THE SECRET OF FIRE ISLAND
CYNTHIA S. GRIFFITH
COVER ART BY SARAH LOWE
Copyright © 2000 by Cynthia S. Griffith
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without prior written permission of the author.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One: Banana Fudge, Boys and Barbecue
Chapter Two: A Wide-Eyed Big Surprise
Chapter Three: Sky-High Mystery Girl
Chapter Four: Someone in the Shadows
Chapter Five: Rejoicing in Paradise
Chapter Six: Aloha the Hula
Chapter Seven: Creation Sings the Glory of God
Chapter Eight: A Race into Darkness
Chapter Nine: Scare in the Air
Chapter Ten: On Fire Island
Chapter Eleven: Leilani’s Desperate Story
Chapter Twelve: Terror in the Treetops
Chapter Thirteen: The Hidden Glade
Chapter Fourteen: The Search for Secrets
Chapter Fifteen: Ka Lua Pele
Chapter Sixteen: Trapped with the Treasure
Chapter Seventeen: Rescued!
Chapter Eighteen: Aloha and Goodbye!
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CHAPTER ONE
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Banana Fudge, Boys and Barbecue
Kristi and Robyn lazily swung the hammock under the silver poplar trees in Kristi’s backyard. Sunlight filtered through the leaves. It was hot, even in the shade, but fortunately a small breeze cooled the air now and then. The girls were head to foot in the hammock—one at each end.
“Whew! I’m so glad school is finally out for the summer,” Kristi said. “I could hardly concentrate that last week!” Her face was flushed. It was hard to tell if the pink glow was a result of the heat, though, or a reflection of the bright pink T-shirt she was wearing with a pair of jean shorts. Her sandals were kicked off and lying beneath the hammock. “I wanted to sing the Hallelujah Chorus that last day of school! I still would, actually, if it didn’t take so much effort.”
“I know what you mean, Kristi,” Robyn murmured as she fanned herself. “Just think—three whole months to do whatever we want! Beaches, parties, skating, picnics… I can hardly wait!” She squinted her eyes against the beam of sunshine that managed to penetrate the leafy canopy overhead and hit her squarely across her face. Her bare foot waggled near Kristi’s nose, but Kristi had her eyes closed and was unaware of her imminent danger.
“Me, either! I need to go shopping this weekend, though. My swimsuit from last year barely fits. Mom said I must have grown two whole sizes over the winter.” Kristi brushed her chestnut hair from her hot forehead. Little curls escaped from her long ponytail and hung damply around her face. A sprinkle of freckles covered her nose like pixie dust. She yawned and opened her green eyes for a moment. “I wonder where Anna is,” she said. “She should have been here by now.”
“If she doesn’t get here soon, I’m going to fall asleep,” Robyn said. “Come on, Kristi—let’s go get something cold to drink.” Robyn swung her legs over the hammock and jumped up. She reached down and grabbed Kristi’s hand.
“Oh, if you insist!” Kristi laughed. “I think Mom baked some cookies last night, too, and I’ll bet there’s some more of that banana fudge ice cream in the freezer—if Dan and Pete didn’t beat us to it.” She rolled out of the hammock and slipped on her sandals. “That pool sure looks refreshing, too. When Anna gets here let’s go swimming.”
A moment later, just as they reached the patio, their friend appeared around the corner of the house. “Sorry I’m late, guys!” Anna called breathlessly. “Mamí needed me to watch the baby for a little while so she could run to the store. Did I miss anything?”
“Not yet, but a few minutes later and you would have missed out on my famous banana fudge ice cream sandwiches!” Kristi replied with a laugh. “How’s that little munchkin doing, anyway, Anna? Is he walking yet?”
“Almost! He’s still holding on to the furniture but Mamí says he should be ready to take off any day now.” Anna’s big brown eyes glowed with pleasure at the thought of the newest addition to the Velasquez family. Everyone knew how much Anna loved babies—and it was a good thing, too, because she had four younger brothers and sisters. Her mother depended on her a lot to help with the little ones.
