The Missing Book (8 page)

“Did you follow him?” Mandie asked.

“No, I was in a hurry to get home,” Mr. Knight replied. “But we know now that Mrs. Clifton wasn't imagining this. So some of us men plan on staking the place out this weekend.”

“Can I go with you?” Joe asked.

“I don't think so, Joe.You'd have to get permission from your father before I'd allow it,” Mr. Shaw said.

“Then I suppose I can't go either,” Mandie said in a disappointed voice.

“That's right, Amanda,” her father said. “We have no idea who this person is.”

“Oh, shucks!” Mandie said.

“Just don't count on us catching him the first night we watch,” Mr. Shaw said. “It may take several nights to find out who he is, because he may not be going over there every night.”

Mandie thought about that until she went to bed that night. Then her mind returned to her friend, Faith. Her
former
friend, Faith, since Faith was moving away and leaving her.

Trying not to cry, Mandie wondered if her mother would allow her to go over and visit with Faith sometime this weekend so they could discuss everything about Tellico. Then she wouldn't have to wait until Monday to learn all the details.

But no, she was not going to do that. She was not anxious to find out when Faith was actually moving away. That could wait until Monday when they all went back to school. Besides, Faith and her grandmother were probably tired after their long journey and would want to rest for the weekend.

Mandie was going to miss her friend.

8

Just Wonderful!

MONDAY MORNING WHEN Joe came to meet Mandie, he was driving his mother's cart.

“Are we going to ride to school today?” Mandie asked as Joe stopped the vehicle at the pathway to her house.

Joe jumped down and took her books. “Come on, get in,” he said. “I have to do an errand for my father.”

As Mandie stepped into the cart, she said, “I hope it's not another mystery.”

“No mystery,” Joe said, getting back into his seat and picking up the reins.

Mandie waited, but Joe did not explain. “Well then, what is it?” she asked after a few seconds. The horse pulled the cart on down the road.

“Nothing, really,” Joe replied. “Mr. Miller spent the night on watch over at Mrs. Chapman's old house. My father was supposed to pick him up this morning, but he had to go up the mountain to see a patient. So he asked me to go get Mr. Miller.”

“How did Mr. Miller get over there? Doesn't he have a horse with him?” Mandie asked. Most of the men in the community got about on horseback.

“No,” Joe replied. “He couldn't have a horse with him because he had to hide. If there's someone hanging around over there, they would see it and know somebody was there and they probably wouldn't stay.”

“Well, whoever it is will certainly see us drive up in this cart,” Mandie said.

“This person has only been seen at night. They will probably be gone by the time we get there,” Joe answered.

“I hope not,” Mandie said. “We might be able to find out who it is!”

“Amanda Elizabeth Shaw, remember what your father said. You are not to go investigating this thing yourself,” Joe reminded her.

“I know, but since I'm going with you anyway, what difference would it make?” Mandie replied.

Joe frowned. “I probably shouldn't have brought you with me. Your father might think I am disobeying his orders.”

“But your father asked you to go, and he knows you always walk to school with me,” Mandie argued.

“Well, anyhow, here we are,” Joe said, turning the wagon down the narrow trail that led to the old house. “Now, don't you go running off somewhere. You stay right here in the wagon while I look for Mr. Miller. My father said he was supposed to be hidden in the barn.” He pulled the horse to a stop near the old barn and jumped down.

Mandie followed him. “I am not staying here in this wagon by myself,” she said. “I'm going with you.”

“All right then, but just make sure you stay right with me. Don't go wandering off somewhere,” Joe firmly told her.

Joe hurried toward the entrance to the barn, and Mandie walked fast to keep up with him. She kept looking around the yard as she went, and at the big old house that Faith's grandmother, Mrs. Chapman, had inherited from a cousin. She saw signs of work having been done. The once-sagging back porch floor was now level. The huge rock chimney that ran up the side of the house had been falling apart, but now it seemed to be well stuck together and standing upright.

