Camp Club Girls: Elizabeth

by Brumbaugh Green, Renae;

  “Look,” Elizabeth said. “We don’t have any reason to believe he’s dangerous. We only think he knows something about the gemstones. I think we should just play dumb, and see if he brings up the marbles.”

  After a moment, McKenzie nodded. “Okay. But this feels strange to me.”

  The two girls stopped a few steps from the stall where the cowboy and McKenzie’s dad were talking horse talk.

  “McKenzie, here, is a horse expert in her own right,” her dad said, inviting the girls into the conversation.

  McKenzie blushed and smiled. “I try,” she said modestly.

  “She’ll take over the ranch for me one day, if she wants,” her dad smiled proudly at her. “She could probably do it right now.”

  The cowboy smiled. “It’s always good to have someone around who knows their business,” he said. Then, he reached out and shook Mr. Phillips’s hand and tipped his hat to the girls. “I have some other business I need to tend to, but I’ll look forward to seeing you all at dinner,” he said. And with that, his long, lanky legs carried him across the stables, around the corner, and out of sight.

  The girls spent the next couple of hours sitting by the pool and looking at the different horses. Elizabeth enjoyed seeing the Big Texan from a tourist’s point of view. She had lived in Amarillo all her life and had never stayed at the motel. It was fun.

  At 4:00 p.m., they went to the motel lobby. McKenzie had noticed a computer available to the motel guests. They wanted to check their email and see if there were any more tips from the other Camp Club Girls. After waiting for two other people, they signed on.

  Sure enough, there was a message from Kate.

  Biscuit was sniffing around in the car today, and he found my reader pen! I’ve been looking all over for that thing. But it got me thinking…I wonder if Emily Marie hid the marbles in her car somewhere. What happened to her car after she died?

  “That’s a good question. Let’s go ask Megan. If she doesn’t know, maybe Jean Louise will know something,” suggested Elizabeth.

  They headed to the restaurant. Megan wasn’t scheduled to get off until 4:30, but they were hoping to eat their forgotten pie while they waited. Jean Louise met them at the door.

  “Well, well. If it isn’t Sherlock Holmes and Watson,” she said with a smile. “Did you track down the cowboy?”

  The girls laughed. “Actually, he found us,” Elizabeth told her. “It’s been an interesting afternoon.”

  Jean Louise seated them, then brought their pie, all nestled in white Styrofoam containers. “Here ya go,” she said. The restaurant was busy, and she didn’t stay to chat.

  Twenty minutes later, Megan joined them at the booth. “Tell me everything,” she said.

  “We will. But first, do you have any idea what happened to your grandmother’s car after she died?”

  Megan thought for a moment. “No, but my Uncle Jack will know. He’s a mechanic, and Mom says he’s always been interested in cars.”

  “Let’s go see him right now!” exclaimed McKenzie.

  “That will be hard. He lives in Houston,” Megan said. “But I can call him.”

  The girls leaned their heads together, whispering and planning for the next half hour.

  That evening, Elizabeth’s backyard was filled with laughter and the scent of grilling hamburgers. James and Evan ran around playing cowboys and Indians, and Mr. Jacobs pretended to get shot in the crossfire. The man seemed to enjoy children, and moved back and forth between playing with the boys and helping Mr. Anderson flip burgers.

  Elizabeth was inside filling red plastic cups with iced tea. She had left McKenzie sitting near the men in case anything was said about the jewels. She looked out the window at her friend, who looked bored. The last bit of conversation Elizabeth had heard was about football.

  “You did invite Megan and her mom, didn’t you?” Mrs. Anderson asked Elizabeth.

  “Yes, ma’am. Megan said her mom gets home tonight around seven thirty, so they’ll be a little late.”

  Mrs. Anderson looked out the side window toward the Smiths’ house. “I sure wish she didn’t have to work so hard. I wish we could do something more for them,” she said.

  “We’re actually working on that,” said Elizabeth without thinking.

  “What do you mean?” her mother asked.

