HI EVERYBODY! Can we pretend that this isn't five thousand years late? I guess not, huh. I had "excuses" the first month or so after the promised update (major computer crash! And then no internet! Yay!) but then the rest of them just kind of crept up behind me and hit me over the head with a bag full of procrastination… (does 'I'm sorry' cut it?) Probably not.

But here I am, now that all of you are old and gray—I'm back with the last chapter for Mandie and the Forest Path!

Another of the reasons it's so late is because, trust me, what I have for you is vastly different than the ending I had back in the summer. I've rewritten it probably five times, just because it never seemed quite right to me. It still seems extremely lacking to my own critical eye, but I hope you all will enjoy it. It's way longer than it originally was, definitely long enough to be split into two chapters, but I wouldn't do that to you after all the waiting. I think you'll all find that this whole story has been a bit of a set-up for the next Mandie Mystery (yes, I'm still planning on writing more! Hopefully my next one won't take one and a half years!) , but I think you'll enjoy lots of Mandie and Joe, Jonathan humor, and all-around classic 'Mandie mystery'!

Also, I debated long and hard over the issue of the culprit. I wanted to stay true to Lois' style of writing, but in half of her books, the solution to the mystery was to introduce some completely random character named like 'Orpheus Oglesby' or 'Matilda Mattlesworth' or 'Old Moe' in the last chapter, and I always found that a teensy bit ridiculous… (Phineas Prattworthy, anyone?) So I opted to go with a bit more of the familiar instead of a random character—although it has to be fun to come up with names like that! Of course, it wouldn't be a Mandie mystery without a Snowball-saves-the-day moment!

The reviews: (that I can't appreciate enough! I love having reviews! Review, review, review! But don't think that a lack of reviews or favorites will stop me from writing. Some authors refuse to update unless they get a certain number of reviews. That's fine if it works for them, but I would never do that to my few but faithful readers)

Jeaninelovesu: thanks for reviewing, as always! You're right—it does sound more like an original MM as apposed to The College Years, and that is completely intentional! I adore the originals, and decided that I wanted to base my fanfics off of them, not 'New Horizons', even though the timeline is directly after The College Years. Like I said in the beginning of my story, mine are regular, old Mandie Mysteries!

Neon-Night-Light: like Jeaninelovesu, I really appreciate that you continue to review even when I'm late (and thanks so much for the shout-out in your own story! It meant so much to me). And since you asked way back in June—haha, yes, school is over and out for me! I am taking an online class while I work, but au revoir, high school! Good luck in your last year! You're right, Joe should always retain his possessiveness over Mandie, and I'm glad you guys were so adamant that I remember to include that—looking back at that chapter, I think you all made a good point. I was trying to emphasize that he has matured, but I might have done so a little too much—Joe's maturity should always be tempered with the fact that he is crazy about Mandie!

Meandmyevilhalf: I know I am sooo late! Forgive me! I do not deserve your loyal reviews. But thank you anyway, they mean the world!

Guest: as always, hearing that my story reminds you of Lois' is the best compliment I could ever receive! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Guest: I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! I will always want readers to look at this and think: 'I could be reading a real Mandie Mystery right now'!

Guest: 'the best Mandie fanfic you've read'—THANK YOU! That's awesome! (You should definitely check out Neon-Night-Light's, though; it is BEYOND good!)

Guest: sorry! I would hate to wait as long as I made you all wait! Here's the update!

Guest: sorry for leaving you hanging—now you can know what happened!

Guest: here's the update & thank you for waiting!

Thank you all again SO MUCH for your reviews and your patience—I don't deserve either! I really hope you enjoy the final chapter of Mandie and the Forest Path!

Mandie awoke an hour before dawn the next morning, and hurried to get dressed. She was much too excited to be tired.

"Come on, lazyheads," she said loudly to the sleeping forms of Celia and Sallie. They didn't stir. She shook her head, secured her braid, and then hurried over to them, gently shaking them awake.

"We'll be leaving in just under an hour," she reminded them. Sallie's eyes fluttered opened and she sat up, stretching.

"Look who is the early bird this morning," she greeted Mandie.

Mandie shrugged. "I just want to get on our way."

"Me too," Sallie agreed, pushing the covers away and climbing out of bed. "I will get ready, and you can finish waking Celia up. I will only be a few minutes." She gathered up a shirt and one of her long, beautiful skirts that Mandie had always admired and headed for the bathroom.

Mandie turned back to Celia and poked her. "Come on, Celia," she said, sternly this time. "You need to get up."

"Mmmm," Celia mumbled into her pillow. "So tired." Her wrist was propped up carefully on the pillow next to her.

"Celia Hamilton, if you don't get up this instant, you'll be left behind with Grandmother Taft and our mothers," Mandie threatened. Celia's eyes popped open and she threw the covers off, practically leaping out of bed.

"Don't you dare," Celia protested, rushing to grab some clothes.

"That's what I thought," Mandie said, laughing.

Voices sounded in the hallway outside of their door.

"I told you already—about a hundred times, I might add. The chair on the left is mine, the chair on the right is yours."

Mandie grinned to herself at Jonathan's exasperated voice.

"That doesn't seem to make much of a difference, considering you just pile your clothes everywhere," came Joe's dry reply.

She shook her head and stifled a giggle. They were worse than girls.

"Don't you point the finger at me," Jonathan protested. "I almost put on one of your shirts this morning, that's how jumbled everything was."

"Oh, sure, because you're not the one who dumped out his entire trunk on my bed last night."

"Excuse me, we've already been through this!—I was looking for my favorite jacket."

"Who even has a favorite jacket?" Joe asked incredulously.

"Normal people," Jonathan answered haughtily. He rapped on Mandie's door.

"Are you girls up yet?" he called through the door.

"If they weren't, they are now with all of your indignant hollering," Joe said smugly.

"We're up," Mandie called back. "We'll only be a minute." She grinned slyly. "Celia's just looking for her favorite jacket. It went missing because all of our clothes got mixed up."

There was a sheepish silence in the hall, and she chuckled to herself.

A few moments later, Sallie and Celia finished dressing, and Mandie helped Celia secure her curls again.

They opened the door and walked down the hall to the stairs, where Joe and Jonathan were waiting.

Mandie concealed her amusement at their stony expressions and lead the way downstairs. Thankfully, she could barely feel her ankle at the moment—although she was sure she would be feeling it again by the end of the day.

"There ya'll are," Uncle John greeted them as they entered the dining room. He was gulping down a cup of coffee and looking over Uncle Ned's shoulder at a map. Aunt Lou and Liza were putting out breakfast, and Mandie and her friends hurriedly seated themselves and began to eat.

"Aunt Lou has packed some food for ya'll," Elizabeth said, hurrying into the dining room and carrying a large, covered basket.

"Thank you," Uncle John replied, taking the basket from her and setting it down beside his rifle.

"How long do you think it will take to find the stranger?" Mandie asked him, accepting a cup of coffee from Liza.

Uncle John frowned. "Well, I'd say we'll have to hike for a good couple of hours, if ya'll didn't see any sign of him until you were up pretty far into the mountains. I'm hoping we'll be through by the afternoon, but I don't know."

Uncle Ned rolled up his map and stowed it inside his jacket. "We find by noon," he assured them. "Hike, search for tracks—stranger must be close. Can't go far in only one day." He nodded at Sallie. "Then Sallie and I leave—message from Dimar very urgent."

Mandie nodded. "I understand, Uncle Ned. I agree, we need to get to the reservation as quickly as possible, before things get worse."

"Are ya'll just about finished?" Uncle John asked, picking up the basket and his rifle. Mandie pushed her plate of half-eaten food away and jumped up.

"I'm ready," she said. Sallie and Celia followed suit. Joe and Jonathan rapidly finished off their food, and stood, casting regretful glances at the grits, bacon, and biscuits still left on the table.

