Elizabeth's San Antonio Sleuthing (11 page)

Elizabeth sat in the overstuffed chair in the living area of their hotel room. Her feet were draped over the arm of the chair, and she casually twirled her long hair with her fingers.

“Mom and Dad, Kate and I were wondering if we could hang out with Uncle Dan this afternoon. He invited us to run some errands with him. Would that be okay?”

“Well, I just don't want you girls getting in his way,” Mr. Anderson said. “But if he invited you, I suppose it's okay,” he said.

Elizabeth rewarded him with a huge smile.

“I know how much you love your Uncle Dan, but he is coming to visit us in a couple of weeks. Not only that, but today we're going to the science museum, and we don't have anything like San Antonio's Science Museum in Amarillo. Are you sure you don't want to come with us?” said Mrs. Anderson.

Elizabeth nodded. “I know. The Science Museum is really fun, and I hate to miss it. But I'm excited about spending time with Uncle Dan. I think I'll enjoy that more.”

“Okay. But stay with Uncle Dan, and stay out of trouble,” her mother told her with a wink. “We'll probably go out to eat, too, so I'm not sure what time we'll be back. Keep your cell phone with you, and call us if you need anything.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Elizabeth called as her parents and James walked out the door.

“Whew, that was close,” said Kate. “For a minute, I thought they were going to insist we go with them!”

“Well, they're gone now, and we don't have much time. Let's get the other Camp Club Girls on the phone, and see what they've come up with,” Elizabeth told her.

Soon they had Bailey, Alex, and McKenzie on the phone. Sydney was at her gymnastics class, so they'd have to fill her in later.

“Okay, everyone, it's crunch time. Since we talked to you last night, we've come up with a plan. In about forty-five minutes, we're going to stage a big scene, and my Uncle Dan and his friend, who owns the River City Cruises, are going to blame Joe and Pedro for all the vandalism that's been happening. Before that, we need to plant a listening device at the Santa Anna dock, but we're not sure how we'll do that. The Skipper knows who we are. They know we're onto them, so they'll be watching us. Any ideas?”

“What about having one of your new friends plant the device, before the whole scene plays out?” suggested Alex.

“That won't work,” said Kate. “We were all together when those men chased us. They'll recognize them, too.”

“Well then, what about Uncle Dan? They probably don't know who he is, do they?” asked McKenzie.

Elizabeth and Kate looked at each other. That could work.

“That's a good idea, McKenzie. Later, he'll go down there, strike up a conversation with the captain, and somehow hide the bug on the dock,” Kate said.

“Then, Joe and Pedro can walk by,” Elizabeth added. “Uncle Dan will call out, ‘Hey, there they are!' and start accusing them of vandalizing the riverboats. They'll defend themselves for a few minutes, then leave. Then, Uncle Dan will change his mind about riding the boat, and leave, too.”

“This is where the listening device comes in,” Kate added. “After the whole scene plays out, we're hoping the captain and his sidekick will start talking and say something that will incriminate them.”

“In-what-anate them?” asked Bailey.

“Incriminate,” Kate said. “It means we hope they'll say something that will prove to us, and the police, that they are guilty of something.”

“Well…it could work. Let's just hope Gilligan and the Skipper don't figure out that Uncle Dan is related to you,” said Alex.

“Yep,” said Elizabeth. “We've already talked about that. Kate and I will sit at a nearby café. Lots of people just sit and talk. We'll act oblivious to the whole thing.”

“Well, be careful. You don't know what those men might do,” said McKenzie.

Kate promised that yes, they would be careful.

Elizabeth looked at her watch. “We've got to get going. Uncle Dan's probably waiting for us. Oh! Did anyone research surgeries for a strawberry hemangioma birthmark?”

“I did, and I found out some interesting things,” said McKenzie. “But we'll talk later. You go on, and call us as soon as the plan is executed. We want to hear every detail!”

The girls hung up, and after taking some deep breaths, Kate and Elizabeth headed downstairs to the lobby.

Uncle Dan was waiting for them, as expected. “Are youready to go?” he asked, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

Elizabeth nodded. “We talked to our friends, and everything is set up. But we're hoping you can be the one to plant the listening device. The boat captain will be suspicious if he sees us hanging around his dock.”

“That shouldn't be a problem for you. Just wait until the boat is on a tour, and the captain's not around. But I'll do it if you want.”

“You'd better. There were two men, and even if the Skipper isn't around, I don't know where Gilligan might be,” Elizabeth told him.

Uncle Dan nodded, and Kate handed him the device. He held it up to the light and examined it. “Wow. This is tiny. How far does the sound broadcast?”

Kate smiled proudly. “Elizabeth and I can be all the way at the other end of the Riverwalk, and we'll still hear the conversation.”

“That's cool,” he said.

Elizabeth looked out the glass lobby doors and saw Joe and Pedro standing near the Riverwalk. The lobby doors opened, and Maria walked in.

“The guys are ready to look guilty. They'll follow your cue,” Maria told them, then returned to her cousins.

Uncle Dan eyed the group. “So they're the ones, huh? Let's hope they're good actors. I suppose it's good that they've never met me. It will seem more natural.”

Something in the pit of Elizabeth's stomach told her this wasn't going to go as planned. But she kept quiet. They had gone to all this trouble; she couldn't see the point in backing out now.

“You girls go find a place to sit and wait. I suggest you go to that little ice cream parlor with the balcony. If you sit up high, you'll be able to see us better,” he suggested.

“Ice cream parlor?” asked Kate. “Sounds good to me. I'm starved!”

Elizabeth laughed. “Let's go,” she said. “Uncle Dan, we're turning the listening device on now. Give us five minutes, and then tell us when you're leaving the lobby. You won't be able to hear us, but we'll hear you.”

