The Mystery at Rattlesnake Ridge

REAL KIDS • REAL PLACES z v t

The

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WIL DL I FE M Y S T E R I E S u o b 1 Rattlin’ Mystery AT Rattler!

1 Rattler Round-up!

1 Rattler Rodeo!

1 Rat???

And 1...

Ooooh, What is that Sound?!

C A R O L E

M A R S H

The Mystery At

by Carole Marsh

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Published by Gallopade International/Carole Marsh Books.

Printed in the United States of America.

First Edition ©2014 Carole Marsh/Gallopade International/Peachtree City, GA Current Edition ©2014 Ebook edition ©2014 All rights reserved.

Manufactured in Peachtree City, GA Managing Editor: Janice Baker Assistant Editor: Susan Walworth Cover and Content Design: John Hanson

Gallopade is proud to be a member and supporter of these educational organizations and associations: American Booksellers Association American Library Association International Reading Association National Association for Gifted Children The National School Supply and Equipment Association Museum Store Association Association of Partners for Public Lands Association of Booksellers for Children This book is a complete work of fiction. All events are fictionalized, and although the names of real people are used, their characterization in this book is fiction. All attractions, product names, or other works mentioned in this book are trademarks of their respective owners and the names and images used in this book are strictly for editorial purposes; no commercial claims to their use is claimed by the author or publisher.

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrightable materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

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Once upon a time ...

Hmm, kids keep asking me to write a mystery book.

What shall I do?

Papa said ...

Why don’t you set the stories in real locations?

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That’s a great idea!

And if I do that, I might as well choose real kids as characters in the stories!

But which kids would I pick?

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You sure are characters, that’s all I’ve got to say!

Yes, you are! And, of course, I choose you! But what should I write about?

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We can go on the Mystery Girl airplane ...

Or aboard the Mimi!

Or by surfboard, rickshaw, motorbike, camel ...!

I can put a lot of

legend, lore, and

in

the books! It will be educational and fun!

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Kids and teachers can get cool stuff online!

What else can we do, Mimi?

Can we have a Fan Club with photographs and videos?

Of course!

And can we have a contest and trivia and games?

Of course!

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The Mystery Girl is all rev ved up—let’s go!

You mean now?

LET’S GO!

nd so, join Mimi, Papa, Christina, Grant, Avery, Ella, Evan, and Sadie aboard the Mystery Girl—where the adventure is real and so are the characters!

START YOUR ADVENTURE TODAY! R EAD K! THE BOO

GO ON LINE !

MEET THE CHARACTERS!

TR A CK YOU R ADVE NTU R ES!

www.carolemarshmysteries.com 10

A Note from the Author

A Snake in the Grass I know snakes can be cool, but my goal in life is to stay as far away from them as possible! I understand that snakes play an important role in nature, but so do bunny rabbits, which I prefer by far!

However, when Papa and I lived on White Oak Mountain in southwestern North Carolina, near the South Carolina border, we were enjoying a quiet Saturday morning in our log cabin. Our peace and quiet was suddenly interrupted by a phone call. It was our neighbor down the mountain. “THERE’S A RATTLESNAKE IN MY YARD!” she screamed into my ear. “I think you want Papa!” I said.

Papa took the phone, listened, nodded, hung up, hurried to the closet, and got out his shotgun! He headed down the mountain...and me? I locked the door behind him!

Later, Papa returned with a big smile on his face. “That was the biggest rattlesnake I ever saw!” he said. “Did you shoot it?” I asked. Neither of us like to see wildlife killed in their natural habitat, but I wondered if our neighbor had been in danger. “Oh, I tried,” Papa said, “but, uh, I think the shuffle of my feet in the leaves warned him and he slithered off down the mountain to live and scare someone else another day!”

So here’s your chance to super-size your knowledge of those slithery, spooky, and always secretive creatures known as rattlesnakes…and enjoy a super-intriguing mystery at the same time!

– Carole Marsh 11

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1 S-O-S “I feel like I’ve stepped into a painting!”

Avery cried.

“It’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen!” her younger sister Ella agreed, admiring the shades of salmon and blush pink in the late afternoon sky, and the bluebonnets that carpeted the landscape as far as she could see.

Moved by the brisk March wind, the bluebonnets bobbed their fancy heads like ladies in a fashion show. “No wonder this is the state flower of Texas,” Avery said, stretching her arms and spreading her fingers for the wind to flow through them.

Ella carefully composed a picture in her camera’s viewfinder. “It feels awesome to get

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fresh air after being cooped up in the Mystery Girl for hours,” she said, snapping the photo.

