who told him Elan was determined to prove his manhood by climbing Puye Cliffs.

  “All we can do for him now is pray for his safety,” the chief said.

  “That I can definitely do,” Pastor John replied.

  Bailey shook the pastor’s hand, too. “Elizabeth and I have been trying to give him extra courage and strength by telling him Bible verses that have helped us.”

  “Yeah,” Elizabeth said. “Just the other day when Elan took us hiking out here and Bailey and I practically tripped over a rattlesnake!”

  Pastor John grinned. “I think that’s an excellent plan. You can’t go wrong with God’s Word.”

  “It has superhero powers in it that transfer to you when you believe,” Bailey said seriously.

  “That’s true, if you’re referring to God as the superhero,” the pastor said. “I never quite thought of it that way, but I think you’re on to something there.” He smiled and ruffled Bailey’s silky black hair. “So how about if we call on some of that supernatural strength to help Elan now?”

  “Let’s do it!” Bailey said and high-fived Pastor John.

  She, Elizabeth, and Pastor John joined hands in a little circle. Bailey prayed first.

  “Dear God, we are afraid for Elan. Protect him. Help him find the right places for his hands and feet as he climbs. Give him strength to hold on. Most of all help him not to fall and to trust in You. Amen.”

  Elizabeth went next. “God, thanks for being here with us. We know You’re helping Elan right now, but he needs to know that You’re the only Father he needs to show him how to be a real man. Give him courage to make good choices. Keep him safe. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

  Pastor John squeezed the girls’ hands as approaching sirens wailed in the background. “God, I can’t possibly say it any more eloquently than these girls have, but please be everything Elan needs in his life—his Protector, his Father, his Strength, his Confidence. May he turn to You in times of difficulty and uncertainty. May his heart belong to You. Bring him down safely to his mother. In Your Son’s strong name. Amen.”

  Bailey looked into Pastor John’s face and saw a tender smile. His eyes were moist, and he hugged them. “Thanks, girls. I know God heard our prayers and is already answering them in the way He knows is best.”

  “He’s almost to the top!” someone yelled.

  Bailey saw that in about two more reach-and-step movements, Elan would indeed be to the flat mesa at the top of the cliff. “You’re almost there, Elan!” she shouted. “You can do it!”

  By now a TV news helicopter hovered overhead. Police cars and fire trucks came next, sirens blaring, standing by in case emergency medical care was needed.

  Elan reached one last time, and his arm landed over the top ledge. He pulled himself up and swung his leg onto the landing.

  “You did it!” Elizabeth whooped.

  Elan stood, his arms raised in victory.

  Halona’s cell phone rang.

  “Mom! I made it! I proved myself a man!” Elan was talking so loud that Bailey could hear him through the phone.

  “I am so proud of you, even though you scared me to death,” Halona said. “Don’t you ever try anything like this again, do you hear me?”

  “I won’t,” Elan promised. “I’m worn out and all scraped up. I’m ready to be brought down.”

  Chief Maska stood right next to Halona. He tapped her on the shoulder and motioned for her to give him the phone, which she did.

  “Elan? It’s Chief Maska.”

  “Did you see me, Chief? I made it!” Elan jumped up and down on the mesa plateau.

  “I saw you. You did a remarkable job getting up there.”

  “I was just telling Mom that I’m tired and all scraped up and ready to be brought down now.”

  “Brought down?” Chief Maska smiled wryly. “Elan, you’ve only done the first part of proving your manhood. Being a man means continuing even when you’re tired, doing what’s right even when you’re hurt, and taking responsibility for your actions and choices. You must now come down from the mountain on your own, not expect someone to rescue you.”

  “What? I can’t make it! I’m too tired. I can’t do it!”

  With that, Bailey saw Elan drop in a heap on top of the mountain.

  One Step Closer

  “You can do it, Elan.” Chief Maska spoke gently. “I will show you another way to come down that is easier than the one you took up. Walk to your right until you see a boulder the color of the sunset.”

  Elan slowly stood and looked around him, cell phone still against his ear. He then followed the chief’s directions. “I think I see it.”

  “Good. Now climb over it and follow the small path that winds to the left.”

  Step by step, the chief guided Elan down the mountain until finally, a half hour later, he emerged at the bottom, tired and ragged. Halona grabbed him in a hug before the paramedics checked him over.

  “Elan!” Bailey rushed to him. “You made it! Are you okay?”

  “I think so. Just a little beat up.” He raised up his hands, scraped and raw, for her to see. “My knees are bloody, too. And I think I have blisters on my feet, but not as bad as if I’d climbed barefoot like many of my ancestors.”

  Halona hugged him again. “I’m just glad you made it down in one piece.”

  Paramedics bandaged his wounds and listened to his heart.

  “I guess there’s no doubt that you’re a man now,” Bailey said. “We knew it before, but this should take care of any questions anyone may have had about you.” Her eyes flitted in Paco’s direction, and Elan smiled.

