The Mystery of the Lost Village Read online

  “I think he made it up,” Henry said flatly.

  “Me, too,” Benny chimed in. “Why would a rock glow in the dark?”

  Violet and Amy exchanged a look, and then Amy leaned close to whisper in Amy’s ear. “If we go, let’s go without the boys. Just us girls.”

  CHAPTER 6

  A Close Call

  “This is creepy,” Violet said. “And I’m freezing.”

  “I told you to wear a sweater,” Jessie muttered. “The nights get chilly here.”

  It was midnight and the two sisters were headed for the dig with Amy. Amy swung her flashlight in a zigzag motion to light the way, but the girls still stumbled over stones and fallen tree branches.

  The forest looked different at night, Violet thought. Everything was hidden in shadows and strange shapes seemed to hide in the darkness.

  Suddenly there was a flutter of wings around her head, and a screeching noise pierced the stillness. “Oh no!” Violet cried, and clutched Jessie’s arm. “What was that?”

  Amy giggled. “Just a hoot owl, silly.” She was feeling a little uneasy herself, but didn’t want to show it. She picked her way carefully around a tree stump, and then froze. She heard a twig snap and then another. Someone was walking in the forest with them!

  “Shhh.” She put her finger to her lips and turned off the flashlight.

  “What is it?” Violet whispered.

  “Someone’s nearby.”

  Jessie gulped. “Where?” She peered around her, but everything was pitch-black.

  “Ahead of us on the path, I think.” Amy darted into the shadows and pulled her friends after her. “If we walk fast, we can circle around and come up beside them. But we’ll have to be very quiet. Can you do that?” She looked at Violet, whose teeth were chattering.

  “I’ll try,” Violet promised.

  The three girls moved swiftly through the forest, with Amy in the lead. Suddenly she came to a dead stop and started to laugh.

  “What in the world — ” Jessie began. Amy swung the flashlight in a wide arc, catching Henry, Joe, and Benny silhouetted against the trees. Henry blinked in the light, and then shook his head in disbelief.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, rushing over to the girls.

  “What are you doing here?” Jessie retorted.

  “We’re trailing Michael Running Deer,” Joe said, moving in closer to them.

  “Michael Running Deer!” Jessie was surprised. “You mean, he’s prowling around the forest, too?”

  “That’s right, and we want to find out why,” Henry said. “Joe noticed him crossing the field toward the dig, and we jumped out of bed to follow him.”

  Violet looked at Benny. He had thrown a flannel jacket over his pajamas, and was wearing slippers.

  “Well, we’re looking for a rock that glows in the dark,” Jessie said.

  “I don’t believe that story. But I think we’ve lost Michael Running Deer now,” Henry told her. “We can still check the dig, just in case.” He turned up his collar against the cold night air. “Be as quiet as you can.”

  For the next few minutes, the children carefully picked their way through the forest. Violet felt as though she were walking on eggshells, and Benny shuffled behind her in his slippers.

  “It’s no use,” Joe said when they arrived at the edge of the dig. “He’s gone.”

  “Look over there!” Jessie’s voice was strained. “There’s a light under that tree!” She jabbed her finger at a spot several yards away.

  Everyone turned to look, and Jessie said softly, “It’s not a light exactly, is it? It looks more like … something glowing.”

  “A glowing rock!” Violet was excited. “Just like the one Ted Clark told us about! He said it’s a sign that there’s buried treasure underneath.”

  “Let’s go see — ” Benny began, and then froze at an eerie sound whistling through the trees. “What’s that?” he asked, clutching Violet’s hand.

  “I don’t know,” Violet said in a shaky voice.

  “Ooooooh … oooh.” The low moan seemed to echo through the trees.

  “Could it be an animal?” Jessie asked, drawing close to Amy.

  “I don’t think so,” Amy answered. “I know the sounds of all the animals that live in this forest, and I’ve never heard anything like it.” The sound seemed to circle them, sometimes loud, sometimes soft, just out of reach.

  “We have to get out of here,” Henry said firmly. “Right now.”

  “But what about the rock?” Joe protested.

