The Great Scavenger Hunt Read online

  “Riley,” a suddenly concerned Nurse Maeve said, “you really don’t look very well. Maybe we should try something different, so you don’t get sick,” she said sweetly.

  Riley nodded gratefully. It really doesn’t matter as long as we keep dancing…together, she thought happily.

  Maeve patiently showed him a few dances she remembered from her week of Irish step dancing lessons. Although the lessons were a long time ago, Maeve’s natural talent for dancing helped her recall a few simple moves.

  In fact, after a few tries, she and Riley, who also had natural rhythm, were completely in sync, and the pirate crowd was going wild. They formed a circle around them and clapped, while the musicians on set played some Irish music on their guitars.

  “Wheee!” Maeve shouted giddily when the music picked up pace.

  “What is going on here?” demanded a shrill voice. The crowd stopped clapping and the music fizzled out as everyone cautiously cleared a path for a young woman wearing a fluffy red bathrobe. “I mean it! Will somebody please tell me why I’m still waiting in hair and makeup?”

  Maeve gasped and leaned over to Riley. “Oh, that’s her…. Lola Lindstrom…superstar!”

  Riley’s eyes widened. “Dude, you’re right! I almost didn’t recognize her with that black wig.” Lola Lindstrom was huge…mega huge, and famous for her long fire-engine-red hair (Maeve had always felt a kinship), a penchant for dating foreign princes, and her oh-so-infamous, on-set temper tantrums.

  “This is the best day of my life, Riley!” Maeve clasped her hands to her chest while she whispered. “To witness a Lola Lindstrom temper tantrum! It just doesn’t get any better than this.” Maeve squeezed Riley’s hand.

  “Like I told you, there are just a few kinks the director is trying to work out….” Bethany began.

  “Still?” Lola groaned. “For Pete’s sake, by the time they’re done I’m going to be middle-aged! I can’t believe I turned down Safari Game Park for this.”

  “Don’t worry, Miss Lindstrom,” a visibly nervous Bethany tried to assure her. “The director is working with some historical consultants, and everything should be ready shortly. Why don’t you go back to the trailer and put on the Princess Polly wedding dress?” By the end of her little speech Bethany’s voice had begun to shake.

  Lola crossed her arms and sniffled. “No.”

  “Pretty please,” Bethany tried again, sounding strained.

  “Hmm…no. I hate that hideous outfit. The fabric makes my skin itch.”

  Lola’s face looked like she had just smelled something very stinky. Maeve was affronted. How could someone who had so much look so annoyed and unhappy over a little itch? It seemed…well…unprofessional. Still, Lola’s diva attitude is impressive, she thought.

  “Look, Riley. This is the stuff of entertainment.”

  With a raised eyebrow, an unimpressed Riley watched a quivering Bethany turn to Lola and say, “Pretty please, Lola, with sugar on top?”

  Was this groveling mess of nerves the same girl who had dismissed Danny with such indifference earlier? Maeve could not believe what she was hearing.

  Lola frowned and uttered a dramatic, “Fine.” She started back to the trailer, then paused. “But I need my cappuccino yesterday, Beth, or whatever your name is. And make sure it’s nonfat this time. Last time they said it was, but it tasted too good to be. Make sure this time it doesn’t taste so good. Everyone is just trying to get me fat!”

  They all watched as Lola flounced off to her trailer, while a spent Bethany, who had averted a crisis with her star, shot dagger eyes at the temperamental superstar’s back.

  Finally, Riley whirled his finger around his ear to signify that he thought Lola Lindstrom was completely bonkers. Maeve had to agree.

  “Boy, Riley,” Maeve said, fanning herself. “I have to admit, star or no star, I don’t want to get anywhere near someone who is freaking out about a cappuccino that tasted great.”

  Isabel, who had wandered over to witness the dramatic star’s rantings, whispered to Maeve, “If you become a star and ever act like that, the BSG will have to have a trial and sentence you to a hundred pillow-mashes till you come to your senses!”

  Maeve held up her hand and promised “to never act like a crazy diva with a bad attitude to anyone, even to someone who brings me fabulous-tasting coffee.” Maeve and Isabel collapsed in a sudden fit of giggles.

