McKenzie’s Branson Brainteaser (15 page)

“Sure.” McKenzie popped another piece of cake in her mouth.

“In the distance, down in the hills, I can see two small waterfalls falling over a rocky cliff,” Bailey continued.

“I remember that picture.” McKenzie tossed her paper plate into a nearby trash can.

“Maybe that's where Twin Falls Crafters is located. You know, the place that man Mr. Landers was talking about.”

McKenzie was speechless for a moment, and when she finally spoke, her voice was excited. “That could be! I never thought of that. How many twin falls can there be around here? Surely not very many!”

“Can you and Sydney find that place with the two waterfalls?” Bailey asked.

“We'll try.” McKenzie felt excitement mounting. “I'll ask Miss Val if she can take us there. Thanks a lot, Bailey. This is our best clue yet!”

After hanging up, McKenzie explained the phone call to Sydney as they headed back to the basket shop. Miss Val was rearranging a display as they walked in.

Hurriedly the girls told her about Bailey's clue. “I don't get off work until later this afternoon. I'd be glad to take you out there, but I think someone else may want to take you.”

McKenzie took a deep breath. “Shara! Why didn't I think of her?”

Seconds later, McKenzie had called Shara. The older girl said she got off work in an hour and would pick them up at the Silver Dollar City entrance.

The hour crept by slowly, but finally Shara arrived, and the girls climbed into her car.

“Why don't we stop at Miss Val's place first?” Shara said. “I'd like to go to the top of the tower so I can see the twin falls. Then I can figure out what road leads to it.”

Twenty minutes later, the three girls had climbed to the top of the lookout tower. Shara pushed her curly hair out of her eyes as she stared down into the lush green hills. “I see the falls!” She pointed her finger at two narrow waterfalls barely visible among the trees. “I see a road winding around down there. I think I can get there. Let's go.”

McKenzie's stomach churned as Shara drove down the curving gravel road.
I can't wait to find out if Mr. Ford lives back here
, she thought.
Please, please, please, God. Let it be him
.

McKenzie glanced at Shara. The older girl's knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel. She wasn't as excited as McKenzie thought she would be; she simply looked nervous and scared.

Sydney tapped her finger on the window. “Hey, McKenzie. Doesn't that look like our campsite from the other night?”

McKenzie agreed, staring out the window at the fire pit next to a creek. Across the stream, a narrow path disappeared into the woods.

Shara slowed down as the car approached a lane leading into a valley. On one side, two small waterfalls cascaded over a rocky cliff, flowing into a narrow stream. A rustic wooden bridge spanned the creek leading into the hills.

“Look,” Sydney cried, pointing at a carved wooden sign next to the lane. “It says ‘The Falls Crafters.' Mr. Ford did change the name of his business.”

McKenzie leaned over and whispered into Sydney's ear. “I bet that path we just saw leads right up to this house. And I bet this is the same stream we were going to camp beside. Miss Val must have been right when she suggested that the stranger could be a landowner. Mr. Ford probably saw the fire and walked down to check it out.”

Shara turned onto the shaded lane and drove slowly across the narrow bridge. She steered the car around a curve, stopping when the lane ended in a small, graveled parking lot. A small modern log home sat nestled into the hills, the side yard filled with woodcarvings of every size and shape.

“I'm so nervous, I can't stand it,” Shara said, wiping her hands on her jeans.

“Why don't Sydney and I go check the place out? You can wait here, if you want,” McKenzie suggested.

Shara nodded as the younger girls hopped from the car. Several other vehicles sat in the parking lot, and several customers were browsing among the array of woodcarvings and figures.

“Look at all these statues,” McKenzie said as she and Sydney edged through the sea of monuments. She reached out and touched a carved eagle on a stand. “They're gorgeous.”

“There's a little garden over there.” Sydney pointed at a fenced-in flower garden. A dozen or more fairy statues rose from the garden of yellow and orange marigolds. A shimmering goldfish pond lay in the center of the garden at the end of a short, rocky trail.

McKenzie gasped as she read the words carved into a log lying on the ground. “Look, Sydney! It says, ‘Shara Smiles.'”

Sydney's eyes glistened. “We've found the right place! Let's look for Mr. Ford.”

The girls saw several customers coming out of a building next to the house. “That must be the shop,” McKenzie said, hurrying toward the door.

Inside, a man with a beard sat at a bench, carving a design into a small wooden plaque.
He looks like the man in the picture at the photography shop!
McKenzie thought.

She cleared her throat to get his attention. “Mr. Cramer?” she asked softly.

The man looked up at her. “Yes,” he answered. “May I help you?”

McKenzie looked at Sydney and back to the woodcarver. “Uh, we just wanted you to know that your niece, Shara, is looking for you. She really misses you and wants to see you again.”

The man laid down his carving knife. His eyes narrowed as he spoke. “What do you know about Shara?”

“She's here in Branson looking for you,” McKenzie said, feeling her stomach begin to churn.

“Here? Are you serious?” he said, his eyes flashing beneath bushy eyebrows. “But how did you find me?”

A movement to McKenzie's side caught her eye. Turning, she saw Miss Richardson come into the shop from a back room.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, glaring at the girls. “I told you to stay away.”

The woodcrafter stood and raised his arm to Miss Richardson. “It's okay. Let the girl talk. She has news of my niece.”

“Don't let your family hurt you again,” Miss Richardson said to the man approaching her. “I tried to stop these girls from getting to you.”

“You knew my niece was looking for me?” he asked with dismay. “Why didn't you tell me? I got the postcard you girls sent. When I went to look for Shara, it wasn't her.”

He looked at Tessa Richardson. Finally she spoke softly. “I was afraid you would leave and go back to them.”

“But why would you—”

A familiar voice called out, interrupting him. “Uncle Reggie? Is it you?”

Everyone turned to the girl standing in the doorway, and for a minute there was silence.

“Shara?” he said, moving closer to her. “I can't believe you're here.”

Shara moved awkwardly toward him, staring at him as though trying to make sure he was the man she thought he was. “I would have met you that day in downtown Branson, but I changed schedules with another girl before I knew McKenzie had mailed a postcard.”

“I'm sorry, Shara. I thought it was a joke when I saw the girl downtown. I really didn't know you were looking for me.”

“Well, you're a hard man to find,” she said. “Do you know how badly my mom and the rest of the family want to see you again? And to ask your forgiveness?”

“No, I guess I don't,” Mr. Ford said, scratching his beard. “But I guess I need to do some forgiving, too.”

“Well, you're going to have a chance to do just that,” McKenzie declared. “Your family is coming to see you.”

Mr. Ford turned to Shara. “Is that right? Is everyone coming to Branson?”

“That's right. Mom can't wait to see you again.” Shara wrapped her arm around her uncle and smiled at McKenzie and Sydney. “Thanks to our two private investigators here for solving our missing persons case.”

“It's not just us. It's also four other girls who've been helping from their homes across the United States,”

Sydney said. She quickly explained about the Camp Club Girls.

“You'll have to give me names and addresses, and I'll show my thanks by sending you each a special necklace like my dear niece, Shara, is wearing,” Mr. Ford said as he gently lifted her necklace.

McKenzie felt warmth wash over her as she watched Shara with her uncle.
I'm glad I didn't give up on solving the mystery
, she thought.
God sure has a way of working things out
.

Turning to Sydney, she said with a smile, “We do make a pretty good team, don't we? The Camp Club Girls have done it again!”