  “It will still be there tomorrow. Let’s go.” Amy was already making her way back through the forest, swinging her flashlight for the others. The noise stopped once they had reached the edge of the forest, and then the children broke into a dead run.

  Once they reached the Lightfeather house, everyone headed for bed. “That was a close call,” Violet said, tucking the Navajo blanket around her. “What do you think was making that noise?” she asked Amy.

  Amy shook her head. “A person,” she said, her voice serious. She was sitting up in bed, with her knees drawn up to her chest. “It was definitely a warning. Someone doesn’t want us around the dig.”

  The next afternoon, Jessie went to the general store to mail a letter to Grandfather. She decided to stop by the stables on her way back to the Lightfeathers’, and was surprised to see Rita Neville leading a sleek pinto horse out of the stable door.

  “Be sure to keep a tight rein on Skywalker,” Ed, the stable boy, was saying to her. “He loves to gallop, and if you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself flying.”

  “I’ll remember that,” Rita said, swinging herself up into the saddle. “I’ll only be gone a couple of hours. I want to take a look at the mountains.”

  She spotted Jessie and gave a curt nod. Then she made a clucking noise, and the horse broke into a slow trot.

  Jessie was heading for Thunder’s stall, when she noticed a leather drawstring purse lying on the floor. Ed spotted it at the same time. “Darn! She forgot her purse.”

  “I’ll take it to her,” Jessie said quickly. She grabbed the purse and dashed out the door. Rita Neville was ambling down the trail behind the stables, and Jessie broke into a run, calling her name.

  Ms. Neville reined in Skywalker, and headed back toward Jessie. “What is it?” she asked irritably, and then saw what Jessie was carrying. “Give me that!” She dug her heels into Skywalker’s flanks, and he galloped to Jessie’s side.

  Why is she so angry? Jessie wondered. She started to lift the purse to Ms. Neville and then suddenly realized that the drawstring had come undone. A lipstick was lying on the ground, along with some loose change.

  “Gosh, I’m sorry,” Jessie said. When she bent down to retrieve the lipstick, Rita Neville dismounted in a cold fury.

  “I said give it to me!” she repeated. She snatched the bag out of Jessie’s hand and swung herself back into the saddle.

  “Here’s the lipstick and the coins,” Jessie said.

  Ms. Neville put out her hand, dropped the items into her purse, and angrily swung the reins. Skywalker obediently turned and headed away from Jessie, toward the mountains.

  “She didn’t even say thanks,” Jessie muttered to herself. She started to walk toward the stable when she noticed a small glass bottle lying on the ground. Jessie picked it up and saw that it was nail polish. It had obviously fallen out of Ms. Neville’s purse. After taking a quick look at Thunder, who was happily munching hay in his stall, Jessie decided to walk by the motel. She could return the nail polish and still be back at the Lightfeathers’ by dinnertime.

  At Morton’s Motel, Jessie was disappointed that no one was on duty in the office. She was trying to decide what to do next, when a maid appeared with a pile of fresh towels.

  “Just leave it outside her door,” the maid suggested, when Jessie explained the problem. “She’s staying in number twelve, the third door on the right.”

  “Thanks.” When Jessie found room num
ber twelve, she bent down to leave the nail polish on the door mat. Suddenly she realized that Ms. Neville’s door was ajar. Inside, she could see Ted Clark looking in the closet. She drew back, shocked. He must have broken in! What was he looking for? Jessie quickly ducked out of sight and crept away.

  After dinner that night, Jessie joined the rest of the children at the dining-room table and told them about her adventure. Benny was putting the finishing touches on his beadwork, and Henry was polishing silver belt buckles.

  “I was so startled, I forgot to leave the nail polish,” Jessie said at the end of the story. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out the small glass bottle. “That’s funny,” she said, turning it over in her hand. “I just realized it’s empty.”

  “Why would someone carry around an empty bottle of nail polish?” Amy asked.

  “It doesn’t make sense,” Violet said.

  “Something else is funny,” Jessie said. “Remember that key ring we found in the forest? Maybe the ‘M’ was for Morton’s Motel!”

