Kate’s Vermonth Adventure Read online

  © 2010 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.

  Edited by Jeanette Littleton.

  Print ISBN 978-1-60260-293-9

  eBook Editions:

  Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-60742-355-3

  Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-60742-356-0

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

  Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

  Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  Cover design: Thinkpen Design

  Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com

  Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

  Printed in the United States of America.

  Dickinson Press, Grand Rapids, MI; August 2010; D10002448

  Three Blind Mice

  “Ahhh!” Kate Oliver screamed as she ran from the Mad River Creamery. Her heart raced a hundred miles an hour. “Wait, Sydney!”

  Her friend half-turned with a frantic look on her face. She kept running, nearly slipping on the icy pavement. “We can’t stop! N–not yet!”

  “B–but…you’re too fast! I can’t keep up!” Kate paused to catch a few breaths. Then she ran again. The sooner she could get away from what she’d just seen…the better!

  From behind, she heard others crying out as they ran from the building. She’d never seen so many people move so fast! Kate had a feeling none of them would ever visit the Mad River Creamery again!

  Whoosh! Kate’s feet hit the slippery patch of ice. She began to slip and slide all over the place.

  “Nooooooo!” she hollered as her tennis shoes sailed out from underneath her. She slid a few more feet, finally plopping onto her bottom on the icy pavement. Her tiny video camera flew up in the air. Thankfully Kate caught it before it hit the ground. When she screamed, Sydney finally stopped running and turned around.

  “What are you doing?” her friend asked, sprinting her way. “We’ve got to get out of here! I can’t stand…” Sydney’s voice began to shake. “I can’t stand…rats!”

  Kate shuddered and the memories flooded back. Not just one but three jumbo-sized rats had raced across the floor of the creamery during their tour. One had scampered across her toes! Kate shivered—partly from the cold Vermont air, and partly from remembering the sight of those horrible, ugly creatures! Oh, how sick! And—just in case no one believed them—she’d caught the whole thing on video!

  Sydney’s hand trembled as she helped Kate up. “Let’s go, Kate. I’m never coming back here. Never!” Sydney’s dark braids bobbed back and forth as she shook her head. Kate saw the fear in her friend’s eyes.

  “But I have to come back,” Kate argued as she brushed ice off her backside. “My school report! We’ll only be in Mad River Valley a week. I have to get it written! I’ll never get an A in science if I don’t finish it.”

  “Just choose a different topic. Your teacher won’t care—especially if you tell her what happened!” Sydney said as they started walking. “Vermont has lots of great things you could write about. Why don’t you write your essay on your aunt’s inn? Or about the ski lifts? They’re the coolest I’ve ever seen!”

  Kate shrugged, still feeling sore from falling. “I don’t know anything about skiing, remember? You know I’m not into sports. And nothing is scientific about my aunt’s inn. This is supposed to be a science paper not a What I did on my Christmas vacation essay!”

  “Well then, what about the Winter Festival?” Sydney suggested. “I read about it in the paper at the inn, and I even saw a poster advertising it. They’re having all sorts of races and prizes. Maybe you can write about competition from a scientific angle.”

  Kate groaned. “I guess, but none of that is as exciting as the creamery. I had so many ideas for my paper, and now…” She sighed. “Now I probably won’t even get to go back in there.”

  “The Mad River Creamery is exciting, all right!” Sydney agreed. “Just wait till your teacher finds out about rats in their cheese! She’ll tell her students and they’ll tell their parents! Before long, supermarkets won’t even carry Mad River Valley products anymore.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Kate said with a shrug.

  Sydney laughed. “If you do go back, you should get extra credit for this paper, that’s all I’ve got to say!” Her eyes lit up. “I know! Show your teacher that video! That will get you some bonus points!”

  Kate sighed. “It does creep me out to think about going back in the creamery, but I wanted to write about all the electronic gizmos they use to turn milk into cheese. It’s so… fascinating!”

