Sydney and the Wisconsin Whispering Woods (10 page)

He tipped the brim of his cap and walked back toward the office.

Sydney closed the door. “Well, that might explain why Duncan is so mean,” she said. “I can’t imagine how I’d feel if my mom and brother died.”

“Me neither,” said Alexis. “We’ll add Duncan and his dad to our prayers every night. And Syd, let’s be nice to Duncan—as hard as that might be.”

There were three more things in Kate’s box. One was a GPS locator.

“Great!” Sydney said. “Now we won’t have to worry about making trails in the woods and getting lost.”

The second item was a tiny camera, about the size of a matchbox. Kate had included another note:

Sydney unpacked the monitor, which was about the size of a cell phone.

“This is so cool,” she said. “So do you want to do some exploring?”

“You mean sleuthing?” Alexis asked.

“That’s exactly what I mean,” said Sydney. “Let’s go into the woods and find out what that mountain man is up to.”

Sydney loaded the gadgets inside her waist pack and strapped it around her middle. In the meantime, Alexis slipped the Wonder Watch over her wrist. She took her cell phone out of her pocket and flipped it open.

“I’m texting Kate to let her know that we got the package. Then I’ll text the other girls and tell them that we’re going into the woods. Maybe some of them will be online if we need them.”

“Good idea,” said Sydney.

“And Syd, don’t forget the pepper spray in case we run into a bear,” Alexis reminded her. “I got it,” said Sydney.

The girls entered the forest following the same route they’d taken the day before. After they’d walked about ten minutes, they noticed the shovel on the ground.

“Hey look,” said Sydney. “Someone’s been digging again.”

The earth near the shovel was freshly turned over, and the tip of the shovel was caked with mud.

“Do you think that’s where Mr. Miller buried the coyote?” Alexis asked.

“I don’t think so,” said Sydney. “We’re too far from the resort. And look at how the ground is dug up. Whoever dug here didn’t dig one big hole. The person dug a bunch of little ones.”

Alexis gave the earth a closer look. “It looks like clumps are missing out of the soil.”

Sydney picked up the shovel.

“What are you doing?” Alexis asked.

“I’m going to dig and see what’s here,” Sydney said. “Maybe I’ll find the lost treasure of Jacques Chouteau.” She grinned.

“Don’t,” said Alexis. “At least not now. Whoever dug here will probably come back. We’d better not mess things up. Otherwise, whoever it is will know for sure that we’re watching them.”

“You’re right,” said Sydney. She put the shovel back on the ground, careful to place it exactly as she’d found it.

“What are those things over there?” Alexis asked. She pointed to a brownish white mass on the forest floor a few yards away.

“Mushrooms!” said Sydney. “Gigandimundo mushrooms.”

She took a closer look and snapped a picture with the mini-microcam. “I don’t know what kind they are, but there’s a ton of them all over the place. I didn’t notice them when we were here before.”

“Neither did I,” said Alexis.

Dozens of mushrooms popped out of the rotted leaves and pine needles on the forest floor. Their umbrella-shaped caps were rough and bumpy like the wool on a sheep, and their edges were ragged. The black-and-white caps sat atop thick little trunks that were scaly and peeling.

“Do you think they’re edible?” Alexis wondered.

“I don’t know,” said Sydney. “Some mushrooms you can eat, but others are poisonous. I think we should leave them alone. Definitely, though, we need to check out this spot and find out who’s digging here.”

“Maybe it’s one of the visitors at the resort,” said Alex. “These things are probably edible, and someone is digging them up for cooking.”

The girls walked farther into the woods searching for clues as they went. After a while, they found a narrow path going east and decided to follow it.

“I think we’re walking toward the lake,” said Alexis. “I hear a motorboat.”

“Me, too,” said Sydney. “A bunch of boats were on the lake when we left. Shhhh! Listen.”

Alexis heard it, too. Someone whistled a quick and lively tune. It came from the south—in the woods—and with each happy note it got closer.