The girls stepped through the patio door into a large kitchen. “Oh-oh,” Kristi said as she looked around the empty room. “Dan and Pete have been here! They left ice cream dishes in the sink. Oh, and it looks like Skeeter beat us to the ice cream, too! Someone left a mess over here—and that’s Skeeter, for sure!” She crossed to the freezer and peered inside. “Whew! There’s still some left! I hope they didn’t eat all of Mom’s cookies, though!”
She had her head in the pantry looking for the cookies when her mother walked into the kitchen. “Hi, girls!” her mother said cheerily. “How are you, Robyn? I haven’t seen you for a whole—let’s see—three days! And Anna—what a cute outfit that is! Yellow is sure your color with your dark hair and pretty tan.” Rachel Cameron was petite—not much taller than the teenage girls in her kitchen. Her entrance into any room was like a breath of fresh air, with her cheerful energy and bright smile.
“Hi, Mrs. Cameron,” Robyn and Anna said in unison. They loved Kristi’s mom. She was a bit of a scatterbrain and always a lot of fun. The girls appreciated the fact most of all, though, that Kristi’s mom was always there to talk to if you had a problem. And of course, it was so cool to actually know a real-life author!
“Mom, those boys ate all the cookies! I wanted to make ice cream sandwiches.” Kristi complained, holding up the empty plate she had pulled from the pantry.
“Ha! Never fear, my dear!” her mother chirped. “Mom to the rescue! I hid another whole plateful just for you girls! Well, maybe you ought to save a couple for your dad, Kristi, but otherwise, enjoy!” She reached below the counter into the pots and pan cupboard and took a plate of large oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from behind the big soup pot. “Da-da!” she sang out as she handed the platter to Kristi with a flourish.
“Thanks, Mom!” Kristi hugged her mother and then leaned back and took another look at her mother’s face. She burst out laughing. “Mom, you did it again! You’ve got blue ink on your lips! You’ve got to quit chewing your pen while you write!” Robyn and Anna giggled.
“Oops!” her mom chuckled. Rachel Cameron was a mystery writer, and a very good one, at that. She had already written several best-sellers and had become rather well known in the last few years. She did most of her work on her computer in her study, of course, but now and then she liked to write out by the pool, scribbling in a spiral-bound notebook, and then she invariably ended up with ink on hands, face—even her legs!
“Here, Mom…” Kristi wet the corner of a napkin and wiped at her mother’s mouth. Rachel was a redhead, too, although her hair was a darker shade of auburn than Kristi’s, and she was a couple inches taller than her daughter but otherwise they looked very much alike. “Okay—all done!” She studied her mother’s face and thought once more what a pretty mom she had.
“Thanks! Okay, back to work, I guess. I sure am glad I can work from home! How else could I sit by the pool and get a tan—and still get paid for it! Ha! Bye, girls!” Rachel started through the French doors to the patio.
“Thanks for the cookies, Mrs. Cameron!” Robyn and Anna called after her.
Kristi’
s mother stuck her head back in the door. “You’re welcome! Oh, by the way, how would you girls like to stay for supper? I thought we would barbecue on the patio—hamburgers, hot dogs, and the fixin’s. Oh, and I’ll invite Pete to stay, too. We’ll celebrate the start of a great summer vacation! How does that sound? Daddy will be flying in this afternoon, too, Kristi, so we’ll all be together,” she said. She turned to Anna and Robyn. “I’ll call your moms, girls, and ask if it’s okay. Would you like that?”
Anna smiled. “That sounds wonderful, Mrs. Cameron,” she said shyly.
“Sure, Mrs. Cameron!” Robyn chimed in. “What can we do to help?” Her long blonde hair bounced as she jumped up and down in excitement, and her blue eyes sparkled.
Mrs. Cameron thought for a moment. “Well, later I’ll have you girls shuck some ears of corn for me, okay? We’ll have corn on the cob, too. Right now, why don’t you all just enjoy the pool for a while and I’ll let you know when it’s time.”
Rachel Cameron ducked out the door once more. Kristi turned to her friends when she was gone and said, “Come on girls, let’s go up to my room and change into our swimsuits. We can take our sodas and ice cream sandwiches out to the pool after we change. The guys will be back soon, so let’s take advantage of the peace and quiet while we can!”
