Camp Club Girls: Elizabeth

by Brumbaugh Green, Renae;

  As soon as they were inside the mall, they began to jog. Within minutes, they were in the music shop, but there was no sign of Joe.

  Elizabeth approached a young clerk and said, “Excuse me, we’re looking for Joe Garcia. Is he still working?”

  The clerk gestured to a door that led to the back of the store. “He’s back there unloading some boxes. Go on back.”

  The girls entered through the door and called out, “Hello! Joe, are you back here?”

  “Over here,” came a voice from the far left corner, and the girls headed that way. They found Joe behind a large drum set.

  “You won’t believe this,” he said. “Remember how we thought Biscuit was on the other end of some maze of pipes?”

  The girls nodded.

  “Well, we were wrong. Biscuit is on the other side of this wall! Look!” He pointed to a locked door with a tiny window near the top. Elizabeth stretched to see through, and sure enough, there was Biscuit! He was locked in a kennel. He looked like he was sleeping. Poor little thing.

  “Kate, I can see him,” she said. Then, looking her friend in the eyes, she smiled and said, “God is good.”

  Joe found a wooden crate and moved it below the window, so Kate could see. “It’s Biscuit! I see him! Biscuit, wake up! Here, boy!”

  “Shhhh!” Joe told her. “That Gilligan man has been in and out all day. He comes in every time Biscuit starts howling. You don’t want to wake him up again!”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you had found him, when you were at the Fiesta Noche?”

  “Because I hadn’t found him until about ten minutes ago. I could hear him all day, though, and Gilligan too, and I knew they were close. But these boxes were piled in front of this door. I didn’t even know there was a door here,” Joe told them.

  Suddenly, Biscuit’s howling cut through the air like a knife. Apparently, he had heard Kate’s voice.

  Standing on the box again, Kate called out, “Hey, boy! It’s okay. I’m here. We’re gonna figure out a way to—” She stopped in mid-sentence. Her eyes grew wide, and her face grew pale. Finally, she whispered. “It’s—it’s him! And he saw me!”

  Within moments, the door in front of them was shaking, and they heard the man’s voice yelling, “Hey! Get out of here! You kids will be sorry!” Then the lock in the door began to turn.

  The three of them looked at each other, but it was Elizabeth who spoke. “We’d better get out of here!”

  Captured!

  The three of them took off through the storeroom, into the store, barely missing keyboards and drum sets, and into the mall.

  “This way,” Joe called, and the girls followed. “I’ll explain to my boss later.”

  They ran into a bath store and hid behind a large shelf filled with towels and large bottles of bubble bath. Out of breath, they stood panting and peeking through the cracks in the shelving.

  “There he is,” whispered Elizabeth, spotting the man. He was looking this way and that, trying to figure out where they had gone. Finally, he moved out of sight, to the left of the bath store.

  “I have to go back and get Biscuit,” whispered Kate.

  “But what if he catches us?” Elizabeth asked.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Kate responded. “If we don’t go back and get him now, there’s no telling what will happen to him.”

  “She’s right,” whispered Joe. “The door is probably still unlocked. If we’re going to do it, we need to do it now.”

  The three of them carefully stepped from behind the shelf and looked around. There was no sign of Gilligan. They dashed back to the music store, where the clerk gave them a frustrated look. “Joe, what do you think you’re doing? And who was that old guy who came crashing through here?”

  “Sorry, Harry,” Joe called. “I’ll explain later, and I’ll clean up the mess, I promise!”

  Kate led the way back through the storeroom. Biscuit’s howls were getting louder. The girl pushed her way through the instruments, squeezing between boxes, until she got to the door. Sure enough, it opened easily. “Biscuit!” she called out.

  Elizabeth tried to help her open the kennel door, but it was stuck. In the process, she bumped the tiny speaker, which had been muted. Suddenly, they heard the Skipper’s voice. It sounded like he was talking on his cell phone.

  “What do you mean, they’ve found the hideout? How could a bunch of kids—never mind. I’m on my way. You keep looking for them. Where are you now?”

