Lou Lou and Pea saw Kyle on their way to the Bonanza stage. He was wearing his Comet Cop cape and had brought his dog, Mars Rover. In a tribute to Kyle’s long-lost space goats, Mars Rover wore a tinfoil helmet. He didn’t look happy, but at least he wasn’t eating it as an early lunch.
“Hi, guys. I mean, greetings, Earthlings.” Kyle waved his arms frantically as if Lou Lou and Pea might miss him. With the cape, the dog, the helmet, and the fact that Kyle was standing right in front of Lou Lou and Pea, this was nearly impossible.
“Hey, Kyle,” Lou Lou said. She noticed a dollop of cream in the corner of Kyle’s mouth.
Pea didn’t miss it either. “Have you been eating caracoles?”
“Affirmative! The ones on your shirt.” Kyle pointed at Lou Lou.
“What?” Lou Lou remembered she was wearing Jeremy’s Killer Caracoles T-shirt. “Where is Jeremy?”
Kyle pointed and Lou Lou saw Jeremy, wearing his own black T-shirt and holding a platter heaped with his killer caracoles. From the crowd surrounding him, Lou Lou could tell that the platter would quickly be empty. People were gobbling up his pastries and coming back for seconds. Jeremy wore an ear-to-ear goofy grin.
“We should get one before he runs out,” Pea said. “But first, where’s the gazebo? Isn’t it supposed to be revealed at the festivities?”
“Good question. I thought so, too. Maybe it’ll be here later? Or maybe—” Before Lou Lou could finish her sentence, she noticed a commotion around Jeremy.
“I will not stand for your unauthorized distribution of caracoles, young man!” a voice boomed.
“Uh-oh,” Lou Lou said. “It sounds like Andy Argyle discovered Jeremy’s killer caracoles.” Sure enough, through a break in the crowd, Lou Lou saw the vice-mayor talking to Jeremy. Andy Argyle wore a flashy purple-and-gold-argyle-print suit and his usual shiny shoes. He twirled the end of his goatee angrily.
“Rather garish.” Pea looked disapprovingly at the vice-mayor’s attire.
Jeremy said something that Lou Lou couldn’t hear. But she guessed from his jutted-out chin and narrowed eyes that Jeremy wasn’t being agreeable. With one quick sweep of his arm, Andy Argyle knocked Jeremy’s remaining caracoles off his tray. There was a gasp from the crowd, and Lou Lou’s ears were instantly hot.
“Hey!” she yelled, marching over to stand beside Jeremy. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“You again!” shouted the vice-mayor. “I’m not surprised that you’re here messing up my day! If you must know, I am enforcing the rules of the caracoles contest.” He pointed to the banner above the stage. “Only Verde Valley bakers may enter!”
“But Jeremy wasn’t entering the contest,” said Pea, who had joined Lou Lou. “He was simply sharing his killer caracoles with the crowd. So he’s not actually breaking the rules.”
“Well—no—I—I don’t have to explain myself to you!” Andy Argyle sputtered. “I’ve half a mind to kick you both out of La Fuente Park right this moment.”
“You can’t just—” Lou Lou began.
“It’s okay, Lou Lou,” Jeremy said. “Vice-Mayor, I’m sorry about the caracoles.” From his crossed fingers behind his back, Lou Lou could tell he wasn’t truly sorry. “I just thought I’d give everyone a pre-contest snack. To get them excited about the main event, ya know? Surely you don’t want to kick us out now that Mayor Montoya has arrived.”
“Mayor Montoya!” Lou Lou said.
“She’s back?” Pea asked.
“What? Where?!” Andy Argyle exclaimed.
Jeremy pointed at the mayor, who was smiling and waving to the crowd as she made her way toward the stage. Secretly stealing the Bonanza from El Corazón was one thing, but it wouldn’t look good if Mayor Montoya saw Andy Argyle banning people from the citywide celebration.
“Just stay out of my sight and don’t cause any more trouble!” Andy Argyle spun on his shiny heel and stomped off.
