™

R E A L K I D S • R E A L P L A C E SAMERICA’S NATIONAL MYSTERY BOOK SERIES

TM

C A R O L E M A R S H

A Really Famous Fort!

A SnowyChristmas

Storm!

One MissingAunt!

A SecretStash of Cargo!

A Pile ofStolen

Cannonballs!

T

3

The Mystery

at

FortSumter

4

Copyright ©2009 Carole Marsh/Gallopade International/Peachtree City, GAAll rights reserved.First EditionEbook edition Copyright ©2011

Carole Marsh Mysteries™ and its skull colophon are the property of Carole Marsh andGallopade International.

Published by Gallopade International/Carole Marsh Books. Printed in the United Statesof America.

Managing Editor: Sherry MossCover Design: Vicki DeJoyPicture Credits: Paige MuhContent Design: Randolyn Friedlander

Gallopade International is introducing SAT words that kids need to know ineach new book that we publish. The SAT words are bold in the story. Lookfor this special logo beside each word in the glossary. Happy Learning!

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This book is a complete work of fiction. All events are fictionalized, and although thenames of real people are used, their characterization in this book is fiction. All attractions, product names, or other works mentioned in this book are trademarks oftheir respective owners and the names and images used in this book are strictly for editorial purposes; no commercial claims to their use is claimed by the author or publisher.

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5

America’s National Mystery Book SeriesTM

for Young Readers!Where the Adventure is Real...and

So are the Characters!

For more than 30 years, Carole Marsh has been creatingREAL KIDS REAL PLACES mystery books set in majorAmerican locations and using real kids as characters in thebooks. Readers of this popular national series can goonline to track the books they have read on a map! Theycan also find a Scavenger Hunt, Pop Quiz, and other funactivities to “Continue the Adventure!” Teachers candownload a REAL KIDS REAL PLACES Teacher’s Guide,an Author’s Bio, Book Club Questions and Activities, and more!

And just in case you want to know:•YES! Mimi (Carole Marsh) and Papa (the cowboy pilot)

are real! •Christina and Grant are their real grandchildren! (So are

Avery, Ella and Evan!)•There is a Mystery Girl

airplane...and a MysteryGirl boat (named Mimi!)

•And yes, kids can goonline and apply to be acharacter in a futureREAL KIDS REAL PLACES mystery and join the Fan Club!

Start your adventure TODAY atwww.carolemarshmysteries.com!

About the

Characters

7

ChristinaYother,

13, playsChristina

GrantYother,

11, playsGrant

AnnaMuh,

9, playsAshley

RebeccaMuh,

7, playsCooper

AveryLongmeyer,

6, playsAvery

EllaLongmeyer,

4, playsElla

EvanLongmeyer,

1, playsEvan

Highway 17, South Carolina

CHRISTINA yawned. It seemed so verystrange. She and her brother Grant usuallytraveled with their grandparents to Charlestonin the spring or summer. Yet here they were,barreling down a dark, wet, sleet-slick highwayin the dead of winter.

They had left Mimi and Papa’s Gullah blue-doored home in Savannah’s historic district just awhile ago. Papa’s biggray SUV had sailed over the Talmadge Bridgeand across the South Carolina state line.There was no one on the dark and mysterious road. The sleet-laden trees hunglow over the highway. It looked like they weredriving through a dark, lacy tunnel. The fullmoon only now and then peeked down throughthe leaves like a big white eyeball spying on them.

Papa drove fast, but watched carefullyfor the enormous alligators that were knownto cross the highway at night. The thoughtmade Christina shiver. She snugged further

9

down into the Clemson afghan Papa hadtossed back to her when she complained shewas freezing. Across the seat, Grant hunkeredover his video game, the greenish light fromthe monitor creating a skeletal glow in the car.Mimi was asleep.

They stopped at Green Pond to go tothe bathroom. In the old store, Christinamarveled at the array of enormous cookingpots and ladles large enough to hold a head.She wondered what kind of creatures youcould catch in these lowcountry waters thatwould require such tools. Again, she shivered.

As they sped on toward Charleston,Christina read the curious sign names bymoonlight: Ashepoo…Combahee…Edisto…Pon Pon Plantation…. Gray beards of Spanishmoss swung from trees and even street signs.Ghostly shadows flickered on the road. Itreminded Christina that Charleston wasknown as the Most Haunted City in America.

Usually that would be good news.Usually, they would be headed to Charlestonin spring during the garden season when the

10

Spoleto arts festival was going on, or insummer to visit the beaches at Folly or WildDunes. Mimi would be working on a new kids’mystery book, and she and Grant would behelping her. But this night they were notheaded for sun and fun—they were headed to afuneral. Mimi’s Aunt Lulu had died.

