Extract from Chapter Three

The afternoon was rolling on into dusk and the children realized that they would have to pack up soon. Spence continued to relax in the water while Alex and Hayley began packing up their gear.

"Race you guys across the river before we leave," Spence challenged the girls right as they were getting ready to leave.

"You want to get beaten?" Hayley asked.

"Just want to prove I can swim faster than you."

"Oh yeah?" replied Hayley. "I can beat you anytime, anywhere!"

"I'm sitting this one out," replied Alex, lounging back on the grassy slope.

"You call it then Alex!" yelled Spence as he pulled himself out of the water and began stretching in preparation. Hayley stood confidently beside him as they waited for Alex's call.

"OK. Ready, set, GO!!"

The two jumped aggressively into the river and began fiercely cutting through the water as they made their way to the other side. The river was fairly wide; at least twenty meters in width. The two swam side by side, each one trying desperately to beat the other. As they neared the other side, it was Hayley who started to pull away, but only for a moment before Spence pushed his way through the water to beat Hayley by a second.

They pulled themselves out of the water and lay exhausted on the riverbank, Spence feeling triumphant at his victory.

"You can gloat all you want Spence," began Hayley as she recovered her breath, "but that's the last time you're ever going to beat me."

Spence just laughed at her response, knowing quite well what a sore loser she was. In fact, he could never remember a time when he had beaten her. So he was going to enjoy this moment for a little while longer.

As they sat up on the riverbank, they could see Alex waiting for them on the other side.

"I guess we should swim back," Spence began as he stood up. "Anyway, I don't like this side of the river. The bushes are so overgrown. Someone could easily hide in there and you wouldn't even know it."

"They could," stated Hayley as she looked behind her, "but you'd hear them, don't you think?"

"Yeah, probably," he replied.

"Probably?"

"Well, perhaps it's nothing, but I've kind of felt weird all day. Like someone's been watching us."

Hayley looked around to see if she could see anything in the bushes.

"It's probably just your imagination Spence. Like I said before, we would have heard them. Anyway, why would anyone be interested in us?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's swim back anyway. I'm getting the creeps sitting here, OK?"

"OK."

They jumped back into the water and swam casually back across the river. They reluctantly pulled themselves out of the water and finished helping Alex pack up the gear. They had been having such a good time that they didn't realize how late it was.

"I've got to get home," said Spence, looking at his watch as he picked up his bag. "My mom will kill me if I'm not home by six. Catch you guys tomorrow then?"

"Sure," the girls replied.

"11 o'clock at my place," reminded Hayley.

"OK. See you then."

The sun began to sink behind the mountaintops as the three silhouetted figures climbed up the riverbank and walked towards town. They were all exhausted from the day's activities, though excited at the same time at the thought of Monday.

Little did they realize that someone had been watching them all afternoon from across the river, listening carefully to all of their thoughts and plans. This figure was keen to learn that Hayley was Edward Preston's granddaughter and that the children were also interested in finding his diary. As the kids left, the figure climbed back up the hill and walked quickly toward a car that had been parked in a clearing out of sight. The figure was taking a great interest in Hayley and her friends, and he too would be back again on Monday morning.

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