Camp Club Girls Get a Clue!

by Renae Brumbaugh

  The girls jumped when they heard a voice through the window. “Hey! Are you two okay?” Alex frantically whispered.

  “Yes, we’re fine. We’ll be right out,” Elizabeth told her.

  Elizabeth turned to Kate, “We’d better go out the window so no one knows we’ve been here.”

  Kate hurried to the desk and replaced the letters. They scooted the desk chair beneath the window and climbed back through the opening. Each of them stifled cries of pain as they landed on the scratchy branches of the small shrub.

  “Finally!” Alex exclaimed. “I was starting to think you were going to have a slumber party in there!”

  In the excitement, they hadn’t heard the sound of footsteps drawing closer. Suddenly, a flash of light shined through the window. “Hey! Is somebody in here?” Mr. Gerhardt demanded from inside the office.

  The girls paused. Then, without saying a word, they ran full speed through the darkness. Alex still clung to Biscuit, and they were just rounding the corner when they heard, “Hey! You girls! Come back here!”

  The girls ran faster than any of them had ever run in their lives. They were too afraid of what might happen if they stopped!

  Finally they arrived back at cabin 12B. Sydney and McKenzie sat on the front steps in their pajamas.

  “Oh thank goodness you’re back! We were just trying to decide if we should come after you!” whispered McKenzie. The five girls entered the cabin, three of them holding their sides from the pain of the long sprint. The clock read 12:33 a.m. when the whispers stopped and the girls finally slept.

  During Discovery Time the next morning, all six girls dangled their feet from the dock. They had elected Elizabeth to lead them in their devotions, and now they listened to her read the scripture from her Bible.

  “Proverbs 10:2, ‘Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death,’ ” she read.

  “I definitely agree with the first part!” said Kate.

  “Why?” asked Elizabeth.

  “I guess you could call those letters last night, ‘ill-gotten treasures.’ We could have been arrested for breaking and entering! We had no business going through Mr. Gerhardt’s letters, and now they have no value.”

  The girls nodded. They had been disappointed that the reader pen hadn’t delivered more information. The closet had been too dark for Kate to run the pen evenly along the lines. Most of the lines were scrambled, and what little they could read was just about prison life.

  “Well, we may not have acted in ‘righteousness,’ but it sure felt like we got delivered from death!” exclaimed Alex.

  “Oh I know it! I was so scared! I just knew we were going to…” Kate was interrupted by loud squeals from Bailey.

  “Eeew! Gross! Get that thing away from me!” she yelled. The other girls laughed when they saw the source of panic. It was a tiny green lizard that had climbed onto the dock and almost into Bailey’s lap.

  “Awww, look at him! He’s cute,” said McKenzie. She scooped up the lizard and held him for the others to see.

  “Step back, Mac!” squealed Bailey to McKenzie.

  Alex, Elizabeth, Sydney, and Kate crowded near McKenzie for a better look, while Bailey kept her distance.

  “I wish we could keep him,” sighed Kate.

  “No!” said all five roommates. But Elizabeth took the lizard from McKenzie and studied it.

  “We can’t keep him. But maybe we should hang on to him for a few hours. I have an idea…,” she said with a mischievous grin.

  McKenzie helped Sydney into the saddle of a gentle-looking mare. “This will be fun,” she told her friend. “This will be the first time I’ve gotten to ride the trails since camp started.”

  Sydney looked at her freckle-faced friend. “He seems pretty gentle. I’ve always wanted to ride a horse.”

  McKenzie chuckled. “She. The horse is a she. Her name is Sugar. I’ve helped Mr. Anzer a few times with the grooming, and she’s a sweetie. You’ll like her.” She then adjusted the saddle on a strong black quarter horse, stepped into the stirrup, and pulled herself into place. “This is Spirit. He’s well trained and full of energy. He reminds me of Sahara, my horse back home.”

  The two girls were about to hit the trails when Mr. Anzer and Mr. Gerhardt rounded the corner and approached them. The girls avoided Gerhardt’s eyes and focused on Mr. Anzer.

  “Hello, girls,” Mr. Anzer said. “Headed out?”

