Mystery of the Mountain Devil

By Lee Williamson

"Hiking is overrated!" 12-year-old Annie Rickert tells her father and stepmother when they take her to Yosemite National Park for vacation. But when Annie and 13-year-old Ryan McCusker discover secret photographs taken by an eco-terrorist who will stop at nothing to save Yosemite's cougars, or "mountain devils," hiking suddenly becomes a lot more interesting…and dangerous. While trying to stop a terrorist attack at the top of Vernal Fall, Annie and Ryan must deal with a pesky, younger brother, bears, mountain devils, mysterious park rangers and Ryan’s fear of heights. Along the way, the sleuths learn there are right and wrong ways to fight for the environment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lee Williamson
• Release date: Aug 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781501447600

Book preview

Chapter 1

Joe, be careful! Annie’s stepmother pleaded. Stay away from the edge!

Annie Conroy roused herself from a nap in the back seat and peered out the front window of their minivan. Through the pouring rain, she could see the narrow road winding like a black ribbon ahead of them. To Annie’s right, slabs of steel gray mountain rock went straight up. To her left, slabs of steel gray mountain rock went straight down.

Her father’s hands gripped the steering wheel. His teeth were clenched, and his eyes stared straight ahead.

Where are we? Annie asked.

Tioga Pass, her father answered grimly. I’ve got to find a place to pull over.

It was then that Annie noticed the wobbling at the rear of the car and heard the thump, thump, thump. Do we have a flat? she asked.

Claire, her stepmother, nodded.

Will Dad be able to fix it?

I hope so, Claire said, then yelled, Joe! Watch out for that car!

Annie’s dad swerved and braked just in time to avoid hitting a Jeep, which had passed them. Their minivan came to an abrupt stop on the narrow shoulder of the road. Well, this seems as good a place as any to change a tire, Dad said, putting on the emergency brake. Everybody out.

Annie slipped on her rain jacket, grabbed her backpack, and hopped out of the back seat. When she started toward the rear of the car to watch her father replace the flat tire, he stopped her.

Go wait with Claire over there, he said, gesturing farther down the road where the shoulder was a bit wider.

But I can help you, Annie protested.

No.

I can hold your umbrella.

No, and that’s final.

Annie knew when her dad said, That’s final, there was no point in arguing. She stamped her foot and joined Claire, who stood underneath an umbrella, biting her nails.

Where did Dad say we were again? asked Annie.

Tioga Pass, Claire replied. The road that takes us through the mountains into Yosemite National Park.

Annie rifled through her backpack and found the book her grandmother had given her about national parks. She quickly looked up Yosemite in California and found a paragraph on Tioga Pass.

We’re 9,945 feet high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Annie read.

Wonderful, Claire muttered.

From a safe distance, Annie watched her father fish around a compartment in the back of the minivan to retrieve the jack and tire iron. She looked up at the sky and saw the storm clouds growing darker. Headlights from cars cautiously moving in both directions on the road brightened and then dimmed in the heavy rain.

Dad hollered to Claire to find the flashlight in the car, but Annie beat her to it, producing one from underneath the back seat.

A car came slowly up behind them and stopped a few yards away. The driver put his blinkers on and left his window wipers running while he got out. He was wearing a hooded yellow poncho and carrying a flashlight bigger than Dad’s. The man’s glasses had fogged up in the rain. As he walked toward Annie, he gave her a reassuring smile, and Annie smiled back politely.

The man introduced himself and shook Dad’s hand. Annie heard the stranger say he was a park ranger on his way back to Yosemite. Claire crossed her hands over her chest. Thank heavens, she declared. Help has arrived!

Annie watched as the park ranger wiped his glasses on his pants leg, then set to work helping her father loosen the flat tire’s lug nuts. Carefully, the two men jacked up the car to remove the flat tire. By the time the car was back on the ground and Dad was tightening the lug nuts on the spare tire, he and the park ranger were behaving like old friends. Dad placed the flat tire in the back of the minivan and slammed the hood.

Then he made introductions. Claire, Annie, this is Ranger Rick Flounders.

Annie giggled. "Are you the Ranger Rick I read about in Ranger Rick Magazine when I was little?"  

Annie, her dad warned softly.

But Ranger Rick grinned good-naturedly. The very same! I get that a lot.

When he smiled this time, Annie noticed his crooked upper front teeth. Without thinking, she lightly touched her braces and felt grateful that her teeth would not look like that one day.

Ranger Rick gave a thumbs-up sign to Dad, nodded goodbye to Claire and Annie, and then walked back to his car. Dad climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Annie turned around to look at Ranger Rick as they pulled away. But he seemed not to notice. He was already staring at the road ahead of him.

