6 Maple Leaf Hunter by Maddie Cochere Read Free Book Online Page A

be so sharp when I asked, “You didn’t tell him, did you?”
    He looked at me with disdain and said, “Of course not. I’m not an idiot. I told him I wasn’t staying anywhere, and we were leaving soon. He seemed like a good guy. What’s your problem?”
    “Do you think this was the same guy who tried to get into the RV last night?” I asked.
    He shook his head. “No, that guy was older and kind of fat. I think he was just lost.”
    In my heart, I knew this wasn’t a chance encounter. Neither was the rock-hunter man yesterday and probably the door-knocker last night.
    It had been nearly twenty-four hours since we crossed the bridge into Canada. We were in tourist mode and had been running non-stop from one attraction to another. Mick, Darby, and Nate were below Table Rock taking the Behind the Falls Adventure. I had my fill of raincoats and getting wet, so I decided to wait above with Alex while he took pictures.
    I had just come out of the restroom when I saw the man. Why did the two construction workers sit next to Samantha and me at the mall in the first place? And why was one of them here now asking where we were staying? I couldn’t help thinking it had something to do with the man who had run into me. Or worse, the theft at the Pirata Exhibit.
    It was beyond unsettling.
    Last night, we followed an early dinner together with an evening of fun on Clifton Hill. Darby wanted to ride the giant Ferris wheel, and Alex wanted to go into the wax museum. Nate talked everyone into Ripley’s Believe It or Not, while Mick had the final pick of the evening with dinosaur miniature golf. We had a great time together. Even Alex managed to be pleasant, and he appeared to enjoy the evening more than I thought he would.
    We dropped Alex off at the RV around eleven o’clock, and the four of us headed to the casino. It was over breakfast when Alex told us someone had tried the door handle of the RV around one in the morning.
    “Did you open the door?” Mick asked.
    Alex shook his head no. “I knew it wouldn’t be Nate and Darby, because they had a key. I looked out the window and saw the man walking away.” He looked over at Nate and asked, “Did you guys see him? You came in a minute later, so he was probably out there when Dad dropped you off.”
    Nate shook his head and said, “There were a few people milling around, but we didn’t see anyone near our spot. He was probably drunk and couldn’t find his own RV.”
    Everyone agreed, but I kept my disagreeing thoughts to myself. And now, the man talking with Alex a few minutes ago only served to reinforce my suspicions.
    Alex looked over my shoulder and smiled. I turned around to see Mick, Darby, and Nate coming out of the building from their latest adventure. They were wet around the edges.
    When he saw we were looking, Nate leaped into the air and kicked his heels together. “I love this place!” he shouted.
    Everyone in the immediate vicinity smiled. Some people laughed. I think Alex laughed the hardest.
    “I got a picture of that,” he said.
    “I hope so,” Nate told him. “I can’t believe we were behind the Falls. It was awesome.” He turned to Darby. “Let’s go buy some more souvenirs, and I want to send a postcard to Aunt Sony and Uncle Alfred.”
    Mick came over to slip his arm around me. “We’re going to head out soon,” he said. “Is there anything else you want to do before we go?”
    I shook my head. “Not really,” I said. “I’d just like to stand at the edge again for a few minutes.”
    “Alex,” Mick called over to him. “Take a few pictures of Susan and me.”
    We stepped up to the railing at the corner of the Horseshoe Falls and turned to face Alex. He snapped several pictures before turning to walk farther down the plaza to take some final shots of the view.
    Half an hour later, Darby and Nate were back with several bags of items emblazoned with Niagara Falls.
    Nate cupped his hands and yelled, “Alex!”
    I don’t know if he