Avery, Ella, and their younger brother Evan were excited when Mimi and Papa invited them on a spring break trip to a cattle ranch near Sweetwater, Texas. As soon as Papa’s little red plane landed, they bolted for the open spaces like rodeo bulls out of a chute. The trip from their grandparents’ hometown of Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina, to “deep in the heart of Texas” took what felt like an eternity to three impatient kids.

The ranch owners, Gertie and Lilman Scott, had met Mimi and Papa a few years earlier after the Mystery Girl made an emergency landing on the airstrip behind their ranch house. In the days it took for the plane to be repaired, the four had formed solid friendships. When the Scotts invited them to bring their grandkids for a visit, Mimi eagerly agreed.

Mimi, a famous children’s mystery writer, was always eager to introduce her grandkids to new sights and sounds. “Every trip is educational,” she always said. Avery 14

also knew her grandmother’s head was like a blond sponge soaking up every experience for use in some future story or book. “I collect memories to weave into stories the way some grandmothers collect yarn to crochet colorful blankets,” Mimi once told her.

Avery smiled as she remembered the discussion they’d had a few days before the trip.

“You’ve never seen wide open spaces like they have in Texas!” Mimi said as she flipped through her “T” encyclopedia to find pictures.

“Oh, Mimi!” Avery said, rolling her blue eyes and turning on her iPad. “No one uses encyclopedias anymore! Our teacher said we have to be comfortable using technology to live in the 21st century.”

“Yep,” Ella chimed in. “But all of STEM is important!”

“STEM?” Papa asked.

“It stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math,” Ella explained.

“Those are the things we can use to solve the world’s problems.”

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“Hmmm…” Papa said. “When I was a tadpole like you, we studied RRR.” “That sounds more like a growl than something you study!” Evan said, raising his hands to scratch the air like a snarling animal.

“It stands for Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic,” Papa said.

“I guess that didn’t include spelling,” Ella muttered. “Only one of those things starts with ‘r.’”

“We study the three ‘R’s’ too,” Evan said. “Only it stands for Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Those are things we have to do to keep the Earth healthy.”

In a flash, Avery found scads of information on the largest state in the lower 48 states. “Until the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, Texas was the largest state,” she read. “Wow! It’s 268,820 square miles!”

“Well, how many round miles is it?”

Evan asked.

Avery looked at her little brother. “You can go on a round trip, Evan, but there’s no such thing as round miles,” she said. “You 16

have to multiply the length times the width of something to find its area. The answer is always in square units—in this case, the units are miles.”

“Avery!” Ella called, bringing her sister back to the present. “Look at this!” Ella was lying on her belly studying a buzzing bee hovering over a bluebonnet. “Each flower is actually a lot of tiny blooms growing on a central stalk.”

“If that bee stings your nose, you’re gonna look like an anteater,” Avery teased.

“It’s weird,” Ella said, lost in her flower observation. “The bee is only visiting the blooms that have white in the center, and ignoring these at the bottom with purple in the center.”

Avery was proud she had brought her iPad on the trip and had read about all things Texas during the flight, including bluebonnets.

“That’s one of the plant’s adaptations that help it survive,” Avery explained. “The white spots are only on blooms that have recently opened. They have the freshest and best pollen on them. The white spots turn 17

purple as the blooms get old and their pollen is no longer good and fresh. Since the bees are only attracted to the white spots, they don’t waste their time collecting the bad pollen on the purple blooms. It helps the bees get plenty of good pollen to take back to their hives. It also helps the bluebonnets because they get pollinated by only the best pollen and can make lots of good bluebonnet seeds.”

“That’s cool!” Ella said, impressed with her sister’s knowledge. “You’re like a bluebonnet encyclopedia. Hey, Evan! Come and watch this busy bee!” Ella glanced around and suddenly realized her little brother was nowhere in sight. “Avery, where’s Evan?” she asked.

“He’s probably found an interesting rock that captured his attention,” Avery replied.

Ella nodded. “Leave it to Evan to ignore all these beautiful wildflowers to look at a rock.”

The girls jogged back to the top of the small ridge they’d crossed. Their long blond hair blew in the stiff breeze. “Wow!” Avery said, when she realized how far they’d come.

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Her perspective made the ranch house look small enough to fit on a Monopoly board.

“Yep, there he is, staring at a rock,” Ella said, spotting her brother standing with his back toward them like he’d been tapped in a game of freeze tag.

