Read Online McKenzie’s Branson Brainteaser by Shari Barr - Free Book Online Page A

telling Shara about the letter, McKenzie hung up.
    â€œGreat,” she muttered, stuffing her phone back in her pocket.
    â€œWhat’s the matter?” Sydney asked with concern.
    â€œShara traded schedules with another girl. So if Mr. Ford does go looking for her, he’ll find someone else in the southern belle dress.” McKenzie sighed with disappointment.
    â€œCan’t Shara call the girl and tell her that her Uncle Reggie may come around asking about her?” Sydney waved to a little girl standing by the street staring at the Duck as it sped by.
    McKenzie shook her head. “Shara said she can’t get in touch with the other girl, because the girls can’t carry a cell phone while they’re out in their hoop skirts. The girl is already on the job parading around downtown Branson. And she also said that if Mr. Ford does come looking for a girl wearing a southern belle dress, he won’t approach her after he gets a good look at her. The girl filling in for Shara looks nothing at all like her. She is Asian.”
    Sydney’s face fell. “That’s not fair. Shara just has to find her uncle.”
    McKenzie was silent for a few minutes.
I really messed things up
, she thought. Then she had an idea. “Maybe we could hang out at the post office for a while. He has to get his mail sometime.”
    â€œIt’s worth a try,” Sydney agreed. “Maybe we’ll have a few hours when we’re done here, before we all go to work.”
    After the Duck pulled in to Duck Central, Miss Val said she had errands to run. She agreed to let the girls hang out at the post office while she went about her business.
    â€œHow will we know Reggie Ford even if he does come in?” Sydney asked as the girls settled onto a bench outside the post office.
    â€œI caught a glimpse of his face the other day at Silver Dollar City. I think I would recognize him,” McKenzie said, trying to think back. “I know he had a beard. He wasn’t real tall and was kind of skinny.”
    While they watched and waited, the girls discussed their next steps to look for Mr. Ford. McKenzie kept her gaze on the front door, watching for a man who resembled him.
    People of all ages walked by them and through the doors. Yet no one looked like the man she had seen the other day. When Miss Val returned, the girls climbed into the backseat.
    â€œThat was useless,” McKenzie said, disappointed. She stared out the window.
Thousands of people are in Branson. I guess there’s no way he’s going to walk into the post office in front of us
.
    â€œDon’t give up, girls,” Miss Val said encouragingly. “Not yet, anyway. You’ve found signs that he may be in Branson. You may be onto something.”
    McKenzie leaned her head back, lost in thought.
I know Miss Val’s right. We’ve found all these little clues about Mr. Ford, but it’s so discouraging. We
just
have to find him
.
    After pulling into the driveway in front of Miss Val’s house, the girls climbed out of the car. Miss Val hurried inside while the girls walked leisurely to the front porch.
    â€œI think I’ll go look at my pictures on the computer,” Sydney said, taking her camera from around her neck.
    â€œGo ahead,” McKenzie said. “I’m going to get the mail for Miss Val. Then I’ll be in.”
    McKenzie turned and headed back down the gravel lane. She swatted a mosquito on her arm and reached into the mailbox. She pulled out a newspaper with a stack of letters inside.
Maybe I have a letter from Mom and Dad
, she thought, thumbing through the envelopes.
    At the bottom of a stack of bills, a letter caught her eye. Her name was printed across the front in black ink. She didn’t recognize the handwriting but quickly ripped it open. She pulled out a single sheet of tablet paper.
    McKenzie gasped as she read the words scrawled across the top:
Leave Reggie Ford alone!