  “Yes, sir,” they responded.

  “That’s nice. It’s a lovely day for a ride,” he said with a smile. Then his expression changed to one of concern. “Say, girls, Mr. Gerhardt told me that some campers were fooling around at the golf course late last night. He said he thought it might have been some cabin 12 girls, though he didn’t get a good look. Were you at the golf course after dark last night?” He looked straight at McKenzie then at Sydney.

  The two girls looked at each other then back at Mr. Anzer. “No, sir,” they answered.

  He eyed them steadily then said, “That’s good to know. You two be careful and have fun!” The smile returned to his face, and he waved as they rode through the gate and toward the trails.

  “That was close,” said McKenzie as they got out of earshot. “I wouldn’t have lied to him.”

  “Me neither,” said Sydney. “My mom says withholding information can be like lying, though.”

  The girls grew quiet, enjoying the beauty of the trails. Suddenly they heard giggling from the trees. Out of nowhere, a fat water balloon exploded on the trail in front of them, spooking Spirit and causing the horse to whinny, rear back, and then take off in a full-speed run. Red hair streamed in the wind as the horse rounded the curve and sped out of sight.

  Sydney turned to see Amberlie and her friends running away. She decided she would deal with them later. Right now she had to help her friend.

  McKenzie clutched the reins. After a brief scare, she realized the horse was staying to the trails. Eventually they would circle back to the stables. She held her head back, enjoyed the wind on her face, and let the horse run. After a few minutes of a thrilling ride, she felt the horse getting winded. Tugging gently on his reins, she guided him to slow down.

  “I don’t know where that balloon came from, Spirit! I’m sorry it scared you,” she told the horse, rubbing him gently behind the ears. “Sydney will be worried. We’d better go find her.”

  She gently guided the horse to turn around and head in the opposite direction. Before long, she met Sydney, who was coaxing Sugar into a slow, labored gallop. McKenzie had to chuckle at the sight of her friend bravely coming after her on the slow horse. “I’m okay,” she announced.

  “Well, that’s good,” said Sydney. “I didn’t know whether to come after you or to go back and get help. Either way, Sugar doesn’t know the meaning of ‘Hurry up’!”

  McKenzie guided Spirit to turn around once again, and the girls continued down the trail. “Did you see who threw the balloon?” McKenzie asked.

  “Do you even have to ask?” Sydney responded.

  McKenzie nodded. “It’s a good thing Spirit is well trained. That could have been really dangerous.”

  “I don’t understand that girl. She’s so fake around the counselors. But she’s the meanest girl I’ve ever seen. I almost feel sorry for her,” said Sydney.

  “Yeah, I’d love to know what’s going on inside that head of hers. She obviously has some problems.” McKenzie looked thoughtful.

  The two girls settled into a comfortable silence; then Sydney started laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” McKenzie asked.

  “Elizabeth’s plan. Never in a million years would I have thought Elizabeth was capable of coming up with something so…so…” Sydney searched for the word.

  “Naughty?” McKenzie helped her out.

  The girls chuckled and talked about the plan for the rest of the trail ride.

  The campers had just been released from the evening meeting, and groups of girls were ambling toward
the cabins. No one was ever in a hurry to get ready for bed. Amberlie and her roommates were about to turn down the path leading to cabin 8 when Bailey and Alex stopped them. “Amberlie, could I talk with you for a minute?” Alex asked sweetly.

  Amberlie looked at the two with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. “What do you want?” she asked. Amberlie’s roommates stood by, listening.

  “I was just wondering if you are a cheerleader,” asked Alex.

  Amberlie was taken off guard. “A what?” she asked.

  “A cheerleader. Are you a cheerleader at your school?”

  Amberlie paused. “No,” she said.

  “Oh, that’s a shame. You’ve got the perfect build to be a cheerleader. And you’re so pretty. You should think about trying out,” Alex told her.

  “Uh, okay,” Amberlie responded. She clearly wasn’t sure how to take the compliment.

  “If you’d like, I can show you some moves. Here, watch this,” Alex continued then demonstrated a double forward handspring. “It’s really not as hard as it looks,” she continued.

