The Scrapyard Shakedown: Project Adventure, #4

By David Konrad

Kalea's dad runs the local scrapyard at the edge of town. She loves spending time there, but recently she's seen some shadowy figures lurking around. The strange activities make Kalea feel uneasy. Finding out about the Project Adventure kid-detective agency from Lisa, she wants their help to figure out what's going on. 

 

Ethan, Matt and Lisa meet Kalea at the cool scrapyard. It quickly becomes clear to them why she's suspicious and they come up with a master plan. Lisa connects the shady persons at the scrapyard with the problems at the nearby Bird Sanctuary. But their ambitious plan of action puts them in grave danger, as they face freezing winter weather and sinister villains.

 

Will they find out what's happening at the scrapyard and save Kalea's dad? Can they outsmart the dangerous villains? Will they escape the life-threatening situations they find themselves in? And will Kalea want to be friends with Ethan even after the adventure is over?
   
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Miran Kocmur
• Release date: Feb 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9783949099021

David Konrad

David Konrad is an adventurous dad who shares his love of storytelling not only with his twins, but with young readers around the world. He is the author of the Project Adventure Children’s Book Series. These action-packed, fun-filled mysteries feature characters that young readers root for again and again.  His desire to make a difference in the lives of children is reflected in his writing. With his own children in mind, David set out on his own adventure as an author. While moving to different European locations and raising his young family, he found inspiration to write. When not writing or reading, David enjoys cooking and playing basketball with his kids. 

Book preview

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Copyright © David Konrad 2021

Cover illustration copyright © Dion MBD 2021

Edited by Anna Bowles and Judi Weiss

This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

First published 2021

This edition published 2021

The moral rights of the author and artist have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,without the prior written permission of the author,or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriatereprographics rights organization. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

You must not circulate this book in any other binding or coverand you must impose this same condition on any acquirer.

Names: Konrad, David, author.

Title: The Scrapyard Shakedown / by David Konrad.

Description: First Edition. | Munich, Germany : Kocmur Publishing, 2021.

Summary: When strange activity at her father's scrapyard make a young teen uneasy, she commissions a kid-detective agency who risk freezing weather and their lives to outsmart dangerous villains..

Subjects: CYAC: Fiction. | LCSH: Juvenile literature--General. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / General. | JUVENILE FICTION / General.

Paperback ISBN: 978-3-949099-03-8

e-Book ISBN: 978-3-949099-02-1

LCCN: 2021920046

Cover, interior design & map illustration by Sarah Darby

www.studiolo.co.uk

For my dad, the guy who taught me all about adventures

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CONTENTS

Map

Prologue

1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29

Acknowledgements

About the Author

SS_ScrapyardMap.pdf

PROLOGUE

Never leave ’til tomorrow that which you can do today was the thought running through Lisa Moser’s head as she made her way down the frozen dirt road toward the snow-covered wooden cabin. Lisa liked to think that she lived by that famous adage, which was the reason why she was at the nature park not far from her hometown in this weather, looking for the park ranger.

It wasn’t snowing anymore, but as the short day came to its end, it had gotten much colder, and the temperature had dropped way below the freezing point.

She knocked on the cabin’s massive wooden door and waited for a reply.

Yeah? a deep, brisk male voice called from inside.

Lisa took that as an invitation, stomped the snow off her boots, opened the door and walked right in. The cabin was basically a small office, with a reception desk and a few tiny rooms behind it. Off to the side, there was a fireplace, and Lisa marched immediately over to warm up next to its roaring, welcoming heat.

Hi, Lisa, I wasn’t expecting to see you in this weather! What’s the occasion? the ranger called from behind the reception desk. He was big and strong, and a thick, black beard covered most of his friendly looking face. He was smiling patiently, waiting for Lisa to warm up a little.

Lisa knew him well. The Nature Park and Bird Sanctuary was just outside her hometown, and the park had collaborated with her mom’s zoo on many occasions. The two facilities supported each other as often as they could, and Lisa considered the ranger a good friend.

She rubbed her hands together over the open fire one more time and then turned to talk to him.

Hi, Peter, how are you? she said. How are things going around here?

Well, you know—same old, same old, he replied, and sighed, his smile giving way to a worried frown. Unfortunately, not that great. The bird numbers are still dropping, and we see fewer and fewer newborn chicks every month.

Lisa knew right away what Peter was talking about—there had been a steady decline in the bird population over the last few months, and nobody knew what the reason was. But after a few recent discoveries, Lisa had some theories about what was going on, and she was there to test them out.

I thought so, she told him. That’s why I’m here, actually, to take some water samples and run tests in our laboratory at the zoo. I think there might be a problem with the water here. Lisa didn’t want to say more, as she needed some evidence before accusing anybody, or even revealing the details of her theories.

Sure, no problem. What can I do for you? Peter asked.

Nothing, really, she said. I just stopped by to say hi and let you know I’m here. And to warm up a little. I’ll get the samples from the river and the swamp, and then head back to the zoo before I turn into a Popsicle!

The ranger chuckled. Yeah, it’s really cold out there. I guess that’s why Daniel made me work this weekend—he hates the cold! Okay, take care now. Let me know if you need anything!

Lisa chuckled back, thinking about Daniel, the head ranger at the nature reserve. He ran everything around there, so she guessed it was okay to sometimes give yourself a weekend off, especially when the weather was so harsh.

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She adjusted the backpack on her shoulders, put her gloves back on, and stepped outside into the biting cold. Lisa knew her way around the park very well, so she didn’t expect to spend a lot of time collecting the samples. Ten minutes after she’d left the rangers’ cabin, she was already headed back toward the exit and the bus stop on the main road. Lisa used one of the many narrow paths through the woods that crisscrossed the park as a shortcut, hearing nothing but her boots squeaking on the snow.

She was lost in her thoughts, marching down the path, when a shadow leapt from behind a tree just beside her. A strong arm wrapped around her arms and body, and a hand covered her mouth. Lisa tried to scream and kick, but the shadow person just lifted her above the ground, so she was kicking nothing but air. She tried to scream louder, but the hand on her mouth pressed even harder. It was holding a rag of some sort.

Lisa tried to breathe in, and then she realized something horrifying—the rag smelled like a chemical she remembered from the veterinarian’s office. It was a solution they used to put the animals to sleep before they could safely operate on them. It was powerful and fast-acting, and Lisa knew she wouldn’t be able to fight this for much longer. As the world turned darker and darker around her, she couldn’t feel the cold anymore, and her body felt light and rubbery. Then everything went pitch-black, as she passed out.

1

TWO DAYS EARLIER

Matt and I finished basketball practice, changed our clothes, and headed straight for the local community college. It was just a few blocks from the gym. We were going to meet up with Lisa there, and go for some hot chocolate. It was getting chillier outside, and the weather was changing. The cold wind howled down the streets and over the playgrounds, and the skies had turned grey with heavy clouds. The weatherman on TV said it would start snowing that evening, and it looked like he’d be right, for a change.

Why are we going there to meet her in the first place? I asked as the wind flapped my hood