Free Surviving Summer Vacation by Willo Davis Roberts Page B

come—and headed on to see Old Faithful.
    All around in the distance there were geysers and steam vents. I knew it would be ­dangerous—and forbidden—to walk out and look at them up close, but I imagined what it would be like. I wished Mom and Dad had brought us here, instead of the Rupes; I knew with them we would have found out a lot more about the whole park. The Rupes didn’t seem to want to know anything.
    When we turned in at the road to Old Faithful Lodge, I caught a glimpse of a light blue car just ready to turn behind us. Of course Old Faithful was the most famous landmark in the whole park, so probably everybody stopped here, but my heart was thudding as we cruised into the lot, looking for a place to park.
    It was a huge area, and there were people walking in every direction. Mr. Rupe almost ran into a couple of teenagers who darted out from behind a bus. He swore and slammed on the brakes. They gave him the finger, and Mrs. Rupe said, “Kids have no manners these days.”
    The lot was crowded enough that there wasn’t much maneuvering room, and Mr. Rupe had a terrible time trying to get the big coach into a parking spot. He clipped somebody’s mirror and pushed it out of place, and almost backed into a car that was trying to pull out. Finally he gave up and drove to the very back of the lot. There, there were several spaces next to each other, and he managed to park right in the middle of them, taking up four car spaces.
    â€œThis way,” he said with satisfaction, “nobody’s likely to run into us.”
    My eyes were getting tired from rolling them back in my head.
    Mrs. Rupe had scanned the signs around us while all this was going on. “There’s a general store and a photo shop—you can get some film, Milton, and get pictures of Old Faithful—and I think there’s a place to buy lunch, too.”
    Alison and I were the last ones off the coach. She gave me a worried look. “Do you think those guys will try to break in while we’re gone? They may even have a duplicate key from the RV place.”
    â€œI don’t know. I don’t see how we can stopthem. So far I think they’ve only tried to get in when the motor home was unlocked. If I didn’t want to see Old Faithful myself, I’d stay here and guard it.”
    â€œI’d be very nervous about you staying here alone,” Alison said. “I think those people have to be crooks. I’ll bet they stole the money they hid in here. Maybe you can get Billy to tell you where it is, Lewis.”
    But Billy denied that he knew where there was any more money. He said he didn’t remember where the hundred-dollar bill had come from. Harry overheard the end of our conversation and offered to carry the money Billy already had, but Billy shook his head. “It’s mine,” he said.
    There didn’t seem to be anything to do except get out and go with the others. I looked around for the blue car and saw it several rows ahead. Nobody had gotten out of it yet.
    It was harder to keep it in view when I was down on the ground. As we crossed through that row, though, I could tell there were still two people in it. And when I looked back a minute later, they were gone.
    â€œI’m going to duck back for a minute,” I hissed to Alison. “If I don’t catch up before you get there, I’ll meet you at the general store, okay?”
    She looked worried. “Don’t take any chances, Lewis. You aren’t the hero type.”
    That stung. I stared after her for a few seconds as they all moved on, wondering why she’d had to say that. I knew I wasn’t an athletic champion, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do something heroic.
    I wasn’t an idiot, however. I wasn’t about to have a confrontation with two grown men. I saw them already. As I’d suspected, they’d gone in the direction of our motor home, which pretty well