The Mardi Gras Chase (True Girls Book 1) Read online

  “U and M,” said Melanie. “It means the letters. U and M.”

  Melanie closed her eyes to savor the truth.

  “It’s real,” she said, almost to herself. “It’s real.” Her voice slowly grew louder as she opened her eyes. “We actually found a real-life, honest-to-goodness mystery, and –” she stood up suddenly, “we solved it!”

  “We cracked the code,” said Faye, shaking her head in disbelief.

  Kate let out a whoop. “We did it!”

  Melanie and Faye took up the yell with Kate. “We did it! We did it!”

  They danced around the kitchen, singing the Princess Mia song and laughing.

  “Wait.” Melanie raced back to the table and retrieved the sheet of paper. “Let’s make sure we understand all of it.” She read the message out loud again.

  “All we have to do,” said Faye, “is go to the cemetery tomorrow – ”

  “Yikes,” said Kate. “I am not crazy about that part. That dark float barn was already enough to almost make me pee my pants.”

  “It’ll be during the day, though,” said Melanie. “’Mardi Gras Day, p.m.’ It must mean tomorrow afternoon.”

  “I guess,” said Kate. Still, she shivered.

  “So, go tomorrow afternoon,” said Melanie, “and find those letters?”

  “They might be tough to find,” said Faye. “I bet they’re hidden.”

  “And assuming we find them, then what?” asked Kate.

  “No idea,” said Melanie with a grin. “But we’ll figure it out. We’ve come this far, right?”

  “Right!” shouted Kate and Faye. They took up the Princess Mia song again and started an impromptu square dance together, while Melanie yelled for Lacey.

  “Hey, Lacey,” Melanie called. “Guess what? You cracked the code for me.”

  Faye and Kate continued their antics, but Lacey didn’t reply.

  “Lace?” yelled Melanie again. “Come see.”

  No answer.

  “Be right back,” said Melanie. She walked to the living room.

  “Lacey, peel yourself away from TV for a sec. Come into the kitchen.”

  But there was no Lacey parked in front of the television. Melanie stared into an empty room.

  “Lacey?” yelled Melanie. “Where are you?”

  A sick feeling started rising in her stomach as she hurried from room to room, going faster the farther she ran without finding her little sister.

  She burst into the kitchen a minute later. Kate and Faye stopped singing abruptly at the sight of her wild eyes.

  “It’s Lacey!” cried Melanie. “She’s gone!”

  Chapter 13

  “What do you mean, ‘gone’?” asked Kate. “As in, she left the house?”

  “As in, missing. Missing child, that kind of gone!” yelled Melanie, her voice rising hysterically.

  “Don’t panic,” said Faye. “We’ll find her.”

  “I’ve searched the house,” said Melanie. “She’s not here. I’m going to check the yard.”

  “I’ll check the house again,” said Kate. “Maybe she’s playing hide and seek.”

  Melanie dashed out the back door, Faye close on her heels.

  “Lacey!” Melanie yelled. “Lacey, where are you?” She quickly scanned the yard and then turned to Faye. “I don’t think she’s back here. Go check the tool shed and garage. I’m going to look out front.”

  Faye nodded, and Melanie dashed around the side of the house. She emerged into the front yard through the gate. Her heart fell further when she still didn’t see her little sister.

  She ran around the front of the house, yelling Lacey’s name over and over again. Tears were pricking the corners of her eyes.

  She’d been so stupid. How could she have ignored Lacey?

  She ran to the sidewalk and looked up the street in one direction, then the other. No sign.

  The tears started flowing faster now.

  Kate and Faye joined her from behind at a fast trot.

  “No sign of her,” said Kate.

  Faye squeezed Melanie’s arm. “Come on, let’s keep looking.”

  Melanie nodded and quickly wiped her eyes.

  “Ok, I’m going to grab my bike and head that way.” She pointed right. “Kate, can you go the other way? And Faye, stay here in case she comes back.”

  Pumping her pedals furiously down the sidewalk, Melanie raced to the corner, calling Lacey’s name all the while.

