A Storm for Sugar Skulls Sarah
During lunch, Lou Lou and Pea talked about the procession.
“Magdalena will come with us,” Pea said.
“That’s terrific!” replied Lou Lou. Because Pea’s cousin had agreed to accompany them, Lou Lou and Pea could walk in the evening procession without their parents’ constant supervision.
Lou Lou’s mom coughed loudly as she joined them at the table. Lou Lou wheeled the fridge open and took out a carton of orange juice. She poured a glass for her mom.
“Thanks, honey.” Jane took a big sip. “Could you girls do me a favor? I need some cold medicine and your dad had to go to—”
“Sure!” Lou Lou answered before her mom could finish. Although she was happy to help, a trip to the pharmacy would also give them a chance to see any new changes to the murals. It didn’t hurt that Cupcake Cabana was on the way. Lou Lou’s mom knew this, too, and gave Lou Lou money for medicine plus a little more.
“For cherry cough syrup and sweets for my sweets.” Jane patted Lou Lou on the head and winked at Pea. “Back to bed now for me. What a shame to miss such a lovely day.”
Lou Lou kept an eye on the murals as they ate their cupcakes and walked toward the pharmacy. She’d brought along the Mural Mystery Matrix and a pen, and she checked the Matrix every time they passed an important mural to make sure they’d recorded all the additions correctly. Everything seemed in order and there were no new changes.
“Maybe it will be a quiet day for the Mural Mystery,” Pea suggested.
Before Lou Lou could reply, a scream pierced the midday calm. Lou Lou sprinted in the direction of another scream, with Pea close behind. When they rounded the corner, they saw that it was Sugar Skulls Sarah making the racket. She stood in front of her studio, dripping wet. A puddle formed around her on the sidewalk.
“What happened, Sarah?” panted Lou Lou.
Sarah took off her glasses and pushed sopping strands of hair off her face. Drips ran down her cheeks. She might have been crying, but with all the water Lou Lou couldn’t tell.
“It’s just awful. Really truly awful,” Sarah wailed. “Everything is soaked.”
“Yes, we can see that,” replied Lou Lou impatiently. Pea shot her a try to be more sensitive glance. Gently, Lou Lou continued. “Maybe we can help. Should I go find you a towel?”
Sugar Skulls Sarah wrung out the cuffs of her sweater, making another puddle at Lou Lou’s feet. “It’s not just me that’s wet, Lou Lou. Like I said, everything is soaked.” Sarah pointed at her studio.
Through the open glass door Lou Lou and Pea saw what she meant. Inside, it looked like there had been a torrential downpour. Water ran down the legs of tables and chairs. Many of the wall tapestries were drenched and askew. The marigold vases were overflowing, and decorations spilled out of bowls in the flood, speckling the floor with glitter and bright color.
“What in the world—?” Pea started to ask.
“The sprinklers!” cried Sarah. “I was putting the finishing touches on some of the skulls when the fire sprinklers in the studio turned on at full blast. But there was no fire! Not even a puff of smoke.” Lou Lou and Pea suddenly realized the full consequences of the sprinkler storm.
“The sugar skulls!” exclaimed Pea. “They will dissolve!”
“Exactly,” Sarah responded sadly. “They’re ruined.” She pointed at shelves that had once displayed the skulls she’d decorated for the giant wagon she always towed behind her bicycle in the procession. Sure enough, the skulls were now formless lumps of white covered in wet feathers and dripping clusters of beads and gems. It was a mess.
“How terrible!” Pea cried, clearly distressed by the thought of destroyed artwork. “What can we do?”
“It’s hopeless,” replied Sarah. “I’ll have to start over and work night and day just to make enough skulls for Día de los Muertos. ¡Ay, qué pena!” Lou Lou heard sirens in the distance. Sarah sighed.
“Before I do anything, I have to explain this to the fire department and clean up this disaster.”
“We’d stay to help you clean…” Lou Lou said.
“Yes, normally we would love to!” Pea chimed in.
“… but we’re supposed to go to the pharmacy.” Lou Lou remembered the medicine they’d promised her mom.
“No hay problema,” said Sarah. “I’m going to call some friends to come over.”
Sugar Skulls Sarah went back into her studio. Lou Lou and Pea stood gazing after her for a silent moment.
Then Lou Lou said, “Sprinkler sabotage! It’s gotta be! You heard her—there wasn’t a fire. There’s no way this was an accident.”
“Someone could have turned on the sprinklers when Sarah’s back was turned,” Pea said.
“Jeremy! He was in the studio when we made our sugar skulls,” Lou Lou remembered. “He probably scoped it out so he could ruin everything later!”
Pea pointed down the block. “Look, here comes Elmira!” The Candle Lady hurried toward them. The brown fabric of her shapeless clothing billowed out around her.
“Hi, Elmira!” Lou Lou called.
“¡Hola, Lou Lou Bombay y Peacock Pearl! How are you today, my dears? Have you made any progress on the—”
“Mural Mystery!” Lou Lou finished Elmira’s sentence. “Don’t worry—we’re definitely getting closer to proving who is behind the crimes. We have to stop tragedies like this.” Lou Lou pointed at Sarah’s Studio. Inside, Sarah was mopping the floor.
“You’re right. ¡Estoy totalmente de acuerdo!” said Elmira, looking vexed. “I was so sad for Sarah when she called to tell me about her soggy sprinkler storm surprise. I rushed here to bring her this candle.” Elmira held up a candle that said Reparar, and had a picture of a man with a hammer and a nail. “I do not have a ‘dry’ candle so I chose the next best one, a ‘repair’ candle,” she explained.
“Did you find any clues about who robbed you, Elmira?” Lou Lou asked.
“Regrettably, no.” The Candle Lady sounded sad.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Lou Lou said. “I think my new neighbor, Jeremy, committed the other crimes. He probably stole your money, too! Do you know him?”
“I have met him,” the Candle Lady replied. “He seemed like un buen niño, but who knows? Las cosas no siempre son lo que parecen.”
“Things are not always what they seem,” Pea translated. “I hope you can still go on your vacation,” she said to Elmira.
“Gracias, niña. You are very kind, pero no es posible.” Elmira changed the subject. “I should head into the studio now.”
“Adiós,” Pea said to the Candle Lady. The girls watched as one of their favorite neighbors rushed to help another.