Well, Dad said brightly. We’ve had our first adventure.

You mean, our first and last adventure, Annie muttered, settling back down to sleep.

Oh, come on, Claire said. Yosemite National Park will be great. We’re sleeping in a tent!

I’ve slept in tents before, said Annie.

We’ll be hiking! Claire added.

Hiking is overrated, Annie countered.

There’s a pool...

Annie could not resist. "A pool? Really? Oh boy! I’ve never been to a pool before!"

In the rearview mirror, Dad gave Annie his be-nice-to-your-stepmother glare.

Annie took a spiral-bound journal out of her backpack. Annie’s grandmother had given the journal to Annie so she could record all her experiences on the trip. She opened the journal and looked at her list of things to do as soon as her vacation with her dad and Claire was over:

After horrible trip...

Throw out dorky bathing suit

Buy really cool bathing suit

Shave legs, don’t tell Mom

Buy smart phone

Put drama camp pictures on Facebook

Suddenly, Claire was screaming again. Joe, watch out!

What the devil! Dad exclaimed, braking so hard Annie’s journal and backpack went flying off the seat.

The back of a small, blue car jutted off the shoulder of the road around the next bend. Despite the rain, steam was coming out from underneath the open front hood. A woman stood off to the side, frowning at the engine.

Annie’s dad pulled over as far as he could and got out. Against Claire’s protests, so did Annie. As her dad talked with the harried-looking woman, Annie looked inside the stranded vehicle. She saw a boy about her age trying to keep a younger boy occupied with a box of Legos.

Annie rapped on the window. Both boys looked up, and Annie could see they each had red hair and lots of freckles. The older boy was wearing ear buds attached to an iPod.

Annie gave a little wave. Broken down? she asked through the window.

What? the older boy mouthed silently through the glass.

Broken down? Annie said louder.

"What?" the boy said out loud, pointing to his ear buds.

Annie’s eyes narrowed. Meanwhile, the smaller boy leaned over his brother and pressed the button to open the automatic window. Our car overheated, he said excitedly.

Shut up, Colin, his older bother said, taking out his ear buds. We don’t know what’s wrong yet. This car is a piece of junk, and Mom was stupid to drive it over a mountain.

Maybe my dad can help, Annie said.

The older boy shrugged.

What’s your name? Colin asked Annie. She told him. Colin nodded, and then pointed a Lego spaceship at his brother. He’s Ryan. He’s turning 13 tomorrow. I’m over half his age.

Ryan rolled his eyes, but Annie thought she saw a slight smile tug at the corners of his lips.

So, Annie said slowly to Colin, that means you must be about seven?

Eight, Colin answered proudly. How old are you?

I turn 13 in August.

She’s almost the same age as you, Ry! Colin told his brother. Ryan responded by forming the letter L with his thumb and forefinger on his little brother’s forehead to symbolize the word loser.

Mom told you not to do that anymore, Colin snapped, and Ryan did it again, laughing. Colin furiously pushed his brother’s hand away.

Annie watched, fascinated. She was an only child, and she envied her friends who had brothers and sisters, even when they complained about having them.

Ryan noticed her staring. What are you looking at? he asked.

Nothing, said Annie. I’m wondering why you don’t get out of the car to help your mom, that’s all.

He’s scared of heights! Colin said.

"Shut up, Colin!" Ryan threatened.

Annie burst out laughing. Really? She jogged across the road to stand at the edge. You mean, this scares you?

Ryan wouldn’t look at her, but Annie’s father called sharply, Annie! Get back here now!

Annie joined her father who was suggesting to Ryan’s mother that she and her boys ride with them the rest of the way into the park, especially since they were also going to Curry Village. Annie couldn’t believe it.

The storm is getting worse, Dad was saying, and cell phones don’t work too well in the mountains. When we get to Curry Village, I’m sure the park office will recommend a place to call, so your car can be towed to a garage.

Reluctantly, Ryan’s mother agreed. She slammed down the hood of the car and told the boys to collect their suitcases from the trunk.

I’ll get yours, Ry! Colin announced.

Ryan’s freckled cheeks glowed red. I can get it! he growled.

Annie watched Ryan get out of the car on the shoulder side of the road. Without looking right or left, he quickly walked to the trunk, retrieved his duffle bag and practically sprinted to Annie’s car to throw it in the back. Then he scrambled into the middle seat next to Annie, who had already chosen to sit by the window. She could hear him breathing hard.

"Do you want the window