Bailey and the Santa Fe Secret by Linda McQuinn Carlblom Page B

open space is so much bluer than in Peoria,” Bailey said.
    “I know what you mean.” Elizabeth pointed up. “Look at that cloud. It looks like the breeze is just carrying it along, not a care in the world.”
    “It’s a gorgeous day!” Bailey loved the feeling of the warm sun on her skin. She was glad they’d remembered to put on sunscreen.
    “Look! A roadrunner!” Elizabeth said. The leggy bird darted this way and that before disappearing behind a rock formation. A hummingbird with its iridescent green head zipped around in the distance.
    “It’s a regular wildlife preserve around here!” Bailey joked.
    “Well, hopefully we won’t see any wildlife we
don’t
want to see, like coyotes or javelina.”
    “Or snakes!” Bailey added cheerfully. “Hey, we haven’t told the other Camp Club Girls about finding the deed yet!”
    “Oh, yeah.” Elizabeth snatched her phone from her pocket. “I’ll call them right now.” Once she had them all conferenced, she hit speakerphone so Bailey could hear, too.
    “Okay,” Elizabeth began. “We have some big news to report.”
    “Let’s hear it!” McKenzie said.
    “Remember we told you we were going to try to piece the broken pot back together?” Bailey asked.
    “Yeah …,” Sydney replied.
    “We started on it, but had a minor distraction.” Bailey winked at Elizabeth.
    “Did we ever! Bailey found a hidden compartment in the piece that had the sunset painted on it.”
    “A hidden compartment?” Kate whooped. “You’ve got to be kidding!”
    “Nope,” Bailey said. “The side with the sunset was hollow, sort of like a second side hiding behind the one we could see, making a pocket that could hold things.”
    “Was there anything in it?” Sydney asked.
    Bailey and Elizabeth grinned and kept walking.
    “As a matter of fact, yes!” Elizabeth said.
    “What was it?” some of the girls asked in unison.
    Bailey tried to sound casual. “Just a dirty old deed to Halona’s turquoise mine.”
    All four of the girls screamed and talked at once, and Biscuit barked excitedly.
    “You’re kidding!” Kate said. “I can’t believe it—and neither can Biscuit!”
    “What did it look like?”
    “That’s insane!”
    “Are you sure it’s the real thing?”
    “I know. It’s almost too good to be true!” Bailey’s voice registered her enthusiasm. “But it really was the deed we’ve been looking for!”
    “Unbelievable!” Alex said. “Was Halona thrilled?”
    “We haven’t exactly told her yet,” Elizabeth said.
    “Haven’t told her? Why not?” McKenzie sounded incredulous.
    “We thought it would be best to find the mine first,” Bailey explained. “What good is a deed to something if it doesn’t exist?”
    “I see your point,” Kate said. “It would only get her hopes up, and if you can’t find it, she would be really disappointed.”
    “Exactly.” Bailey climbed over a rock, then took the phone from Elizabeth so she could do the same.
    “So what’s the next step?” Alex asked.
    “We found an old map online showing where the mine used to be,” Bailey said.
    “Was the map hard to find?” Sydney asked. “I looked for it a little when I did my research on the code talkers, but didn’t find one that showed the old mines in the area.”
    “It took a bit of searching, but not too bad,” Beth said. “We’re just glad we found it. We go home tomorrow, you know, so time was getting short.”
    Bailey kept a steady pace as they talked. “We’re on our way to Puye Cliffs now to see if we can find the Suquosa Mine. It’s supposed to be close to there.”
    “I thought you sounded a little winded.” Sydney’s giggle rippled across the line. “You’ve got to get in better shape! I’ll have to take you running with me next time we’re together.”
    Elizabeth groaned. “I can’t wait.”
    “Anyway, we’ll let you know if we find it,” Bailey said.
    “You have to be careful around mines, you know,” Kate said.
    “Yeah, we