"Good," Uncle John said. He left the room and returned with two more rifles, handing one to Joe and one to Jonathan. "You two can carry these," he said. "I don't know if we'll actually need them, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Sallie and I can take turns carrying the basket," Mandie offered, retrieving it from her Uncle.

"Thank you," he said. "Now, Mandie, if your ankle starts to hurt even a little bit, you need to tell us so we can help you. We don't want to go to the reservation with you unable to walk."

"Yes, sir," she promised, although she was privately thinking that she would only dare tell Uncle John or Uncle Ned—there was no way she was letting Joe carry her again.

Uncle John spent a few more minutes reassuring Elizabeth, Mrs. Taft, and Mrs. Hamilton, before exchanging a long-suffering glance with Uncle Ned and Dr. Woodard and announcing that it was time to go.

Mandie and her friends trooped out behind Uncle John and Uncle Ned and headed around the house, back to the little path by th

e tunnel exit.

Jonathan let out a comical groan as they started back up the all-too-familiar path. "Suddenly I really detest hiking," he said, exchanging a resigned glance with Joe.

"Hmm, I'm also kind of wishing we stayed home and ate a leisurely breakfast," Joe agreed regretfully.

Mandie scowled at the two of them, and Joe noticed. He concealed a grin and elbowed Jonathan, who met Mandie's accusatory glare. He chuckled and both he and Joe quickened their pace smartly, giving Mandie a playful salute as they passed her.

"Those two," she muttered, watching them overtake her Uncle John, still nudging each other and chuckling. She wasn't sure if she should be pleased at how well they now seemed to get along, or exasperated at their endless joking around.

As the morning rolled on, Uncle Ned was able to pick up signs of a trail here and there, all along the winding mountain path. Mandie stayed in the back of the group with Sallie and Celia, sharing the load of the picnic basket.

"More footprints," Uncle John announced from where he walked with Uncle Ned. Mandie felt a rush of excitement—they were getting closer. She caught Jonathan's eye and frowned in confusion. Her friend had a strange look on his face. She wasn't positive, but she thought he looked uncertain about something. She almost called out to him, but the look was gone as quickly as it had come, and he looked away to answer a question from Joe. Strange, Mandie thought.

"Here, Mandie, I'll carry it for awhile," Sallie offered, pulling Mandie out of her thoughts. Sallie was reaching for the basket, and Mandie handed it over gratefully. Her arms had been starting to ache with the weight of it, thought she was glad to realize that her ankle hadn't been bothering her too much.

Suddenly, a flash of something—deerskin, perhaps?—in the bushes they had just passed caught her eye. She froze for a moment, then continued walking, casually answering Celia's question. She didn't want to let on that she had seen something if the stranger was following them.

She remained completely alert, but minutes passed, and she didn't see anything else. Did I imagine it? Mandie wondered. She didn't think so. The voices and movements of her friends faded away into her subconscious as she focused her eyes and ears on the surrounding woods, straining to see or hear anything to confirm her suspicions. A faint rustle of leaves to her left—a soft footstep? The slight quivering of a branch just ahead—had someone just passed it? She grew more and more certain—someone was following them. Or had been. Or had at least passed by. The stranger? She couldn't be sure. But if it was the stranger, then who were they trailing? The marks Uncle Ned and Uncle John had been finding farther and farther along were too fresh to be the same person. A shiver of unease crept up her spine—somehow, instinctively, she knew she had seen someone. They were there—or they had been there—just out of sight in the woods, watching them… just like they had followed her and Joe.

Making up her mind, she quickened her pace a little, passing Joe and Jonathan and Dr. Woodard, to catch up with Uncle Ned and Uncle John.

"What is it, Mandie?" Uncle John asked, looking down at her in surprise when she fell in step beside them.

"Papoose?" Uncle Ned said, as he noted her worried expression.

She forced her face to relax into a smile and said under her breath, "Uncle John, someone's following us—or they were—or… I don't know. But someone was there. Don't look around. They might still be there, and they'll know I've told you."

Her Uncle matched her calm expression easily. "I won't," he said. "How do you know? Did you see them?"

Mandie bit her lip. "I'm not sure," she said slowly. "I think so. I saw a flash of something, but it was so fast I couldn't be sure. I just… I just know."

Her Uncle exchanged a glance with Uncle Ned. "It could very possibly have just been an animal, Mandie," he pointed out.

"I don't think so," Mandie said stubbornly. "It was a person."

"Mandie," Uncle John tried again, frowning, "if you didn't see anything…"

Uncle Ned looked from her to her Uncle, an unreadable expression on his face. "Papoose think it was stranger?" he asked.

Mandie nodded. "I think so… but that's also been bothering me. If it was—"

Her Uncle John nodded. "Then who're we tracking? That's what I was thinking."

"It doesn't make sense," Mandie agreed, sighing. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it was just an animal. I guess my nerves are all jittery."

Uncle John frowned again, giving her a guarded glance. "Maybe not, Amanda," he said. "You've always had good perception, so if you say there was someone out there…" he paused. "Ned, what do you think?"

Mandie looked expectantly at Uncle Ned, who was still watching her. "Papoose is sure there's nothing else?" he asked.

Mandie frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Something to put pieces together," the old Indian explained. "Puzzle not very good fit."

"You're right," Mandie acknowledged. "Everything is so mixed up—from this old trail, to the stranger, to getting lost, and now it looks like there's two strangers… none of it makes any sense. But I don't know how to connect it all."

"Oh, you will eventually," Uncle John said with a small grin, shaking his head. "You always do." He held up a hand then, signaling everyone to stop. "But until you do…"

Uncle Ned nodded. "Spread out—search here for signs in the woods. See if Papoose is right."

Joe, who had come up behind them, looked between the three of them and frowned. "Right about what?" he asked. "What did you want to talk to them about, Mandie?"

"I think I saw someone back there, a little ways," Mandie told him quietly.

"The deerskin jacket?" he asked, keeping his voice low. He leaned his rifle against a tree, where Jonathan had already propped his.

"I don't know," she admitted.

Uncle John and Uncle Ned had already dispersed into the surrounding trees, each hunting for signs of someone tailing them. They headed back in the direction they had come from, back down to where Mandie had first sensed something, until she could no longer see them.

While they waited, Mandie quietly explained what was going on to the others, and Dr. Woodard took the chance of a break to check Celia's wrist.

"Interesting," Jonathan remarked when she was finished. For some reason Mandie couldn't understand, he looked a little smug. But, then again, she reminded herself with a smile, Jonathan usually looked smug about one thing or another.

"I am very impressed, Mandie," Sallie told her. "You are getting better and better with your tracking instincts. We will make a full-blooded Cherokee out of you yet!"

Mandie blushed and didn't reply, but inwardly she was thrilled at Sallie's words. She loved her Cherokee kinspeople as dearly as her white ones, and she considered it an honor to be part of them.

"Now you will just have to keep teaching me the language," Mandie said, smiling at her friend. "Goodness knows I'm not very good at it. But if Morning Star can be so determined to learn English, then the least I can do is practice her language as well."

"She will be very pleased," Sallie answered.

They waited a few minutes longer, until Celia spotted Uncle John and Uncle Ned returning.

"We didn't find anyone," Uncle John said with a shrug once they reached them. "Ned did find a few marks here and there—bit of indented soil, the odd bruised leaf—but we scoured the whole area, and there was no one there."

"No one," Uncle Ned confirmed when he met Mandie's gaze. "But maybe he left. Papoose still right, maybe."

"I guess so," said Mandie. "I was just so sure."

Uncle John shrugged again and shouldered his rifle. "Well, there's nothing left to do but keep following these tracks. Maybe they'll lead us to the answer, maybe not." He and Uncle Ned took the lead again, joined by Dr. Woodard, and Mandie fell back to join her friends. She walked slowly between Celia and Sallie.