  There was static, and Elizabeth looked at the tracker clipped to Kate’s belt loop. The Skipper’s dot was getting closer.…

  The Skipper’s voice came over the tiny speaker again as the three of them continued to struggle with the kennel door. “You’re what? Get back to the hideout, you big dope! Those kids want the dog. That’s where they’ll go! I’ll be right there.”

  “We’ve got to get out of here,” said Elizabeth.

  “Here, let me have the kennel,” said Joe. He grabbed the bulky metal cage with both arms and said, “Go! I have Biscuit!”

  Just as they were about to move back through the door into the music storeroom, their passage was blocked.

  “Going somewhere?” asked Gilligan. The three kids stopped, frozen in their tracks.

  God, help us out of here! prayed Elizabeth.

  “This way!” shouted Joe as he motioned to a door at the back of the room. It obviously led to the Riverwalk.

  Suddenly, that door banged open, and the Skipper loomed in the doorway.

  “Well now,” he snarled, “what do we have here?”

  The two men began pressing in. Biscuit growled from his kennel, and the Skipper yelled at Kate, “Make your dog be quiet!”

  Oh God, please help us!

  Harry appeared in the doorway to the storeroom. “Hey, what’s going on here?” the young man asked.

  The two men turned to look, and Joe took advantage of the moment by barreling into Gilligan with Biscuit’s kennel.

  “Run!” Joe yelled.

  The crash forced the kennel door open, and Biscuit leapt from the cage, biting Gilligan on the ankle.

  “Ow! Get off me, you little mutt!” the man cried.

  Elizabeth and Kate sprang through the door.

  “Come on, boy!” Kate yelled.

  Biscuit followed his beloved owner. Crashing and banging all the way, the girls ran past Harry, through the storeroom, and into the mall.

  “This way!” Elizabeth called, remembering the horse depot. She didn’t know if the men were following, but she knew where to find safety, and she ran for her father.

  “Stop those kids!” the Skipper yelled.

  Mall shoppers turned to watch as the two girls and the dog ran with the Skipper wheezing behind them, and Gilligan limping behind him.

  Out the mall doors they went, onto the sidewalk. The Texas heat was a startling contrast to the air-conditioned mall. It was difficult for the girls to see in the dusky gray of the evening. Making sure Kate was still close, Elizabeth yelled, “Follow me!”

  She could see her father ahead, right in front of the horse depot, paying the carriage driver. A police officer stood behind him, notepad in hand.

  “Dad!” Elizabeth yelled, and he looked up.

  They were almost home free when Kate tripped. The Skipper, unaware of his audience, caught up with her and grabbed her by the arm. “I’ve got you now, you little—”

  Biscuit lunged at the man, attacking him, growling, biting, barking.…The man did all he could to free himself of the ferocious dog. Then, seeing Mr. Anderson and the police officer running toward him, he grabbed Biscuit and ran down a narrow alley leading back to the Riverwalk.

  By this time, Gilligan had caught up with them. Confused, he followed his leader.

  There they went, the Skipper with Biscuit clamped tightly to his arm, the injured Gilligan, Elizabeth, Kate, Mr. Anderson, the police officer, and bringing up the rear, Joe. As they reached the other end of the alley, the crowds parted. The Skipper, w
ho was still struggling with Biscuit, was running faster than his out-of-shape body could handle. He failed to slow down in time to gain his balance, and plunged right into the river.

  “Don’t worry, boss! I’ll save you!” called Gilligan, and jumped in after his leader. Then, realizing he was being pursued by the police, he tried to swim to the other side.

  Biscuit, finally loose of his kidnapper, swam to the edge and climbed out. Kate scooped the sopping dog into her arms.

  “Biscuit! You’re safe! I thought I’d never see you again!”

  Biscuit rewarded her with slobbery kisses all over her face, knocking her glasses askew.

  By this time, the officer had called for backup, and more police officers were starting to arrive. The girls watched as one of them pulled the Skipper out of the water and handcuffed him. Another officer waited for Gilligan on the other side.

  Mr. Anderson placed his hands on either side of his daughter’s face, examining her, making sure she was really okay.

  “Do I even want to know what just happened here?” he asked.

  Elizabeth threw her arms around her father’s neck and said, “I love you, Daddy!”