  Catching herself, Elizabeth thought quickly. “Oh, just that Megan is working now, earning some extra money. She also makes straight A’s in school, and in a few years she’ll probably get a full scholarship to some college.”

  Mrs. Anderson ran a gentle hand across Elizabeth’s hair. “That’s nice, dear.” Then, the woman held open the screen door with her backside, and the two joined the party, delivering iced tea to their guests.

  A short time later, Megan arrived with her mother. When Mrs. Smith was introduced to Mr. Jacobs, the cowboy stood and took her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ruby. You add a whole new loveliness to your name,” he said.

  Mrs. Smith smiled and blushed, and the three girls looked at one another in alarm. What did that cowboy think he was doing? Did he know about the jewels and Megan’s mother?

  They continued to watch the interaction between Ruby and Mr. Jacobs throughout the evening. Those two didn’t talk much, but their eyes kept wandering to each other. Finally, Megan whispered, “We need to have an emergency meeting in your room. Now!”

  The three girls excused themselves. As soon as Elizabeth’s door was closed, Megan burst into a chain of broken sentences that showed her anxiety, but didn’t really make much sense.

  “What in the—who does he think—and my mother! I’ve never seen her—she used to flirt with my dad but—of all people! I’ve wanted her to start dating—but not like this! Not with that no good, sweet-talkin’, connivin’, manipulatin’ cowboy!”

  “Whoa, calm down, Megs.” Elizabeth put her arm around her friend. “She’s not dating anyone. Sure, there were some sparks out there. But let’s face it. She’ll probably never see him again after tonight. Unless…”

  “Unless what?” Megan and McKenzie asked in unison.

  Elizabeth paused. If the looks on their faces were any indication, her two friends were thinking exactly what she was thinking. “Unless he knows the jewels were given to your grandmother. Do you think he’s traced them to your mother somehow?”

  “How could he? My mother didn’t know about them until the other day. And she doesn’t even care about them.”

  “She may not care about them, but he doesn’t know that,” said McKenzie.

  The three girls moved Elizabeth’s pink ruffled curtains to the side and peered at the group in the backyard. Cowboy had moved his lawn chair closer to Megan’s mother, and the two looked engrossed in conversation.

  “We’d better get out there. Now!” exclaimed Megan.

  “Not just yet,” McKenzie interrupted. “First, tell us if you had a chance to call your uncle.”

  Megan kept peering out the window as she answered. “Oh yeah. I called him this afternoon. He doesn’t know anything about any marbles. He said the car stayed impounded for a couple of years while they investigated the accident. After that, he took it apart and sold it piece by piece. They needed the money. But if there were any marbles hidden in the car, he would have found them.”

  McKenzie let out a disappointed sigh. “I was just sure that’s where they were.”

  The sound of Mrs. Smith’s laughter floated through the window, and Megan said, “That does it. I’ve gotta get that cowboy away from my mother.”

  “Yep. And we’d better get crackin’ on this mystery, before your mother really gets hurt,” said Elizabeth.

  The cookout ended around 10:30, but had seemed much longer. The girls did all they could to interrupt the conversations between Megan’s mom and the cowboy, but the man was not easily deterred. This gave the three sleuths even more reason to think he was up to something shady.

  They spent the night in Elizabeth’s room and were awakened ea
rly the next morning with the sounds of humming from Megan’s driveway. Megan sat up in her sleeping bag and peered out the window to see her mother leaving for work.

  “My mother hasn’t sounded like that in a long time,” she said.

  Elizabeth rolled over and propped her head on her elbow. “She really misses your dad, doesn’t she?”

  “Yeah,” Megan answered softly. “So do I.”

  They were interrupted by James. “Who wants breakfast?” he asked, opening the door without knocking.

  Elizabeth squealed, “Shut the door! James, you know you’re not allowed in here without permission!”

  He backed out and shut the door. “Sorry, Beth. But Mama wants to know who wants breakfast.”

  “I do,” called all three girls in unison.

  “Little brothers…,” muttered Elizabeth, and her friends chuckled. The three girls dressed quickly and dashed to the kitchen, where Mrs. Anderson had left toaster pastries, fruit, orange juice, and milk. James had already eaten, so they had the kitchen to themselves.