"Are you alright?" Celia asked, looking closely at her friend's face.

Mandie bit her lip and rubbed her forehead. "Something's just not right," she said. "I feel like everything should be so easy to piece together, but Uncle Ned's right. We're missing something. I feel like I know the answer, but I don't know."

"You've lost me," said Jonathan, just behind her.

Mandie sent him a mock-glare over her shoulder. "The only thing I am sure of is that there was someone back there. I know there was. I don't who—or why. It could have been anyone."

As she spoke, she stumbled awkwardly into a rabbit hole and lost her footing, reeling forward. Someone grabbed a hold of her arm and caught her for a moment, but then she heard a sharp gasp and they both crashed onto the ground.

"Mandie! Are you okay?" Joe crouched down beside her and grasped her hand.

"Oops," said Jonathan, who was sprawled out next to her. Mandie pushed herself into a sitting position and tried to extract her injured ankle from under Jonathan's legs, while Celia brushed the dust and leaves from her back and hair.

"I'm okay," Mandie said. "I think. What happened?" She winced at the sudden discomfort in her ankle. Sallie's sharp eyes caught the movement and she bent down without a word to examine it.

Joe rolled his eyes. "Sir Lancelot here thought he'd play the hero," he said, jerking his head towards Jonathan.

Jonathan chuckled and sat up. "He's just jealous because I was there before him."

"A lot of good that did too," Celia said reprovingly. "What if Mandie had hit her head? It would have been your fault."

"Are ya'll alright?" Uncle John was standing over them, looking at Mandie in concern.

"Mandie stumbled and Jonathan tried to catch her," Joe explained as Uncle Ned and Dr. Woodard joined them, "but he tripped over a root and took them both down."

Mandie could tell her uncle was trying very hard not to smile as he reached down to help her up. "No lasting damage?" he asked lightly.

She allowed him to pull her to her feet and tested her ankle. It responded with a dull ache. "I think I banged my ankle when I fell," she said cautiously. "It hurts a little bit."

"I'm really sorry, Mandie," Jonathan said contritely, from his position on the ground. "I guess that's my fault."

"It's okay," she told him. "I was about to fall anyway."

Joe offered Jonathan a hand up, but as soon as he was on his feet he winced and sucked in a breath.

"What's wrong?" Mandie asked.

"I think my knee twisted the wrong way when I fell," Jonathan said, trying to bend it and flinching.

Uncle John exchanged a look with Uncle Ned and Dr. Woodard. "Mandie," her uncle began, "perhaps you should rest your ankle a little bit."

"You mean stay behind?" Mandie cried. "No, no, I can't!"

"Unless you want a sprain, you won't be able to walk on it without help," Uncle John reminded her. "I think you should stay here for a little while and rest it, and then if you can walk on it with any discomfort, you can follow us. I'm sorry, Amanda, but you have to let it rest."

Mandie sighed, knowing there was no arguing with her uncle's logic. If she wanted to get anywhere today, she would have to treat her ankle carefully.

"Oh, alright," she said. "I'll rest it for a bit. But ya'll better not catch the stranger without me."

"We make no promises," Uncle John teased, winking at her. "But someone needs to stay with you—"

"I'll stay with Mandie," Joe immediately volunteered, pushing past Jonathan to take her arm.

"Are you sure?" Jonathan asked. "I can stay with Mandie, if you want. I'll only slow the others down."

"No, no," Joe insisted stubbornly. "I can stay with Mandie."

Uncle John looked from one to the other, concealing a knowing grin, and then looked at his niece. Mandie blushed and refused to meet his gaze, silently berating the two boys for their irksome determination.

"Why don't you both stay back?" Dr. Woodard suggested. "Jonathan's right, he would only slow us down with his limp—but there's safety in numbers, so I think Joe should stay as well."

"That sounds wise," Mandie agreed, lowering herself on a rock. Joe and Jonathan echoed her assent.

"Do you want to stay as well, Celia?" Uncle John asked, looking at the redhead.

Celia frowned and held up her injured arm. "I think it would be better if I tagged along with Dr. Woodard," she said ruefully. "Or else I will never hear the end of it from Mother."

Uncle John laughed and even Dr. Woodard managed a smile.

"Something tells me you're right about that," he said to her.

"I'll stay with Celia," Sallie offered. Mandie flashed her a grateful look. She knew Celia wouldn't want to be the only young person left with the men.

"Alright," Uncle John said, slinging his rifle back over his shoulder. "We'll keep going. Mandie," he added, turning to her, "make sure ya'll don't go wandering off again. The last thing we want is for ya'll to get lost again."

"Yes, sir," Mandie said, although she was slightly irritated. When were they all going to realize that she and her friends weren't children anymore?

"Let's go then," her Uncle said, setting out confidently again behind Uncle Ned. Dr. Woodard followed them, and Celia and Sallie brought up the rear, pausing to wave at their friends.

Once they were all out of sight, Mandie slumped back down on her rock with a sigh. She gave her ankle a dirty look, frustrated at having to stay behind.

Joe sat down on the ground beside her, while Jonathan leaned against a tree. They were each silent for a few moments before Jonathan said flatly, "Sallie took the basket, didn't she?"

Mandie laughed, relieved that his comment had broken the awkward silence. The look on his face told her he was only half-joking, though.

"She did, sorry," Mandie said, struggling to conceal a grin. "How's your knee?"

"Sore," he said dryly.

Joe laughed. "That'll teach you to think twice about charging to a lady's rescue."

Jonathan placed a hand over his heart, looking innocently distraught. "What else could I do? I can never turn my back on a lady in need. It is part of my infinitely noble character."

Joe snorted and Mandie giggled.

"Honestly, Jonathan," she said, "sometimes I think you should become an actor."

Joe laughed even harder at the thought of Jonathan as an actor, and Jonathan looked at her, offended. "How could you suggest such a scandalous profession to me?"

She shook her head. "You're hopeless," she said, still grinning.

"I would pay any amount necessary to see that," Joe said, rubbing his ribs.

"Oh, hush up," Jonathan retorted, the corners of his mouth twitching as he fought back a smile.

"You would be so glamorous," Mandie joked, giving him a goading smile. "And to think, we would have known you before your famous career."

"Think of the blackmail we could hold over him," Joe agreed, while Jonathan rolled his eyes.

"I could write a book about all the mishaps he got us into in Europe," Mandie added, "the world famous actor, Jonathan Guyer, and how he stowed aboard a ship!"

"Excuse me," Jonathan protested indignantly, "I believe you were the one who pulled us head first into any 'mishaps' we encountered. I was not the group leader."

"That would probably be more likely," Joe agreed.

Mandie snorted. "I seem to remember several occasions when you were the once convincing Celia and I to break some rules or sneak out."

"Absurd," Jonathan muttered.

They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, and as those minutes ticked by, Mandie grew more and more frustrated at their uselessness. "This is ridiculous!" she finally said, getting to her feet to pace around the clearing. Joe and Jonathan looked up, startled.

"Mandie, you shouldn't pace with on that ankle," Joe warned her.

"I feel so useless," Mandie explained. "Here we are, sitting here like a pile of wet leaves, while everyone else is busy solving this mystery. I mean, me with my ankle and Jonathan with his knee—and I don't want to be mean, Jonathan, but this is partly your fault!"

"What'd I do?" Jonathan asked indignantly.

Joe cast him a scalding look. "If you hadn't tripped over that tree root and yanked Mandie down with you…"

"Oh, that," said Jonathan in obvious disinterest.

"Yes, that, Jonathan," Mandie snapped, grateful to Joe for backing her up. "Now look at us! If only I'd…" she trailed off and her eyes took on a dreamy expression.

"Mandie?" Jonathan said, confused. She ignored him. "Go on—you were lecturing me?" he prompted good-naturedly.