  An hour later, the horse trotted along at a slow pace, pulling the eight-passenger carriage through the streets of San Antonio. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson sat facing the front, along with James, Kate, and Biscuit. Elizabeth, Joe, Maria, and Pedro faced the back.

  “This is cool,” said Maria. “Thank you, Mr. Anderson, for letting us come along.”

  “My pleasure,” said Mr. Anderson. “Any friend of Elizabeth’s is a friend of mine.”

  “I can’t believe there was actually a reward for those guys,” Joe said. “Did you hear the officer say they were wanted for fraud, theft, and vandalism in three states?”

  “Yes,” Mr. Anderson answered. “Apparently, they’ve tried before to start a business and destroy the competition. You’d think by now they’d realize they can’t destroy competition by force. You all helped to solve a federal case.”

  “Man, Joe.” Pedro shook his head. “I guess you’d better think twice next time, before you try to get a girl’s attention by dropping a water balloon on her head!”

  Elizabeth gasped. “You said that was an accident, that you weren’t aiming for me!”

  Joe looked embarrassed, and suddenly, so did Elizabeth. Everyone laughed. Kate took pity on her friend and changed the subject. “When we divide the reward money five ways, we each get four hundred dollars. That’s a lot of money! What will you guys do with your money?”

  “Drums!” called Pedro.

  “Bass guitar!” said Joe.

  Maria looked thoughtful. “I may open a savings account. I’ve always wanted to go to college, and that will be a nice start,” she said.

  Elizabeth looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure what I’ll do with the money yet. I may use it to go to a piano competition in Nashville. I’ve always wanted to see Music City.”

  “I won’t have any problem spending my money on gadgets,” said Kate.

  “Well, whatever you spend your money on,” said Mrs. Anderson, “you’ve earned it. I’m glad those men are finally behind bars.”

  Everyone agreed, and the carriage fell silent for a time as they listened to the clip-clopping of the horse and enjoyed the San Antonio city lights.

  The next morning, Elizabeth was putting the finishing touches on her french braid when the phone rang. It was Uncle Dan.

  “Congratulations, detective,” he told her.

  “Thanks, Uncle Dan. We couldn’t have found Biscuit without your help,” she answered. “You really should let us give you part of the money.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. You’ve got some pretty good sleuthing skills, and I had nothing to do with that. Are you and Kate about ready to come downstairs?” he asked.

  “Yes, sir. Why? Did you need me to bring you something?”

  “Yes. Bring Biscuit,” he answered, and hung up the phone.

  Elizabeth wondered about his cryptic instructions. “Kate, Uncle Dan wants us to bring Biscuit with us.”

  “That’s strange. We always bring him. Why would he call to tell us that?” Kate questioned.

  Elizabeth shrugged. “I don’t know, but we need to get going anyway.”

  Kate clipped Biscuit’s leash to his collar, and he snorted.

  “I know you don’t like this leash, boy, but I’m not taking any chances.” She gave her dog a hug, scooped him into her arms, and followed Elizabeth out the door.

  When the elevator doors opened to the lobby, Uncle Dan was waiting for them. Next to him was Captain Lyndel, holding a huge bone in his hand. Tied around the bone was a big red bow.

  “Good morning,” the man greeted. “I wanted to stop by and say thanks for all your help. Because of you, my business will be back on track in no time. I’m sorry Biscuit was kidnapped in the process.”

  Kate set Biscuit on the floor, and the man placed the bone in front of him. They laughed as Biscuit tried, unsuccessfully, to get his tiny jaws around the bone.

  “Here are some other treats for him,” the man said, holding out a large gift bag. “There might be a few things in there for you girls too. Go ahead. Open it.”

  The girls thanked the man, and peeked into the bag. Sure enough, along with the squeaky toys and bacon-flavored treats, were a couple of furry pink journals and glittery ink pens. There was also a certificate for each of them, offering free River City Cruise rides for life.

  “Cool! Thank you so much!” the girls told the man, and Uncle Dan smiled proudly.

  “It’s my pleasure, girls. I only wish I could do more for you. You saved my business—you and those friends of yours. Would you give them these for me?” He held out three more certificates.

