Sydney and the Wisconsin Whispering Woods (7 page)

Sydney said nothing.

It was almost suppertime, and when they got back to the cabin, Aunt Dee was on the porch reading a book. “Hey, girls,” she said cheerfully. “How was your day?”

Biscuit slept near her feet looking like an angel.

“It was okay,” Sydney told her. “We entered a fishing contest, and we just got back from the bait shop. Did you bring that list of fish that I texted you about?”

“It’s on the kitchen table,” Aunt Dee said. “And what’s that thawing on the counter?”

“Pizza dough,” said Alexis. “We thought we’d make pizza for supper.”

The girls got busy in the kitchen. They saved a glob of the dough for bait and put it in the refrigerator. Then Alexis rolled out the rest for the crust. Sydney sprinkled it with olive oil, spread on some tomato sauce, and put on the toppings. They made a salad, and before long the girls and Aunt Dee sat at the kitchen table eating delicious slices of gooey homemade pizza.

“This is so good, girls,” said Aunt Dee. “I’m glad you thought of it. Since you made dinner, I’ll take care of the dishes tonight.”

Sydney popped the last bite of pizza into her mouth and drank some milk. “Thanks, Aunt Dee,” she said. “We went to the ice cream shop this morning where they have a computer and free Internet. We set up a group chat with the Camp Club Girls for 6:30. We’d better get going.”

“Be back before dark,” Aunt Dee said.

“We’ll leave Biscuit here,” Alexis said. “He’s not allowed inside the ice cream shop.”

When they got to Tompkins’ Ice Cream Shop, they found the tables and booths filled with customers enjoying after-dinner cones, malts, and sundaes. Sydney and Alexis walked to the back of the room and sat at the computer. They logged on to the Camp Club Girls private chat room where the other girls were waiting.

A man and a little boy stood patiently near the workstation at the back of the shop. The boy was eating a chocolate ice cream cone, and it melted and dribbled down his arm.

As the girls walked away from the computer, Sydney’s cell phone rang.

“Sydney?” Aunt Dee said. “I’d like you girls to come home. Mr. Miller just found a dead coyote on the beach. The man in Cabin Two saw something big run into the forest. He thinks it was a bear. I’d feel better if you were here.”

When the girls got to the resort, Mr. Miller was walking toward the office. He carried a shovel, and his T-shirt was spattered with blood.

“Are you okay?” Sydney asked.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I just buried a dead coyote. Something got him good. Nearly tore him apart.”

Sydney’s stomach churned. She loved animals. “What do you think did it?” she asked.

Mr. Miller set the shovel on the ground and wiped his hands on his overalls.

“I’m guessing a bear,” he said. “I can’t think of anything else that would tear an animal apart like that. Usually, a coyote can hold its own.”

Alexis shuddered. “Do bears often kill things around here?”

“Not that much,” said Mr. Miller. “When they do, it’s mostly late at night, and they drag their prey into the woods to eat it. A bear coming at dusk and leaving what it killed isn’t a good sign. It means it might be sick.” He picked up the shovel. “You girls stay inside tonight, and keep your dog inside, too.”

“Charlie, telephone!” Mrs. Miller stood on the front porch. She held a cordless phone.

Mr. Miller said, “If you need anything, call the office. Don’t be out in the dark.”

Alexis linked her arm in Sydney’s as they walked to the cabin. “I just had a scary thought,” she said.

“What about?” asked Sydney.

“Well, last week, I was playing a new Nancy Drew video game. It happens at a cabin on a lake. In it, a pack of howling ghost dogs attack her friend’s house at night.” Alexis took a deep breath. “Syd, you don’t think—”

“Oh Alex, you don’t believe the howling we heard in the woods was a ghost dog, do you?”

“I don’t believe in ghosts,” Alexis said. “But if I did, I’d think that the mountain man is the ghost of Jacques Chouteau, and Fang, his wolf or whatever that thing is, is a ghost, too. Of course, I don’t believe that.”

“So, we have to go back in the woods and find out what’s really going on,” said Sydney.

They were almost to the back door of the cabin. The sun had set behind the trees, and the sky was becoming dark. Whatever was in the woods was lurking in the darkness.

“We’re not going into the woods tonight, Syd,” said Alexis. “It’s too dangerous with that bear, or whatever it is, indent around.” She opened the door to the cabin.

“I didn’t mean tonight,” said Sydney. “But tomorrow, maybe, in the bright daylight.”

Biscuit ran to the back door to meet them. Alexis bent and patted him on the head. “What about the bear?” she asked.