"Never mind that," Mandie breathed, waving a hand at him absentmindedly.

"Could you please tell me why you're staring at me like that?" Joe asked finally, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Yes, I'm supposed to be the good-looking one," Jonathan reminded them, which earned him a glare from Joe.

"Oh, you two, just stop for a moment!" Mandie cried, and took a step towards Joe. He took a nervous step back.

"Tell us what's going on, Mandie," Joe insisted.

"That beaded necklace," she said, almost to herself. She had forgetten it completely. She played the possibilities of it over and over again in her mind—it couldn't be… could it?

"The beads!" Joe said with a groan. "I forgot about them—I meant to give them to Uncle Ned!"

"What about them?" Jonathan asked.

"Do you still have it, Joe?" she demanded, snapping out of her reverie. She just needed one look—just to see if she could possibly be right.

"No. I stuck them in my jacket, but someone mixed all of my clothes up and I left it behind."

Jonathan studiously ignored Joe and pretended to be examining his fingernails.

Mandie turned away abruptly and resumed her pacing. "Sallie said it looked familiar, didn't she? Just like I thought?"

"That's right," Joe confirmed.

"But she couldn't tell us why," Mandie added. "Like it was something she couldn't quite place… but maybe…" she trailed off again, caught up in her own excitement. This had to be the answer! It made sense, if—

"Maybe what?" Joe and Jonathan asked at the same time.

"Maybe we did recognize it," Mandie answered automatically. "There was something about it—I knew what it was, but I didn't… it was as if my mind remembered it from somewhere, but it couldn't connect the two memories. I only wish… oh, if only we'd shown it to Uncle Ned! He would have known, I am sure of it. He could tell me if I'm right."

"You know what it is?" Joe repeated, staring at her.

"What is it?" Jonathan asked excitedly.

Mandie barely heard them—she was too busy racking her memories, trying to put the pieces together. If she could just remember exactly—if she could only have the proof that her hunch was right… "I'm surprised you don't remember, Joe, of all people," she said. "If I can see it, you should be able to see it too."

"What?" he demanded impatiently. "What should I see?"

"It's so obvious—how did we miss it? How—"

"Mandie!" the boys exclaimed together.

She looked at them, startled.

"Just tell us already," Jonathan said, completely exasperated.

She grinned apologetically. "Sorry, I was just trying to be sure that I was remembering correctly… don't you remember, Joe, all those summers ago when we were building the Cherokee Hospital?"

"Of course," Joe answered. "What about it?"

"What about it?" she repeated incredulously. "That Catawba Medicine Man—Running Fire—his sons—"

Joe gaped at her, slapped his forehead with his palm, and groaned, "Of course! The necklace—that's the same necklace!"

"Or something very like it," Mandie added.

Joe groaned again. "I can't believe we didn't realize sooner!"

"What exactly are you two talking about?" Jonathan interjected, looking from Mandie to Joe with a confused expression on his face.

"Don't you remember the story of Joe being captured by the Catawba Medicine Man?" Mandie said in a rush. "We talked about it the other day, when we were in the tunnel."

"Vaguely," Jonathan replied. "If it's a story about Joe, I generally lose interest."

"Yes, yes, but never mind that," Mandie said impatiently, holding up a hand to cut of Joe's indignant reply. "The necklace we found looks just like the one that the Medicine Man wore!"

Jonathan laced his fingers together. "So, you're saying…"

Mandie and Joe spoke together, nearly shouting at Jonathan in their excited frustration: "The man in the deerskin jacket is a Catawba Indian!"

"Ah," said Jonathan. "Yes, I see. But how can you be positive?

Mandie stomped her good foot and blew out an irritated breath. "Jonathan Guyer, you are making me so mad!"

"I was only offering cautious advice," he defended himself.

"Well, I'm certain," Mandie insisted. She was—in fact, she'd never been more certain of anything. Everything fit. And now the mysterious message from Dimar was starting to make sense—what if the Catawbas were involved in whatever trouble was going on with the reservation?

"Well, then," Jonathan said, springing to his feet. "I knew you would solve it sooner or later. Onward we go!"

Mandie frowned at him. "What are you talking about? Where are we going?"

"What do you mean?" Joe echoed.

Jonathan cast them both a scathing look. "We're going to find the stranger, of course," he said, raising his eyebrows.

"We have to wait for the others to come back," Mandie protested.

"And you have a twisted knee," Joe added. "Remember? That's why we were left behind in the first place."

Jonathan sighed and shook his head. "You two are really one of a kind," he said. "I guess I will have to explain it all very carefully. Mandie, you were sure that you saw or heard or sensed the stranger back there, but your Uncle decided to keep going when they couldn't find any sign of him. I may be a city boy, but even I have my insights, and I can't help but thinking that we are being led on a wild goose chase."

"Come again?" Joe asked.

"You heard me," Jonathan replied. "Goose chase. Wild. Very wild. Don't you see—the trail is too obvious! You both claim the stranger is a Catawba Indian—what Indian would leave a trail like that?"

"You're right, Jonathan!" Mandie said, impressed. Why hadn't she considered that?

"I guess you have a point," Joe admitted.

Jonathan's mouth twitched, as if he was fighting back a smile, but he continued calmly, "Now, while the others serve as a perfect distraction, we'll track down the real culprit ourselves!"

"But what about your knee?" Mandie persisted. "And we did promise that we wouldn't go anywhere."

Jonathan rolled his eyes. "Did you honestly believe that I was clumsy enough to trip over a tree root like that? I did that intentionally, when it became clear that no one was going to do anything about the stranger. I knew we needed to be left behind as a smaller group to have the chance to catch them."

"Jonathan Guyer, you are about the most surprising person I have ever met," Mandie decided. "I do not believe that I have ever been more impressed with you."

Jonathan flashed a smug look at Joe, who gave him a disgruntled glare. "That was a good bit of detective work," Joe said begrudgingly. "I wasn't aware you had it in you. Although I'm still irritated that you had to go and mess up Mandie's ankle again."

"Oh, that wasn't intentional," Jonathan said apologetically. "I didn't mean for Mandie to fall with me. I was going to be the excuse of why we had to stay behind, not Mandie."

"What are we waiting for?" Mandie interrupted. "Let's go find him!"

"Wait," Joe warned. "What about our promise?"

Mandie hesitated, biting her lip. Would her Uncle be angry if they left the path again? Even if they knew what they were doing?

"You only promised not to 'wander off' again," Jonathan said, shrugging his shoulders. "That's what your Uncle said—he didn't want us to get lost. Well, we're not 'wandering,' and we'll be sure not to get lost. I say we're well within our rights."

Mandie exchanged a grin with Joe and shook her head. Trust Jonathan to toe the fine line like that.

"Alright," she agreed. "I think Jonathan's right. This is too important—besides, I keep trying to remind Mother and Uncle John that we're adults now. They need to accept that."

"I agree," Joe said, surprising Mandie. "Not that I think you'll ever outgrow getting into terrible scrapes, Mandie, but you're old enough to make your own decisions, and they're usually right. We should do it."

"Thank you, Joe," Mandie said, touched by his faith in her.

"Even if we get another lecture," Joe added, "I'll stand by you. Jonathan and I both. It's time everyone realized that we're growing up."

"Hear, hear!" Jonathan exclaimed, clapping Joe on the shoulder. "Well said, old thing!"

Joe rolled his eyes. "Well, we're growing up, at least," he said. "I'm not too sure about Jonathan."

Mandie sat down quickly and tore off a piece of her petticoat.

"What are you doing?" Joe asked, staring at her.

"Wait til Aunt Lou sees you've damaged another one," Jonathan added, grinning.

"I'm only taking precaution," Mandie said, removing her shoe and giving her ankle extra binding. She laced up her boot tightly and said, "There. That should keep it from rolling. Oh, and you boys had better leave your rifles here. Hide them in the bushes and cover them up. You won't be able to sneak around with them."