  “I sure hope Betsy and Danny fix those kinks before Lola Lollapalooza, or whatever her name is, bites someone’s head off!” Riley warned Maeve and Isabel, who nodded in unison.

  The Facts About Fireworks

  At the far end of the set, Ozmond was standing with one white-sneakered foot directly in the middle of a patch of poison ivy and peering over his notebook at a few technicians unloading giant boxes labeled DANGER: HIGHLY FLAMMABLE from a truck.

  “So we get rid of the fireworks completely?” asked Ozmond, tapping his pencil against the ragged pages of scribbled notes. “Are you quite sure about that?”

  “Would I lie, Ozmond?” Danny nodded at the director and continued with his explanation. “One hundred percent. They’re nice for special effects and everything, but they don’t make any sense. Why would there be fireworks on an eighteenth-century pirate ship?”

  “Bingo! Gosh, you are good.” The director scratched something out until a rip showed through the paper, and chewed on the tip of his pencil. Then he tore the page out and let it flutter into the hands of one of the dozens of assistants running back and forth across the set.

  As they walked back toward the giant pirate ship, Betsy and Danny could hear the technicians grumbling. They were loading fireworks back into the truck again.

  Betsy had also tried to suggest losing the fireworks, but just as she’d opened her mouth to say something, Danny jumped in and took the rest of the sentence from her. She took a deep breath and racked her brain for another contribution.

  “What else?” asked the director. “You two history buffs must know more! And more is what we need! More feeling! More history…more truth!”

  Betsy raised her hand, “Well, you have Black Sam interrupting the wedding by swinging in on a vine to save Princess Polly,” she began.

  The director perked up. “Yes? Go on!” But before Betsy could finish speaking, Ozmond raised a hand and announced in a booming voice. “Listen up, everyone! These young people are fabulous! Historical people! Where are you?”

  Betsy found herself suddenly surrounded by staring eyes. Two young men with frazzled faces emerged from the crowd.

  “We must harness these young people’s brilliance!” Ozmond gushed to the film’s historical advisors. They shrugged in unison.

  “If you say so, Ozmond.”

  “Well,” Danny spoke up, “Betsy’s right. The vines are completely unrealistic! We’re in New England, for crying out loud, not the Amazon. Vines in this climate are not that strong. This isn’t George of the Jungle, you know?”

  “Duh!” The director bonked himself on the head. “I can’t believe I missed that! Good find, Danny, my boy! Someone get him a chair.”

  The historical advisors jumped to obey. Two seconds later, Danny was sitting in a brand-new director’s chair, beaming brightly. But Betsy’s cheeks were red—and not in a good way. She planted herself in front of the director and flipped forward in the script.

  “You know, the whole bride throwing the bouquet, and then talking about her honeymoon, and what she’s going to wear, and going to Hawaii…” Betsy started.

  “Uh-huh…” Ozmond urged.

  “It’s preposterous!” Danny bit his lower lip and gave Betsy a sweet smile.

  What is wrong with you? she mouthed back, but he was already off and running, stealing her idea. “They’re in Cape Cod! What, are they going to sail halfway around the world to Hawaii? The whole bride part is pretty ridiculous, Sir Ozmond. These lines sound like something from a modern-day chick flick.”

  The director smacked the table and beamed at Danny. “
Young man, I had exactly the same thought on the read-through, but Lola’s agent said we had to expand her part if she was going to sign. So we gave her even more lines. More distasteful, bad, poorly written chick-flick lines…”

  Danny gagged. “They’ve got to go, Ozmond! The integrity of the movie depends on it.” He gave the director a high five, and Betsy a thumbs-up.

  But Betsy didn’t notice. Lola Lindstrom was screaming at a gathering crowd outside. Betsy was shocked. Lola was actually throwing props at that Bethany girl and screaming, “This cappuccino is too delicious!”

  “She looks crazy mad,” Danny observed. He raised his eyebrows at Betsy. “Isn’t helping out behind the camera so much more fun?”

  Betsy swallowed and managed to squeak out, “A blast.”

  CHAPTER

  16

  A Meow in the Road

  Charlotte felt like tap dancing—something she had never done in her entire life. But it was early and the Salty Cods had just solved another clue. The little red flag was right there in front of the lighthouse…with a note.