“Evan, we better head back,” Avery called. Evan didn’t move. “Let’s go, Evan!” she called again. Evan continued to stand still as a statue. “It’s not funny, Evan! I know you’re playing the stubborn game, but we really should get back to the ranch house before it gets dark!” Frustrated, Avery yelled, “OK! Stand there all night if you want. You can play chase with the coyotes!”

When Avery and Ella headed down the ridge, a sound made them stop. “Whee, Whee, Whee…WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE, WHEEEEEEEEEE...

Whee, Whee, Whee.”

“Is he whistling?” Avery asked.

“I think so,” Ella said. “It sounds like that annoying thing he learned at camp last summer. Remember, he kept practicing until he almost drove us crazy.”

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Avery eyes grew wide. “You mean the SOS signal?”

“Yes, that,” Ella said. “I can’t remember what those letters stand for, but I think it means ‘Help!’”

“Wait! He really might be in trouble,” Avery said, trotting back up the ridge.

Seeing Evan’s face confirmed Avery’s fear. He was as pale as a bowl of Mimi’s grits and his bright blue eyes were as big as jawbreakers. As the girls got closer, they heard another sound that stopped them, puzzled, in their tracks. It was a steady s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s— like water spraying full blast, or the buzzing of a kid’s wind-up toy. Cautiously moving only a finger, Evan pointed at the ground.

Avery and Ella gasped and stifled their screams with their hands!

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2 Rattlin’ Rattler “B-b-b-back up s-s-s-slowly!” Avery whispered in terror to her sister when she saw the rattling rattlesnake coiled near Evan’s feet. She gingerly picked up her foot to take a step back. Ella followed, moving like someone in a bad dream.

Shades of gray, brown, and black formed diamonds along the fearsome reptile’s scaly back that morphed into a zebra pattern above its vibrating rattles. It was curled into a tight beehive shape with its head sticking out as tall as Evan’s knee. Its long black tongue flashed in and out, tasting the air. The rattles, moving fast enough to create the steady, sinister buzzing sound, said, “Don’t mess with me, I mean business!”

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Evan remained frozen in place. “You’re doing the right thing, Evan,” Avery whispered encouragingly to her little brother, knowing that the venom of a rattlesnake could be deadly. “Don’t move a muscle or it might strike at you.”

As soon as she had backed a safe distance away, Avery scoured the ground for something to use as a weapon. The beautiful bluebonnets continued to nod cheerfully, but offered no help. “I need a stick!” Avery said in a panicked voice. “A long stick!”

“There’s a tree over there,” Ella said.

“I’ll see if I can find a limb or something!”

“Move slowly until you get a little ways off,” Avery warned. “The snake might feel the vibrations from your feet and strike at Evan.”

After Ella edged away carefully, she turned and darted toward the tree.

“It’s OK. Everything’s gonna be OK.” Avery spoke soothingly to her brother, hoping the snake might calm down too. Evan looked as though he might faint and hit the ground at any minute.

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Suddenly, Avery remembered the cell phone in her pocket and quickly touched Papa’s speed-dial number. The shrill ringtone sounded as urgent as her panic, but Papa didn’t answer. Avery knew he had probably left it inside the Mystery Girl after they landed.

Avery glanced over her shoulder and saw Ella running back toward her with a short board in her arms. As she got closer she slowed to a tiptoe. “Will this do?” she whispered.

“We don’t have much of a choice,” Avery whispered back, taking the plank from her sister while shuddering at the thought of whacking the rattling snake with it.

Evan looked pleadingly at Avery. She slowly raised the board above her head and told her brother, “When I count to three, you jump back!”

Evan nodded his trembling head.

“One…two…”

“WHOA!” Before Avery could say “three,” the thunder of a horse’s hooves rumbled to a stop.

In a blur of motion, a cowboy jumped from a 23

tall, reddish-brown horse. From a loop on his saddle, he pulled out a wood pole with a metal hook at the end and motioned for the girls to back away. He slipped behind the snake and placed the hook over its middle. The snake struck at the pole as fast and furious as lightning strikes, but the cowboy slowly pulled the snake until it was no longer coiled.

With the snake stretched on the ground, Evan leaped like a man on fire to join his sisters.

The cowboy gingerly picked up the snake with the hook, carried it several yards away, and placed it beside a jagged boulder.

“This’ll be a great place for you to get a good night’s sleep, old fella,” he said. “Maybe tomorrow you’ll wake up in a better mood!”

The three kids stared at their rescuer.

Their mouths hung open in amazement. He spoke to the same snake that had terrified them as if they were old friends!

When the cowboy saw their expressions, he smiled broadly. “I see you met old crotalus atrox,” he said. “That’s the scientific name for the Western diamondback rattlesnake.