"Right," said Joe, giving her a hand up. "Let's go, then."

"I think we can take the chance of guessing that the stranger doesn't know we've split up," Mandie said quietly as they crept cautiously through the woods. "They would have taken care to keep back after Uncle John and Uncle Ned went searching for them."

"Good thinking," Joe agreed. "But how can you be sure that we're not in front of them?"

"Just keep your eyes peeled for anything that might be a track," Mandie whispered back. "Anything at all, no matter how insignificant it seems." She was searching so intently herself that she was almost surprised they hadn't found anything yet. What if we are in front of them? She worried.

Suddenly, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye, something she'd been told to look for many times, but never could seem to notice it: some of the moss growing on a protruding tree root had been scuffed off, most likely by a padded foot. She elbowed Joe and Jonathan and pointed to the root, crouching down to show them what she had seen.

"How did you even see that?" Joe asked in a hushed whisper.

"I was looking out for it," she said honestly.

"Shoes scuffing moss," Jonathan said. "What a bunch of malarkey."

"No, she's right," Joe defended her. "I've seen Uncle Ned and Dimar find signs like this before."

"Come on, stop arguing," Mandie interjected, straightening up and going forward, keeping her footsteps as light and silent as possible. "We know we're behind him, now we just have to catch up."

"About that," Jonathan asked lowly, as he and Joe trailed after her. "What is the plan when we do catch up? Do we jump them? Yell for your Uncle?"

"This was your brilliant idea," Joe reminded him.

"We're not yelling for anybody," Mandie warned them. "That will only scare him off. We'll never catch him after that. We'll have to sneak up somehow and trap him."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Jonathan pressed.

"I don't know. We'll think of something," Mandie replied with false confidence—because in all honesty, she had absolutely no idea.

"Ssh!" Mandie and Joe hushed simultaneously when Jonathan's stomach gave a loud grumble.

"What?" he mouthed defensively. "I can't help it, I'm hungry."

"Who knows how close he is?" Mandie reminded him in a heated whisper. "He might hear you!"

"Mandie! Look!" Joe whispered urgently, grasping her arm and pulling her away from Jonathan. He pointed at the ground ahead of them, where there was a slight, soft outline near the base of a tree—very much like the outline of a light footprint.

She flashed Joe a grateful glance and stooped beside it look at it more closely. There were no signs on it yet of smudging or shifting—no breeze-swept, misplaced soil, no small animal tracks, not even any settled earth, and that could only mean that it was very, very recent. She explained all of this to Joe in a hushed whisper, ignoring Jonathan, who was rolling his eyes at them.

"We must be close," she said, motioning forward and starting to creep farther into the woods. "No more talking unless absolutely necessary," she added, looking mostly at Jonathan, who seemed offended. He opened his mouth to answer, but was elbowed by Joe.

"Come on," Mandie whispered, leading the way.

They began to hear snatches of voices as they crept through the woods—which could only belong to Uncle John and the rest of the group, who were still tracking Jonathan's "wild goose chase." It struck Mandie as almost funny that there was one person being tracked by their friends, who were being tracked by the stranger, who was being tracked by Mandie, Joe, and Jonathan. The only question was: who would catch who first?

Suddenly, she caught sight of a fringed jacket quite a ways ahead of them—the deerskin jacket! She stifled a gasp and motioned at Joe and Jonathan. They followed her gaze and nodded. The figure was crouched in the undergrowth, moving steadily and stealthily forward, and Mandie was beginning to hear the voices of her friends a little more clearly, though they remained out of sight. She wondered why they cared so little about being heard—weren't they afraid of scaring off the lurker?

The man in the deerskin jacket suddenly halted, and Mandie and the boys shot down in the bushes to stay out of sight. Lying on their stomachs and peering through the leaves, they could still see his form stooped amid the trees. What is he doing? Mandie wondered. The voices of Uncle John and the rest were getting farther away again—they hadn't stopped. So why was the stranger stopping? Had he heard them? She exchanged a worried glance with Joe and Jonathan, who were stretched out on either side of her.

"What do we do now?" Joe mouthed. She bit her lip and shook her head. She wasn't sure—should they confront the stranger? Try to catch him? Maybe one of them could get back to the path and warn the others.

Oddly, she found herself wishing that T'sani were here. It was in moments like these when he came up with a completely hair-brained and dangerous scheme that somehow usually worked. As it was, they didn't even have a length of rope with them—something T'sani always inevitably seemed to have on his person.

Mandie frowned to herself and tried to think—this whole idea was becoming more and more foolhardy by the second. Why had they ever set off by themselves? What if they were caught?

There was a sudden faint pressure on the back of her calf and startled, she jerked sideways, her head colliding with Joe's shoulder.

All three of them turned around to see a very familiar white cat sitting contentedly on Mandie's outstretched legs.

"Snowball!" Mandie mouthed. "No—no, don't meow!" she whispered, when he opened his mouth. Incredibly, it was only a yawn—he made no sound. Thank you, God, she thought fervently. That was probably the only time she could remember Snowball cooperating.

Joe jabbed her in the side with his elbow, and she looked back around—the stranger was moving again, more slowly than he had been. Mandie let him get a little farther ahead of them, until she could barely make out the brown of his jacket, before swallowing against the dryness of her throat and whispering, "Okay. I think I have a plan."

"I'm all ears," Joe said quietly, still watching the stranger's progress.

"Me too," said Jonathan. "What's our next move?"

"Right," Mandie said, "this is what we'll do: one of us needs to cut quietly back to the path and catch up with the others. Once you're on the path, make it very obvious that you're there. Don't try to sneak, that will be suspicious. It doesn't matter what you do—run after them, yell at them to wait for you, anything—as long as you're not sneaking… but try not to look worried, because that would also be suspicious. You have to make it look like they only left you behind for a little while."

Jonathan raised his eyebrows. "Anything else? Should we go the whole way on our hands?"

"Stop fooling, Jonathan Guyer," Mandie reprimanded him, remembering just in time to keep her voice quiet.

"What next?" Joe whispered.

"Yes, yes," she said distractedly. "Someone catches up with them, and the other two keep trailing the stranger. Once the rest of the group is warned, we can try to pin him between us and cut off his escape."

"Sounds smart," Joe agreed quietly. "Who stays and who goes?"

"I think Mandie should go and we stay," Jonathan said, giving Mandie a concerned glance. She stifled a disbelieving laugh—as if she hadn't done things like this a hundred times!

"Don't be ridiculous, Jonathan," she whispered. "I'll be the slowest with my ankle. You or Joe will have to do it."

"I'm not leaving Mandie," Joe said stubbornly, leaving no room for debate. "Besides, it's not like you have a twisted knee or anything."

Jonathan sighed. "I see that once again, it falls to Jonathan Lindall Guyer the Third to do the dirty work. Right, I'll do it. Just give me a bit of a head start before you start moving again, alright? Just in case our stranger doubles back."

"Okay, good thinking," Mandie agreed. "We'll wait until we're sure you're on your way back up the path."

"Wish me luck," Jonathan said, and then wriggled out of the bushes and started making his way quietly back to the path.

Mandie watched Jonathan's progress as he began hiking nonchalantly up the path, arms swinging cheerfully at his side, and had to admit that Jonathan had been the best choice to send. She wouldn't have been able to keep herself from tearing up the path in a frenzy, and she knew Joe would have been stiff-shouldered and grim the entire time—but Jonathan truly looked as though he hadn't a care in the world, and she grinned to herself when he started whistling.

"Overdoing it a bit, isn't he?" Joe muttered from her side. "Jonathan could keep a grin through a hurricane."

"He would make a good detective," Mandie whispered back. "He can be straight-faced or casual whenever the occasion calls for it."

