Mystery of the Lost Mine (4 page)

The trail wound upward between boulders and large cacti. The horses moved at a steady pace.

After they had been riding some time, Jessie turned around on her horse, Diamond, and grinned at Violet.

“Isn’t this great?” she said.

At that moment, Luis cried out, “Benny!”

J
essie was riding right behind Benny. She, too, saw him lean over his pony’s neck, then tumble off.

“Benny!” she exclaimed.

But Luis had already dismounted. “Are you okay?” he asked. Violet and Henry rushed up.

Benny brushed dirt off his shorts. “I’m okay.” He grinned to show them he was fine.

“What happened?” Henry asked.

“I wanted to show Ginger my lucky rock,” Benny explained. “Then she sort of twisted around, and I fell.”

Luis stroked the pony’s nose. “She probably thought you were feeding her a lump of sugar. Horses aren’t very interested in lucky rocks.”

Benny turned his pockets inside out. “My rock! Where is it?”

Violet picked up the shiny stone from the ground. “Here it is. You must have dropped it when you fell off.” She handed it to him. “Put it in your shirt pocket, Benny, and fasten the button. It’ll be safer there.”

Jessie shaded her eyes from the glare of the sun. “What’s that funny-shaped mountain up ahead?”

“That’s Weaver’s Needle,” Luis replied.

Violet gasped. “It looks like a heart! Just like in the stone maps!”

“It does,” agreed Henry. “Is that the ‘heart’ we’re supposed to follow?”

“A lot of people believe so,” Luis said, passing around his canteen.

Benny was excited. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

Luis shaded his eyes. “I don’t know,” he said thoughtfully. “The rock isn’t as close as it seems.”

“It’s just over that hill,” said Jessie.

“Distances are deceiving in the desert,” Luis told her. “It’s actually much farther away than it seems. And we’ll have to hike the rest of the way, because the trail is too narrow for the horses.”

“Do we have enough time today?” Henry asked.

Luis shook his head regretfully. “Sorry. We should have started earlier.”

Violet was disappointed. “Will we ever start looking for the mine?”

“Tomorrow,” Luis promised. “We’ll get up early and be at the stables by six. We’ll pack our breakfast and lunch.”

Everyone agreed that they’d been out in the heat long enough. Remounting their horses, they headed back to the stables.

Halfway down the trail, they spotted a small dust cloud. Mr. and Mrs. Clark trotted up on matching horses.

Mr. Clark looked hot. He didn’t even have on a hat. Mrs. Clark was wearing shorts and tennis shoes. Neither of them was dressed for riding.

“Nice day for a horseback ride, isn’t it?” Mrs. Clark said cheerfully. A diamond pin on her shirt flashed in the bright sun.

“Yes, but we’re heading back,” said Henry. “It’s getting too hot.”

“Is it?” said Mr. Clark. “I hadn’t noticed.” Sweat streamed down his red face. “Well, see you later.”

They bumped down the trail.

Violet stared after them. “Did you see that fancy pin Mrs. Clark had on?” she said to Jessie.

“Just to go riding! There’s something weird about those two,” Jessie said.

When the Aldens and Luis returned to the stables, they asked Rex about the Clarks.

“Took my last saddle horses,” Rex replied, shaking his head. “I told ’em they weren’t properly geared for a midday ride, but they wouldn’t listen. Said they knew what they were doing and paid me with a brand-new credit card.”

“May we have these same horses tomorrow?” Luis asked Rex. “At six. Is that okay?”

“They’ll be ready,” Rex promised. “See you kids in the morning.”

As they walked to RV Haven, they talked about the Clarks.

“Maybe they’re looking for the mine, too,” said Benny.

“If they are, they won’t last long,” Henry put in. “Mr. Clark wasn’t even wearing a hat.”

“Maybe Jake will find them,” Violet said hopefully. “He could take them to his camp.”

Luis was concerned, too. “If they aren’t back by this evening, we ought to tell Tom and Janine. They might have to send out a search party.”

“A search party!” cried Benny. “That’s just like in the Wild West days.”

Back at the campground, after everyone dressed in fresh clothes, they trooped into the Chuck Wagon for lunch.

