thinking about the case. I realized Iâd just crossed two more suspects off my list. The more I thought about it, the more certain I was that Hiro and Tatjana didnât have anything to do with the case. That only left me with a few live suspects: Wendy, Max, maybe Scott. Was it time to start looking for some new ideas?
Pulling out my phone, I checked to see if Becca had texted back yet about my questions. She hadnât, and I was about to stick the phone back in my pocket when I realized I hadnât checked in with Ned in a couple of days.
I tapped out a quick message to him, mostly saying hi and updating him on the case. It was pretty late in River Heights due to the time difference, so I wasnât expecting an answer until the next day.
Hearing a noise, I looked up and saw Tobias creeping along in the distance near the woods. He was too far away for me to see whatever bird or other local critter he was focused on, but seeing him reminded me of what heâd just told me.
Why would Wendy pay him for photos? It had to have something to do with her new plan. But what kind of money-making scheme could involve amateur photos of Alaskan animals? I wondered if Alan might have any guesses. After all, he was the expert on wildlife and such.
At least he was supposed to be. Suddenly I remembered the odd answers heâd given Tobias on the train earlier. It had almost sounded as if he didnât know much about the native creatures of Alaska. But wouldnât an environmental studies major know about things like that, especially if he was planning to make this trip the basis of a yearlong school project?
That brought another question to mind. What if Alan wasnât what he claimed to be? I sat up straight, disturbed by the idea. But I couldnât quite shake it. After all, Bess had just met Alan a few weeks agoâshe really didnât know him that well yet. Could he be pulling some kind of scam on her or something?
âYouâre letting this mystery go to your head, Drew,â I said to myself with a half smile. I glanced down at the message on my phone screen, hesitating for only a moment before adding a few quick lines, asking Ned to check up on Alan when he got the chance. That shouldnât be hard, since they were both students at the university.
I hit send and leaned back in the lounge chair again. There. With that taken care of, I could go back to working on the caseâbeginning with tracking down Wendy. Still, the lounge chair was comfortable, and the evening temperature was perfect. Maybe I could just sit here and rest for a few minutes first. . . .
My eyes drifted shut, and moments later I was asleep.
Unfortunately, my unplanned siesta made it hard to fall asleep that night. It didnât help that it never really seemed to get dark in Alaska at that time of year. When Bess, George, and Alan returned from their ride at almost nine oâclock, it was still as bright as midday. And when we all headed into our separate rooms a couple of hours later, the sun was just sinking toward the horizon. I tossed and turned and finally drifted off after a while, but awoke suddenly at around two a.m.
Yawning widely, I got up and tiptoed toward the bathroom, trying to be quiet so I wouldnât wake Bess and George. After using the facilities, I wandered over to the sink to wash my hands. I glanced out the window at the moonlit landscape.
I blinked. Was the near darkness playing tricks on my eyes? Or was that a hooded figure sneaking off toward the woods?
My sleepy mind struggled to figure out what this meant. I pressed my nose to the window, trying to get a better look. Was that Hiro sneaking off to meet Tatjana?
I blinked again, trying to focus my fuzzy mind. Maybe it was Hiro, or Tatjana for that matter. But what if it wasnât?
That thought woke me up a little more. Hurrying out to the main room, I slipped on the shoes Iâd left near the door and pulled a jacket over
Pulling out my phone, I checked to see if Becca had texted back yet about my questions. She hadnât, and I was about to stick the phone back in my pocket when I realized I hadnât checked in with Ned in a couple of days.
I tapped out a quick message to him, mostly saying hi and updating him on the case. It was pretty late in River Heights due to the time difference, so I wasnât expecting an answer until the next day.
Hearing a noise, I looked up and saw Tobias creeping along in the distance near the woods. He was too far away for me to see whatever bird or other local critter he was focused on, but seeing him reminded me of what heâd just told me.
Why would Wendy pay him for photos? It had to have something to do with her new plan. But what kind of money-making scheme could involve amateur photos of Alaskan animals? I wondered if Alan might have any guesses. After all, he was the expert on wildlife and such.
At least he was supposed to be. Suddenly I remembered the odd answers heâd given Tobias on the train earlier. It had almost sounded as if he didnât know much about the native creatures of Alaska. But wouldnât an environmental studies major know about things like that, especially if he was planning to make this trip the basis of a yearlong school project?
That brought another question to mind. What if Alan wasnât what he claimed to be? I sat up straight, disturbed by the idea. But I couldnât quite shake it. After all, Bess had just met Alan a few weeks agoâshe really didnât know him that well yet. Could he be pulling some kind of scam on her or something?
âYouâre letting this mystery go to your head, Drew,â I said to myself with a half smile. I glanced down at the message on my phone screen, hesitating for only a moment before adding a few quick lines, asking Ned to check up on Alan when he got the chance. That shouldnât be hard, since they were both students at the university.
I hit send and leaned back in the lounge chair again. There. With that taken care of, I could go back to working on the caseâbeginning with tracking down Wendy. Still, the lounge chair was comfortable, and the evening temperature was perfect. Maybe I could just sit here and rest for a few minutes first. . . .
My eyes drifted shut, and moments later I was asleep.
Unfortunately, my unplanned siesta made it hard to fall asleep that night. It didnât help that it never really seemed to get dark in Alaska at that time of year. When Bess, George, and Alan returned from their ride at almost nine oâclock, it was still as bright as midday. And when we all headed into our separate rooms a couple of hours later, the sun was just sinking toward the horizon. I tossed and turned and finally drifted off after a while, but awoke suddenly at around two a.m.
Yawning widely, I got up and tiptoed toward the bathroom, trying to be quiet so I wouldnât wake Bess and George. After using the facilities, I wandered over to the sink to wash my hands. I glanced out the window at the moonlit landscape.
I blinked. Was the near darkness playing tricks on my eyes? Or was that a hooded figure sneaking off toward the woods?
My sleepy mind struggled to figure out what this meant. I pressed my nose to the window, trying to get a better look. Was that Hiro sneaking off to meet Tatjana?
I blinked again, trying to focus my fuzzy mind. Maybe it was Hiro, or Tatjana for that matter. But what if it wasnât?
That thought woke me up a little more. Hurrying out to the main room, I slipped on the shoes Iâd left near the door and pulled a jacket over
Similar Books
