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, after they saw a mysterious woman in a gray ball gown, Miss Trotter told the group the legend of the “Woman in Gray.” The story centered around a beautiful, wealthy woman named Theodosia Westwick and her fiancé, the poor, but proud Mordecai Jessop. A rival for Theodosia’s affections, Harland Latchford, falsely convinced Mordecai that if he married Theodosia, he would sentence her to a sad life. So, thinking he was sparing Theodosia a life of pain, Mordecai lied and said he didn’t love the young woman. After that, Mordecai left and was lost at sea after a shipwreck. Theodosia was so heartbroken that she never left her home and wandered the halls in her gray ball gown waiting for Mordecai to return to her. The legend stated that after she died, Theodosia haunted her mansion and that when the Westwick Mansion was torn down, she haunted the entire town of Vista Falls. Eben and Mrs. DeLorca found the story amusing, but doubted that it was true. Mrs. DeLorca wanted more facts. Mrs. Conn said that Theodosia’s diaries had been taken to the Vista Falls Museum and that since they were all visiting the museum the next day, they could get more facts there. The children were excited by the idea, and, having spotted the museum’s curator, hoped they could go that night instead of the next day. What happened next? Here’s what you decided.

Chapter 8:
Curator Curiosity

“We’re going to the museum tomorrow. Perhaps the curator will show them to us.” Mrs. Conn said.

“I’d feel better if I could see them now.” Mrs. DeLorca sighed.

“I want to see them, too.” Sarah agreed.

“The museum curator is here tonight. She’s over near the gazebo.” Annie said. “I saw her.”

“Maybe she’d let us into the museum now!” Sarah exclaimed.

“Sarah, it’s late. You all should have been home by now.” Mrs. Conn shook her head. “Besides, we shouldn’t bother Miss Whiteside on her evening off.”

“But, Mrs. DeLorca and Mr. DeLorca are famous art historians! Surely Miss Whiteside would let us in right now!” Sarah argued. “Can’t we try?”

Mrs. Conn looked at Mr. and Mrs. DeLorca.

“I say, it’s already late. It’ll only be later in an hour. What’s the difference?” Mr. DeLorca shrugged.

“Besides, I don’t think these youngsters will be getting any sleep tonight anyway—thinking too much about those diaries.” Mrs. DeLorca smiled.

Mrs. Conn next looked at Kathy, Isaac, Sarah and Nancy.

“Pleeeeeeeeease.” Sarah begged.

“All right. It’s worth a shot.” Mrs. Conn sighed. “But, on the way to find Miss Westwick, you all have to use my cell phone to call your parents and tell them that you’re with us and that you’ll be a little late. Okay?”

“Okay!” Sarah stepped up. “I’ll call now.”

“My family is here.” Nancy smiled, pointing to her mother and father who stood with her cousin, Nesta Chen and the rest of the family. “I’ll just tell them where we’re going when we walk by.”

Kathy laughed. “My family is here, too. I know my brother, TJ, is with Mr. Dinello and the rest of his friends. And mom and dad are with Tamara at the table next to Nesta’s family.”

“I’ll call my mom when Sarah’s finished.” Isaac smiled.

As they walked, the children received their parents’ permission while the adults looked for Miss Whiteside—the museum curator.

“I don’t see her now.” Annie said. “She was over there by the gazebo.”

“Maybe she went home.” Mr. DeLorca suggested. “Perhaps she has a secret stash of pizzas in her freezer and she’s gone home to eat them. I can see it right now; she’s sitting on the floor eating pizzas. Didn’t even take the time to thaw them or heat them up. No, no, she couldn’t wait. Wanted that tangy, cheesy, spicy goodness right then and there. Well, how dare she! How very dare she! I say, eating all of those pizzas without even first waiting for us to ask us if we wanted a taste. And, really, not to offer one kipper to Shakuntala! How rude! Yes, rude. I’ve said it and I won’t take it back. Such behavior from a museum curator is not to be tolerated. Hoarding pizzas, indeed. That’s why I don’t let Eben anywhere near my freezer of pizzas. It’s just not right.”

“Father, I’m sure she’s not hoarding pizzas. We’ve never even met the woman. So, let’s calm down.” Eben said gently.

Mrs. DeLorca reached into her purse and pulled out a hard candy wrapped in silver foil. “Here you are, dear.” She always kept candy in her purse as a way of distracting her husband when he lost focus.

“Is it pizza flavored?” Mr. DeLorca asked as he unwrapped the candy.

“No, I think it’s cherry.” Mrs. DeLorca smiled.

“Cherry pizza!” Mr. DeLorca popped the candy in his mouth. “I say, that is smashing! What won’t they think of next? All in a candy form, too. Isn’t science lovely?”

“There’s Miss Whiteside!” Nancy said. “She’s over there talking to someone.” Nancy pointed to the fountain where Miss Whiteside was chatting with another woman.

“Oh!” Mrs. Conn smiled. “Good. Who’s she talking to?”

“I can’t tell.” Uriah Trotter shook his head. “The woman has her back to us. She’s a tall blond.”

“A tall blond?” Annie asked. “It couldn’t be…”

But, it was. As the group came closer to the fountain they could see that the museum curator was talking with Mia Duomo.

“I thought she went back to her hotel.” Uriah shook his head.

“We saw her go in the opposite direction.” Sarah sighed.

“I didn’t know that Miss Duomo knew Miss Whiteside.” Nancy said.

“Perhaps she doesn’t.” Mrs. DeLorca answered. “I have a feeling that Mia Duomo will talk with anyone as long as she does most of the talking.”

“What should we do now?” Eben asked.

What should they do?

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