"Hmm," Joe said noncommittally. "I think detectives are supposed to be just a little more serious."

Mandie stiffened as Snowball stepped off her legs and came up to rub his head against her shoulder. She silently pleaded that he wouldn't give them away—especially since she knew that she would never hear the end of it from Joe if he did.

"I can't see him any more," Joe whispered a few minutes later, craning his neck a little to try and catch a glimpse of Jonathan. "It's probably safe to start moving again."

Mandie nodded. "Alright," she agreed. "Come on, I'll go first."

She crawled quietly out from underneath the bush and headed after Jonathan and the stranger, making sure to keep her footsteps soft and silent. Joe crept behind her, and Snowball padded after them for a little while, before cutting away to the side and heading through the woods on his own.

"Snowball!" Mandie called after him in a fierce whisper. "Snowball, come back!"

"It's okay, Mandie, he'll be fine," Joe assured her, urging her to continue. "This is Snowball, remember? He wanders through the woods all the time."

Mandie frowned after her cat's retreating form. "Maybe," she replied in a low voice, "but the last thing we want is him walking right up to that stranger and giving us away."

"Maybe you're right," Joe acknowledged, "but I think we will just have to take that chance. We can't carry him with us, so we will have to let him go."

"I guess so," Mandie agreed reluctantly.

"Come on, then," Joe said, grasping her hand and taking the lead.

The stranger was just as difficult to track as ever, but Mandie was able to distinguish signs that she guessed—or hoped—to be his.

As they continued to tail him, Mandie tried to piece together her plan in her head, and she confided her worries to Joe in a low whisper.

"Suddenly this doesn't seem like such a brilliant idea," she told him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, careful to keep his voice as quiet as possible.

"We have no way of knowing when Jonathan will reach the others—and we have no way of knowing when they'll show up," Mandie reminded him. "How are we supposed to guess when to confront the stranger?"

Joe frowned. "Who says we have to confront him. I'm hoping that Uncle Ned will just sneak through the woods and do it himself."

"But we can't be sure," Mandie argued. "When or where or how—and what if Uncle Ned is expecting us to be a distraction or something?"

"I doubt he'll want to place you in any danger," Joe pointed out.

Mandie was even more wary of them running into the stranger before planned, and she told Joe this.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, what if we accidentally walk right into him? What do we do then?"

"I don't know," Joe answered, shrugging. "We'll think of something. We always do."

As they continued their whispered conversation back and forth, Mandie caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye and stopped abruptly. The tightening of her grip on his hand caused Joe to stop mid-sentence, and he looked at her, confused. She nudged him and motioned with her eyes ahead of them, where she could just barely make out the shape of a deerskin-clad figure drawing an arrow on a bowstring.

Joe followed her gaze, and stared for a moment, then he dropped to the ground and yanked her with him.

"What are you doing?" Mandie hissed, crouched beside him.

"He has a bow and arrows!" Joe mouthed frantically.

"I know," Mandie answered. "Maybe we should rethink our plan."

Joe frowned and ran his long fingers through his air, an action that was as familiar to Mandie as her own face.

"Okay," he said in a low voice. "New plan—you cut back to the path and warn the others and I'll—"

"Absolutely not," Mandie interrupted firmly. "We're not splitting up. We go together or not at all.

Joe looked at her, frustrated, but they both knew that she wasn't budging.

"He will probably only shoot as a warning," Mandie said slowly. "Just to scare the others off, I guess."

Joe looked at her, brightening up a little bit. "That must mean they're on their way! I'll bet he heard them—that's why he drew that arrow."

Mandie strained her ears for a sound of their returning friends, but she couldn't hear anything. "Let's hope so," she said. "But I think that now is as good a time as any to put our plan into action."

"What plan?" Joe asked, slightly confused.

"We're going to be the distraction," Mandie said.

Joe frowned again. "Don't you think that is a little too risky, Mandie?"

She ignored him and peered through the foliage to get a better glimpse of the stranger. "Here's what we'll do," she said softly. "We get as close as we can without him hearing us, then we split up and circle around. I'll barge in on him then and ask him if he's seen Snowball, as if we're only up here to look for a lost cat—"

"No, Mandie, absolutely not," Joe protested. "That's too dangerous! Besides, since when has that old Snowball tricked ever worked?"

"It works all of the time!" Mandie insisted. "And don't you go acting like my mother, Joe Woodard."

"Mandie, I'm being serious, this is much too risky," Joe said emphatically. "I say we wait for your Uncle and the rest—"

"No, this has gone much too far," Mandie interrupted. "I've had enough. I want to know who that is and what he's doing. He has a lot to answer for. Now, are you with me, or do I need to go by myself?"

Joe sighed and shook his head in defeat. "You already know the answer to that, Mandie," he said. "Of course I'm coming with you."

"Good," she answered, satisfied. "Let's get to the bottom of this!"

Mandie and Joe parted ways behind a twisted old oak, inching closer and closer, as quietly as possible, towards the stranger.

"Be careful," Joe reminded her firmly one last time, as he gripped her hand.

"I'm always careful, Joe," she responded, flashing him a quick smile. He hmphed skeptically and turned away.

"Don't forget the plan," Mandie whispered to his retreating back. "You need to stay hidden until absolutely necessary."

"I know, I know," Joe said quietly, and disappeared into the trees.

Mandie peeked back around the oak to make sure the stranger hadn't moved yet, and then taking a calming breath, she turned around and sneaked quietly towards the path until she was only a few feet away from it.

"Right," she muttered to herself. She turned around again, training her gaze onto the still form of the stranger, and headed purposefully toward him, taking care to step on twigs and brush branches loudly out of her way. She looked this way and that, saying, "Snowball! Where are you? Here, kitty, kitty!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the stranger had risen to his feet, slightly startled, and was watching her slow approach. She noticed that he had swiftly stowed his bow and arrows among the bushes, concealing them from her.

Mandie paused for a moment, pretending that she hadn't yet seen him, and stooped under a low-hanging branch. "Snowball!" she called again. And then she turned her head and gave a fake start of surprise, her gaze colliding with the stranger's. He was an Indian—I was right! She thought triumphantly to herself.

"Excuse me, Mister!" Mandie called, picking up her pace until she was hurrying towards him. He watched her warily. "Excuse me, have you seen a white cat?"

He didn't say anything, not even when she stopped right in front of him. She searched his face, a little disappointed—it wasn't the Catawba Medicine Man that she had met before. She wondered whether or not he was a Catawba—what if he was a Cherokee?

"Please, sir, I'm looking for my cat," she said. "He's all white, with blue eyes, and his name is Snowball. I've lost him—have you seen him?"

"No," the Indian said.

"Oh," said Mandie, chewing on her lip. "I can't find him anywhere!" She paused, wondering what to try next. She had to stall him until Uncle Ned or Uncle John returned with Jonathan.

"You look familiar," Mandie said, tilting her head and squinting at him. "Have we met before?"

"No," he said again, meeting her curious stare blankly. His expression was completely unreadable.

"No, I guess you're right," Mandie said slowly. She was struck suddenly by impatient bravery and continued, "Only I could have sworn I saw you around here only two days ago—maybe you remember?" she prompted, raising her eyebrows. "My friends and I were hiking up here, and we thought we saw someone. Was that you?"

The man made no answer, but she thought she detected a bit of anger stirring in his glittering black eyes. She folded her arms and stuck out her chin defiantly, her courage bolstered by the fact that Jonathan had to be on his way back by now, and that Joe was hiding just nearby, watching her.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she demanded. "What were ya'll doing out here, sneaking around my Uncle John's property? Did you come from the Cherokee reservation?"

That made him mad, she realized in satisfaction.

He glared at her and said abruptly, "White man poke to much in our affairs. Now on, stay off reservation!"

"So you are a Cherokee?" Mandie guessed, ignoring his warning.