  Where could Lacey have gone? What was Melanie going do if something happened to her?

  “This is all my fault,” moaned Melanie to herself. “I should have been watching her. I was so obsessed with that code.”

  For something that had occupied most of her waking thoughts for days now, Melanie marveled at how quickly the Mardi Gras code lost its significance. All of Melanie’s thoughts were for her sister.

  She reached the end of her street, cruising past the school bus stop.

  On a whim, she turned down the side street that led to Lacey’s school.

  “Lacey,” she called repeatedly as she rode.

  “Mel!”

  Melanie skidded her bike to a halt and jumped off, letting the bike rattle to the ground. She’d spotted her sister, looking impossibly small on the street by herself.

  Lacey was halfway down the block, walking back in the direction towards home. She held her Princess Mia doll by the hand, dragging her on the ground. Her face lit up in a bright smile when she saw her older sister.

  Melanie rushed to Lacey and enfolded her in a huge hug.

  “Thank God!” she cried. “You scared the ever-loving daylights out of me. Where have you been?”

  “I went to school to find a friend,” said Lacey.

  “By yourself?” said Melanie. “You know you’re not supposed to go out alone.”

  “I brought Mia with me,” she said, with a look that clearly said, “Duh.”

  “That doesn’t count, Lace,” said Melanie.

  Lacey ignored her. “No one was at school. So I came home.”

  Melanie hugged Lacey again.

  “Mel, why are you crying?”

  “Because I thought I’d lost you, you little maniac.” She stood up and wiped her face once more. Then she grabbed Lacey’s hand. “Come on,” she said, shaking her head. “Let’s go home.”

  She retrieved her bike and walked it back with Lacey by her side. She’d run out of the house without her phone, so she couldn’t call Kate or Faye to let them know of Lacey’s safety. They advanced slowly, moving at a three-year-old’s pace, but Melanie was much too relieved to care. Slowly, her heart returned to a normal beat.

  A few minutes later, she heard Kate’s voice calling, “Lacey.”

  “Kate,” yelled Melanie. “It’s ok. I’ve got her.”

  Kate popped around the corner on her bicycle. “Whew! That’s a relief.” She smiled at Lacey. “Good to see you, kiddo. Where were you?”

  Melanie said, “She tried to go to school. She walked all the way down the block.”

  “What?” exclaimed Kate.

  “I just wanted someone to play with me,” said Lacey. “Melanie was busy.”

  Kate glanced at Melanie. “She really knows how to guilt a person, huh?”

  Melanie nodded.

  Kate turned her bike around. “Well, I’ll go let Faye know we’ve got her. See you back at your house.”

  Melanie and Lacey continued their slow trek.

  “Are you done working, now?” asked Lacey suddenly.

  Melanie thought back to the code they’d solved. She couldn’t really believe that she and her friends had been celebrating in the kitchen scarcely half an hour ago. Melanie felt as if she’d aged at least a year in that short time.

  “Yeah, Bug. I’m done working now. Thanks to you. Did you know that you helped us solve the puzzle?”

  “I did?” cried Lacey.

  “You did,” said Melanie. “And since you helped, you’re a part of the group now. Tomorrow, we find out w
hat it all means, and we couldn’t have done it without you.”

  Kate and Faye left soon after Melanie and Lacey arrived back home.

  “I can only take so much excitement,” said Faye. She gave Lacey a quick hug. “I’m glad you’re back.”

  The three friends said goodbye.

  “Tomorrow,” said Kate, uncharacteristically solemn.

  “Tomorrow,” said Melanie.

  “Tomorrow,” said Faye.

  Melanie spent the rest of the afternoon playing games and puzzles with Lacey, even after her mother returned from the client meeting. Losing her sister for that brief time had been a bigger emotional shock than Melanie wanted to admit, and she was happy to curl up with Lacey on the couch for hours. And though Mrs. Smythurst may have found this strange, she never did find out the reason why.

  Going to bed that evening, Melanie’s head felt clear and ready for the next day’s adventure. After all they had accomplished, she was sure that she and her friends could find the intertwining U and M in the graveyard. The question of what those clues would lead to, however, haunted her thoughts, and long after she lay down to sleep, she was tantalized by shadowy visions of mysteries revealed.