  “We’re supposed to meet Jean Louise at the restaurant at nine forty-five so she can drive us to her mother’s house. Did you check with your mom, Elizabeth?” asked Megan.

  “Mom,” called Elizabeth around a mouthful of toaster pastry.

  Mrs. Anderson popped her head around the corner from the laundry room. “Don’t talk with your mouth full, dear.”

  Elizabeth swallowed her food and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Sorry. May I please go with Jean Louise this morning to meet her mother? Megan’s coming too, and McKenzie is going to ask her parents.”

  Mrs. Anderson smiled. “I think that sounds lovely. I’m glad to hear you girls are doing something constructive with your time. It reminds me of James 1:27.”

  Megan and McKenzie looked at Elizabeth after Mrs. Anderson went back to her laundry. “James 1:27?” Megan asked.

  “‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world,’” Elizabeth quoted.

  The other two listened in stunned silence. “How do you do that?” asked McKenzie. “I know a lot of Bible verses, but you’re like a walking encyclopedia!”

  Elizabeth smiled. “I don’t know. I’ve just heard them all my life.”

  “Well, we’re not exactly going to see this woman because she’s in distress,” said Megan. “So I’m not sure this visit will count.”

  “Maybe not, but I’ll bet she’ll enjoy our visit anyway! Hopefully, we’ll get some information we can use,” replied Elizabeth. “We’ve got to find those jewels before the cowboy does.”

  A short time later, having gained permission from McKenzie’s parents, the three girls slid into Jean Louise’s red convertible sports car.

  “This is a cool car!” McKenzie exclaimed.

  “Thank you,” said the waitress.

  The girls enjoyed the ride, laughing as their hair—blond, brunette, and auburn—flapped in the wind.

  They arrived at Shady Acres Retirement Community a short time later, and Jean Louise led them through the well-kept apartment complex. She knocked and then used her key to open the door. “Mama!” she called. “We’re here. I brought the girls I told you about.”

  A small, white-haired woman appeared, using a walker. Her eyes were bright, and she wore a cheerful smile. “Come in, come in!” she said. “I’ve been looking forward to this.”

  They entered the small, well-kept apartment, and smelled something delicious. Jean Louise wasted no time in introducing the girls, one by one. “And this, ladies, is my mother, Mrs. Wilson.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Wilson,” the girls said politely.

  “Sit down,” she gestured, and moved slowly to stand in front of Megan. “Except you. I want you to stand here and let me look at you.”

  Megan smiled a bit uncomfortably while the woman looked her over, head to toe. Then, she reached out a gentle hand and touched Megan’s hair, then her face. “Such a beautiful girl. You’re the spitting image of Emily Marie.”

  McKenzie looked questioningly at Elizabeth.

  “Megan’s grandmother,” Elizabeth whispered, and the redhead nodded.

  “Your grandmother would have been so proud of you,” the woman continued. “She was my best friend, you know. A real jewel. Your mother and your uncle Jack were her world. She would have loved watching you grow up.”

  Then, she gestured for Megan to sit down before taking a seat herself. She turned to her daughter. “Jean Louise, I made some lemon bars for these girls, and there is lemonade in the refrigerator. Would you get them, please?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” The woman moved swiftly to obey her elderly mother.

  “I hope you didn’t go to any trouble, Mrs. Wilson,” Elizabeth said.

  The woman responded by waving her hand in the air, as if any such talk was nonsense. Elizabeth liked this woman.

  “I understand you have some questions for me,” she said, keeping her eyes on Megan.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Megan said. “Jean Louise told us about some marbles, but I don’t know anything about them, and neither does my mother.”

  The woman smiled. “Oh, the marbles. I remember that day so well. Emily Marie came walking into the break room at the restaurant, white as a sheet. She closed the door, and it was just the two of us. Then, she pulled out a little white cloth sack, and poured out the contents on the table in front of me. They were marbles, and they were the prettiest things I had ever seen.”