He sobered and made no reply, which only fed Mandie's frustration. Was he a Catawba or a Cherokee? What would a Catawba care about them visiting the Cherokee reservation? What was he hiding?—why did he want them to stay away, and why did he want her and Joe to get lost?

Deciding that a show of confidence was the best way to go, Mandie said emphatically, "I know you—and probably someone else—have been sneaking around following us. Ya'll have been trespassing on private property, and we can involve the law in this."

"White man's law doesn't scare me," he scoffed. "You come to reservation, you trespass."

Mandie tossed her long braid indignantly, glaring at him. "I'll have you know that I am one-fourth Cherokee, and being a kinsperson to those on the reservation, I have every right to visit them!"

"Do not come," he warned her again, stepping towards her threateningly. "Stay away, or we make you stay away."

Mandie fought not to take a step back—he mustn't know she was scared, even though she was growing more and more worried. Where were the others? What if the man tried to kidnap her? Joe was here, she comforted herself. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"I am going to visit my Cherokee kinspeople just as soon as I can, and ya'll just try and stop me," she said angrily. "If you've been causing any trouble with them, we'll put a stop to it! Now why did ya'll try to get us lost?"

His tanned face slipped back into a masked expression and he said threateningly, "Keep white men busy, away from reservation, know not to come. Know you receive message from reservation, but you stay away."

Mandie drew herself up, glaring at him. "Ya'll got us lost just to keep us from going to help my kinspeople? Here Uncle Ned has been wasting a whole day on looking for ya'll, and that's just what you want! Well, I can assure you—he'll be here in a few minutes and then you'll be sorry! We're leaving for the reservation whether you like it or not!"

"No, white men leave us be," he said firmly, and took another step closer, stretching his hands out to her.

Mandie froze, but before she could do anything, Joe's voice rang out from behind her.

"You leave her alone, Mister!" Joe said furiously, striding forward out of his hiding place and placing himself squarely in front of Mandie. "Don't even try it!"

The man looked a little uncertain, taking in Joe's livid expression, and as he hesitated, Mandie heard a familiar, piercing bird-call.

"Uncle Ned!" she cried—the old Indian, her Uncle John, and Jonathan were racing towards them through the trees.

The strange Indian looked around frantically and backed away from Mandie and Joe, just as Joe grabbed Mandie's hand and pulled her back with him.

"Why you hurt Papoose?" Uncle Ned demanded angrily, striding towards the stranger.

"What do you want?" Uncle John added. "Why are you here?"

The Indian looked warily between the two of them and backed off slowly, retrieving his bow from the bushes as he did so.

"Don't move another inch until you've answered us," Uncle John stated firmly, and calmly cocked his rifle. "We already chased your friend off up there. Why have you been following my niece and her friends around? You got them lost out here in the mountains—what if they had never made it back?"

"Then white men stay off the reservation," the Indian answered flatly.

"That's what they were intending to do, Uncle John," Mandie informed him from where she stood with Joe. "This man says he wanted us to get lost, to distract ya'll from Dimar's message. He wants us away from the Cherokee reservation!"

The Indian glared at her, and Joe tightened his grip on her forearm, glaring right back.

"Thank you, Mandie," Uncle John said grimly. "It didn't look like he was going to be favoring us with any answers."

Uncle Ned took a step closer to the man. "You stay away from Papoose," he said, keeping an arrow notched on his bow.

"What are we going to do now, Uncle John?" Mandie asked. "Should we arrest him? Did you say ya'll ran off his friend?"

"No, Amanda, we won't involve the sheriff," Uncle John said, never taking his eyes off the slowly-retreating Indian.

"But isn't he trespassing?" Mandie pressed.

"Not up here," Uncle John said. "And we will not technically be able to prove that he was ever on our land, so we will just have to let him go. His friend is long gone by now." He hefted his rifle and said coolly, "Alright, sir, I would go on and beat it if I were you. I'm letting you go this time, but if I ever see either one of you again, I won't waste words, I'll just shoot—understand?"

The Indian gave them a final glare and turned, saying, "One last chance—stay away from reservation! We warned you." He looked at Mandie a moment longer and finished, "Already made precautions. You stay away." Mandie could have sworn he fingered his deerskin jacket, and she had the oddest sensation that he expected her to identify it.

And then, gripping his bow and quiver of arrows, he turned and fled through the woods until Mandie lost sight of him.

"Whew, that was close," she said, exchanging a look with Jonathan, who had stood quietly behind Uncle John and Uncle Ned the entire time, armed with Dr. Woodard's rifle.

"I'll say," Jonathan said, returning to grin.

"Are you alright, Mandie?" Joe asked, turning to look down at her. "I know that I was supposed to stay hidden, but I wasn't sure what he was going to do."

"I'm fine, Joe," she assured him. "I'm glad you came out. I was getting a little worried."

"What were ya'll thinking, coming after him on your own?" Uncle John interrupted, slinging his rifle back over his shoulder. "I told you not to wander off."

Mandie met her Uncle's gaze evenly. "We knew we were never going to get anywhere with all of us together," she said. "And Joe and Jonathan agreed that there must have been two men—we figured that as long as he didn't realize we'd split up, we would be able to catch the stranger."

"Don't you realize how dangerous that was?" Uncle John asked exasperatedly.

Mandie still didn't back down, knowing that Joe and Jonathan would support her. "We knew what we were doing, Uncle John," she insisted. "We had a plan and it worked. Joe and Jonathan were with me the whole time. We weren't going to get into any trouble."

Joe spoke up beside her. "That's right, sir. We all agreed to it."

He looked as though he was going to continue arguing, then, looking around at the three of them, he sighed and shook his head. "I guess ya'll did know what you were doing," he admitted. "I'm sorry, Amanda, but it's just a little hard for me to realize that you really are growing up. You're not a little girl anymore."

Mandie smiled at him and went to embrace him. "Maybe not, but I'll always be your little blue eyes," she promised. He laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"And you'll always be able to coax me into letting you do whatever you want," he said ruefully.

Mandie released him and reached to grasp Uncle Ned's hands. "I'm sorry we worried you both," she said honestly, looking into his wrinkled face. "But we did know you would come."

"Papoose always does best to do what's right," Uncle Ned said proudly, covering her hand with both of his. "Trust Papoose."

"Well, what do ya'll say about finding the others and heading home?" Uncle John.

"It's probably way past lunchtime," Jonathan added. "And I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"As soon as we get back, Uncle Ned and Sallie will leave for the reservation," Uncle John reminded them. "And we'll be leaving at dawn tomorrow morning. I don't care what that Indian said, we'll be getting to the bottom of all this mischief."

"I agree," said Mandie. "I want to know why that man doesn't want us investigating. It sounds to me like he's behind a lot of the trouble." She turned to Uncle Ned. "Was he a Cherokee, Uncle Ned? Or a Catawba? Did Jonathan tell you about the beads?"

Uncle Ned nodded. "I hear about beads. Stranger not Cherokee, maybe Catawba. We know soon."

Mandie blew out a breath. "Shucks," she said, "I was hoping you would know… I can't seem to decide why I thought he was so familiar if I've never met him."

Uncle Ned peered at her for a moment and then smiled, saying, "Papoose grow used to Indian ways, can pick them out any place. You see certain things, know to be Indian."

Mandie frowned. "I guess so," she said. "But there was just something about him…"

Joe looked at her suddenly, his eyes brightening as he thought of something. "You felt you recognized him by his jacket," he reminded her. "Remember? Long before you ever saw his face."

Mandie let a long breath. "Yes, the jacket…" suddenly, she realized where she'd seen that jacket. "Uncle Ned, that's T'sani's jacket!" she exclaimed. "I'm sure it is! T'sani's worn it before. And that old Indian knew it—he expected me to recognize it."

"Papoose sure?" Uncle Ned asked her.