Uncle Dan nodded, and Kate and Elizabeth exited the lobby, trying to ignore their four friends standing outside. The last thing they needed was for the captain or his friend to see them together again.

For a split second, Elizabeth glanced at Joe. She couldn't seem to stop herself. He was watching her! She looked away, and led Kate to the ice cream parlor. Together, they climbed the steep stairs. “You go in and order, and I'll stay here on the balcony. This table is perfect. Look! We have a clear shot of the boat dock. We'll be able to see everything.”

“Okay,” agreed Kate. “I'll go get our ice cream. What do you want?”

“Anything chocolate,” Elizabeth replied as she sat down.

Kate soon returned, and the girls were taking their first bites of ice cream when Elizabeth spotted something. “Kate, look!” She pointed to a small shoe-shine booth. There, enjoying a shoe shine, was the Skipper. He was only a few yards from his boat dock, but his back was to it.

Uncle Dan's voice came over the tiny speaker. “Leaving the lobby, heading for the boat dock.” The girls watched as Uncle Dan rolled his wheelchair to the railing as if to wait in the ticket line. He grabbed onto the railing as if he needed it for support, and Elizabeth smiled. She knew he was actually planting the listening device. The magnetic back clung securely to the underside of the metal railing—they had tested it earlier.

The Skipper approached with his newly shined shoes. He reached out to help Uncle Dan, and smiled.

“Welcome to Santa Anna Tours! How can I help you?” he asked.

So far, so good
, thought Elizabeth.

“I'm thinking about taking one of your tours. But I'm a little hesitant,” Uncle Dan told the man.

The captain lifted his eyebrows. “Oh? Why is that?”

“I've noticed a lot of the boats are breaking down. As you can see, since I'm in a wheelchair, it isn't easy for me to get on and off the boats. I certainly don't want to take the chance of getting myself or my chair wet.”

“Oh, no need to worry. Santa Anna Tours has a perfect record. It's the other boat company that has had all the problems,” the man said.

“I've heard that vandalism is suspected,” Uncle Dan said. The other man suddenly looked uncomfortable.

“I think I may know who is behind the vandalism, too,” Uncle Dan continued.

The captain looked surprised. “Oh, really? Who might that be?”

Uncle Dan leaned closer to the man.

He is such a great actor! thought Elizabeth. He should be on stage!

“Some teenagers have been wandering around here, and they look like they're up to no good. There are two boys and a girl, and I don't trust them. If I were you, I'd watch out for—hey! There they are now!” Uncle Dan pointed, and the captain turned to see Joe, Pedro, and Maria walking past.

Elizabeth and Kate licked their ice cream cones and watched the scene below, still listening on their tiny speaker. It was almost like watching a movie.

“Hey, you there!” Uncle Dan called out. “Didn't I see you at the other boat dock? You looked like you were up to no good. I think you've been messing with all the boats!”

The teenagers stopped, looking like they'd been caught.

Perfect
, thought Elizabeth.

“I don't know anything about any boats,” said Joe defensively, and the other two agreed.

Uncle Dan wheeled his chair forward. “You'd better stay away from here. I'm onto you, and if I see you hanging around, making trouble, I'll call the police!”

So far, so good
, thought Elizabeth. Some ice cream dripped from her cone, and Biscuit quickly cleaned it up.

Uncle Dan and the teens exchanged a few more angry words before the threesome moved on. Uncle Dan looked at the Skipper and said, “I think I'll pass on that ride. I'm going to call the police and report my suspicions right now.”

The captain shook Uncle Dan's hand. “Thank you, sir. You're a good citizen. If more people would report hoodlums instead of just letting them wander around getting into trouble, we'd all be better off.”

Elizabeth caught a glimpse of someone in the shadows, beneath the bridge.
It was Gilligan!
He seemed to listen to the conversation between Uncle Dan and the captain.

The hairs on Biscuit's back stood up, and he gave a low, throaty growl. Kate grabbed his collar. “Easy, boy,” she whispered.

Uncle Dan began to wheel away. When his back was turned, the girls saw the captain motion for his sidekick to come closer.

“It looks like the heat is off, for a while. That guy thinks those teenagers have caused River City's problems. He's going to call the police,” the Skipper told his partner.

Gilligan laughed. “That's perfect. And while everyone is focused on them, we can make another move.”

Kate and Elizabeth looked at each other, wide-eyed. This was going exactly as planned! Now, if the recorder had worked correctly, all they'd have to do was take the recording to the police.

They were startled when a voice below them yelled, “Kate, Elizabeth! What are y'all doing up there? Come down and join us!”

It was Gary, and his loud voice echoed on the buildings around them. To the left and the right, tourists turned to see who Elizabeth and Kate were. The Skipper and Gilligan turned, too. Elizabeth locked eyes with the Skipper and realized he recognized her.

Just then, Gary spotted Uncle Dan, who was trying to wheel back into the hotel lobby. “Dan! Over here! I just spotted your niece and her friend. We're going to rent a riverboat. Do all of you want to come?”

Oh no. Did Gary just point out to the whole world… and to those men…that I'm Uncle Dan's niece? That can't be good
.

All of a sudden, the Skipper's face went white. His jaw clenched, and he seemed to realize he'd been duped. “Hey, you!” he called out to Uncle Dan.

Without warning, Biscuit leaped from the low balcony and dashed straight for the Skipper! The little dog bared his teeth and growled.

“Why, you little mutt…,” the man said, kicking at Biscuit. The little dog backed up, but continued to growl.

“Hey!” Uncle Dan yelled, wheeling his chair around. “Cut it out!”

The Skipper looked around at all the witnesses and took a deep breath. Rage flooded his eyes. But he pasted on a smile and said, “Sorry about that, folks. I get a little nervous when a dog bares his teeth at me.”