“I hope the mayor’s return means Putt Putt the puli is all better,” said Pea.
“Mayor Montoya can help us get the Bonanza back!” Lou Lou still wasn’t ready to give up. “Then Jeremy can enter the caracoles contest.”
“¡Ya quisiera!” Jeremy said. “I know my caracoles would beat Amanda’s hands down even though she also knows the secret ingredient. But I think it’s too late for me. The contest is about to begin!”
“And we don’t have any proof now that the diary is a fake, remember?” Pea pointed out. “So there’s no reason the mayor would help us reclaim the Bonanza.”
Lou Lou realized that Jeremy and Pea were right. She just couldn’t stop hoping that things would work out. She and Pea helped Jeremy pick up the scattered caracoles from the ground.
“They’re only a little dirty; we could probably still eat them,” said Lou Lou. Pea crinkled her nose.
Jeremy laughed. “No need. I’ve got a whole backup stash.” He patted his messenger bag. “I thought demand would be high, so I made extra. I’ll give you one when I’m certain Patrick Plaid or Harold Houndstooth or whatever that guy’s name is isn’t watching.” Andy Argyle was out of earshot but, as if on cue, he flashed Jeremy, Lou Lou, and Pea a look of warning.
“Attention!” Mayor Montoya stood at a microphone at the front of the stage. “We’ll begin in just a moment.” Lou Lou and Pea found seats near Sarah and Rosa. Lou Lou spotted a flash of red and nudged Pea.
“Look, there’s Abuela Josie! She’s wearing her new hat!”
“It looks magnificent!” Lou Lou and Pea waved at Pea’s abuela. Abuela Josie pointed at her hat and blew them a kiss.
The crowd quieted and Mayor Montoya said, “Greetings, everyone! I am very pleased that I could return to my city in time for this historic occasion! You will be happy to know that Putt Putt the puli made a full recovery.”
Pea smiled. “That’s something to be grateful for today,” she said.
“I was surprised to find out that we would be celebrating in Verde Valley and not El Corazón,” continued the mayor. “But Vice-Mayor Argyle explained about the diary and the founders’ decree, and I understand that his hands were tied when it came to the Bonanza’s location.”
“Not exactly,” grumbled Lou Lou.
“Now, without further ado,” said Mayor Montoya. “Bienvenidos to the opening event of our city’s Bicentennial Bonanza, the caracoles contest!”
Andy Argyle took over the microphone. “Yes, I suppose we are very fortunate that Mayor Montoya has returned in time to co-judge the caracoles contest.” He sounded anything but sincere.
“Gracias, Vice-Mayor.” Mayor Montoya gave a little bow. The crowd clapped excitedly.
“As Bicentennial Bonanza Boss—” Andy Argyle began. Mayor Montoya cleared her throat, and the vice-mayor looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “I mean as Bicentennial Bonanza Vice-Boss, I will, of course, be the other judge.” Andy Argyle was clearly annoyed about being second-in-command again.
“That’s not fair. He shouldn’t be a judge,” Lou Lou whispered. She hadn’t even considered who would be judging the caracoles contest, although it wasn’t surprising that Andy Argyle had appointed himself.
“It means Amanda will have a huge advantage even if her caracoles aren’t the best,” Pea whispered back. “At least the mayor won’t be biased.”
“As you all know, the caracoles champion will have the honor of serving our famous local pastry at the Bonanza,” the vice-mayor said. “¡Qi comenchen la concursa di caracoles!”
Lou Lou raised her eyebrows at Pea.
“I think he means ¡Que comience el concurso de caracoles! Let the caracoles contest begin!” Pea said. “But the only word he got right was caracoles.”
Lou Lou giggled. At the very least, she could relish the fact that she spoke Spanish better than the vice-mayor.
“I guess we’ll see whether Amanda can pull off making good caracoles,” Lou Lou said.
“Yes, this should be interesting,” Pea replied.
As it turned out, Pea was right. But Lou Lou and Pea were soon to discover that they didn’t even know the half of it!