Kristi’s bedroom overlooked the back yard and pool. A little balcony led off her room, with white wicker chairs and a small table. The cushions on the chairs matched the bedding and pillows throughout Kristi’s room—all pink, peach and cream florals and stripes. A sheer ivory canopy draped the big four-poster bed which had once belonged to Kristi’s grandmother. Robyn and Anna stopped in the doorway and gazed around the beautiful room as they always did whenever they entered it. It was a girly-girl’s room—which Kristi certainly was—and fit for a princess.
“Come on in, girls,” she said. “I hope I can squeeze into my swimsuit! You brought yours, didn’t you?” The girls took turns going into Kristi’s bathroom to change into the suits they had in their beach bags. She shared her bathroom with the guest room, but most of the time she had it all to herself. Her brothers shared another one down the hall.
A few minutes later they were all ready to go back down to the kitchen. Kristi’s pink suit was a little tight, but she was still able to wear it—at least here at home—until they could get to the mall on Saturday. She fixed her ponytail and grabbed her beach towel and cover-up. Robyn’s lime green and bright orange suit reflected her personality—a spunky tomboy with mischief in her eyes! She borrowed a ponytail holder from Kristi and put her own blonde hair up. Anna looked pretty in an aqua and peach floral swimsuit. Her parents were Spanish and the dark lustrous hair and almond-shaped brown eyes of her heritage were beautiful. Anna was a bit shy, but her pretty good looks made her stand out in a crowd.
The girls made their ice cream sandwiches—banana fudge ice cream topped with sliced bananas, pressed between two big oatmeal chocolate chip cookies—and grabbed cans of soda pop out of the refrigerator.
Kristi’s mom was busy scribbling in her notebook and gave them a little absentminded wave as they settled around the umbrella table by the pool. They ate their ice cream quickly as it melted and dripped between their fingers.
“Umm—yummy, Kristi! These are great!” Anna said. “I sure am glad the guys didn’t eat all the ice cream. I think banana fudge is my new favorite flavor.”
“And your mom makes awesome cookies, too!” Robyn said. She wiped a drip off her chin and licked her fingers.
“I heard that!” Rachel Cameron called from her lounge chair across the pool. “Thanks!”
The girls giggled. Kristi licked her own sticky fingers and said, “Okay girls! I can’t wait any longer! Everyone into the pool! Last one in is a rotten egg!”
The air was filled with squeals and laughter and plumes of water as they dashed to the swimming pool. Sunshine sparkled brightly off the surface like little diamonds as they splashed and played. The Cameron’s pool was just off the flagstone patio at the back of the large house. Crimson and coral flowers overflowed the pots that were placed here and there around the veranda. A lush green lawn rolled away beyond the pool to a border of trees at the edge of the immense yard. The hammock Kristi and Robyn had swung in earlier hung from those trees, and scattered throughout the yard were small stone benches, statues and fountains. It was a peaceful, park-like place—except for the noisy ruckus coming from the pool.
The girls finally tired of their games and floated lazily around the pool on rafts. They chatted about school and friends and clothes until Robyn finally opened her eyes and shaded her eyes against the bright sun. “I wonder where the guys are?” she said.
No sooner had the words left her mouth when they heard, “Right here!” and SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! Three cannonballs hit the water and knocked all three girls off their rafts! They came up sputtering and choking, but with big grins on their faces. Mrs. Cameron was at the side of the pool chuckling.
“Where did you guys come from?” Kristi asked. “We didn’t even hear you sneaking up on us.” Dan, Pete and Skeeter bobbed in the water behind them, laughing at the bedraggled girls.
Her brother Dan sent a wave of water right into her face as he answered, “We went to the go-cart park after lunch. I beat these other two jokers, of course—twice, in fact!” His dark blond hair hung in his eyes until he pushed it back. He winked at his best friend, Pete.