"Completely sure, Uncle Ned," Mandie said confidently. "T'sani always wears that jacket."

"Aha!" said Joe. "I told you he was involved!"

Mandie frowned at him. "He is not, Joe! That Indian stole his jacket, and he wanted me to know it—I think T'sani may be in some sort of trouble. He's not one to charitably give away his jacket…" She drew herself up determinedly. "But we won't know for sure until we get to the reservation and figure out what all is going on."

"Precisely," said Uncle John. "Shall we, then?" He gestured in front of them, and Mandie, followed by Joe and Jonathan, headed back to the small, insignificant forest path that had caused them all so much trouble—and kept them away from discovering what was going on with Mandie's Cherokee kinspeople.

They met the others—Dr. Woodard, Celia, and Sallie, who was carrying a squirming Snowball—coming down the path.

"Oh, you found him!" Mandie cried, taking her disgruntled cat from Sallie.

"I think he could smell our basket full of food," Sallie replied, grinning. "I hope you don't mind, I gave him part of the food meant for you three."

"I don't mind," Mandie said, while Jonathan looked downright horrified. "I'm just glad you found him." She fished around in the basket for some twine to use as a leash and attached it to Snowball's collar, before setting him on his feet.

After Mandie had caught her two friends up on all that had happened, and Dr. Woodard had checked and re-wrapped Mandie's ankle, they set back out towards home. Sallie was very worried about T'sani, but Celia had other concerns on her mind.

"I should have known that you were up to something, Jonathan," Celia said with a slight frown of disapproval.

He shrugged. "All's well that ends well. My plan worked, didn't it?"

Joe scoffed at him. "It was Mandie's plan that actually caught the stranger."

Jonathan grinned. "Ah, but it was my plan that set it all into place, so I am the true instigator after all."

Mandie nudged Celia and smiled. "I think this is the first time that Jonathan is eager to take all the responsibility… I seem to recall him saying that I was the one who was always dragging ya'll into trouble."

"And I was always the one who got us out," Jonathan added.

Celia rolled her eyes. "I do not seem to remember that," she said dryly.

"You all will still be following us tomorrow?" Sallie broke in, looking at Mandie for her answer.

"Yes, of course," Mandie replied. "I'm more anxious than ever to leave for the reservation, and I wish we could leave with ya'll today, but I don't think Mother would appreciate such short notice when she's already planned for tomorrow."

"But, Mandie, you could come with us," Sallie reminded her. "Any of you could come, if you would like to. Grandfather will not mind, and I am sure that your Uncle will not mind either."

"Oh, Sallie, that's a perfect idea!" Mandie said excitedly, casting a look over her shoulder at her Uncle John, who was some ways behind them, walking with Dr. Woodard and Uncle Ned. "I'm sure Uncle John will let me. And that way he and Mother can come up whenever they're ready tomorrow. What about ya'll?" she asked, turning to her other three friends. "If ya'll would rather wait until tomorrow, that's fine, I will wait as well."

Joe shrugged his broad shoulders. "If you want to go with Uncle Ned and Sallie, then I'll go with you, of course. My parents won't mind. My father will only be staying at the reservation a few days, just to catch up with the going ons at the hospital, and then he and my mother will go home and meet up with us again in New York."

Mandie smiled at him and then turned to Jonathan and Celia.

"As long as Mother will let me, then I'll go along with you, Mandie," Celia said immediately. "After all, Mother is leaving for home tomorrow anyway, and like Joe's parents, she'll join us in New York."

"Count me in as well," added Jonathan. "My father isn't even here, so of course I'll stay with Mandie."

"Oh, good!" said Mandie happily. "I'll just ask Uncle John to make sure it's alright with him and Mother."

She stopped and waited for her Uncle to near her before asking quickly, "Uncle John, is it alright if my friends and I leave with Uncle Ned today? You see, I would rather not wait until tomorrow to visit my kinspeople and figure out what is going on, and Sallie invited us to go with her."

Uncle John looked a little startled at the sudden change of plans, but he looked at Uncle Ned, who smiled at Mandie.

"Papoose and friends are welcome," he said. "I watch out for Papoose, keep promise to Jim Shaw."

Uncle John looked between the two of them, shrugged, and said, "Well, there you have it, blue eyes. Like I said before, I agree that you should be able to make your own decisions, and if you feel strongly about this, then I am alright with letting ya'll go. Don't worry, I'll talk your Mother around," he added, with his familiar wink.

"Oh, thank you, Uncle John!" Mandie said, and then hurried back down to tell her friends.

"When we get back, ya'll need to pack real fast, because we'll be leaving with Uncle Ned and Sallie!" she exclaimed.

"I'm glad," Sallie said, smiling warmly at her. "I will not feel so very lonely with all the strange happenings going on if you are all with me."

Mandie was silent for a moment, before saying quietly, "I don't know about ya'll, but I am sure glad that we figured out what was going on here. Everything was starting to get pretty strange."

Celia shuddered. "I still can't believe you three went after that man alone. That was just plain dangerous!"

Joe grinned a little and said, "You know, I can't help but think that this was all sort of my fault."

"I could have told you that," Jonathan said instantly, giving Joe and teasing grin.

"What makes you say that, Joe?" Mandie asked, ignoring Jonathan's fooling around.

"Don't you remember?" Joe asked. "This all started because I suggested we follow this path and see where it goes."

"Oh, but those men were already watching us," Mandie reminded him. "They had only been looking out for a way to distract us, and unfortunately, we provided them with the perfect opportunity."

"I suppose so," said Joe. "And now I suppose that we have yet another mystery to solve." As he spoke, he gave Mandie sideways glance.

She caught his gaze and smiled up at him. "That's right, Joe Woodard," she said teasingly. "I guess you've learned by now that if you want to be my friend, you're going to have to accept mysteries as a part of life."

"Well, then, I don't mind them that much after all," Joe replied, grinning at her.

Mandie felt herself blush and looked quickly away. Somehow, she knew, and she had probably known for nearly two years now, that there was something different in her relationship with Joe. They had passed the stage of childhood friendship that she had loved for so long, and though these new feelings weren't as comfortingly familiar, they gave her a sense of excitement all the same. No matter what the future held, she knew without a doubt that Joe would always be there for her, just as he had always been. He was her oldest and truest friend, and nothing would ever change that.

And for now, she had an exciting mystery to look forward to—by nightfall, they would reach the Cherokee reservation and the mystery that awaited her there. Whatever it took, Mandie knew she would get to the bottom of the trouble surrounding her kinspeople, and she could barely wait to begin.

Did you like it?! Even though I've tried to proof-read it 57419857931 times, because I rewrote it so much, there's bound to be mistakes here and there... do your best to ignore my poor editing skills! I really, truly hoped you enjoyed the end of Mandie and the Forest Path and that it was everything you wanted! You guys are amazing for remaining so dedicated to such a procrastinating, oath-breaking writer! (And if you imagined Aragorn shouting 'oath-breakers' at the Undead Army when I said that, HEY let's be best friends). It's been a great year-and-a-half (or around-ish that) since I posted this, and I am eagerly looking forward to sharing my next story with you!

My next Mandie Mystery will be coming soon—look for the first chapter of "Mandie and the Reservation Conspiracy" in February! I know, that title is super lame but I can't think of anything else! If you have any suggestions that get the same point across, TELL ME! "Reservation Secret"?... "Reservation Intrigue"?... "Mountain Conspiracy"?... maybe I should say "Cherokee" instead of "Reservation"? But then the title would rhyme and be even more stupid... my creativity is being SUCKED OUT OF ME by the five billion projects I'm juggling at the moment.

I might post it early… FINGERS CROSSED INTO OBLIVION I SWEAR ON MY LOVE FOR RICHARD ARMITAGE THAT IT WILL BE POSTED BEFORE THE END OF FEBRUARY. Merry Christmas & Happy 2015!