Good thing I saw you kids up here. And, it’s a 24

good thing it’s a cool afternoon. Cold-blooded creatures like rattlesnakes don’t move very fast when it’s cool.”

“Just like in the movies!” Ella exclaimed, still amazed at the cowboy’s sudden appearance. “The cavalry showed up just in time!”

“I’m afraid I’m not much of a cavalry,” he said. “My name’s Pete.” He pointed to his horse that was nervously pawing the ground.

“That’s my horse Repeat. He’s afraid of snakes too!”

“Why didn’t you kill the snake?” Evan asked. “That way it couldn’t hurt anyone!”

“That’s true,” Pete said. “Most people in these parts think the only good snake is a dead snake. But if I killed that snake, he couldn’t do his job in the ecosystem. Besides, he wasn’t out looking for kids to attack. He was minding his own business until you came stomping around in his backyard.”

“Oh, great!” Evan said sarcastically while looking around his feet. “I might walk through another grumpy snake’s backyard on the way back to the ranch house!”

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“Well,” Pete drawled, walking back to his horse. “That’s always a possibility.

This species’ habitat includes most of the Southwest. Just watch where you put your feet. Also, try to make some noise when you’re walking through brush so the snakes will hear you and get out of your way. They’re just as scared of you as you are of them and they’d much rather slip away than confront you. But always be careful. Diamondbacks can be deadly!”

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Rattlesnakes shake their tails when they feel threatened.

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3 Ominous Warning Pete put his foot in the stirrup and swung his leg over his saddle. He tipped his black cowboy hat. “See you around!” he said, galloping toward the sunset.

“See!” Ella said. “A cowboy riding off into the sunset—just like the movies!”

Avery wondered how Pete appeared out of nowhere to come to their aid, and now she wondered where he was headed.

“There’s something very mysterious about him,” she said.

When Avery realized she was still holding her snake-whacking plank, she started to toss it on the ground, but stopped. “Maybe we should carry this back to the ranch house just in case we meet another snake,” she

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suggested, looking at the board. “Hey! What’s this?” she asked. A printed red label that said “Extreme Danger” was attached to one of its rough, splintery sides. “What a strange warning to be lying in the middle of nowhere.”

“I didn’t notice that,” Ella said. “I just saw a bunch of boards lying on the ground and picked up one of them.”

“Was it under the tree?” Avery asked.

“No,” Ella said. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Evan started clapping his hands and stomping his feet. “Make lots of noise so the snakes will hear us coming!” he cautioned.

A short distance away, they spotted several more boards as well as the bottom of a wooden crate.

“Maybe it was a crate of dynamite!”

Evan suggested. “Bandits probably used it to blow up the safe from a train!”

“You two have been watching too many old Westerns with Papa!” Avery said.

“What’s this thing?” Ella asked when she spied a group of bright yellow poles lying in the bluebonnets.

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“It looks like one of those tripods a civil engineer uses,” Avery said, standing the contraption up on its three spindly legs. “My friend’s dad is a civil engineer and I’ve seen a couple of these things in their garage.”

“What’s a civil engineer?” Ella asked.

“They design roads and bridges and the foundations for buildings—stuff like that,” Avery explained. “This one must have left in an awfully big hurry to leave his tripod on the ground like that.”

Evan poked through the boards and crate, still hoping to find some dynamite. He flipped over a board with his foot. “W-w-we b-b-better g-g-get outta here!” he stuttered.

“Is it another snake?” Avery asked, terrified that her brother had managed to rustle up another rattler.

“No,” Evan answered, “but it could be just as d-d-deadly!”

Avery walked over to investigate and quickly saw what had Evan quaking in his boots. A note was painted across a board in an ominous scrawl:

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lue your a v u o y If away y a t s , e f li R. from R.

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4

u t s q

p o n l

Snakes...

snakes...

j g f

D v

Avery, Ella, and Evan love wildlife...but some wildlife is just wilder than others! In this exciting mystery, these real kids, and new friends, encounter a whole lotta shakin’ going on in rattlesnake country!

But when that shakin’ is coming from an about-to-strike rattlesnake—Y-Y-Yikes! Before they know it, the kids are mixed up in an adventurous mystery where clues require them to use their best science, technology, engineering, and math skills to find the answers! Can they solve the mystery before the rattlesnake strikes?! includes facts & activities!

WORDS TO KNOW

and more s

nakes!

RL 3-5

Ages 7-14

$7.99 US

ISBN: 978-0-635-11188-3 50799

9 780635 111883

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10430 11049

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www.carolemarshmysteries.com www.gallopade.com