“We’ll need something to protect us,” Sydney said.

“Protect you from what?” Aunt Dee’s voice came from the living room.

“Careful,” Sydney whispered. “Excellent hearing.”

She closed the back door and flipped the lock.

The girls went into the living room where Aunt Dee sat on the floor playing the card game Solitaire.

“We were just talking about what would happen if we ran into the bear in the daylight tomorrow,” said Sydney. “We were wondering how to protect ourselves.”

“I’ve already thought of that,” said Aunt Dee. “I’m going to give you some pepper spray to carry. It’s a good idea for you to have protection in case you run into something, but only use it in a dire emergency. Understood? Only if your life depends on it.”

“Understood,” Sydney agreed.

“In the meantime, I called a ranger from the forest office. He’s coming to look at the dead coyote. He should be able to tell what killed it.” Aunt Dee uncovered the ace of spades and put it above the other cards on the floor.

“Good luck,” said Sydney. “Mr. Miller already buried it.”

“You’re kidding!” Aunt Dee exclaimed. She put the two of spades on top of the ace.

“Nope,” Sydney said. “We met him on the driveway, and he told us all about it. He had a shovel in his hands, and his shirt was bloody.”

Aunt Dee uncovered the king of hearts and laid it face up. “Well, maybe Ranger Geissman can find some evidence where the body was.”

“Do we know for sure that a bear killed it?” Sydney asked.

“Mr. Miller said the man in Cabin Two saw something, but he couldn’t say for sure what it was,” said Aunt Dee. “He said that it was big, and it moved very fast.”

Sydney took the leftover dough out of the refrigerator. “Cabin Two is the Lumleys.’ “

“How do you know that?” asked her aunt.

“We’ve seen the kid, Duncan, a couple of times. He’s rude. So is his dad. He thinks it’s really dumb that Alex and I entered the fishing contest.”

Sydney opened a can of tuna, and Biscuit came running into the kitchen to investigate the smell. “He told Mr. Miller that he doesn’t want a couple of girls getting in the way of Duncan winning the contest.”

Sydney mixed the tuna with the dough and rolled it into little balls. Then she rolled them in cornmeal.

Soon, the beams from a car’s headlights flashed through the cabin windows. Sydney looked outside and saw a Park Service car pull up to their back door. “I think the ranger’s here,” she said.

The girls and Aunt Dee went out to meet him.

“So, where’s the dead coyote?” Ranger Geissman asked. “The resort owner buried it,” said Aunt Dee. “But maybe we can find enough evidence to get some idea about what killed it.”

She got her flashlight from the kitchen table, and they all walked to the shore. “It was right over here,” said Aunt Dee.

Ranger Geissman shined his flashlight on the sandy strip at the edge of the lake. The only pieces of evidence left were a few spots of blood and gobs of matted, gray fur. “Well,” he said, “looks like there was a struggle here. Looks like the coyote tried to fight off whatever got it. Usually, a coyote won’t get much of a chance to fight with a bear. A bear attacks, and that’s it.”

He walked around the area looking for clues. “This is interesting,” he said. “Looks like two sets of canine footprints here. Charlie Miller found just one body, right?”

Aunt Dee shined her flashlight on the ground to get a better look at the prints. “That’s right. Just one dead coyote, and the man in Cabin Two saw something run away.”

“Did he say what it was?” asked Ranger Geissman.

“He thought it was a bear, but he wasn’t sure. He just said it was big and fast.”

AR-AR-AR-ROooooooooooooooooooo … AR-AR-AR-ROoooooooooooooooooooo …
A mournful cry came from deep in the forest. Sydney whispered in Alexis’s ear. “It’s Fang!”

“Well, there’s your answer,” said the ranger. “I think a big wolf killed your coyote. If you look at this other set of prints, you can see they’re huge. They’re not coyote, but definitely canine and probably a wolf.”

He walked up and down the narrow beach looking for more evidence. “I don’t see any sign of a bear,” he said. “And no blood trail leading into the woods, so the other dog must not have been badly injured. Looks like a dog fight to me. Most likely your coyote tangled with a good-sized wolf.”

Aunt Dee sighed with relief.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” she said. “The last thing we need is a sick bear wandering around. Will you stop at the office and tell the Millers what you found?”

“Will do,” said Ranger Geissman, walking to his car. “And I hope you get the job at the ranger station,” he added. “You’d be good on our team.”

“Thanks,” said Aunt Dee. “I hope so, too.”

The ranger drove to the office, and Aunt Dee and the girls went back inside.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Someone pounded hard on the front door.
Boom! Boom! Boom!