“Hide!” said Alexis. “Over there in those bushes.”

The girls scrambled behind a thick cluster of honeysuckle. They stood silently watching the path through the dense leaves. Sydney took the mirrored sunglasses out of her waist pack and put them on.

“I don’t want anyone sneaking up on us,” she whispered.

The whistling stopped. The girls heard a rustling. Something was trying to force its way through the brush on the other side of the path. Twigs snapped, and the tops of small saplings swayed.

“Doggone it!” a man grumbled. More twigs snapped. The brush on the other side of the path trembled. “Come on….
Ugh! Ooof! Umph!”

Suddenly, a bright orange object thrust through the bushes and fell onto the path. It was nine feet long, and it looked like a giant kazoo. The middle part was hollowed out to form a little place with a seat. A long pole was strapped to the side of the thing with a rounded paddle on either end.

“It’s a kayak.” Sydney whispered so softly that Alexis could barely hear.

A heavy brown boot emerged from the thicket, then a leg wearing worn khaki pants, a thick brown belt, a red plaid shirt, an arm, a hand. Finally, the mountain man pushed through the brush and onto the path. His cap had come off, and he held it in one hand. Burrs and brambles covered his shaggy beard and hair.

“Dad burn it!” he complained. “There has to be a better way through the woods to this path.”

He picked up his cap and plopped it onto his head. “Ow!”

He took it off again and picked the brambles out of his hair. While the girls watched, he tilted the kayak onto its edge with the bottom facing him. He gripped the center rim, hoisted the boat onto his upper leg, and then wrestled it onto his shoulder. “There,” he puffed. Then off he went down the path, whistling his happy song.

“Let’s follow him,” whispered Alexis. “Are you going to take off those glasses?”

“I think I’ll leave them on,” said Sydney. “In case Fang is nearby.”

They followed a safe distance behind as the mountain man slogged along toward the shore.

“Wait!” said Alexis.

“What’s the matter?” Sydney asked.

“The Wonder Watch is doing something. I feel it jiggling on my wrist.” Alexis looked at the face of the watch. Words flashed across the screen. M
ESSAGE
W
AITING:
B
AILEY
. “What do I do?” she asked.

“Push the button on the side,” Sydney said.

Alexis pushed the button, and Bailey’s message scrolled across the watch’s big, round face. W
HAT’S WITH THE UGLY
‘SHROOM? H
AVE YOU GUYS SEEN THE OLD MAN IN THE WOODS YET?

“Can I text back on this thing?” Alex asked.

“No, but you can talk back,” said Sydney. “Just say what you want, and a microchip inside will translate it into printed words. They’ll show up in the chat room.”

“I forgot all the extra stuff that Kate built into this thing,” said Alex. “I’ve never used it.”

She put her lips up to the face of the watch and spoke softly. “They’re growing all over the place in the forest. We don’t know what kind they are. We’re following the mountain man now. More later.”

“Come on. Let’s go,” said Sydney. “He’s probably to the lake already.”

By the time they got to the lakeshore, the mountain man had already launched his kayak. They could see him paddling swiftly across the lake, heading directly to the other side.

Sydney searched the muddy earth for clues. “Hey, I think these are his boot prints,” she said. “A word is on the bottom of the soles.”

She took out the mini-microcam and took a picture. “I can’t read it very well, but maybe the Camp Club Girls can enlarge it and tell us what it says. Send a message on the Wonder Watch. Ask them to blow up the picture.”

While Sydney and Alexis waited for the girls to reply, the mountain man steered his kayak to the other side of the lake. He pulled it up onto the shore and disappeared into the forest.

“The watch is jiggling again,” said Alexis. “It’s a message from Elizabeth.” She held out her wrist and pushed the button so Sydney could see.

I
ENLARGED THE PHOTO. THE WORD ON THE SOLE IS
ÉSPRIT
.
I
TOOK
F
RENCH LAST SEMESTER. IT MEANS SPIRIT
.

