A short time later, the four Phillipses and the two younger Andersons were oohing and ahhing over the sights at the fair. Elizabeth and Evan held dripping ice cream cones, while McKenzie and James opted for cotton candy.
They rode the Ferris wheel and held their arms high during the roller coaster ride. While they walked along a row of games, James spotted the balloon darts. He wasn’t looking at the balloons, however.
“Look, Beth! Look at those cool cars! I need one of those for my collection!” he tugged at his sister’s arm as he pointed.
Elizabeth looked at the row of model cars lined up as prizes. “Do you think you can pop three balloons?” Elizabeth asked him.
“I don’t know, but I’ll sure try!” the boy said. Elizabeth gave her brother a ticket, and James handed it to the man behind the counter.
While he was trying to pop the balloons, McKenzie leaned over and whispered, “It’s getting late. We need to get back to the motel before ten so we can find the marbles.”
Elizabeth couldn’t hear her friend over the noise of the fair. “What?” she asked.
McKenzie repeated herself a little louder, but Elizabeth still couldn’t hear. Finally, McKenzie ended up nearly shouting, “We’ve got to get back to the restaurant so we can look for the marbles!”
At that moment, Elizabeth spotted a tall flash of cowboy hat disappearing around the corner. She pointed, but the person was gone. “Was that—” Her question died. She decided she must be seeing things.
James popped one balloon but missed the other two. He was disappointed, and Elizabeth draped her arm over his shoulder. “It’s okay, lil’ brother. Come on. I see the house of mirrors. You’ll love that!”
The four young people offered their tickets and entered. “We’ll meet you at the exit,” Mr. Phillips told them.
Inside, they giggled at the distorted images of themselves, some tall and wavy, others short and bumpy. They decided to chase each other through the maze, and before long, they were laughing and hollering. Each time they thought they’d caught one of the others, it turned out to be an image in the mirror!
Elizabeth began to see flashes of that cowboy hat again. Each time she focused on the image, it was gone. But then, there it was again, in the corner of her eye.
She told herself not to panic, but concentrated on finding the others. What in the world would Mr. Jacobs be doing in the house of mirrors? Was he shadowing them?
The Man in the Mirrors
“Hey y’all, I think we need to go. Everyone head for the exit,” she called.
The others laughed. “Aww, you’re not giving up that easily, are you?” called Evan.
Stay calm. Figure out how to get everyone out of here, away from that creepy cowboy, Elizabeth told herself. Please, God, help.
Then she had an idea. “I’ll race you! The last one to the exit is a rotten egg!” she called.
Within moments, she heard footsteps and hoots of laughter as the other three dashed to the exit. But then there was a thud, and the sound of something rolling on the floor. The marbles! Evan had kept them in his pocket!
“Oh no! My marbles!” Elizabeth heard Evan calling out. She could see the images of marbles rolling on the floor but couldn’t find them. Before long, she saw Evan’s reflection. But everywhere she turned were more reflections. Where was the real thing?
“Here, let me help you with that,” came a deep voice. Elizabeth looked, and there was that cowboy hat, attached to Mr. Jacobs! And there he was again, and again, and again.
She had to find the real Evan and protect him from the real Mr. Jacobs!
She stood up, closed her eyes, and just listened to the voices, to the sounds of the marbles on the floor. Without opening her eyes, she turned toward the sound.
Holding her arms in front of her, she slowly began to walk, letting the sounds guide her. Before she knew it, she bumped into something. Opening her eyes, she looked directly down on a cowboy hat, sitting on top of Jacobs’s head. The man was on his hands and knees, examining a handful of marbles. Evan was next to him, gathering more of the round balls.
“Here, let me help you,” Elizabeth said, trying to keep her voice calm. Her heart was pounding, and she felt sure the others could hear its loud thud. Still, she kept her composure, knelt, and began searching.
“Hello, Elizabeth,” said Mr. Jacobs.
Elizabeth forced herself not to look directly at the man. She tried to watch him in the mirrors as she looked for more marbles. “It’s funny to see you here, Mr. Jacobs,” Elizabeth said.
