Alexis and the Lake Tahoe Tumult Read Free Page A

mountain lions getting out?”
    “Well, yes and no. They
do
keep getting out, but other things are happening, too. Animals are getting loose when they shouldn’t. But others have gotten sick or started acting strangely. One or two have escaped altogether, and that’s a nightmare. In weather like this, there are very few animals that can survive. If they’re not healthy or fully grown, they really don’t stand a chance.”
    “So this is new?” Bailey asked, with her mouth full of doughnut. She swallowed, wiped frosting from her lips, and tried again. “I mean, it’s never happened before?”
    “No, not until recently,” said Karen. “Jake’s mom and dad owned this place long before we came along. It’s been in the family forever, and nothing like this has ever happened. Jake feels like he’s failing and is afraid we’ll lose the family business. He just can’t figure out what’s going wrong.”
    Jake came back through the door and dropped a pile of wood in a box near the fireplace. Bubbles the bobcat jumped up and glared at Jake through his misty eyes before moving to the other side of the rug.
    “So you see,” Jake said, “it’s like I said before we ran to the barn. You girls can’t do your documentary here. It’s just too dangerous. We never know when this stuff is going to happen. This time it was the cute little guys, but what if it’s something bigger and more dangerous next time?”
    Karen sighed. “That’s why we don’t give tours. If a visitor got hurt by a sick animal, that would be awful. We could get into a lot of trouble, not to mention the fact that we would feel horrible.”
    Alexis was heartbroken. They couldn’t be serious, could they? She loved snowboarding, but she had really come here to do this documentary. Where else could she find a place like this reserve? This was the only one of its kind in all of California. And this was the only spring break she would get. She wouldn’t have time to shoot the video after school started again next week.
    “But we’re not just anyone!” said Bailey. Alexis looked at her friend and smiled. She could tell that Bailey would not take no for an answer. “I mean, we helped you catch the baby mountain lions, right? And no one got hurt. We’re really smart, and we’re always careful! We’ve done all kinds of things that other kids haven’t, right, Lexi? Our club has solved all kinds of real mysteries, and if this isn’t a mystery, then I don’t know what is.”
    “What club is that?” Karen asked, sipping her coffee.
    “The Camp Club Girls,” Bailey explained. “We all met at Discovery Camp and solved a mystery there. Since then we’ve solved several mysteries together.”
    “Oh, so you all live in the Sacramento area?” Karen asked.
    “No,” Alexis said. “Only I live in California. The other girls live in different places in the United States—Montana; Washington, DC; Texas; Philadelphia—and Bailey here is from Peoria, Illinois.”
    Jake ran his thick hands through his hair and sighed.
    “Sorry, kids. First of all, this isn’t a mystery. It’s just a case of too many mistakes made by
me.”
    “That’s not fair, Jake,” said Karen. “We’ve been running things as usual. Name one mistake you have actually made.”
    Jake just stood, frowning.
    “That’s because you’re not making mistakes,” said Karen. “Ever since this started, we’ve been even more careful!”
    “But if it’s not a mistake, Karen, what is it?”
    “It’s a mystery,” said Mr. Howell. “It sounds like you
do
have a mystery on your hands.”
    Jake crossed his arms. “Prove it,” he said jokingly.
    “Okay,” said Alexis, jumping to the challenge. “First of all, how did those cubs get out this morning? Who opened the cage last?”
    “I did,” said Karen. “This morning when I fed them, I opened it to check on Tiny Tim. He’s the runt of the litter, and I had to make sure the others didn’t take his share.”
    “Okay, so can you