  During this conversation, Elizabeth, Sydney, Kate, and McKenzie watched from behind the trees at the side of the road. When Alex had Amberlie’s full attention, the four Camp Club Girls, along with the lizard, sneaked toward cabin 8.

  “Shhhhhh!” Elizabeth told her giggling friends, but she had a hard time controlling her own giggles. She removed a small jar with holes poked in the lid from her tote bag. “You all stay here and keep watch. I’ll go in and put Prince under Amberlie’s covers. She always brings a pillowcase with her name on it, so I shouldn’t have any problem finding her bed.”

  “Okay, but hurry!” McKenzie told her. “I’m not sure how long Alex can keep them entertained!”

  Elizabeth surprised them by standing tall and walking right into cabin 8 as if she had every right to be there. It took her only a moment to locate the pink, ribboned pillowcase with the name Amberlie embroidered across the top. Carefully, she turned back the covers then gently removed the small lizard and kissed him on the head. “Do your job, Prince,” she said. She tucked the creature under the blankets and smoothed them back into place.

  The other three girls stood in the road, trying to act casual. A few moments later, Elizabeth darted out of the building then slowed down. The four girls walked toward their own cabin, trying to control the laughter that bubbled up inside them.

  Alex and Bailey caught up with them at their cabin door, and the girls circled toward cabin 8 again. They hid in the bushes outside the windows of Amberlie’s cabin. This would be a show they didn’t want to miss.

  Missing Biscuit

  The Camp Club Girls could hear the conversation from Amberlie’s room drifting through the open window.

  “We’re going to beat those girls from cabin 12. And it’s going to start tomorrow night at the talent show. After that, we’ll win the horse-riding match and the canoe races, no problem,” said Amberlie.

  “What about the scripture memory competition? That Elizabeth is good. She’s won all the practice competitions in class,” said a voice Elizabeth couldn’t place.

  Amberlie laughed. “Yes, but she hasn’t been up against me yet. My dad’s a preacher, and I’ve memorized scripture since before I could walk. No way she’ll beat me.”

  The girls looked at one another. “A preacher’s kid? Amberlie’s dad is a…” Bailey felt Elizabeth’s hand cover her mouth.

  “Shhhhh!” The other girl whispered. The light went out in cabin 8, leaving only the soft glow of a lamp. Slowly the Camp Club Girls peeked in the window, just in time to see Amberlie pull back her covers.

  The girl was wearing pink satin pajamas, and her head was covered in pink hair curlers. She slid leisurely beneath the covers and reached for the lamp. She clicked it off and all went black. Not a sound.

  The six girls outside the window waited for several minutes then looked at each other in the moonlight. Disappointed, they turned to go back to their cabin. They had just stepped into the shadows of the trees when they heard the loudest, shrillest, most chilling scream.

  “Help! Help me! Heeeeelp! Get it off, get it off, get it off! Eeeeek! It’s in my hair! Get it off! Ew, ew, ew! Heeeeelp!”

  The cabin door flew open, and Amberlie dashed outside, jumping up and down and smacking herself in the head, yanking out her curlers and screaming.

  The girls of cabin 12 didn’t know whether to run or stay and enjoy the show. They backed a little farther into the shadows but stayed to watch the scene play out.

  A counselor soon emerged, saying, “Amberlie, be still or I can’t help you.”

  “I can’t be still! There’s a giant snake, or a big spider, or something crawling in my hair! Get it off!”

  The girls saw that Amberlie was truly terrified. They almost felt sorry for her.

  Almost.

  Later, after the Camp Club Girls had climbed into their own beds and switched off the lamp, Elizabeth said, “I feel kind of bad.”

  “Yeah, me, too,” said McKenzie.

  Silence filled the room. It was interrupted first by Bailey’s giggles then Kate’s, and soon they were all lost in an uncontrollable combination of guilt and giggles. Elizabeth was awakened early the next morning by Bailey, who was shaking her back and forth. “Beth! Pssssst! Beth, wake up!”

  Elizabeth opened one eye. It was still dark outside. “This better be an emergency, Bales,” she mumbled.

  “It is, Beth! It’s a big emergency!”