  Chapter 14

  Fat Tuesday dawned cool and bright. Melanie spent the slow morning lounging in her pajamas and watching TV. With her entire family off for the day, it felt like a Saturday. After a late family brunch, Melanie finally headed back to her room to get ready for her afternoon adventure.

  Melanie dressed with special attention that day. Though she didn’t know exactly what awaited her in the cemetery, she felt that it would be momentous. She carefully selected her clothing, feeling as if she were a priestess preparing for an ancient ritual. Today, she was no ordinary twelve-year-old girl. She was Melanie Smythurst, heroine.

  Lacey sat on Melanie’s bed and watched her get dressed. Even she seemed to sense the importance of the occasion, for she sat relatively still and quiet next to the row of stuffed animals she brought to observe the proceedings.

  After the previous day’s fiasco, Melanie didn’t mind Lacey’s presence as much as she might have normally. She even let Lacey pick out one of her headbands to borrow.

  Finally, shoes on and ponytail in place, Melanie was ready.

  Lacey fussed momentarily when she realized Melanie would be leaving her. She jumped off the bed.

  “No, don’t go. Let’s play together today.”

  Melanie knelt down in front of her younger sister. She placed her hands on either of Lacey’s arms and looked at her seriously.

  “Remember you helped us solve the riddle yesterday. Right?”

  Lacey nodded.

  “Well, I’ve got to go finish it now. Since you helped us, you’re in on the secret, but we have to do this part by ourselves. You be a big girl for Mom and Dad, and I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  “Oh, ok. But I’ll miss you.”

  Melanie stood up.

  “Remember, it’s our secret. No telling Mom and Dad.”

  Lacey nodded, and Melanie walked her out the door of her room.

  The night before, Melanie had painstakingly mapped out the best path to the cemetery and asked that everyone meet at noon on the street. Melanie chose the time carefully. It could be tricky travelling around town on Fat Tuesday, as parades and barricades could send you on a detour without warning. By leaving at noon, Melanie hoped they would make it to the parade route just after the midday parade ended. She expected the crowds to be a little lighter as everyone went off to find lunch.

  She was right. As the girls bicycled through the streets, they made their way easily towards the cemetery. With every block they covered, Melanie felt the excitement rising like a tide that carried all three of them along with it. Finally, she rode the thrill like the crest of a wave, glimpsing the gates of the cemetery up ahead.

  Church Street Cemetery housed some of the oldest graves in the city. Stuck right in the middle of downtown, the graveyard was a quiet oasis surrounded by a low brick wall that encircled the entire three acres of land.

  The girls stood under the arched entryway and surveyed the cemetery.

  Kate read the sign on the gate. “‘Established 1819 by City of Mobile for yellow fever victims.’ Oh yeah, not creepy at all.”

  Melanie heard the hubbub of the crowd a block away. Strains of jazz music floated on the air behind them. In front of them, all was silent.

  “Well, here goes,” said Kate. Faye took a deep breath, and Melanie crossed herself. Then they walked through and into the quiet.

  “Remember, we’ve got to find an intertwining U and M,” said Melanie, feeling as though she should speak quietly. “Should we split up? It’ll make it go faster.”

  “No way,” said Faye. “I have seen too many horror movies to split up in a graveyard. I say we stay together.”

  “Ditto,” said Kate.

  Melanie didn’t say so aloud, but she was glad. After the noise of the Mardi Gras madness behind them, the cemetery seemed much too quiet. Eerily quiet.

  “Then let’s get started,” said Melanie. “We’ll need to check all the gravestones, and anything else in here. Look for trees with carvings, graffiti on the outside wall, anything. Intertwining U and M.”

  Kate and Faye nodded, and the three friends started down the first path to their right. Their footsteps made no noise on the cushioned grass.

  The gravestones were all old and darkened with age. Melanie found three in a row that dated from the early 1800s. She checked every stone she passed. Though many were covered with very ornate writing, she didn’t see anything that would qualify as an intertwined set of the correct letters.