  “Yes,” Sydney agreed, “but rats are not fascinating.” She squeezed her eyes shut. Opening them again, she said, “They’re awful, disgusting creatures! I hope I never see another one as long as I live.”

  Kate laughed as she trudged along on the snow-packed sidewalk. “I’ve never seen you scared of anything, Sydney. You’re the bravest person I know.”

  “Just because I’m athletic doesn’t mean I like rats and snakes and stuff.” Sydney shook her head. “No thank you! I’ll scale the highest heights. Ski down the biggest mountain…but don’t ask me to look at a rat! Ugh!” Her hands began to tremble.

  Kate looked at her friend curiously. “Why do rats scare you so much, anyway?”

  Sydney’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe I never told you! A couple of years ago at summer sports camp, one of the boys put a mouse in my lunch sack.”

  “No way!”

  “Yes. I opened the bag, and the rodent stared at me with his beady eyes.” Sydney’s voice shook. “I threw the bag halfway across the room.”

  “Aw.” Kate giggled. “Was the mouse okay?”

  “Was the mouse okay?” Sydney looked at her with a stunned expression. “What about me? Why aren’t you asking if I was okay? It scared me to death! Seriously!”

  “Still, it’s kinda funny,” Kate said, trying not to smile.

  “Well, not to me. I’ve never liked mice…or rats…since. And especially not in a creamery.” Sydney shook her head. “Not that the creamery will be open for long. I’ll bet the health inspector’s going to come and shut the place down permanently. That’s what I’d do, anyway.”

  “That’s just so sad!” Kate sighed. “For the owners, I mean. I’d hate to be in their shoes right now!”

  “Me, too!” Sydney said. “’Cause their shoes…and their feet…are still inside that awful creamery!”

  Kate finally started to relax as they walked together the three blocks to her aunt and uncle’s inn—the Valley View Bed and Breakfast. When they drew close to the building, Kate saw her brother Dexter outside building a snowman. “Just wait till Dex hears about the rats!”

  “Hey, Dex!” Sydney hollered. “Do we have a story for you!”

  The nine-year-old rose and brushed snow off his wet knees. Then he jogged toward them, his cheeks bright red from playing in the cold. “What’s up?”

  “We saw rats at the creamery!” Sydney began to tell the story with great animation. Before long, Dexter’s eyes grew so wide they looked like they might pop out.

  “No jok
e? Rats! Ooo, that’s so cool!” He rubbed his hands together. “Let’s go back. I want to see them. Do you think they’ll let me keep one? It’s been ages since I’ve had a pet rat!” He rattled on about how much fun it would be to share his room with a rat.

  Kate shuddered. “This isn’t the day to ask. They’ve closed the creamery for the afternoon. I bet they won’t even be open tomorrow.”

  “And besides…those weren’t pet rats.” Sydney squeezed her eyes shut and shivered. “They’re probably disease-carrying rats.”

  Dex scrunched up his nose and said, “Sick! Never mind, then!”

  A voice rang out from the front of the inn, and Kate saw Aunt Molly at the front door, waving. Then Uncle Ollie joined her.

  “Come inside, kids. Lunchtime!” Uncle Ollie hollered.

  “I’ve made homemade vegetable soup!” Aunt Molly added. “Perfect for a cold day like this. And we have apple pie for dessert!”

  “Everyone in Mad River Valley knows your Aunt Molly bakes the best apple pies around!” Uncle Ollie said with a wink.

  Kate smiled at her uncle. He looked so much like her father they could almost pass for twins. Uncle Ollie was older. And mostly bald. But she still saw the family resemblance. How funny that Uncle Ollie had just married a woman named Molly! Kate still giggled, when she thought about it. Ollie and Molly Oliver. Their names just tripped across her tongue.

  “Apple pie!” Dexter began to run toward the house. “My favorite!”

  “Mmm!” Kate smacked her lips. Aunt Molly’s great cooking would surely take her mind off of what had just happened…unless she served cheese on top of the pie!