  Henry looked up from his polishing. “So Rita Neville is definitely a suspect. She might be the one who’s causing us so much trouble at the dig.”

  “But why?” Violet asked. “Why would a television producer want to interfere with what we’re doing?”

  “Maybe she’s not a television producer,” Jessie offered. “We only have her word for it. And she really acted strangely today.”

  “You know, we have quite a list of suspects,” Amy said. “Ted Clark pretends he’s part Navajo, but he knows nothing about our culture. He didn’t even recognize turquoise.”

  “And he’s not much of a genealogist. He didn’t even know that Navajo tribes live in the Southwest,” Joe added. “And what about Michael Running Deer? He’s always snooping around the forest.”

  “But he has an excuse. He’s working for the developer,” Henry said.

  “But there’s no reason for him to be there in the middle of the night,” Jessie pointed out. “I think Michael isn’t what he seems.”

  “Do you think we should tell your parents about any of this?” Henry asked Joe.

  “Not yet.” Joe shook his head. “Mom and Dad are really involved with the Pow-Wow, and I’d hate to worry them.”

  “You’re right,” Amy agreed. “I think the best thing for us to do is keep our eyes open and work as hard as we can at the dig.”

  It was nearly eight o’clock that evening when Kinowok visited the Lightfeathers. “I’ve brought something special,” he said, and handed Jessie a silver-and-turquoise necklace. “This belonged to my mother, and I would like you to wear it at the Pow-Wow.”

  “It’s beautiful.” Jessie ran her fingers over the bright bluish-green stones.

  “It’s a squash-blossom necklace,” Amy told her. “And look at all the symbols carved in it.”

  “Do you know what each one means?” Kinowok asked.

  Amy studied the necklace. “The coyote is respected for his wisdom, and the pipe stands for peace …”

  “Look at that bird,” Violet said. “It’s just like the one on my bowl, and it even has a snake next to it.”

  “You found a dish with a thunderbird and a serpent?” Kinowok asked, his dark eyes alert.

  “At the dig,” Violet said. “It’s the best thing we found.”

  “May I see it?” the old man asked.

  “It was stolen.” Violet’s voice quivered a little.

  Kinowok was silent. “This is very serious,” he said softly.

  “There’s been a lot of really scary stuff going on!” Benny blurted out. “Someone’s been sneaking around the forest at night, and we’ve heard funny noises.”

  “Do you think it is a man or a woman who is bothering you?” Kinowok sat down slowly and rested his chin on his hand.

  “We followed a man through the forest one night,” Henry told him.

  “But one day we saw a woman’s heel prints in the dirt,” Amy offered. Everyone was silent for a moment, and Kinowok looked thoughtful.

  “I think they want us to stop working on the dig,” Joe said. “Sometimes they fill in the holes we’ve made, and other times they make them deeper. Maybe they’re trying to find something, too.”

  “What do you think it means, Kinowok?” Amy asked.

  “I think that you and your friends may have found something priceless,” Kinowok told her.

  “Like buried treasure?” Benny’s eyes lit up.

  “Better than treasure,” Kinowok said. “You may have found the lost village.”

  CHAPTER 7

  A Surprise Visit

  “This doesn’t look good,” Mr. Lightfeather said the following morning. The whole family was gathered at the breakfast table, as he read a letter from the tribal council. “The developer has gotten his permit approved. He’s going to start digging up the forest next week.”

  “Oh, no.” Mrs. Lightfeather sat down slowly. She looked very upset. “I was afraid this would happen.”

  “Cheer up, Mom.” Amy reached across the table to pat her mother’s arm. “There’s still time for us to save the forest.” She looked at the Aldens encouragingly.

  “We need to find something important at the dig,” Henry said thoughtfully. “Something that will prove that it’s an historic site. Then the real archaeologists can take over.”

  “I wish I still had my bowl,” Violet said glumly. “At least that was a start.”

  “What about the arrowheads I found?” Benny asked.

  “I’m afraid they’re not enough, Benny,” Mr. Lightfeather told him. “They prove that people hunted there once, but we need to show that they lived there.”