“We ought to buy some supplies,” Jessie said, while waiting for their sandwiches and soft drinks to arrive. “Especially since we’re going to pack breakfast and lunch tomorrow.”

As they ate, they discussed what they should take. Jessie and Henry planned a breakfast of fruit and granola. For lunch they would eat rolls, cheese, and cookies.

They strolled into the camp store. Benny picked out his favorite brand of cookies. Violet found some nice oranges. Henry bought an extra canteen.

Jessie took the supplies to the counter.

Janine rang up the purchases. “Nice that somebody actually pays their bill,” she said when Jessie gave her the money.

Everyone knew she meant old Jake.

“Where is Jake?” Violet asked. “Has he been in yet today?”

“Haven’t seen him,” Janine replied.

Henry remembered what Luis had told him. “But Jake comes in every morning. Could something have happened to him?”

“Maybe he was tired today,” Benny suggested.

“I’m worried,” said Violet. “Jake looked frightened yesterday when he showed us that note.”

“Now we have three people to worry about,” said Jessie. “First the Clarks, now Jake.”

“We should wait until the end of the afternoon and then decide what to do,” Luis said. “Let’s go for a swim.”

They spent an enjoyable afternoon at the recreation center. Between refreshing dips in the pool, they worked on a puzzle.

At around four o’clock, the Clarks straggled in. Mr. Clark’s face was tomato red. Mrs. Clark looked wilted. Her ever present smile was gone.

“I told you to use sunscreen,” she said to her husband. “Now you have a terrible sunburn.”

“It’s nothing,” Mr. Clark snapped.

“Don’t yell at me. We had to tell—” Mrs. Clark stopped suddenly, as if aware they weren’t alone.

They passed the children with weak smiles.

“They’re certainly acting strange,” Henry said. “I wonder why they went riding, since they obviously didn’t enjoy it.”

“At least we don’t have to worry about the Clarks anymore,” said Jessie.

Violet put her chin in her hands. “Now it’s just Jake.”

Just then Tom Parker came inside.

“Whoo-ee!” he exclaimed, wiping his face with an oversize red bandanna. “It’s a scorcher out there today.”

“Tom,” Henry said. “Have you seen Jake today?”

Tom wrinkled his forehead. “Nope, don’t believe I have.”

“But he comes into the store every day,” said Violet. “Do you suppose something has happened to him?”

Tom just laughed. “That old man is as tough as a gopher snake.”

“Maybe so,” Luis admitted. “But even gopher snakes get in trouble.”

Tom narrowed his eyes in the afternoon light. He didn’t look quite so friendly now, Violet thought.

“You kids shouldn’t be fretting about an old man. You’re on vacation! Have fun!”

The Clarks made loud splashing sounds in the pool.

“Now, they’ve got the right idea,” Tom said, jerking his thumb toward the pool room. “By the way, tomorrow evening is our desert hike. Don’t forget!”

“Sounds great,” said Henry. “Let’s hope Jake is back by then so he can go with us.”

“Don’t concern yourselves with an old prospector.” Tom’s tone was light enough, but his eyes were still like slits.

When he left, Jessie spoke. “Something’s fishy. Tom knows more about Jake than he’s telling.”

Henry nodded. “We have something more important to look for than the mine.”

“Jake,” said Benny.

That evening, Grandfather met them for dinner.

“The cabin is coming along nicely,” he said, settling into their booth. “A few more days, and we’ll be finished.”

“In just a few days?” Violet said. That didn’t give them much time to find the mine—or Jake.

Grandfather asked the children what they had been doing.

“We rode horses into the hills,” Benny said. “And I fell off Ginger, but I wasn’t hurt.”

Henry added, “We’re taking a longer ride tomorrow. Don’t worry, Benny will be careful. Won’t you, Benny?”

“I’m always careful,” Benny asserted. “It was Ginger who slipped, not me.”

Grandfather listened to their plans, then nodded. “That sounds like fun.”

It was late by the time they performed their evening chores. Soon everyone was ready for bed.

Benny shifted uneasily in his bunk. He hadn’t been asleep very long. Something had awakened him. A sound?