  Inside, Kate and Sydney pulled off their mittens and scarves, snow falling on the front rug. Kate’s dog, Biscuit, jumped up and down, excited to see them. Then he licked up the little puddles of water from the melting snow.

  “Sorry about the mess, Aunt Molly.” Kate sighed.

  “Never apologize for falling snow, honey,” Aunt Molly said. “I always say snowflakes are kisses from heaven. So I don’t mind a little mess. You girls have just left kisses on my floor!”

  “You’re so sweet.” Kate hugged her aunt, noticing the familiar smell of her aunt’s tea rose perfume.

  “So…” Aunt Molly flashed a warm smile as she helped Sydney with her jacket. “What do you think of Mad River Valley? Did you kids find anything exciting in our little town?”

  “Oh, more than you know!” Kate shrugged off her heavy winter coat. She explained what had happened, then added, “I don’t know if I can ever look at Mad River Cheddar Cheese the same way again.”

  “I bet supermarkets all over the country stop selling it!” Sydney added.

  Her aunt’s brow wrinkled. “Oh dear! I know the Hamptons, who own the creamery. They’re such nice people. This is terrible…terrible!”

  “Very strange,” Uncle Ollie added, shaking his head. “Highly unusual goings-on over there lately.”

  Aunt Molly led the girls into the kitchen, and Kate’s parents soon joined them. After they sat down at a fully laden table and asked God to bless the food, Kate told her parents about their adventurous trip, but Sydney interrupted and told the part about the rats. “It was d–d–dis–gus–ting!” she added.

  “Not a rat fan?” Uncle Ollie asked.

  Sydney shook her head. “No, sir!”

  “When Dexter was younger, he had a pet rat named Cheez-It,” Kate’s father explained. “I’ll never forget that little guy. He was pretty cute, actually.”

  “Only, he bit me and I started calling him Cheez-Nips,” her mother added, then grinned. “I never could stand rats. Still can’t.”

  Sydney shivered, but Kate laughed. “They’re okay in a cage,” she said, “but not running around in a creamery.”

  Suddenly the food didn’t look very appetizing, even to Kate, who usually loved to eat. And she couldn’t help but notice the cubes of cheese in the center of the table. She closed her eyes and pretended they weren’t there.

  Aunt Molly clucked her tongue as she scooped up big bowls of steaming vegetable soup. “That poor, poor Hampton family. Haven’t they had enough trouble already? Now their creamery will be shut down. It’s a shame, I tell you.”

  She set a bowl of soup in front of Kate, and suddenly her appetite returned. She took a yummy bite and listened to the adults talk.

  “Has this happened before?” Kate’s mother asked.

  “Sadly, yes,” Uncle Ollie said.

  “This isn’t the first time the health inspectors have come,” Aunt Molly explained. “They’ve been out twice before. Can’t imagine what’s causing this.”

  “Sounds like they’ll have to shut the place down permanently, then,” Kate’s dad said.

  Aunt Molly shook her head. “Just seems so sad. I’ve known the Hamptons since I was young. They’re good people. And the creamery has had such a great record of cleanliness. Until a week ago. First I heard about an ant infestation. Then spiders. And now…rats! This is all so…shocking. Folks around here just find this all so unbelievable!”

  “Hmm.” Kate pondered her aunt’s words. “Why would they have a rat problem now, after all these years? Out of the blue? Seems…”

  “Suspicious?” Sydney whispered.

  “Yes.”

  “Highly unusual goings-on,” her uncle added, shaking his head. “Quite odd.”

  Kate looked at Sydney, her excitement growing. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  “Maybe they don’t really have a rat problem at the creamery,” Sydney whispered. “Maybe someone is just trying to make it look like they do, to sabotage them!”

  “But, why?” Kate asked. “And what can we do about it?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’m gonna pray about it.” Sydney nodded.

  “Me, too. And maybe, just maybe…” Kate smiled, thinking about the possibilities. This wouldn’t be the first case she and Sydney had solved together. No, with the help of their friends—the Camp Club Girls—they’d almost become super-sleuths! They even had a page on the Internet and a chat room!

