California Schemin’ by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin

CULT CRASHERS

“A cult?” Bess repeated. “As in…brainwashing?”

“Think about it,” I said as we walked along the shore to our own beach. “Everyone we met at the retreat talks about Roland like he was their brilliant leader.”

“Mia and that guy Brad did seem pretty zombielike,” George agreed.

“And don’t most cults persuade followers to hand over their worldly possessions?” I pointed out.

“Mia’s bank account,” George remembered. “Roland could have convinced Mia to withdraw a huge chunk of money to hand over to him.””

But when I looked at Bess, she seemed unconvinced.

“I can’t believe stuff like that is happening next door,” she insisted. “The spa seems so classy and well run.”

“The spa could be a front for the cult and the perfect way to attract more followers, Bess,” I said.

“Now you’re giving me the creeps.” Bess frowned.

As we turned onto our beach I wondered about Mia. Why was she so over the moon about Roland? And what about Brad? What had made him so dehydrated—enough to end up in the hospital?

What I said next surprised even me.

“Bess, George,” I said. “I’m going back to Roland’s Renewal Retreat and Spa. I’m signing up for the full-week intensive.”

“What?” George asked, surprised.

“You mean you’re joining that cult?” Bess cried.

“I’m not joining anything,” I insisted. “I want to find out the truth about what’s really going on.”

George rolled her eyes to the sky. “Great,” she groaned. “We get a fabulous beach house for three weeks and you want to waste an entire week in that kooky place.”

“You don’t need a week to find out if and why they’re dumping their trash in the ocean, do you?” Bess asked.

“It’s not just about the trash anymore,” I said. “I want to see if I can help Mia. She acted so spacey. And the shouting we heard at the retreat was awful.”

“So you’re really going to do this?” George asked me. “What happened to taking a vacation from mysteries?”

“How can we relax knowing what might be going on right next door?” I asked.

“Okay, Nancy, but you’re not going to that place alone,” Bess said. “George and I are going there with you.”

“What?” George cried. “We can’t all leave Stacey’s house after she put us in charge.”

“George, you stay here. Bess and I will investigate. We might need you to look stuff up on the computer for us.”

“Until they turn you into Roland-worshipping zombies too,” George said. “What if that Inge doesn’t let you sign up? After seeing us snooping around, she might know you’re up to something.”

“Good point,” I admitted. “But we’ll worry about Inge when the time comes.”

“Maybe we should tell Mandy and Mallory we’re going over,” Bess suggested. “They might want to know we’re trying to help Mia.”

I shook my head. “If their producer Bev finds out, she’ll storm the place with the camera crew. Let’s wait before we say anything,” I said.

“So…when are you guys leaving?” George asked slowly.

“I think Bess and I should pack and go over there as soon as possible,” I explained.

While Bess and

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