  Super Scavenger BONUS! Since you came here first, here’s a treat for your team. After all your hard work, you don’t want to lose steam. Ride one mile north—it’s right on the way to winning this hunt at the end of the day.

  “That’s it, Salty Cods,” shouted an ecstatic Patrice. “We’re kicking the Great Scavenger Hunt big-time!”

  Katani was excited too, but she still wished her sister would tone down the competition thing. The Cods might have found the lighthouse first, but that didn’t mean they’d cross the finish line at Drummer’s Cove first. What if they didn’t win? The team would be so disappointed. “Patrice, I think—”

  “Let’s celebrate!” Dillon interrupted her. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready for breakfast number two.” He bent over and grabbed his stomach like he hadn’t eaten for days. Then he staggered over to his backpack and pulled out a huge twelve-inch turkey sub as Charlotte’s and Katani’s mouths popped open. “What? I’m a growing boy!” he said as he chomped down on the humongous sandwich.

  Nick grinned and broke out his mid-morning snack—a huge apple and a big bag of cheese chunks that he’d snagged at the NEED Building.

  “You guys eat almost as much as Avery,” Charlotte joked.

  “Okay, Cod people, I think this moment calls for a picture,” Patrice said. “Everyone march to the front of the lighthouse.”

  The group charged over to the lighthouse and happily looped their arms around one another as Patrice snapped away. Katani, who was usually the fashionista of any group, was wearing an oversize sweatshirt and loose-fitting sport Capri pants. The salt air, the ocean breezes—and the fact that her team might have a shot of winning this thing—had tossed the AAJH’s Queen of Style’s fashion concerns right out the window!

  “Hey! You guys want me to get a picture with all of you in it?” asked a tall, freckle-faced boy who was standing around with what looked to be another school group of hikers.

  Patrice grinned, “Gee, thanks…That’s really nice of you!”

  The group appeared to be about the same age as the Salty Cods. “What brings you all to beautiful Cape Cod?” asked Dillon the jokester.

  “We were supposed to be extras in this movie,” said a petite girl with curly blond hair. “But,” she complained in a whiny voice, “my mom got lost…. We drove all the way from New Hampshire…and now we missed our opportunity.”

  Annoyed with her daughter’s tone, the woman defended herself. “Good gracious, Tracy, I’m doing the best I can here. It wasn’t my fault that the movie company decided to shoot in the middle of nowhere!”

  Tracy, who in Charlotte’s opinion sounded like a little bit of a brat, put her hands on her hips and continued to challenge her mom. “Thanks to you, Mom, I probably missed out on the biggest break of my career.”

  “I think you’re exaggerating a bit, dear—being an extra doesn’t necessarily equal stardom.” Her mother smiled tolerantly at her obviously frustrated daughter.

  “I like that mother,” Katani whispered to Charlotte.

  The freckled boy, who volunteered to take the picture, hugged his mother and gave his sister the “chill” look. “Trace metal,” he teased, “Mom did take us to the beach yesterday….”

  “Which beach?” asked Nick.

  “I can’t remember the name, but it’s just down the road.” Tracy’s mom pointed.

  “We’re from western New Hampshire…in the mountains,” said another girl, “so going to the beach is such a treat. I think it’s better than being a movie extra.”

  “Well, we’re from a city called Brookline—it’s near Boston, and we still think it’s awesome to go to the Cape,” Charlotte told the kids.

  “No way,” Tracy said and then turned to her friends. “Those kids we met at the beach yesterday were from Brookline too!”

  “Maybe we know them,” suggested Dillon. “A bunch of us from our school are doing this scavenger-hunt thingy this weekend. We ride our bikes all over the Cape looking for clues. It’s pretty intense.”

  “Oh, I don’t think these kids were part of your group, then,” said the mother. “They were just chilling on the beach all day. None of them looked like they were searching for clues!”

  “Yeah, there was this one girl with a long black ponytail who was really tiny, and she was amazing at beach volleyball…. You wouldn’t believe her serve, and,” the freckled boy shared, “she was an awesome surfer, too. How crazy is that?”

