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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
How should the story continue? Voting is open on the current chapter!
Last time, Eben and Mr. DeLorca cornered the Red Rose Rascal after Mrs. DeLorca tricked him into admitting that he had a female accomplice. The Rascal taunted Eben and Mr. DeLorca and made it even more clear that he knew a lot about the DeLorca family—even Eben’s unusual middle name. The Rascal pushed passed the DeLorca men, knocking Ebenezer over. Eben was hurt when he fell. Meanwhile, Mrs. DeLorca found Sarah and Mrs. Conn locked in one of the museum’s upstairs offices. They were not hurt. Mrs. Conn said that the man that had locked them in the office looked exactly like Mr. DeLorca! Mrs. DeLorca was shocked. As the Rascal was escaping, at that very moment, Mia Duomo, Miss Trotter and the kids were questioning Edie Merrill who stopped to answer her cell phone. Suddenly declaring that she had an “emergency,” Edie ran off. What did Mia and her friends do? Here’s what you decided.
Chapter 18: Big Rascals
by Joseph Crisalli
Suddenly, Edie’s cell phone rang. She took it out of her pocket and answered it. Edie began to look worried.
“I’ll be right there.” Edie said before hanging up. She looked at Mia, Miss Trotter and the kids and said. “I…ummmmm…have an emergency.” With that, she jogged off.
“What was that all about?” Isaac asked.
“I don’t know.” Kathy shrugged.
“Suspicious speech seems sneaky.” Miss Trotter raised her eyebrow.
“I agree.” Mia Duomo nodded.
“Miss Duomo,” Nancy said, “I think we should follow her.”
Mia frowned for a second, then remembering that frowning causes wrinkled, Mia ran her hand over her lovely smooth cheek and sighed. “I agree, let’s go.”
“She went that way.” Isaac pointed toward Old Martin Creek.
“Let’s see what she does.” Kathy started walking quickly in the direction Edie Merrill had went.
“All this walking is hurting my shoes.” Mia panted, trying to keep up with the kids and Eben’s dog Sheridan who was pulling Nancy along by his leash.
“Don’t you mean it’s hurting your feet, Miss Duomo?” Nancy asked.
“No, dear girl.” Mia shook her head. “I mean it’s ruining my shoes. They’re brand new! If I’d known I was going to be running around town today, I’d have worn an older pair of shoes.”
“Shush shoe shtick.” Miss Trotter grumbled. “Miss Merrill is merrily making mischief. I most monumentally mean it.”
“We’ll see what sort of trouble she’s causing, Miss Trotter.” Isaac said.
“Wait!” Nancy said quickly. “Sheridan seems to be on to something.”
Sheridan tugged at the leash and began barking, trying to pull Nancy in a different direction.
“He wants to go this way.” Nancy said.
“But, Edie Merrill is by the creek.” Mia pointed. “I can still see her.”
“Sheridan seems to have caught the scent of something.” Miss Trotter said. “Do indulge the dogged dog.”
“What do you smell, Sheridan?” Nancy asked as the terrier pulled at the leash.
Sheridan barked frantically.
“We’d better see what’s bothering him.” Mia Duomo nodded.
Meanwhile, back at the museum, Mrs. DeLorca staggered backwards and gasped. “What do you mean he looked like my husband?”
“The man who locked us in this room,” Sarah said, “looked exactly like Mr. DeLorca.”
“They could have been twins,” Mrs. Conn nodded.
“But, my husband doesn’t have any brothers.” Mrs. DeLorca shook her head.
“Can you think of anyone who looks like him?” Mrs. Conn asked.
“No.” Mrs. DeLorca shook her head. “No one I’ve ever met.” Mrs. DeLorca paused, “Well…now, that I think about it…”
However, before Mrs. DeLorca could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by the sound of her husband’s voice calling to her.
“Joan!” Mr. DeLorca shouted. “I say, Joan!”
“That’s Joel.” Mrs. DeLorca said, her eyes growing wide. “Something’s happened."
Mrs. Conn, Sarah and Mrs. DeLorca rushed to the sound of Mr. DeLorca’s voice. There, they saw Eben sitting on the floor, holding his leg and rocking back and forth in pain.
“That Red Rose Rascal fellow knocked our son over. He got away. The Rascal, I mean, not Eben. Obviously, Eben isn’t in any condition to be running anywhere.”
“Oh, Eben.” Mrs. DeLorca knelt down by her son. “Don’t worry. We’ll call for help.”
“Did you see the Rascal’s face?” Sarah asked.
“No. I can’t say that I did. Curious thing, that.” Mr. DeLorca shook his head. “He kept his hands over his face as he ran past us.”
“He looks like you.” Sarah continued.
“What’s that?” Mr. DeLorca shook his head. “Couldn’t be. I’m the only one of me that there is.”
“But…” Sarah continued, but she was interrupted.
“Ow!” Eben shouted as he tried to get up.
“I say, my boy. We need to get you to a doctor.” Mr. DeLorca said quickly.
Mrs. DeLorca was already calling for an ambulance on her cellular phone.
“We’re also going to need some police help.” Mrs. DeLorca said to the emergency operator.
“There’s been a break-in at the museum and two people were held captive. They’re free now, but the man has escaped.”
After a few seconds, Mrs. DeLorca hung up the phone. “They’re sending help.”
“I say, can you hang in there, my boy?” Mr. DeLorca asked.
“Yes.” Eben nodded.
At that very moment, the museum was once again plunged into darkness.
Sarah gasped! “Someone’s shut off all the lights.”
“The emergency generator will kick-in in a minute.” Mrs. DeLorca said.
“Or will it?” A woman’s voice wafted through the halls of the museum.
“Who are you?” Mrs. DeLorca called out.
“I’m the Red Rose Rascal,” The woman responded.
“The Red Rose Rascal is a man!” Mrs. DeLorca shouted back.
“So you think.” The woman laughed. “For as many roses as there are in the world, so there are rascals.”
“What do you want from us?” Mrs. Conn said.
“Just wait right there and you’ll soon find out.”
What should they do?
Voting results for how the story continues:
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50.0%
33.3%
16.7%