To make things worse, it was theChristmas holidays. They’d been visiting withtheir grandparents when the call came, whichis why they happened to be cooped up in thiscold car all glum and sad. So what kind of funcould this be? What kind of mysteryadventure? What kind of Christmas?

Christina didn’t even want to thinkabout it. Of course, there was no way shecould possibly know that it would turn out tobe what she would later describe as “the worstone of all”…what Grant later called “the bestone of all!”

Papa made a swooping right turn andthey faced a city glittering in the foggy cold.“Charleston,” he announced.

Christina glanced at the car’s digitalclock: MIDNIGHT.

11

“Of course it is,” she groaned, and hidbeneath the afghan as the car bumped downan ancient cobblestone street into town.

12

GRANT yawned. When the carstopped, he looked up to see that they wereparked in front of what looked like a grandfortress.

“Are we going to sleep at Fort Sumter?”he asked, yawning again. He turned off hisvideo player, thrusting the car from greengloom to just plain old black gloom.

“This is not Fort Sumter,” said Papa,stretching, his cowboy hat scraping the roof.“This is a hotel. It’s the old Citadel building,and yes, the young men who once stayed herewould say it is indeed a fortress.” Papalaughed.

13

“What Fort

is This?”

1

From the back seat, Christina andGrant stared at the edifice shrouded in foggedlight, then stared at each other. Theyshrugged their shoulders.

“Looks like a fort to me,” Christinawhispered to her brother.

“Towers…turrets…gun ports…” saidGrant. “Yep, looks like a fort to me.”

A GIANT yawn escaped from the frontseat. “Are we sleeping at Fort Sumter?!” cried Mimi.

She stretched and sat straight up, hershort blond hair a spiky mess.

“Oh, for gosh sakes!” moaned Papa.“It’s a hotel! Or, we can sleep in the car.”

“Uh, no thanks!” said Christina, shovingthe Clemson afghan aside. She gathered herthings. “There is no bathroom in the car.”

“Or television,” reminded Grant,eagerly grabbing his backpack.

Papa opened the car door as a sleepybellman in a uniform approached. “No TV. It’slate. It’s bedtime. Let’s go, pard’ners—NOW!”

The kids, and even Mimi, “hopped to.”

14

“Wow,” Christina whispered to herbrother. “Papa sounds like a drill sergeant orsomething.”

“He’s just tired,” said Mimi. “Thatdrive in the sleet on the dark road is nerve-wracking.”

“Mimi!” said Grant. “You wereasleep…how do you know?”

Mimi turned around. Her eyes werestill red from weeping over poor Aunt Lulu.“Now, Grant, you know how I have eyes in theback of my head?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Grant said.“Well, guess what?” said Mimi. “I can

also ‘backseat drive’ your Papa from the frontseat—even with my eyes closed.”

Papa, who was holding her door open,shook his head. “It’s true, Grant, and don’tforget it. You can’t get anything past Mimi.”He gave Mimi a weary wink.

Mimi smiled and perked up. Shehopped out of the car and followed the bellmanand their luggage cart inside. Papa, Christina,and Grant followed obediently.

15

“Well, do we even get dinner?” Grantasked forlornly. He rubbed his tummy andtried to look like a starving waif. He and hissister waited eagerly for the answer.

Mimi and Papa barely turned theirheads around, but together they said, “NO!”

As Christina entered the spooky,fortlike hotel, she noted the time on the lobby clock.

“Forgetaboutit, Grant,” she said sadly,putting her arm around her brother’sshoulders. “It’s closer to breakfast thandinnertime. I have some M&Ms in mybackpack. We’ll make do.”

“Great!” grumbled Grant. “Next, Iguess we’ll find out we’re staying in thedungeon?”

Papa hovered over the check-in desk. Askeletal-looking desk clerk handed him a key.“The room you requested, sir,” they overheardhim say. “The Dungeon Suite.”

Christina and Grant exchanged shocked glances, and nervously followed their grandparents into the gloom of thedarkened lobby.

16

As they made their way through thespooky lobby and onto an elevator, Christinaspied strange shadows dancing on thewalls…or was that just from the candlelight?Tinkling water made her think of a drippy, olddungeon, but when the elevator doors opened,they found themselves in a regular hotelcorridor. The bellman shoved the cart aheadof them and stopped at a door at the end ofthe hall.

“Room 13,” muttered Grant.“Naturally.”