  “So no more taking risks like that!” Halona scolded. “You could have been killed, and where would that have left Aiyana and me? We need you.”

  “I know, Mama,” Elan said. “I won’t do anything like that again. I know that a real man needs to be responsible, not just brave.”

  The paramedic helped Elan to his feet. “Okay, son. You’re good to go.”

  “Come on. Let’s get you home.” Halona wrapped her arm around Elan and led him toward the car.

  “Hey, Elan!”

  Elan swung around to see Paco, Willy, and several other boys coming toward him. He scowled until Paco ex
tended his hand.

  “I was wrong.” Paco’s smile brightened his usually gloomy face. “You’re tougher than I thought.”

  Elan shook Paco’s hand, wincing as his bandaged fingertips met Paco’s grip.

  Paco let go. “Sorry.”

  “No problem.”

  “Well, we’ll see you around.” Paco and his buddies jumped on their bikes and took off toward town.

  “Who was that?” Halona asked.

  “Just some guys from school.” Elan kept walking toward the car.

  “Were they the ones who teased you?”

  Elan glared at Aiyana.

  “I had to tell!” Aiyana cried.

  “Yeah, they’re the ones,” he admitted. “But it doesn’t look like they’ll give me any more trouble.”

  “You should have told me,” Halona said. “I’m sure we could have come up with a better solution than you risking your life.”

  As the Tse family—plus Elizabeth, Bailey, and her mom—piled into the Suburban, a sense of dread filled Bailey. With the excitement over, she suddenly remembered the broken pot.

  “Halona, about the broken pot Aiyana found in the cabinet at the store,” Bailey began. She figured she may as well come clean with the whole awful truth and face the consequences now.

  Halona looked at her in the rearview mirror. “Oh, yes! I’d forgotten all about it in my worry over Elan.”

  “I broke it, and I’m terribly sorry.” Bailey felt hot tears prick her eyes.

  “What pot?” Elan asked.

  “The pot of our ancestors!” Aiyana blurted. “The one that held the key to riches!”

  “How’d that happen?” The accusation in Elan’s voice was unmistakable.

  “I—I wanted to look at it in better light. So we could figure out if the painting on the pot was of an area somewhere around here.”

  Elizabeth spoke up. “It wasn’t all Bailey’s fault. We both knew we shouldn’t touch the pot, but we were equally curious. As she reached for the pot, I accidentally bumped into her and made her knock it over. That’s when it fell to the floor and broke. I’m sorry, too.”

  “Bailey!” Mrs. Chang’s face meant business. “You girls have gone way over the boundaries with your sleuthing this time!”

  “I’m sorry,” Bailey said softly. “I’ll try to fix it. I think it will glue back together.”

  “Still, the damage is done. ‘Sorry’ and a little glue won’t fix hundreds of years of history.” Mrs. Chang shook her head.

  “Bailey,” Halona said gently. “It’s okay. It’s true the pot meant a lot to our family. But I think God put Elan on the side of that cliff today for more reasons than just to prove his manhood.”

  Bailey looked at the rearview mirror where she could only see Halona’s kind eyes looking back.

  “I think He put him there just at that time so I could see this situation from a different perspective.” Halona paused. “The pot was very important to us, but not as important as our family or the lives we live. Elan’s life was on the line today and, by comparison, that pot isn’t worth the clay it was made from.”

  Tears spilled down Bailey’s cheeks. She looked at Elizabeth and saw tears in her eyes, too.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Bailey whispered. “Thank you.”

  “Yes, thank you,” Elizabeth echoed. “We’ll do whatever we can to repay you and repair the damage.”

  “I know there’s really no way to do that.” Bailey wiped her tears with the palm of her hand. “But you can bet we’ll try our best.”

  “I know you will,” Halona said.

  That evening, Bailey sat cross-legged on the floor of the bedroom with her computer in her lap and chatted with the other Camp Club Girls on the CCG chat room.

  Bailey: It’s been one of the most miserable and wonderful days all rolled up into one.

  McKenzie: How so?

  Bailey: I’m almost embarrassed to tell you.

  Alex: Go ahead, Bales. Spill it.

  Bailey: I broke the ancient pot.

  Elizabeth: With my help.

  Kate: Shut up.

  Sydney: No you did not!

  Bailey: Yes I did, sorry to say.

  Alex: How’d that happen?

  Bailey: I wanted to compare Kate’s paw print pics to the pot.

  Kate: And?

  Bailey: The lighting was bad, so I decided to take it into the light.

  Elizabeth: But I told her not to, and when she reached for the pot, I accidently bumped her. It fell to the floor.

  Sydney: Oh no! what happened?

  Bailey: Halona called us to come help her, so we picked up the pieces and put them in a cabinet.

  Alex: That doesn’t sound good.

  Elizabeth: Just as we went to help her, a kid came in saying Elan was in trouble.