  Many of the graves lay flat against the ground, but some rose up as full tombs, ranging from a few inches off the ground to about eight feet high.

  There were gates within the larger gate as well, surrounding smaller groupings of gravesites, which the girls had to wind through. Melanie put Faye in charge of keeping track of which rows they’d checked so they didn’t get confused with all the snaking back and forth.

  After fifteen minutes, Kate called out, “I’ve found something.”

  As Melanie and Faye rushed to her side, Kate hurried to clarify. “Not the U and M. Sorry. But I found Joe Cain’s grave.”

  A long stone tablet marked the grave.

  “Here lies Old Joe Cain,” read Melanie. “The heart and soul of Mardi Gras in Mobile.” The face of a reveler was engraved beside the inscription.

  Faye pointed out a black silk rose lying on the tombstone beside a pile of black beads. “It looks like Joe Cain’s widows have already been here.” She reached down and picked up the flower and tucked it in her hair.

  “Beautiful,” said Kate. “Let me have the beads. I’ll split them with you, Mel.”

  But Melanie wasn’t paying attention. Her eyes were transfixed on the tombstone. Unknowingly, Faye had revealed a small symbol hidden beneath the black rose.

  Two capital letters, a U with an M on top of it. The bottom of the two legs of the M wrapped around the sides of the U.

  “Intertwining U and M,” breathed Melanie.

  Wordlessly, she gripped the arms of her friends. They stopped talking and followed Melanie’s eyes downward. They drew in their breath sharply at the same time.

  Kate dropped to her knees to examine the symbol more closely.

  “There’s something else here,” she said.

  The other girls joined her on the ground.

  “What is that?” asked Faye. “It’s so faint.”

  “Looks like an arrow,” said Melanie. “But what’s it pointing to?” She turned in the direction of the arrow’s head.

  The girls were standing near the edge of the cemetery. Following the arrow, all that lay between Joe Cain’s grave and the outer wall were a few small gravestones and one large tomb.

  Slowly, Melanie walked in that direction. She couldn’t see an
ything noteworthy. She examined each of the gravestones closely and walked along the inside of the brick wall. Nothing.

  Finally, she advanced to the tomb. She didn’t notice anything out of place at first and began to turn away again. Then her eyes caught a very small engraving by the door handle.

  “Guys. I know what it’s telling us.” Melanie looked at the tomb door.

  Faye stared at her in horror, while Kate looked confused.

  “What?” asked Kate, glancing back and forth between her two friends. “What’s it telling us?” Suddenly she paused, and comprehension dawned on her face.

  “You have got to be kidding me. You’re saying we have to go in there?”

  Melanie nodded.

  “Into a grave?”

  “Technically, it’s a tomb,” said Faye.

  “Oh, that’s much better.”

  The three friends gathered in front of the stone building. It was one of the larger structures in the cemetery, about the size of a small garden shed. Melanie guessed that the ceiling would be a few feet above their heads, assuming they ever went inside.

  The door to the tomb was almost devoid of markings. Besides the small symbol that matched the one on Joe Cain’s grave, the girls saw only a single inscription: “Julius and Emily Malthus. Underground, but above.”

  “I wonder what’s in there,” said Faye.

  “Besides old Mr. and Mrs. Malthus,” said Kate.

  Melanie groaned. “So now what?”

  “Can we really go in?” asked Faye. “Should we? It seems wrong.”

  All three girls stared at the door as if it would somehow answer Faye’s question.

  “We broke into a float barn,” said Faye.

  “Matt was arrested,” said Kate.

  “We practically lost my sister,” said Melanie.

  A heavy silence.

  “Let’s do it,” said Faye.

  As one, they nodded, and Melanie reached out to turn the handle.

  Slowly, the heavy metal door swung open. It made no noise, as if it were kept greased and well maintained. The girls found themselves looking into the inside of an honest-to-goodness tomb.

  Melanie forced down the fear in her throat and looked inside.

  She found herself staring at the back of a dark figure.