The man chuckled. “Aww, I’m just a big kid at heart. I love these fairs. I was supposed to meet Dan at the rodeo, to let him look at Lucy. But I thought I’d wander around the fair for a while first. Then I spotted you all over at the balloon darts. I’ve got something for your brother, by the way. I saw you kids come in here, and thought I’d try to catch up with you.”
Elizabeth turned to look at the man. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were following us,” she said.
The cowboy chuckled. Was that a nervous laugh? “Well, I was starting to think you were following me,” he said.
Elizabeth averted her eyes and called out to her friends again. “Meet everyone at the exit!” She stood, but found herself at a loss for which way to turn. I really need to do something about my sense of direction, or lack of it, she thought.
Mr. Jacobs stood and towered over her. Sensing her hesitancy, he said, “Follow me. I’ll get you out of here.”
Drats! She hated to depend on her prime suspect to get her unlost, but she didn’t seem to have much choice. She kept her eyes fixed on the back of his plaid shirt, and before long, stepped into the bright lights of the fairground.
Mr. and Mrs. Phillips laughed when they saw Mr. Jacobs. “You’re a brave man,” Dan Phillips said.
Mr. Jacobs smiled but didn’t make eye contact with anyone. Did he feel guilty about something? He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny model car. He handed it to James.
“I saw you trying to win a car, James. I thought you might like to have this,” he said.
“Wow, thank you!” said James, a smile lighting his face. “And it’s blue too! My favorite color!”
Elizabeth and McKenzie exchanged glances. As the adults began talking and moving toward the rodeo grounds, the two girls stayed a few steps behind.
“What is he doing here?” Elizabeth whispered.
“He’s meeting my dad, and they’re going to look at that horse, remember?” McKenzie reminded her.
“Yeah, but it’s strange that he seems to be following us. It’s like he knows we know something,” Elizabeth continued.
“Maybe. But I think it’s a good idea for us to stay close to him anyway. We might learn something,” McKenzie said.
The girls followed the rest of their group at a safe distance, so they could talk freely without fear of being heard.
“I wish the other Camp Club Girls were here. I think we need to email them all tonight and see if we can get any more ideas,” said McKenzie.
“That’s it!” said Elizabeth. “Why didn’t I think of that a long time ago? We can get them to help us investigate Mr. Jacobs!” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. Scrolling down in her address book, she hit Kate’s number.
It was busy.
She moved to Sydney’s number. After a couple of rings, Sydney’s grandmother answered.
“Hello, Mrs. Washington. This is Elizabeth. How are you?” she asked politely.
“Oh Elizabeth! What a nice surprise. I’m doing well, and you?”
“I’m fine, thank you, ma’am. May I please speak with Sydney?”
“Oh, she’s not here. She’s at a Wilderness Club meeting. She’ll back in about an hour or so. Would you like me to have her call you back?”
“Oh, no thank you. I’ll just email her. Tell her I’m sorry I missed her.”
“She will be so disappointed. I’ll tell her you called. You take care now,” said the w
oman.
Elizabeth hung up, and then sighed a frustrated sigh. McKenzie watched as she moved the arrow down to Alex’s name and number, and pressed the button. It rang.
“Hello?” came Alex’s voice from the other end of the line.
“Hi, Alex!” Elizabeth said.
“Elizabeth Anderson, is that you?” the girl exclaimed from the other end of the line.
“Yep, it is,” replied Elizabeth.
“Is McKenzie with you? She better be. You emailed us all about your new mystery, and then it was like the two of you just dropped off the face of the earth. Haven’t you been checking your emails?”
Elizabeth was surprised at Alex’s scolding. She felt like a child who had gotten caught sneaking a cookie. The truth was, Elizabeth and McKenzie had been too busy to think about emailing. “Uh…sorry,” she said.
“You’re forgiven,” said Alex. “Now tell me everything! Did you find the jewels? Are Megan and her mother wealthy heiresses? Oh, this is so Hollywood! I can see it now. ‘Impoverished Woman Inherits Millions!’ It will be made into a television movie, I just know it! You’ll have your own mystery show. An iCarly on the go!”