Inside, the kids were happy to see thatit was a two-room suite, so they had a sofa bedto pull out and their own television, and the

17

To the Dungeon

2

fridge and microwave were in their room.Soon, and in silence, they had all gotten intotheir pajamas. Papa mumbled something thatsounded like “Gunnite” and headed to bed.Mimi helped the kids manage the sofa bed,then curled up with them against a bank of pillows.

“So what happens next, Mimi?”Christina asked her grandmother, who stilllooked very sad.

“Not sure,” said Mimi. “I haven’t heardfrom Aunt Lulu in years. I only got one quickphone call about her death, from a stranger,so I don’t really even know where to find her!”

Grant’s eyes opened very, very wide.“So you mean we’re going to have to searchCharleston for a dead body?!” He scruncheddown into the blankets.

“Grant!” squealed his sister. “It’s ok,” Mimi assured him. “I am sad,

but Lulu was very old. All her family died longago, so that’s one reason she was always sohard to stay in touch with. She really isn’t

18

even my aunt. I, uh, I think she’s the aunt ofmy mother’s third cousin once removed.”

Christina and Grant stared at oneanother, then burst into laughter.

Now Mimi was offended. “And justwhat’s so funny?”

“Sorrrry,” sputtered Christina, and sheand Grant burst into laughter yet again. Mimi frowned, then laughed herself. “I know,I know,” she said. “It sounds strange. Butreally, I had to come.”

“For the funeral?” Christina offeredsomberly. She punched her brother to stophis uncontrollable giggling, especially since hewas slobbering on her side of the covers.

“No,” said Mimi, matter-of-factly.“There is no funeral. Lulu was cremated.”

“Then…?” Christina prodded.Mimi sighed. “I had to come for the

reading of the will. It seems that my name ismentioned.”

“JACKPOT!” cried Grant, giving a high-five sign to his sister.

19

“Knock-it-off, Grant!” said Christina,slapping a pillow at her brother’s head and missing.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Grant,” Mimiwarned. “I’m under the impression that Lululived a very modest life. She has probably leftme something sentimental, like a vase orsomething. I only knew her when I was a veryyoung girl.”

“That’s sad,” said Christina.“It was,” Mimi agreed. “But Lulu was

always the life of the party!”Christina and her brother stared at one

another, astounded. Very strange, indeed!Suddenly, Mimi sat up. “Ok, now, it’s

very late. Get to sleep. We can only hope thatwe can pay our respects quickly, dispense withthe will business and head for Savannah andthen Peachtree City. Christmas is coming in afew days, you know, and we need to get home—I promised your parents and Uncle Michaeland Aunt Cassidy, and Avery, Ella, and Evanwill looking for you on Christmas Eve.”

20

“So we don’t even get to look aroundCharleston?” asked Christina. She wasdisappointed. She wanted to get home for theholidays, too. She was missing her friend’sChristmas party, as it was. But she loved theold, amazing, historic town of Charleston andknew that it must be decorated big time forthe holidays.

“Yeah,” said Grant. “Papa promisedhe’d take me to Fort Sumter. We’re studyingthe Civil War in school, you know.”

Mimi did not say anything. She hadsnuggled back on a pillow and was soundasleep.

“Can we move her to her bed?” Grantasked.

Christina shook her head. “I think wehad better let her sleep.”

“It’s just like one-hundred-and-oneDalmatians,” Grant grumbled. “Too crowdedin this sofa bed with girls and women.”

“Then I have a very good idea,” saidChristina with a grin.

21

Grant groaned, then grabbed a cornerof the blanket and rolled up into it and off ontothe floor into an instant “sleeping bag.”

They all dozed off so quickly that theydid not hear someone enter a key into the lockof their door. The key rattled and rattled butthe door would not open.

Sleet fell all night in Charleston.

22

The next morning, sun belted its waythrough the bars of the blind slats in thewindow of their room. “Ouch!” screechedGrant when he opened his eyes.

“Hey, what’s this?” grumbled Christina,rolling over. Mimi was gone. Through thedoorway, she could see her grandmothersnuggled up to Papa. She had stolen all hiscovers. “We have a chance to sleep late andlook at all this sunlight.”

“I want to get up early,” said Grant,popping up. “I’m starving! We didn’t eatdinner last night, remember?”

Christina rubbed her stomach andhopped up too. “Oh, I remember, all right. We

23

Frozen Fortress

3

had a chorus of rumbling tummies in thenight.” She staggered over and opened theblinds. “Wow! Look at that!”

Charleston—specifically, the old Citadelparade grounds—was coated in a thin layer ofice. Everything glistened like a showroom ofcrystal. “Pretty!” said Christina.

“Slippery!” said Mimi, now awake andpeering over her grandkids’ heads.

“TREACHEROUS!” thundered Papa,rubbing his eyes, and startling them all.