  “I’m glad you’re going to help figure this out,” Dex said with a frantic look in his eyes. “If the Mad River Creamery shuts down, I won’t be able to eat my favorite cookies ‘n’ cream ice cream anymore!”

  “Oh, that’s right.” Kate clamped her hand over her mouth. “It’s not just the cheese customers will be losing… it’s ice cream, too.”

  “And milk,” her mother added. “Their milk is the best in the country.”

  “But I’ll miss their ice cream most,” Dexter said with a pout.

  Kate forced a serious expression as she said, “Especially their newest flavor.”

  “Newest flavor?” Sydney and Dexter looked at her with curious looks on their faces.

  “Rat-a-tat-tat!” She almost fell off of the chair, laughing. “Get it? Rat-a-tat-tat!” She doubled over with laughter.

  “That’s horrible, Kate Oliver!” Sydney said, standing. “I’m never going to be able to enjoy ice cream again.”

  “You don’t eat sugar anyway,” Kate said with a shrug. “You’re the healthiest person I know. But me…” She sighed. It really would be tough for her to give up Mad River’s famous ice cream.

  But how could she eat it now, knowing they had a…what would you call it? A vermin problem. That’s what they had: vermin. Vermin in Vermont.

  “Ugh!” A shiver ran down her spine. Vermin in Vermont. Would she ever think of the state again without thinking of…rats?

  Only if they solved the case!

  I Smell a Rat

  After lunch, the girls took Biscuit for a walk and talked about the case.

  “I wonder if this is a case of sabotage,” Kate said, kicking up a pile of snow with her boot. “I think so. Don’t you think?”

  “Probably if they’ve had so many problems they’ve never had before. But, why?” Sydney asked, looking worried.

  Kate sighed as she pulled her coat tighter to fight off the
bitter cold. “We need to call the other Camp Club girls. Surely one of them would know what to do.”

  Sydney giggled. “Knowing Bailey, she would also want to fly out here and join us.”

  Kate laughed. “Yes, and Alexis would be telling us just how much this case is like some book she read, or some movie she watched.”

  “Elizabeth would remind us to pray, of course,” Sydney added. “And to guard what we say so that we don’t falsely accuse anyone.”

  “Yes, and she’d probably quote that scripture she loves so much…‘Vengeance is mine; …saith the Lord.’” Kate smiled, just thinking about her friend. Elizabeth loved the Lord so much, and it showed in everything she said and did.

  “What about McKenzie?” Sydney asked.

  “She would keep searching for clues till she found the culprit!” Kate explained. “You know McKenzie! She would examine the motives of every suspect until she solved the case.”

  “Can we call a meeting of the Camp Club Girls in our chat room tonight?” Sydney asked. “Does the inn have Internet access?”

  “Uncle Ollie has a wireless router,” Kate said. “I know, because I’ve already checked my e-mail on my wristwatch.”

  “Your wristwatch?” Sydney looked at her curiously.

  “Yes, remember?” Kate stopped walking long enough to hold up her watch. “I have an Internet wristwatch. One of my dad’s students at Penn State invented it. He’s a robotics professor, you know.”

  “I know, I know.” Sydney laughed. “And you’re going to be one when you grow up, too!”

  “Yep,” Kate agreed. She looked at her watch once more. “I have to be close to a wireless signal to get online on my wristwatch,” she explained. “We’re too far from the house now or I’d show you how it works.”

  Sydney grinned. “Okay, Inspector Gadget! I always forget you’ve got such cool stuff.”

  Kate laughed when Sydney called her by the familiar funny nickname. “Well, that’s what happens when your dad is into electronics like mine is! He gives me all of his old stuff—cell phones, digital recorders, mini-cams, and all that kind of stuff—when one of his students invents something better. And this watch…” She glanced down at it with a smile. “It’s the coolest gadget of all. I can check my webmail and even send instant messages with it.”