Elizabeth held the phone away from her ear a bit. McKenzie could hear Alex’s excited chatter from a couple of feet away. The two laughed. Same old Alex. She handed the phone to McKenzie, who said hello to her friend, then handed the phone back to Elizabeth.
“We haven’t found the marbles yet. And Megan isn’t exactly impoverished. But we need your help,” she said.
“What can I do?” asked Alex.
“We couldn’t find anything in our search for the marbles. But there is this cowboy named Mark Jacobs. He keeps snooping around. We know he’s after the marbles too. He claims to have inherited them from a rich uncle, but I think he’s a fraud.
“We know a man named Foster left them to Megan’s grandmother before she died. We’re still trying to find where she might have hidden them. But can you check out Jacobs for us? And get the others in on the search too. Mac and I are at the fair now, tailing the cowboy.”
“Oh, how exciting! I wish I were there. I’ll get right on it. I’ll call you back if I find anything.”
“Thanks, Alex.” The two girls hurried to catch up with the rest of their group.
Mr. Jacobs and Mr. Phillips were talking, and the cowboy led them to a row of stalls where the horses waited to enter the rodeo arena. The announcer said something funny, and the crowd laughed.
“I ride again in about a half hour. Lucy has been a great horse. I hate to sell her, but at least I know she’ll be in good hands.”
“Tell me again why you’re selling her,” Mr. Phillips requested, and the girls scooted in closer, pretending to watch the rodeo. Evan and James were on the ground, driving the tiny car through tracks of loose hay.
“I’m ready to retire. The rodeo life is fun, but I want to put down roots somewhere. I don’t have any family still living, but Amarillo was always special to my uncle, and I like it here too. I’ve found a piece of land with a creek and a nice little house, and I want to settle here. I thought I had a sizable inheritance coming my way, but that doesn’t seem to be panning out. So my backup plan has always been to sell my stock and supplies for a down payment.”
“So if your inheritance comes through, you may not want to sell her?” asked Mr. Phillips.
Mr. Jacobs paused. “I hope my inheritance comes through, but I’m trying not to count on it. It’s a long story,” the cowboy said. His voice sounded so sad that Elizabeth couldn’t help but look at him. When she did, she was surprised to see him looking at her! She looked away, but it was too late.
McKenzie’s dad studied the horse, and Mrs. Phillips was talking to the boys. Jacobs stepped to the railing where the girls were leaning, and whispered, “I heard you talking to that waitress at the restaurant about some marbles. What kind of marbles are you looking for?”
Elizabeth couldn’t believe her ears. Was the man really questioning her about the marbles? How could she get out of this conversation? Panicked, she looked at McKenzie, but Mac appeared as flustered as she felt.
Suddenly, the announcer’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker. “We invite all of our young people, ages eight to fourteen, to enter the arena for the pig chase. You might get a little muddy, but you’re sure to have a barrel of fun! The first one to catch a baby pig wins $250 cash.”
McKenzie grabbed Elizabeth and pulled her into the arena. A woman at the gate attached a number to each contestant’s back and instructed them to stand along the railing. Elizabeth looked at her new pink tennis shoes and knew they would never be the same.
“That was a close call,” whispered Mac, as they waited for the event to begin.
“Tell me about it! The nerve of that man, just coming out and asking me like that!”
“I feel sorry for him,” said McKenzie. “He’s all alone in the world, and now it looks like he’ll have to sell his horse. I’d die if I had to sell mine.”
Elizabeth looked at her friend in shock. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for his sob story! Don’t let him fool you.” Elizabeth tried to convince herself as much as she tried to convince her friend. Deep down, she shared McKenzie’s sympathy. But he had to be a bad guy. He just had to be.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” whispered McKenzie.