  The Aldens finished their breakfast quickly, eager to get to the dig. “Maybe we’ll be lucky today,” Violet said to Amy as they cleared the table.

  “I hope so,” Amy answered. She glanced out the kitchen window at the forest. It was hard to believe that in a short time it might be gone forever!

  A half hour later, the Aldens were working at the dig with Amy and Joe when Rita Neville appeared.

  She stomped angrily over to Henry, and thrust a paper in his face. “I got your note,” she said coldly.

  “A note? What are you talking about?”

  Rita gave a harsh laugh. “The one you kids slid under my door at the motel. If you think you’re going to scare me off, you’re wrong!”

  “Ms. Neville, what are you talking about?” Amy asked.

  “Read it for yourself!” Ms. Neville retorted. “Maybe you didn’t write it, but one of your little friends did!”

  Amy glanced at the paper Henry was holding. “Stay away from the forest. There is danger in the shadows,” she read aloud. “Ms. Neville, we didn’t write this!”

  “Do you expect me to believe that?” Rita Neville stared at the group that was assembled around her. “I’ll give you a little warning. The next time you bother me, you’ll be the ones who are in danger!” She snatched the paper away from Henry, tore it into shreds, and threw it on the ground. Then, without another word, she turned and left.

  “Wow,” Benny said when she was out of sight. “She was really mad!”

  “I wonder who wrote that note?” Jessie asked.

  “I can’t imagine,” Joe said. “If none of us did it, who did?”

  “Well, we’re not going to figure it out by standing here,” Henry reminded them. “Let’s get back to work.”

  “Do you think we should look for that glowing rock we saw the other night?” Benny asked. “It was really creepy!”

  “We can’t take the time,” Henry told him. “It’s more important to look for artifacts.”

  Jessie picked up her shovel. “It probably only glows at night, Benny. We wouldn’t have much chance of spotting it in the daylight.

  It was mid-afternoon when Violet found a flat stone that was hollowed out on one side. “Is this anything important?” she asked Joe was working a few feet away.

  “It looks like a baking stone,” he said, pleased.r />
  “The Navajos used to bake stones?” Benny was puzzled.

  Amy laughed. “No, they used stones to bake bread.” She held the stone up so Benny could see it. “They used to build a fire here, under the rounded part. Then when the stone got hot underneath, the bread would cook on top.”

  “Maybe you should keep digging in the same area, Violet,” Henry said. “In fact, I’ll help you. It seems like you have the best square.”

  Henry and Violet worked side by side. They dug for a while. Henry uncovered part of a tomahawk. The handle was broken off, but the blade portion was in good condition.

  “I can’t believe it!” Amy said excitedly. “That’s two finds in one day. Maybe we should all join Violet!”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Joe agreed. “She seems to be digging in the right spot, and she’s dug down the deepest.” Everyone started digging in the square next to Violet’s and, half an hour later, Benny let out a whoop.

  “Look what I found!” he said, holding up a handful of dazzling stones. They gleamed like jewels in the bright sunlight.

  “What are they?” Violet asked.

  “They’re called butterfly stones,” Amy explained. “We use them for jewelry.” She turned one over. “You see how smooth the surface is? Someone polished them to bring out their true colors.”

  “Put them in the box, so they don’t get chipped,” Henry suggested.

  The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, and Jessie found a stick that was beautifully carved and decorated with beads. “Oh, this is pretty,” she said, brushing away clumps of dirt. “What is it?”

  “It looks like a magic wand,” Benny offered.

  “That’s close, Benny,” Joe told him. “It’s called a baton. It’s a special wand that only the chiefs and the elders carry.”

  Jessie examined the beads that hung from threads. “These are beautiful,” she said, admiring the little balls of quartz and copper. Suddenly she noticed some pointed white beads at the end of the string. “Wait a minute. These don’t look like beads, they look like … teeth!”

  Amy nodded. “I think they’re probably from a wolf,” she explained. “Our ancestors often used teeth for decoration.” She smiled when Jessie made a face. “They thought that teeth were just as beautiful as beads.”