  “Crazy,” Katani mumbled. The Salty Cods glanced at one another, all thinking the same thing. There was only one girl they knew who could rock the house in two sports in one day: Avery Madden.

  “Um, what did the other kids look like?” Katani inquired.

  Tracy looked aggravated. “I don’t know. I wasn’t taking notes.” Tracy’s mother wore the desperate expression of a woman asking herself, What am I going to do with this child? Katani and Patrice knew that if they spoke like that in front of their parents they would be in serious trouble!

  The friendly freckled-faced boy spoke up instead. “As opposed to my sister, I have a very good memory. One girl was blond and acted a little bit like my sister here.” He pointed at Tracy. “She mostly just stayed on her towel and tanned all day. Then there was an older-looking kid, a big athlete type, who was kind of in charge; um, a short boy with crazy hair who kept cracking jokes; and then another girl who”—his voice dropped to a whisper like he was about to say something scandalous—“was kinda chubby.” He returned to normal volume. “And she was mostly taking pictures.”

  “You should be a detective,” Charlotte, admiring the boy’s keen observation skills, blurted out. But she also felt dizzy. She had wondered why the Beach Barnacles were so tired last night…and now, it all made sense. The Barnacles had spent the entire day playing…on the beach!

  “This is not okay,” Katani spat. “Not cool. Not cool at all. I can’t believe Avery.”

  Nick looked like he had just lost a friend. “They didn’t even try to do the scavenger hunt?” he mumbled. “Not even Chelsea.” He glanced over at Charlotte in disbelief.

  “I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” asked the freckled boy.

  “Yo, perspective, everyone,” said Tracy. “Missing a silly scavenger hunt is nothing like missing your first part in a movie.”

  Charlotte couldn’t help herself. She shot dagger eyes at Tracy. Their classmates and friends had betrayed them, and this wannabe star was telling them to chill out?

  Katani, who was about to say something, felt a hand on her arm. Patrice, holding tight, interjected, “I don’t think you quite understand the situation, Tracy. My sister and her friends, Nick and Charlotte in particular, worked long and hard planning this trip. I think they have a right to be a little upset right now.”

  Tracy’s mother gave Patrice a subtle thumbs-up while Katani and Charlotte stared at Patrice with admiration. Patrice had stuck up for them with a Queen
of Mean stranger right in front of the girl’s mom! That took some major guts.

  Patrice turned to her defeated-looking team with a positive smile. “Come on, Cods…. We’ve got a scavenger hunt to win,” she directed.

  With a quick good-bye to the kids from New Hampshire, the Salty Cods climbed back on their bikes and headed out. The Beach Barnacles’ betrayal had fueled Patrice and Dillon’s competitive fire. The two of them zoomed ahead, chanting high school fight songs. “Come on Cods!” Dillon exhorted his team. “Let’s hunt!” Soon Nick joined him yelling, “Salty Cods rock!”

  Charlotte, however, couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that someone had just let the air out of their tires. She was deeply hurt that Avery and Chelsea thought the activity she’d worked so hard to plan was so lame that they’d rather just blow it off. And worst of all, they lied to her about it.

  Katani looked at Charlotte’s downtrodden face and offered, “Don’t be sad, be mad! It’s much better that way.”

  “Are you mad?” asked Charlotte.

  Katani scoffed, “Of course! They tricked us. Outdoor activities aren’t even my thing. Don’t get me wrong. I’m having fun, but the Beach Barnacles have the nerve, the nerve, to just blow off their responsibilities. They will not get away with this!”

  Charlotte had to laugh a little. Katani looked like such a maniac whenever she got fired up. “Well, what are you going to do?” she asked to the furiously pedaling Katani.

  Katani rolled her neck like she was preparing for a fight. “I am going to give those Barnacles a piece of my mind—Summers style. But first I’m going to do my best to win this thing. Let’s pump it!” she yelled, sounding just like Patrice.

  “Is that bad?…a piece of your mind?” asked Charlotte.

  Katani raised an eyebrow. “Honey, you do not want a piece of my mind…. Believe me.”

  “How could they do this?” Charlotte shook her head. “It makes me not want to finish the hunt.”

  “Char, don’t take it personally,” Nick offered as he rode up next to her. “I think they probably just got caught up in the moment.” He gave her a half smile.