The Hampton House Mystery by Ellen Alexander

Author:Ellen Alexander
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery, teen mysteries, teen fiction, YA fiction, friendship, stories for girls, contemporary teen fiction
Publisher: BHC Press
Published: 2023-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Emma watched in horror as her pursuer came to a stop directly beneath the tree in which she was hiding. He continued to sweep his flashlight around, obviously confused by the sudden disappearance of her light. If he looked up now, he’d see her for sure.

The rain was still coming down, but not as hard as in those first moments back at the twin trees. Emma could see the top of his head clearly. There was no doubt about it; the curly brown hair gave him away. This was the man she’d seen standing behind Sandy. He wasn’t holding the gun anymore. He probably had it tucked safely away, out of the rain. Emma was certain it would reappear once he located his quarry. Emma held her breath, hoping that wouldn’t be anytime soon. Several agonizing seconds ticked by, and then to Emma’s great relief, the man moved off.

Emma stayed up in the tree long after the man’s light had disappeared. She wanted to make sure he was far away before she climbed down. Gradually, she became aware that she was shivering—not surprising since she was soaking wet and cold. Although she didn’t realize it at the time, she was also recovering from the shock of nearly being captured. Before beginning her descent, Emma scanned the woods around her one last time. All was dark and quiet except for the patter of rain and the occasional flash of lightning in the distance. Reassured that she was safe for the moment, Emma started down. Now that she had time to think about the recent events, Emma found herself wondering what could possibly be in the little metal box that was worth killing someone for. The obvious answer was money, but the box was too small to hold an amount worth stealing. Gold coins were out too. The box hadn’t rattled when Doug had picked it up and it hadn’t appeared to be the least bit heavy. Maybe the box contained priceless jewelry of some sort—possibly diamonds or gemstones. Emma shook her head at the endless possibilities.

As she stood there with her teeth chattering, Emma took stock of her situation. She was alone in the woods, alive and safe for the moment. What should she do now? Were Martha, Sebastian, Doug, and Sandy okay? She needed to find them, but how was she going to do that when she didn’t even know where she was? Emma wanted to cry in frustration but knew that wouldn’t get her anywhere. Instead, she took a deep breath and set out, moving in a direction opposite to that of the curly-haired man. Although she hated to do it, she had to turn her flashlight on. There were too many logs, shrubs, and vines in the woods to trip over, and the last thing Emma needed right now was a sprained ankle.

As Emma walked along, she kept a watchful eye out for anything that might seem familiar. Thirty minutes later, she finally admitted to herself that she was well and truly lost.

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