“Come on,” Joe called back to her, stopping to wait.

“I'm coming,” she said.

They entered the barn together, and Mandie immediately saw Mr. Miller asleep on a pile of hay in a far corner. “There's Mr. Miller,” she said, pointing. “He's asleep.”

“He was here all night, so I suppose he is sleepy,” Joe said, going toward the man. “Mr. Miller, Mr. Miller.”

Mandie had started to follow when out of the corner of her eye she saw someone swing down from the loft and run for the doorway. “Joe!” she called. “There he is! The man!”

Joe instantly ran after the man, with Mandie following. “Hey, mister, wait!” Joe called, following the man across the yard.

Mandie heard Mr. Miller behind them. “You go left and I'll go right, Joe,” he called. She looked back and saw him running around the house in the direction the man had gone.

Joe ran the other way, and Mandie lifted her long skirts and followed. As they all came around to the front porch, Mandie saw the man pause and look at each of them. He looked young and rather handsome. He couldn't be a burglar. She ran right up to him as he stood there in surprise.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

Joe and Mr. Miller caught up with them.

“What are you doing on this property?” Mr. Miller asked.

The young man gasped for air. “I'm looking for my mother's cousin.”

“And who might that be?” Mr. Miller asked suspiciously.

“Mr. Al Conley,” the young man replied. He ran his fingers through his mussed dark curly hair.

“Mr. Al Conley? Why, he's been dead for years,” Mr. Miller replied.

“Oh . . . I didn't know that,” the young man said, his face falling.

“Exactly how did you know about Mr. Al Conley and not know he was dead?” Mr. Miller asked.

“My mother used to talk about him a lot. I'm sure she didn't know he had died. She had not seen or heard from him in years when she died back in December,” he replied.

“Who was your mother? Where are you from?” Joe asked.

“My mother was Alicia McLendon. I'm Paul McLendon, and we lived in Kentucky, near Louisville. I don't have any other relatives,” the man explained.

“Mr. Conley willed this place to Mrs. Chapman and her granddaughter, Faith. He was Mrs. Chapman's cousin,” Mandie told him. “Are they related to you also?”

Paul scratched his head, frowned, and said, “Not that I know of. Al Conley's mother was my mother's aunt.”

“Then you and Mrs. Chapman aren't related, because she was kin to him on his father's side,” Mandie said with a big grin as Paul smiled at her.

“According to rumor, you've been hanging around here awhile,” Mr. Miller said. “What have you been doing for food?”

“I met up with some friendly Cherokee people a few miles back up in the mountains. I've been staying with them, coming over here now and then hoping to find Al Conley,” Paul explained.

Joe suddenly looked at Mandie. “School! We're going to be late for school.”

“Let's all get in the cart. I'll drop you all off at school, and I'll take this fellow here on to your father's house,” Mr. Miller said.

“And whose house is that?” Paul asked.

“Joe is the son of the local doctor, Dr. Woodard, and I work for him,” Mr. Miller explained. “Let's go.”

“If this house was willed to those people you mentioned, why is it no one is ever here? I've watched and watched and never could find anyone home,” Paul replied, following them to the cart.

“The men in the community have been doing work on this house and Mrs. Chapman and her granddaughter have been staying elsewhere until it's completed,” Mr. Miller replied.

Mr. Miller drove down the road, and Mandie and Joe arrived at the front door of the schoolhouse just as the bell was being rung. Jumping down and running, they waved goodbye and stepped inside the door as the bell stopped ringing.

Mandie was disappointed to see that Faith was not there. She looked across the room at Joe and motioned toward Faith's empty desk. He frowned and nodded.

The day dragged as Mandie kept hoping Faith would come to school later. She never did.

When Mandie got home after school, she found her father working on the split-rail fence. She hurried to speak to him.

“Daddy,” she called as she approached. “Have you heard about the man we found at Mrs. Chapman's house?”