  Bailey: Elan was scaling Puye Cliffs without ropes or tools to prove his manhood.

  Sydney: You’re kidding.

  Elizabeth: His people used to do that as a rite of passage.

  McKenzie: Did he make it to the top?

  Bailey: Yes, but it was scary. He slipped a couple of times.

  Elizabeth: After he climbed down. his fingers and knees were bloody.

  Alex: Gross! TMI!

  Elizabeth: Sorry.

  McKenzie: So what about the pot? Did you get in trouble?

  Bailey: On the way back from the cliffs, I confessed.

  Elizabeth: We apologized, though we knew it wouldn’t make anything better.

  Sydney: How’d the family take it?

  Bailey: Mom was mad. Can’t blame her.

  Elizabeth: Halona was cool.

  Bailey: She said Elan’s climb showed what was important.

  McKenzie: Amazing.

  Kate: Any consequences?

  Bailey: Not too bad. Mom took my phone away. That’s why we’re chatting instead of calling.

  Elizabeth: Do you have anything to report?

  Alex: I found the Tses owned a turquoise mine north of the northern point of New Mexico in the Jemez Mountains.

  Bailey: I thought the mountains around here were the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

  Sydney: Sangre de Cristo. I learned those words in my Spanish class. They mean “Blood of Chrstist.”

  Elizabeth: Impressive, Syd!

  Alex: Bales, from what I read, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are the most important mountain range in New Mexico, but the east side of the Jemez Mountains is where the Puye Cliff dwellings are.

  Bailey: So that probably explains why I’ve heard more about Sangre de Cristos.

  Elizabeth: Alex, did you find out anything about the deed?

  Alex: It was issued in 1848 to a man named Hakan Kaga.

  Elizabeth wrote the name and date on a paper lying on the nightstand.

  Bailey: Good work, Alex! I’ll ask Halona if she’s ever heard that name.

  Alex: Don’t bother. I already found out that it was Halona’s maiden name.

  Bailey: Awesome!

  Elizabeth: Anything else?

  Alex: That’s it for me.

  McKenzie: I don’t have anything.

  Bailey: OK. If any of you come up with anything, call Beth’s phone or e-mail us.

  Sydney: Will do.

  Kate: C U l8r.

  Bailey signed off. “We could do a bit of research on the name Hakan Kaga ourselves.”

  Elizabeth’s green eyes twinkled. “Just what I was thinking.” She typed the name into her search engine. Most of what popped up was genealogical information, which she scanned. “Looks like Hakan was Halona’s great-greatgrandfather.”

  “Nothing about a turquoise mine?” Bailey asked.

  “Not on this site. I’ll keep looking.” Elizabeth scrolled down. “Aha.”

  “What?”

  “It says the Suquosa Mine was mined by the Kaga family from the 1600s. Somehow when people began officially purchasing land, it was bought by someone named Taime Wapi. It was bought again by Hakan Kaga in 1848. He worked the mine and pa
ssed it on to his family after his death. He was only fifty-eight when he died.”

  “That’s not very old,” Bailey said. “Does it say how he died?”

  Elizabeth kept reading. “Hmm. It says he suffered injuries in a mining accident, but doesn’t say what the injuries were. But the accident happened the same year he died.”

  “I bet that’s no coincidence.”

  “No.” Elizabeth replied. “It might have caused his death.”

  “Can you find a death certificate?”

  “I’m looking.” Beth scanned the listings. “Here. Hakan Kaga. Cause of death: injuries sustained in mining accident.”

  “So he died, then the mine was passed to his family from generation to generation until now it belongs to Halona and no one can find the deed to prove it.” Bailey shook her head. “Can you find out when the mine shut down?”

  Elizabeth typed in “Suquosa Mine.” She clicked on the first entry that came up. “It gives a brief history of the

  mine. Let’s see here.…It says the mine was haunted by the

  deaths of many workers in the early 1900s and finally shut down due to drought and safety issues in 1925.”

  “Anything about where it was located?” Bailey leaned forward.

  “Not really. Just that it was in the Jemez Mountains in northern New Mexico.”

  Bailey growled. “I wish they were more specific!”

  “Something has to give pretty soon,” Elizabeth said. “I feel like we’re close to the solution, but somehow just can’t see it yet.”

  “Me, too. We have to keep our eyes and ears open even more than ever.”

  “I think we need to ask God’s help,” Elizabeth said. “We haven’t been the best at seeking Him first.”

  Bailey was quiet, then nodded. “You’re right. We’ve been trying to do this all on our own and forgot to put God first.”

  The girls bowed their heads and Elizabeth prayed aloud. “God, we’re stuck on this mystery, and we need Your help. If You want us to solve this, would You please show us the pieces to the puzzle that we’re missing? It would help Halona and her family so much if we could find that deed to the mine and prove her to be the rightful owner. Thank You for listening to us and helping us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

  “There.” Bailey said. “Now we’re even one step closer to the solution.”