A block of ice from a large tree limbcrashed to the ground.

“Well,” said Grant, “at least it’sbeginning to look like Christmas…instead oflike a funeral.”

In no time at all, they had dressed andheaded up to the inn’s indoor courtyard.

“How pretty!” squealed Christina, asshe got off the elevator. She gallivantedaround the indoor courtyard with its splashingfountain, Christmas trees, and old-fashionedgaslights, bedecked with holly and red ribbon.

24

In the meantime, Grant explored thecurious corner staircases which spiraled upinto turrets as tall as the building. “What isthis place?” he asked Papa.

Papa stood tall. He had been in the U.S.Army and always liked to share militaryhistory with his grandkids. “This was theoriginal home of The Citadel Military College.It’s been here more than 200 years. It’s a fortand an arsenal, and once cadets marchedwithin these walls.”

Grant could tell from the look in hisgrandfather’s eyes that he was envisioning thepast right before his eyes. “That’s cool,” hesaid. “But can we eat breakfast now?”

Papa groaned. “Grant, one day you’regoing to appreciate history.”

“I do, I do!” promised Grant. “Rightbefore each social studies test I have to study for!”

Papa scrubbed Grant’s head with hisknuckles. “Grant, you are incorrigible!”

“No,” argued Grant, pulling away, “I’min…misery! Starving!” He grabbed his middle

25

and staggered toward the buffet like awounded soldier.

Mimi and Christina joined them. Theywent through the elegant buffet line andhelped themselves to Charleston stone-groundcheese grits, mini-ham biscuits, scrambledeggs, bacon, fruit, muffins, and much more.Soon they were all settled in comfortablechairs beneath palmetto trees decorated withtiny lights.

“Well,” said Mimi, solemnly, as they ate, “I guess we’d better get our chore overwith first.”

“Our chore?” asked Grant, puzzled.“We have to clean our own rooms?”

In spite of herself, Mimi giggled. Grantcould always make her smile. “No, Grant,” shesaid, “Housekeeping will do that. We have tofind Aunt Lulu. You know, to pay our last respects.”

“And then we might do some touriststuff?” asked Christina hopefully. “Or evenChristmas shop?” She knew King Streetwould be a fairyland of holiday lights andChristmas gifts.

26

“Probably,” said Mimi, tugging her cellphone and Blackberry from her purse.

“And we men can go see Fort Sumter,right, Papa?” Grant asked in a deep voice.

“Uh, sure,” said Papa. “We men can do anything.”

Mimi and Christina rolled their eyes.“Then can YOU MEN go and fetch the sleighand reindeer?” Mimi said sweetly with a smile.Christina giggled.

“We have a sleigh and reindeer?!” saidGrant, spilling orange juice all over his cargopants.

“I think Mimi means the SUV with the four-wheel drive,” Christina said withanother giggle.

Papa stood up. “I think what Mimimeans is NOW?”

Mimi nodded as she punched in aphone number on her cell and the men,Christina tagging along, headed through thelobby to get the car. They never knew howlong Mimi would be on the phone once shemade a call. But as soon as they pulled up in

27

the SUV, Mimi was standing in the hoteldoorway. She held her purse tightly andlooked very troubled. Christina had a funnyfeeling that their plans for the day had justgone awry.

“What’s wrong?” asked Papa, openingthe door for Mimi. He already had her heatedcar seat nice and warm.

Mimi got in, settled back, and frowned.“Aunt Lulu,” she said in a quiet voice, “ismissing.”

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Christina, Grant, Mimi andPapa go to Charleston,South Carolina in search ofmissing (and dead!) AuntLulu and learn about FortSumter and the �rst shots�red in the Civil War, asthey solve a mystery ofmayhem during a rarewinter blizzard!!

29

WORDS TO KNOW

Read ‘em all!

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ISBN: 978-0-635-07429-4

The Mystery of...Alamo Ghost

Biltmore HouseBlackbeard the Pirate

California Mission TrailCape Cod

Chocolate TownCounterfeit Constitution

Death ValleyDevils Tower

Disney WorldFort Sumter

Freedom TrailGold Rush

Golden Gate BridgeGrand Canyon

Graveyard of the AtlanticGreat Lakes

Haunted Ghost TownHawaii

Hoover DamIditarod Trail

JamestownKentucky Derby

Kill Devil HillsLiberty BellLost Colony

Missing DinosaurMount Rushmore

Mount VernonNew York City

Niagara FallsOregon Trail

Rocky MountainsSmoky Mountains

Space Center HoustonSt. Louis Arch

Underground RailroadWhite House Christmas

WilliamsburgYellowstone National Park

and more!