McKenzie’s Branson Brainteaser (4 page)

Once inside the flea market, McKenzie saw Miss Val looking at some antique dishes. “Sorry we're late. We were busy and didn't realize how late it was.”

“I don't see any packages,” Miss Val said with a smile, not seeming to mind that they were late. “You must not have found anything you can't live without.”

“Actually, we didn't even look for souvenirs,” McKenzie blurted out. “We may have found a clue to finding Shara's uncle.”

On the way to the car, McKenzie told Miss Val about their discovery. Sydney interrupted occasionally to add a few details.

“Well, it sounds like you may have found some of Mr. Ford's work,” Miss Val said. “But it doesn't necessarily mean he lives here. He could ship his artwork in from another state.”

McKenzie frowned.
I didn't think of that
, she thought.
Shara did say that her family couldn't find his phone number in the Branson directory. Maybe he doesn't live here after all
.

“I don't mean to discourage you,” Miss Val continued as they reached the outskirts of town. “But Branson is known for its crafters. If someone was going to sell their artwork, this is the town to sell it in.”

McKenzie groaned inwardly. The girls said little the rest of the way home. McKenzie wanted to have faith that they would find Reggie Ford. But she also knew how disappointed Shara would be if they couldn't find him. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and prayed.
Dear God, please help us find Reggie Ford. It would mean so much to Shara. If he's in Branson, please let us find him
.

Later when the girls were alone in their room, McKenzie threw herself on her bed. “I know Miss Val thinks Mr. Ford may not be in Branson, but I'm not giving up until I know for sure. I'm going to do all I can to find him, no matter where he is.”

After breakfast the next morning, the girls anxiously watched the clock. According to the sign on the Treasure Trove door, the shop opened for business at 9:00.

McKenzie swallowed the last of her orange juice and carried her glass to the sink. After grabbing the phone book, she said. “It's time. I'm calling.”

After a few moments of silence, she spoke into the receiver. She told the clerk on the line that she was looking for the name of the artist who carved the fairy statues. Moments later she hung up the phone dejectedly and turned to Sydney. “The woman who answered doesn't know any of the crafters. She said to call back when the manager is there. And she doesn't know when that will be.”

“Bummer,” Sydney said with a frown. She bent over and stroked Mr. Pibb's head as he rubbed against her leg. “Now what?”

With the phone book still in her hand, McKenzie walked to the front door. “Maybe we can visit all the woodworking shops in town and look for Mr. Ford's work.”

The girls stepped outside and settled on the top step of the large porch. With the phone book between them, they flipped it open.

“Look at them all,” Sydney groaned as she looked at the list of woodworkers. “There are dozens of them. There's no way we can visit them all.”

McKenzie frowned as she shut the phone book. She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. “I guess we can visit as many as we can. If we find more of those carvings, surely someone will know who the crafter is. And we can always call the Treasure Trove back or stop in.”

A figure coming up the lane caught McKenzie's eye. Miss Val waved to the girls as she returned from her morning walk.

“It's going to be a scorcher today,” Miss Val said as she climbed the porch to sit in the shade. “I have errands to run later this morning, so why don't I drop you girls off at Pebble Beach while I take care of business? I can pack you a picnic lunch, and you can shower at the beach house before I pick you up. McKenzie, since you have the day off, you can check out Silver Dollar City if you want. Or, since it won't be much fun on the rides by yourself, you could help Sydney and me in the shop. How does that sound?”

McKenzie and Sydney eagerly agreed. Before Miss Val went inside the house, she suggested the girls explore the land behind her house. “There's a trail leading to an old lookout tower that's a great spot to take pictures,” she said. “Don't stay too long, though. I want to leave in about an hour.”

The girls jumped to their feet. They grabbed their cameras from their room and bounded down the back steps to the timber that stretched behind Miss Val's house. McKenzie sniffed the damp, earthy smell of decaying branches and leaves.

They scampered down the trail that twisted through a stand of oaks, maples, and pines. McKenzie heard skittering sounds in the bushes and undergrowth.
Probably rabbits and squirrels
, she thought. They soon arrived at a clearing with a rustic wooden tower reaching high into the sky.

Sydney bounded up the first few steps then looked down at McKenzie, her dark eyes flashing. “You coming?” she asked.

McKenzie raced up the stairs after her friend, stopping to peer over the edge about three-fourths of the way up. Her knees trembled as she looked down.
We're already higher than some of the trees
, she thought.

“Hurry up,” Sydney cried from the top platform of the tower. “You've got to see this.”

McKenzie climbed the rest of the stairs slowly. She wasn't nearly as athletic as Sydney, so she arrived breathless at the top. She leaned her elbows on the railing as she stood next to Sydney.

“I wonder how high we are.” McKenzie glanced across the Ozark hills that seemed to go on for miles and miles. Everywhere she looked, she saw hills and lush green trees. A creek flowed through the wooded hills behind Miss Val's house looking like a twisting blue ribbon. She saw a couple of small waterfalls spilling over a rocky cliff. A few housetops were scattered among the trees, and she saw glimpses of roads leading to them. She looked down and felt dizzy.

Sydney stood at the railing snapping pictures all around. She lowered her camera and turned to McKenzie. “I'll have some great shots to put in my scrapbook when I get home.”