Sydney felt a chill. “This is spooky, Alex,” she said. “I mean, think about the legend of Jacques Chouteau. He paddled off across North Twin Lake and was never heard from again. He was French. Now, we find this French word on the bottom of this boot print, and it means ‘spirit.’ It’s too weird.”

“You know what’s weird?” Alex said. “Seeing my reflection in those mirrored sunglasses!”

“Sorry,” said Sydney. She took off the glasses and put them in her pack.

“Syd, you don’t really believe that he’s the ghost of Jacques Chouteau, do you?”

Sydney hesitated. “No,” she said. “But you have to admit it’s strange.” She started walking up the narrow path and into the woods.

Alexis followed her. “Where are we going now?”

“We’re going to find the purple glow,” said Sydney, “and see what’s really going on here in the forest. I’m sure it’s over this way—the direction the mountain man came from. We should be safe now that he’s on the other side of the lake.”

The girls pushed their way through the brush and the brambles. Before long, they heard the buzzing noise. They followed it.

“Unless something terrible happens, let’s agree not to run away,” said Sydney. “Agreed,” said Alex.

The noise grew louder. Then finally they saw the familiar purple glow. It was straight ahead of them lighting up the tops of the trees.

“Careful,” said Sydney. “Let’s go slow.” She opened her waist pack and took out the mirrored sunglasses. “I’ll put these on in case he comes back.”

They walked a little farther until they came to a clearing. They peeked out from the bushes and saw a campsite bathed in the eerie, purple light. There was a campfire ring made of stones, a folding table, and a collection of pots and pans. A bedroll was neatly placed on the table by a small canvas sack. Sydney noticed a seat made from a split-timber log next to the fire ring. “This is where he lives,” she said.

“What’s that awful smell?” Alexis asked.

“The manure pile,” said Sydney. She pointed to a stinking pile of debris at the edge of the clearing. “Now we know where Biscuit was.”

Bravely, the girls walked into the campsite.

“The light is coming from over there,” said Alexis. “Near the base of that gnarly old pine tree.”

“Let’s go check it out,” said Sydney.

“Oh Syd, do you really think we should? I feel like we’re trespassing or something.”

“The forest doesn’t belong to him,” said Sydney. “It belongs to everybody.”

She walked toward the glowing purple light. The buzz grew stronger. The light flashed off Sydney’s sunglasses and bounced like prism light across the tree trunks.

“Oh my goodness,” said Sydney. “Look at that!”

They were at the entrance to a cave. Its gaping doorway was almost hidden by the low, sweeping branches of an evergreen tree. The purple light came from inside. The buzzing sound echoed from deep within. It ricocheted off the cold, stone walls and sounded like a swarm of angry bees.

Sydney stopped just outside the entrance. She squatted down and tried to look inside. “What do you think is making the purple light?” she asked. “And what’s that noise?”

“I don’t know,” said Alex. “But maybe we shouldn’t be here.”

“I think we should do some spelunking,” said Sydney. “Some what?” asked Alexis.

“Cave exploring.” Sydney explained. She stood and took a few steps into the cave. Then bravely, she took a few steps more. When she did, the buzzing noise stopped.

Suddenly, a great
whoosh
of icy-cold air rushed through the cave. It hit Sydney in the face, sending a chill down to her toes. The buzz turned into a sound that was like a whirling helicopter blade—
whop-whop-whop
.

Out of the noise came a raspy voice whispering,
“Go back! Go back! Go back!”

The girls turned and ran as fast as they could.

“Alex! Run for your life!” Sydney screamed.

Through the lens of the special sunglasses, she saw something behind them. It was the monstrous dog—the same one that had looked into the bedroom window. It raced after them now, lunging at their heels.

Sydney felt the dog’s huge front paws wrap around her ankles. She fell to the ground facedown. Then came a
thud
as the animal leaped onto her back. The wind rushed out of her lungs, and she thought for sure that she would die. But then a long, wet tongue licked the side of her face.