Mr. Shaw stopped working and straightened up. “Yes, I heard. I told you, Amanda, I didn't want you poking around that old house,” he reminded her.

Mandie bent her head. “I remember, Daddy, but I had to go because Joe was in the cart and had to go by and get Mr. Miller and we thought it would be safe with Mr. Miller there.” She paused for breath. “Have you met the man we found over there?”

“No, I haven't,” her father replied. “I only heard about him through Mr. Knight, who had stopped by the Woodards' this morning.”

“Do you know if he is going to stay with the Woodards?” she asked.

“I don't know any more than you do,” Mr. Shaw said, going back to his work on the fence. “Now, you get on inside and get your homework done.”

“Yes, sir,” Mandie replied, disappointed that he wouldn't talk. She started down the pathway toward the back door, turned, and called back, “I love you, Daddy.” She waved and smiled.

Mr. Shaw once again straightened up from his work. He waved back with a big smile. “I love you, my little blue eyes.”

Mandie went through the kitchen, where her mother was cooking, and on to the parlor to do her homework. Irene had not turned up yet. Maybe she would know something about the stranger.

Irene didn't get home until almost time for supper, and then all she could talk about was the fact that Tommy Lester would be back at school the next day because his mother was better. Irene had not even heard about Mandie and Joe finding the stranger at Mrs. Chapman's old house and was not interested.

The next morning Mandie hurried up to the road and was waiting for Joe when he finally came.

“You're late,” she said as he approached.

“I know, so we'll have to walk fast,” Joe replied, taking Mandie's books.

“Joe, tell me what happened to Paul McClendon,” Mandie said, her short legs as always working hard to keep up with his long ones.

“Nothing,” Joe said. “He's staying with the Millers until my father gets back, which should be sometime this afternoon. Mr. Miller thinks my father may give him a job and a place to live. My mother thinks so too.”

“I'm glad, because he said he didn't have any relatives at all,” Mandie said.

When they got to the crossroads, Mandie eagerly looked for Faith, but she was not there. Maybe she had gone ahead of them.

Just as Mandie and Joe stepped inside the schoolhouse and Joe handed Mandie her books, Irene and Tommy Lester came rushing in behind them, with Faith after them. But there was no time to talk then because they were almost late.

Mandie carried her books to her desk. As she sat down and started to put the books inside, she saw that the top book in the stack was a reading book, exactly like hers. She quickly examined the edges for the ink smudge she knew was on hers, but there was no smudge. She opened the cover, and there in bold ink was written “Property of Joe Woodard.” She suddenly felt overcome with happiness. So this was Joe's secret. She looked across the room and held up the book.

Joe smiled and whispered loudly, “It took my mother all this time to find my old book.”

Mandie saw Mr. Tallant look up from his desk, so she only mouthed her reply: “Thank you.”

She was happy now. She finally had a reading book.

Faith stayed in at recess again, this time to take a test she had missed while she and her grandmother had been in Tellico.

“I'll walk with you and Joe after school,” Faith promised as Mandie and Joe went outside to eat their lunch.

As soon as the bell rang for dismissal, Mandie and Joe hurried to get their coats. Faith joined them. Everyone crowded into the doorway, trying to get out first. Tommy and Irene were right behind Mandie when someone bumped into them, causing Tommy to drop his books. They slid beneath Mandie's feet. Mandie stooped to help Tommy retrieve them.

“I can get them,” Tommy muttered as she began picking them up.

“I'll help,” Mandie replied, picking up his reading book. Suddenly she saw an ink smudge on the top edge of the pages. She quickly flipped open the book, and there was her name. “This is my book!” she said in disbelief. Looking up at Tommy, who had stood up, she said, “You took my book, Tommy Lester!”

The crowd of pupils at the door suddenly became still. Mandie stood up, shaking with anger. “You took my book!” she repeated, holding the book open to her name.