He listened and heard nothing. That was it. The air-conditioning unit that ran constantly was silent.

Someone had shut off their air.

B
enny sat up in bed. He listened carefully for the familiar sounds of the humming refrigerator and air conditioner. He heard only Grandfather’s faint snoring.

A darting shape outside the window caught his attention. A tall, dark figure flitted between the Garcias’ RV and Mr. Tobias’s trailer.

“Henry!” Benny reached across and shook his brother.

Henry was awake in an instant. “What?”

“The air conditioner’s not running,” Benny said. “And I just saw somebody outside. Maybe it’s the prowler Jessie saw the other night.”

The air inside the RV was getting stuffy. Henry climbed out of his bunk and flicked on the light switch. The lights didn’t turn on, either.

“The power’s off,” Henry reported. He climbed up to Grandfather’s bed. “Grandfather, wake up. Something’s happened to the power.”

James Alden was up quickly. He began pulling his clothes on. The boys dressed hurriedly in the dark. By now the girls were awake, too.

“What is it?” Jessie called from the other end of the trailer. “How come the lights won’t come on?”

“Something’s wrong with the power,” Grandfather said, grabbing his flashlight. “Henry and I will check it out.”

“Me, too!” Benny scrambled after them.

Outside, all the RVs in the D Block were shrouded in darkness. Only small, overhead street lamps cast weak pools of light.

The door to the Garcias’ trailer opened. Mr. Garcia and Luis stumbled down the steps. Mrs. Garcia followed them.

“Our power is out,” said Mr. Garcia to Grandfather.

“Ours, too. Maybe a fuse in the main building blew,” guessed James Alden.

“I’ll go check with the management.” Mr. Garcia headed toward the office. Mrs. Garcia went with him.

Luis came over to the Aldens’ trailer. “I wonder what’s wrong?” he asked.

Henry shone his flashlight around the hookup area. “Here’s the problem,” he said. “The cable’s been disconnected.” He held up the loose end of the plug.

Grandfather reconnected the cable. “That’s strange.”

Luis ran over to his RVs hookup. “Our plug has also been pulled! Yet the sewer and water pipes are still connected.”

Inside the Aldens’ RV, Violet tugged at Jessie’s sleeve. “Look,” she said. “There are two people hanging around Mr. Tobias’s trailer. Do you think we should warn him?”

“It’s Mr. and Mrs. Clark,” Jessie said, as the couple approached. She and Violet went outside. It was creepy inside the dark RV.

“Our electricity has been disconnected!” Mrs. Clark complained to Grandfather. “Yours, too? And the Garcias’?”

Mr. Clark was angry. “If this is somebody’s idea of a prank, it’s not funny. These trailers can get very hot.”

“Fortunately, it’s nighttime,” said Grandfather. “The desert always cools down after dark.”

Benny shivered and wondered if the prowler was watching them.

Henry and Luis refastened the cables to the Garciases’ RV. Then they helped Mr. Clark fix his hookup.

Violet pointed to Mr. Tobias’s RV. “What about Mr. Tobias? Should we check his hookup, too?”

Benny ran over. “It’s okay,” he called.

“That’s funny,” Jessie mused. “Everyone’s electricity was disconnected,
except
Mr. Tobias’s.”

“And he never even came out to see what was wrong.” Henry stared at the metallic-colored trailer.

“Unless,” Benny added, “
he
was the guy I saw running between the trailers.”

This time Jessie shivered. “I sure hope we catch this prowler.”

“Excitement’s over,” Grandfather said, herding them toward the RV. “Back to bed. We’ll solve the mystery in the morning.”

And if they didn’t, thought Jessie, what would happen next?

Early the next morning, Gerald McCrae came by to pick up Grandfather. The Alden children rose early, too.

Jessie and Henry packed breakfast and lunch while Violet and Benny tidied the RV.

Luis knocked on the door.

“We’re almost ready,” Jessie told him. “Henry’s filling the canteens now.”

Luis looked pale in the faint morning light. “Someone got into our RV last night. The photographs of the stone maps were stolen!”

Henry turned from the sink. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I knew we’d need them today. But when I opened the drawer, the folder was gone.”