The Crossword Puzzle Mystery: Chapter 1

A not-so-great idea.

Sample from the audiobook for The Mysteries of Whisper Bay: The Crossword Puzzle Mystery. Find out more about this series of faith-fueled mystery and adventure for young readers at MysteriesOfWhisperbay.com

I looked over at Marta, my flashlight catching the sight of three wood ticks crawling up the short sleeve of her t-shirt. I had to concentrate hard to keep from screaming.

I did not like arachnids. I wasn’t squeamish around snakes or mice or other bugs, but arachnids were something else. I wondered how many ticks were on my own arms and legs. How many spiders were all around me, dropping slowly from the tree branches above into my hair?

I want out of here, I thought, pulling the hood on my sweatshirt up over my head. Maybe it was the bugs, maybe it was because of what we were there to do. I didn’t know. It was all I could do to keep from leaping to my feet and running away. Not that I could run fast enough to get the bugs off, of course, or even see the way through the trees in the dark.

Instead, we had to be absolutely still because in front of us, some serious crime was going down. It was crime we would never have been involved in if we hadn’t gone to vacation Bible school at church.