McKenzie lifted her camera and zoomed in to snap a picture of the falls. “Somebody must live down there. I see the top of a house and a road leading to it.”

“What a cool place to build a house.” Sydney leaned fearlessly on the railing and peered down. “I wonder who lives there.”

“We could ask Miss Val, but she just moved here a few months ago,” McKenzie said. Then she glanced at her watch. “We've been gone awhile. We'd better head back and get ready to go swimming.”

By the time they arrived back at the house, they only had a few minutes to change into their swimsuits and grab a change of clothes. Soon Miss Val dropped them off at Pebble Beach, promising to return at 2:00.

McKenzie slung her beach bag over her arm and grabbed the cooler containing their picnic lunch. Sydney grabbed her bag and tucked a rubber raft under each arm. A set of concrete steps led to the lake.

The beach was already crowded with swimmers and sunbathers. Screaming kids and laughter filled the air. Music blared out of someone's boom box. She sniffed the smell of coconut-scented sunscreen as she passed a group of giggling high school girls on beach blankets.

Finally she found a clear spot near one end of the beach. After spreading out her beach towel she pulled her sunscreen from her bag.

“Hey, can you put this raft on the other side of you?” Sydney asked as she plopped her bag to the ground.

“Sure.” The sunscreen slipped from McKenzie's hand as she took the raft and laid it beside her. Stepping back, her foot landed on the tube of sunscreen. The top popped off beneath her foot and shot a stream of white goo onto the back of the boy next to her.

He yelped and jumped to his feet. McKenzie's face grew warm as she covered her mouth with her hands. The boy turned to her with an angry look. But when he saw her, his face broke out into a wide grin.

“It's you!” His blue eyes flashed at her.

“Nat?” McKenzie said. “I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you.”

“She did it on purpose,” Sydney said with a chuckle, teasing her friend.

“I'm not surprised,” Nat said with a smile. He turned to Sydney and introduced himself. “I'm Nat McCoy. I work with McKenzie at the Showcase.”

I could crawl in a hole and die
, McKenzie thought as she wiped goo from between her toes. Nat turned to McKenzie.

“I'm getting in the water, but you'd better watch out. I'll get even.” He grinned at her again and sprinted across the beach.

McKenzie groaned as she slumped onto her towel. “I can't believe I did that.”

Sydney settled down onto her towel, the beads in her cornrows clicking as she tossed her head. “You didn't tell me about Nat. Do you like him? I think he likes you.”

McKenzie didn't answer. She glanced at all the suntanned girls around her. Girls with perfect tans. Then she stared at her uneven farmer's tan. Her feet and upper thighs looked like they had been painted a sickly white color.
At least my knees are tanned
, she thought. She squirted sunscreen unevenly across her legs, trying to camouflage her pasty legs.

“Hey, answer me.” Sydney playfully thumped her on the arm. “Do you like Nat?”

McKenzie groaned. She had hoped her friend would forget the question she'd asked.

“He's nice, but I don't really even know him,” she said, rubbing lotion onto her face and arms.

“Ah, come on. You can tell me,” Sydney pleaded, sitting cross-legged on her flowery beach towel. “You do like him, don't you?”

McKenzie rolled her eyes at her friend, wishing this conversation would end. “I'm going swimming before this gets ugly.”

She kicked her flip-flops off the towel and jumped to her feet. She grabbed her lime green raft and hopped on tiptoe across the hot sand.

“Oooch! Ouch!” she cried as her feet reached the rough gravel near the water's edge. She raced into the cool, clear water and jumped on top of her raft.

Sydney lunged into the lake beside her, sending up a spray of water. “Let's go out deeper.” She lay on her stomach, paddling furiously with her arms.

McKenzie followed, eager to get away from the throng of swimmers. When they were in deeper water, the crowds lessened. She glanced around and saw Nat on the far side of the swimming area with some other boys.

Does he really like me?
McKenzie couldn't help wondering as she paddled idly.
He does seem nice
.

“Hey, are you listening?” Sydney splashed McKenzie's face.

McKenzie coughed as she wiped the water from her eyes. “Oh, sorry. I guess I wasn't paying attention.”

“I noticed,” Sydney said with pretend disgust. “I was just saying that maybe we could check out the woodcarving shops at Silver Dollar City later today.”

McKenzie nodded. “We might as well look there, too. Mr. Ford could have his crafts in Silver Dollar City as well as the shops around Branson.”

Out of the corner of her eye, McKenzie saw a shadow beneath her raft. She peered into the water. She glanced from side to side but saw no one. Suddenly her raft lifted into the air, and she felt herself tipping. She clung to the edge but lost her grip.

A split second later, she screamed and disappeared beneath the surface of the water!

McKenzie kicked her legs, thrashing in the lake. She thrust herself upward with her arms and popped her head above water. Coughing, she reached for her raft.

“Ha-ha! Gotcha!” a voice cried out behind her.

Kicking her legs in a dog paddle, she faced her attacker. “Oh … you! I should have known it was you, Nat!” She cupped her hands in the water and splashed him in the face.

He laughed and disappeared beneath the water. He popped up a few yards away and hollered, “I warned you! I told you I'd get even.” With that he sunk into the water and swam away.

Sydney paddled over, lying on her stomach on her bright pink raft. Her white teeth flashed a broad smile. “McKenzie's got a boyfriend,” she sang as her eyes danced.