  “Certainly,” Elizabeth said. “I know they’ll be excited to have these. Thank you.”

  The man tipped his hat and bid them goodbye. Biscuit wagged his tail and barked after the man, then went back to his oversized bone.

  “Have I told you I’m proud of you?” Uncle Dan asked Elizabeth.

  “The feeling is mutual,” she replied, hugging her favorite uncle.

  Elizabeth sat across from little Annie at Bible Camp, helping the kids with their craft projects. She was so glad that James had befriended the lonely girl. While some of the other children seemed alarmed about Annie’s large birthmark, James didn’t seem to notice. He shared his crayons and complimented Annie’s picture. Without warning, Elizabeth hugged her brother from behind, placing a kiss on top of his head.

  “Hey, cut that out!” he fussed, wiping the place where she had kissed him. She laughed, then looked up to see Mr. Adams walking toward them. His timing was perfect. Annie’s mother would be here any minute to pick up her daughter.

  “Hello, Elizabeth! I believe you had someone for me to meet,” he said with a smile.

  “Yes, sir. I’ll introduce you to everyone.” Quickly she named each child sitting at the table, ending with, “And this is Annie.”

  The man knelt in front of Annie, who hid her face with her curls. “Hello, Annie. It’s very nice to meet you.”

  Annie’s mother appeared, and Elizabeth waved to her. “Hello, Mrs. Lopez. I’d like you to meet Mr. Adams. He represents the local Kiwanis Club, and I think he wants to talk to you about something.” The man stood and smiled at the woman.

  “That’s quite a little girl you have,” he told the woman. “I understand she needs surgery. Our organization would like to help. It may take us awhile to raise the money we need, but we’d like to take care of the surgery, if that’s all right with you.”

  The woman looked confused, then relieved, and then joyful as she listened to Mr. Adams. Elizabeth went to find Kate, who was packing sound equipment.

  “It’s going to happen. Annie’s really going to get the surgery she needs!” Elizabeth told her.

  “Yeah, I saw them talking. That’s great. And, you know, I’ve been thinking…” Kate paused.

  “Yes
?” Elizabeth probed, wondering if Kate was thinking the same thing she’d been thinking.

  “I just…”

  “Yeah?” Elizabeth leaned forward in anticipation.

  Kate pushed her glasses up on her nose. “Instead of buying gadgets, I think I want to give my reward money to Annie, for her surgery.”

  Elizabeth threw her arms around her friend, nearly knocking Kate over.

  “Whoa, there. Easy, girl.” Kate laughed. “You’re almost as bad as Biscuit!”

  “I wanted to do the same thing, but I didn’t want you to feel bad, or feel like you had to give your money!” Elizabeth told her.

  Kate nodded. “It would be fun to go a little gadget crazy. But I don’t need any more gadgets. I have more than I can play with now. And Dad will keep giving me what his students invent. Annie needs that surgery. I think that’s what I’m going to do with my money.”

  “And I don’t need to go to that piano competition,” said Elizabeth.

  “Hey, where’s the music?” called a voice from the shadows. It was Joe, followed by Pedro and Maria. Joe was holding a brand-new guitar case.

  “Yeah, I came to hear a concert!” Maria added.

  Elizabeth smiled. It looked like her new musician friend had gotten his wish. “Wow, look at you! Is that a new guitar?”

  Joe grinned with pride. “It’s used, but it’s top of the line.” He set the case down, opened it, and pulled out a beautiful guitar. Elizabeth fingered the notches, admiring the workmanship.

  “I told my new boss about the reward money. He was impressed that I helped solve a crime and offered to let me take this now. He said I can pay him whenever the reward check comes in.”

  “So play something!” Elizabeth urged him, and the boy began to strum the strings.

  Pausing, he looked at Elizabeth, then Kate, then back at Elizabeth. “You know, I’ve really enjoyed the last few days. And it’s more than just making new friends and getting to buy a guitar. I think it’s…it’s…” He struggled for the right words.

  “I think it’s God,” Elizabeth whispered.

  “Yeah, that’s it. I’ve never known people who were so excited about God. I think I want to know more about Him. I’m going to start going to church, and start reading the Bible my mom gave me.”