Previous chapters of the River Road story:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

How should the story continue? Voting is open on the current chapter!

Last time, upon learning that Chief Colbert was on his way to the Old Courthouse, suddenly, Miss Whiteside was able to remember who had struck her and dragged her to the basement. Miss Whiteside claimed that the attacker had been Mia Duomo dressed as the ghost of Theodosia Westwick! Miss Whiteside thought that the clue of the diamond “M” pin was all the extra proof they needed. Meanwhile, on the floors above, the DeLorcas, Mrs. Conn, the remaining Trotters, Isaac and Kathy were all in search of the pelican, Shakuntala, who had been missing. Mr. DeLorca spotted the mighty pelican, precariously perched high above them on a cracked railing that surrounded the base of the dome. Calling to the bird didn’t work. She would not budge. Mr. DeLorca was eager to get Shakuntala back and thought about climbing up to the railing to rescue her. Did he do it? Here’s what you decided.

Chapter 21:
Fresh Make-Up

“Stop jibber-jabbering, Eben.” Mr. DeLorca frowned. “Can’t you see my pelican is danger?”

“Pelican in precarious peril.” Miss Trotter nodded.

“I must save her!” Mr. DeLorca announced, rushing toward the edge of the balcony.

“Stop!” Mrs. DeLorca shouted. “It’s not safe!”

“Good show, yes.” Mr. DeLorca paused. “Very rightly true, that. The whole thing’s not safe at all. After all, I don’t have wings. I can’t fly up to that perch the way Shakuntala did. Well, what, what? Perhaps if I had a sheet and several lengths a bamboo. Yes, Yes, and an enormous pie plate…if I had those things I might be ably to fashion a device that we could use to sail on the air to my lovely, tiny, enormous bird friend thing.”

Mr. DeLorca spun around quickly. “Eben! Hurry back to Mrs. Conn’s and get the jumbo pie plate for me. I had just taken a nap in it earlier. Bring me a sheet, some tape, some soft bamboo and eighteen slightly over-ripe tomatoes!”

“What are the tomatoes for?” Eben asked.

“A snack.” Mr. DeLorca frowned. “Besides, you can make those little rosebud garnishes out of the tomato skin.”

“Before we go on with the tomato skin flowers and magnificent flying pie tins, why don’t we try coaxing Shakuntala down?” Mrs. DeLorca asked.

“We tried that, darling. I offered to take her out for her favorite meals. It didn’t work.” Mr. DeLorca sighed.

“Well, perhaps, since Shakuntala is a bird and since she doesn’t have the most highly developed vocabulary—though hers is remarkably full and complex for her kind—we may find that we’d have better luck showing her food than we would talking about food.” Mrs. DeLorca explained.

“What would we offer her? I didn’t bring her fish slurry.” Mr. DeLorca sniffed.

“It just so happens that I put a cup of it in my purse. It was a mistake. I thought it was yogurt. Either way, I’ll have to throw the purse away. But, first, let’s do see if she won’t respond to it.” Mrs. DeLorca offered up the cup of fish slurry to her husband.

Mr. DeLorca carefully peeled the foil top off of the cup. The whole hall filled with a very heavy scent of fish.

Mrs. Conn and Miss Trotter coughed, the kids held their noses.

“I say, that is a fresh batch.” Mr. DeLorca’s eyes lit up. He looked toward the pelican. “She smells it.”

“People in space can smell it.” Annie joked.

“I wonder if it will offend the spiders.” Eugenia Victoria muttered to herself.

“Since their main job is to eat bugs, I don’t think the spiders will be offended.” Annie Trotter said reasonably.

“Come on, Shakuntala.” Mr. DeLorca said as he waved the fragrant cup in the air.

Shakuntala rose and beat the air with her wings. She began to fly down to the group. As she did, they could see she was holding something with her claw-like feet.

“What have you got, girl?” Mr. DeLorca asked.

“Looks like a spray-paint can.” Isaac added.

“It is!” Kathy exclaimed as Shakuntala landed, dropping the spray-paint can with a clatter on to the wooden floor.

“By the smell of it, it’s been recently used.” Annie sniffed the air.

“I can’t smell anything other than fish slurry.” Eugenia Victoria frowned.

“That will pass once she’s eaten it.” Mrs. DeLorca nodded. “For awhile anyway.”

“Oh, oh, oh, my dear, I’m so glad you’re back. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you!” Mr. DeLorca fussed over his pelican.

“I missed you, too.” A voice answered. “Though I had no idea you’d gotten so attached to me so quickly, I’m not at all surprised. People are just drawn to me. Who can blame them, really?”

“Mia Duomo!” Mrs. Conn exclaimed.

“In the perfect flesh.” Mia beamed. “I’m thrilled, thrilled by this warm welcome! What are we doing?”

“First of all, I was talking to my pelican when you came in—not you.” Mr. DeLorca explained.

“Oh. Well. Aren’t you precious?” Mia smirked.

“What brings you here, Mia?” Mrs. Conn asked. “This building is supposed to be closed to the public.”

“That didn’t stop any of you from being here.” Mia Duomo laughed. “Pelicans and all.”

“But, we know we’re not supposed to be here.” Mrs. Conn shook her head.

“Then, why did you invite me?” Mia hissed, becoming angry.

“Invite you?” Annie asked. “We didn’t invite you. We left you at the hotel.”

“Yes, you did.” Mia rolled her eyes. “And, then I received a message from the front desk. I was told that my friends were eagerly awaiting my arrival at the Old Courthouse and that I should get there right away.”

She stamped her foot. “Since you’re the only thing close to friends I have in Vista Falls, I assumed he meant you. So, here I am. Now, where’s the party?”

“This isn’t a party, Miss Duomo,” Eben shook his head. “If anything, it’s a search party.” Eben went over and picked up the spray-paint can that Shakuntala dropped. “There’s something taped to this.” He peeled off a piece of paper. “No, it’s not taped, it’s stuck on a drip of paint that’s dried. It’s a receipt. Signed by Mia Duomo.”

“Me?” Mia laughed. “Me? Me? Me? Me? Hardly. Do any you of think I’d buy spray-paint?”

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the sound of voices climbing the stairs.

“There you are!” Mrs. Conn rushed over to Kathy and Nancy. “We were worried sick!”

“We’re okay. Mr. Trotter was with us.” Nancy smiled. “We found Miss Whiteside.”
The next person to arrive on the ground floor was Bonnie Whiteside. She was quickly followed by Chief Colbert.

“That’s her!” Bonnie Whiteside pointed to Mia Duomo.

“What?” Mia Duomo squinted. “This can’t be good for the sheen on my make-up.”

“That’s the woman who hit me and dragged me down here!” Bonnie continued.

“I what?” Mia laughed. “Me? And, break a nail? I don’t think so.”

“She wore the gloves and the costume of the ghost of Theodisa Westwick!" Bonnie went on.

“But, I didn’t.” Mia shook her head, becoming genuinely concerned. “I was at the hotel.”

“You’re here now.” Chief Colbert shrugged.

“This is a set-up!” Mia Duomo began to panic.

“Calm down, Miss Duomo.” Chief Colbert said.

“What’s going to happen to me?” Mia asked.

What should happen next?

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