Kristi calmly wiped her face and shot her own wave of water over at Skeeter as he tried to sneak up behind her to dunk her. “Back off, Little Brother!” she warned with a grin. “You’re no match for my friends and me, so don’t even try!” Skeeter was two years younger than Kristi. His real name was Steven, after his dad, but he had been called Skeeter since he was two years old. He had received the nickname when five year old Dan (at the time) had complained to his mom that his baby brother was “a pest—just like a ‘skeeter’.” Rachel hardly felt her baby boy was anything like a mosquito but somehow the name had stuck.
A fierce water fight broke out between the three girls and three guys, which soon developed into a spirited game of water tag. Mrs. Cameron’s voice finally rose above the yells and squeals of the young people. “Okay, you all! Time to knock it off! Your father just called and he’s on his way home from the airport. Go get dressed, and then I need some help to get this barbecue going. Dan and Pete, would you please start the grill up? Be careful, though! And Skeeter, you can wipe off the chairs around the pool that you all splashed with your water fight, and also take care of the rafts and other water toys, okay? Girls, after you’re dressed I’ll have the corn ready for you to shuck. Oh, and could you please get the table out here set for supper? Thanks!”
“Okay, Mom.” “Sure thing, Mrs. Cameron,” the teens called as they grabbed their towels and turned to troop into the house.
“Oh wait! One more thing!” she called to them.
They turned and looked back. “What is it, Mom?” Dan asked.
“Just thought I’d let you all in on a little secret—something that involves all of you! Your father and I have a surprise announcement to make at the barbecue tonight! It’s something you’re all going to love—but that’s all I’m going to say about it right now!”
The kids looked at one another and then Kristi and Skeeter spoke at the same time. “What, Mom? Come on, don’t leave us hanging like that!” they begged.
“Nope!” she said with a grin. “My lips are sealed! Quick now, go get dressed!”
The excited teens raced for the stairs. What could this big surprise be? Something that involved all of them? They could hardly wait for the barbecue that night!
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CHAPTER TWO
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A Wide-Eyed Big Surprise
Steve Cameron flipped the last burger and said, “Okay, we’re just about ready here! Do you have the rest of the food on the table, Rachel?”
“Give me a couple more minutes, Honey,” she called. “I hav
e to get the potato salad and baked beans yet. Kids, wash your hands and then go ahead and gather around the table. We’re going to eat in just a minute.”
Kristi looked at her dad and smiled. “I’m glad you’re home, Daddy,” she said. “That was a long trip this time.” She thought her dad was just about the most handsome man in the world—tall and blonde with just a touch of gray at the temples. He’d been home for an hour now, and looked relaxed and happy as he manned the barbecue.
“Yes,” her father replied. “I had to fly to Paris, and from there to Cairo, Egypt. We had a layover this time, so it took
a little extra time to get home again.” Steve Cameron was actually Captain Steve Cameron, a senior pilot for one of the nation’s largest airlines. When he wasn’t flying huge jumbo jets around the world, he flew his own small plane around the country as a hobby. The Cameron family traveled a great deal as a result of her father’s talents.
Kristi was proud of both her parents. They were good-looking people with interesting jobs, but more than that, they were really wonderful parents. Her dad traveled a great deal, but when he was home, he spent a lot of good time with his wife and children. He enjoyed having fun with them, but he was there for the serious stuff, too, like helping with homework or listening to problems and offering advice. He worked hard to give them a good life with a nice home and plenty of nice things, but he also wanted to be sure they had the really important things in life—a relationship with God, a close family and an appreciation for all the ways the Lord had blessed them.
Her mother was like that, too. She was fun and bubbly, and really smart, but she also had a serious side when it came to teaching her children how to grow up to be the fine people God wanted them to be. Both her parents were strict sometimes, and although Kristi and her brothers had many nice things and many fun and interesting experiences, their mother and father stuck to their values and made sure their children did, too. The entire family was in church every week. They read the Bible and prayed together, and they shared their love for Jesus with those around them. They were generous, too, with their possessions and money, and gave back to the Lord and to others. Kristi had often thought that when she grew up she wanted to have a home and family just like the one she had grown up in.
The Secret of Fire Island (Kristi Cameron Book 1) Page 1