  Elizabeth sat up groggily. “What is it?” she asked.

  “The talent show is tonight! We have to practice. Now.”

  Elizabeth dropped back down and pulled the covers over her head again. “Go to sleep, Bailey,” she grumbled.

  “But we have to practice, and everyone else who is in the talent show will want to practice today, too. That means the piano and the stage will be taken all day long. If we don’t go now, we may not get a chance later, Beth!”

  Elizabeth moaned. Bailey had a point. But sleep was more important to her at that moment.

  Unfortunately, winning was more important to Bailey, and she wasn’t giving up easily. “Beth, please? Pretty please, Beth? Don’t you want to beat Amberlie?”

  Reluctantly, Elizabeth sat up once again. “Okay. But you owe me,” she mumbled.

  The two girls dressed quickly, left a note to let the others know where they were headed, and were halfway to the dining hall when the trumpet began to warble reveille. They pushed open the doors to the quiet building without paying much attention to where they were going. As they entered, someone else was exiting. A very tall someone with muddy boots and a large cup of coffee. The two girls collided with the man, spilling coffee all over the boots and the freshly mopped floor.

  “Oh, I’m sorry!” both girls cried out before they realized who they were speaking to.

  Mr. Gerhardt pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and knelt to clean up the mess. “You girls are up early. Do you always wander around in the dark?” he asked.

  “Oh no, sir,” said Elizabeth. “We just need the piano to practice for tonight’s talent show.”

  Mr. Gerhardt gave them each a long, steely look then turned back to refill his coffee.

  “We only have a couple of days of camp left,” Elizabeth told Bailey, who stared after the man.

  “Yeah,” Bailey said. “If we’re going to solve this mystery, we need to move!”

  The girls were now wide-awake and scurried through the inner doors of the dining hall. Elizabeth sat at the piano and began warming up with some scales. Bailey sat next to her and sang, “Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do.” When both girls were warmed up, Bailey took the stage and began smiling at the tables and chairs.

  “What are you doing?” asked Elizabeth.

  “I’m practicing my smile,” Bailey replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

  Elizabeth chuckled and began playing the song. They ran through it three times before a line formed outside. �
�We’d better go,” she told Bailey. “Come on, we can hold a place for the others.”

  The two stepped outside and took their places at the end of the short line. Before long, the rest of the Camp Club Girls joined them. “I can’t believe you two got up so early,” mumbled Kate. “The rest of us overslept. Biscuit is still in the room. We didn’t have time to take him to the golf course, so we’ll have to do that after breakfast.”

  “Oh, and tell her about the socks,” Sydney urged.

  “Oh yeah, the room is a wreck. Biscuit got into the socks again,” Kate told them. “The alarm clock didn’t go off, and we woke up to Biscuit slinging Alex’s smelly sock onto my head.”

  “Hey!” Alex protested. “My socks aren’t any smellier than yours!”

  “He got into the socks again? Great. What is the deal with that dog and dirty socks?” Bailey groaned.

  “We need a plan. Why don’t we get our breakfast to go? Kate, you and Alex take Biscuit to the golf course, and the rest of us will clean up the room.”

  “No, let me go instead of Alex,” urged Bailey. “Maybe I can practice a few strokes!”

  The other girls laughed at their youngest roommate. “Bailey, I don’t know where you get all that energy, but you should bottle it and sell it,” said Elizabeth.

  The girls followed the rest of the line into the dining hall.

  Kate, Bailey, and Biscuit entered the empty golf course, and Biscuit immediately ran for the pile of golf clubs stacked on the office porch. He returned with his favorite club. The handle was marked up and down with his teeth marks.

  He dropped it at Bailey’s feet and looked at her longingly. “Ew, sorry boy. I have to practice, and I’m not gonna do it with your slobbery club. I think I’ll get a fresh one,” she told him with a pat on the head. She headed over to select her own club.

  Kate picked up the chewed-up golf club and looked at it. “I’ve never known of a dog who likes golf.” She laughed. “My dad plays golf. If only I could convince him to let you be his caddy, you could come home with me.” She threw the golf club, and Biscuit bounded after it.