  She paused, as if remembering, then continued. “‘They’re real,’ she told me.

  “‘Real marbles?’ I asked. I was confused. Of course they were real marbles.

  “‘Real gemstones,’ she said, and plopped down in front of me. ‘Foster gave them to me.’

  “Now, Foster was the tall, handsome cowboy who had taken a shine to Emily Marie. He wasn’t from around here, but he came through town a lot on business. He began to have more and more business in Amarillo, but no one was fooled. He came to town to see your grandma. She was a beautiful woman.” Mrs. Wilson pushed her hair back from her face.

  “I was speechless. I had never seen anything like the marbles in front of me. I picked up the emerald and held it up to the light. Then, we both started giggling like school girls.”

  Elizabeth smiled at the image.

  The woman paused as Jean Louise brought in the refreshments and placed them on the coffee table. “Keep going, Mama. Don’t stop on my account,” Jean Louise said.

  The woman leaned back in her chair with a smile. “After our giggles were under control, I held up the ruby. ‘Won’t this make a nice gift for your little Ruby, one day?’ I asked her.

  “She looked at me like I’d gone crazy. ‘I can’t keep them!’ she said.

  “‘Why in the world not?’ I asked her.

  “‘It’s too much. It would be different if Foster and I were engaged, but we’re not.’

  “‘Oh, you will be,’ I told her. ‘I’ve seen the way he looks at you. And I’ve seen the way you look at him. You’ll be married before the year is out.’

  “When I said that, Emily blushed four shades of red. But she was smiling. ‘Maybe so,’ she said.

  “‘Besides,’ I told her. ‘You can’t give them back. He’ll think you’re rejecting him.’

  “She sat quietly, looking at those jewels long after my break was over. I covered for her for a while. I knew she needed some time to think. Finally, she joined me back on the floor, waiting tables like nothing had happened.”

  “What happened to Foster? Was he still there?” Elizabeth asked.

  “No, I don’t know where he had disappeared to. But he was back later that evening. And before the night was over, Emily Marie was the happiest woman alive.”

  The Journals

  The girls leaned forward, drinking in every word the elderly woman spoke. It seemed more like the makings of a romance movie than a
real story.

  The woman paused, and looked directly at Megan. “At closing time, Foster showed up again, wanting to talk to Emily Marie. They sat in one of the booths while I cleaned up. I tried to give them privacy and turned on the jukebox to a slow country song. But even over the music, I could hear bits and pieces of the conversation.

  “‘Emily Marie, you must know how I feel about you. You must see it my eyes,’ he told her. The whole thing was quite romantic. ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’m going to sell my ranch in Colorado, and move down here, and we can get married. That is, if you’ll have me,’ he said.

  “There she was, tears streaming down her cheeks. ‘But Foster, I have my two kids to think about,’ she said.

  “‘I know I haven’t met Ruby and Jack yet, but I promise I’ll love them like my very own. I know things have been hard on you since your husband died. Let me rescue you,’ he begged.

  “Well, at that point I left the room. I figured the cleanup could wait. Emily Marie and I were best friends, and I had watched her struggle to make ends meet since Paul died. It looked to be a fairy-tale ending for her,” Mrs. Wilson said as she leaned back in her chair.

  The room was silent, except for the tick-ticking of the old grandfather clock in the corner. Finally, Megan broke the silence. “It sounds like my mom and my grandma had a lot in common.…”

  Elizabeth reached over and squeezed her friend’s hand.

  “So what happened next?” Elizabeth asked.

  Mrs. Wilson frowned. “The next few days are hard to talk about. I prefer to remember my friend in that moment, her face shining with joy.”

  The three girls remained silent. They didn’t want to push the woman or be disrespectful, but they needed more information.

  Jean Louise rescued them. “Mama, Megan wants to find out what happened to the marbles. Is there any more you can tell her?”

  The woman looked at Megan again and smiled, a sad kind of smile. Then, she pulled herself up with her walker and started toward her bedroom. Jean Louise helped her mother, leaving the three girls alone in the living room.