The gate closed, and the dozens of contestants were instructed to scatter throughout the arena. The announcer’s voice said, “In just a moment, six piglets will be released into the arena. Oh, and did I mention they are covered in baby oil? When you hear the starting gun, you do whatever you can to catch one of these pigs. Of course, there will be no hitting or shoving or foul play of any kind, or you’ll be disqualified. The first one to successfully catch and hold a pig wins the cash. Are you ready? Get set!”
The sound of the gun set the arena into chaos. Piglets raced into the arena, and the contestants sprang into action. The crowd roared with laughter and cheers. For a moment, Elizabeth stood frozen to her spot. She had never done anything like this!
McKenzie, on the other hand, was quite at home. She’d singled out a tiny black-and-white spotted pig and was trying to corner him. “Elizabeth, don’t just stand there! Get moving!” she called out. “I could use a little help!”
Just then, a small pink blur ran over her foot, leaving behind tiny mud prints on her shoes. Elizabeth reached for the creature, but it was too late. She sprang forward to chase the offending animal. She could hear McKenzie calling her name, but Elizabeth had no interest in any other pig. This one had muddied her shoes. He was going to pay.
The pig ran around the arena, Elizabeth close at his heels. He led her through the center of the ring, around the outer edge, and into a mud puddle. In the background, she could hear James calling, “Go, Bettyboo! Go, Bettyboo!”
Suddenly, all of Elizabeth’s frustrations took the form of the tiny piglet in front of her. She leaped forward in a stunning show of determination, grabbed the oily little creature, and held him to her chest. She wasn’t about to let him escape.
The crowd stood to their feet and roared, and the announcer’s voice exclaimed over the loudspeaker. “We have a winner! The pretty little blond, now covered in mud, has caught herself a pig! Folks, did you see her jump? She was determined to win that cash! Congratulations, miss!”
Elizabeth stayed where she was, her jeans soaking in the mud beneath her. She looked up to find McKenzie standing over her, hands on hips and a huge smile on her face.
“Congratulations! I didn’t know you had it in you!” Mac told her.
“I didn’t either,” Elizabeth replied, as she gripped the wiggling animal in her arms.
A rodeo official approached and asked her name. The woman then spoke into a cordless microphone, “Our winner is Miss Elizabeth Anderson. Miss Anderson, on behalf of the Amarillo Livestock Show and Rodeo, we would like to present you with this certificate, and a check for $250. Congratulations!” She held out a large manila envelop
e as the crowd cheered.
Elizabeth still didn’t move. She was afraid to let go of the pig, afraid he would escape.
The woman leaned forward and whispered, “You can let go now. You’ve already won.”
Elizabeth laughed, then gave her wiggling bundle a kiss on the head and set him free. The crowd applauded as she stood to her feet and accepted the envelope. The contestants exited the arena, and the two girls were greeted by their group.
“Congratulations, Beth! Did you hear me cheering for you?” asked James.
Elizabeth took a muddy finger and smeared the tip of his nose. “Yes, I did, little brother. And your cheers helped me win!”
“We’d better get you home and out of those muddy clothes, Elizabeth,” said Mrs. Phillips.
For the first time, Elizabeth noticed that McKenzie was as clean as a whistle. Not a mark on her, except for a little mud on her shoes. “How did you stay so clean?” she asked her friend.
“I guess I’ve had a little more experience than you,” Mac laughed.
Then Mr. Jacobs clapped her on the back. In the excitement, Elizabeth had forgotten all about him! “That was great, Elizabeth. I have a feeling you’re the kind of girl who always does what she sets out to do!”
Elizabeth shifted nervously from one foot to the other and looked at the ground. She wished the man would leave her alone. “Uh, I guess so,” she whispered.
The man leaned in and whispered, “Whether it’s catching a pig or solving a mystery, huh?”
Elizabeth jerked her head up and looked at him. The man winked at her and tipped his hat to the group. “I’ll see you folks later,” he said, and walked away.
A Fishy Clue
As they left the fair, the Phillipses stopped at the Andersons’ house to drop James off and give Elizabeth a chance to change clothes. Then they returned to the motel, where the girls headed to the restaurant.
Camp Club Girls: Elizabeth Page 18
