Previous chapters of the River Road story:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

How should the story continue? Voting is open on the current chapter!

Welcome to a new season of The River Road Adventures. Now in our tenth year, The River Road Adventures is a mystery story where YOU get to choose the ending of each chapter. Each week, you’ll be able to pick from three choices and email your vote to decide what happens next. The following week, come back to see how your decision has changed the story. A new chapter of The River Road Adventures is posted every Wednesday morning.

The River Road Adventures is about a lovable group of mystery-solving friends in the small town of Vista Falls. When last we saw our friends from Vista Falls, they were celebrating the marriage of Police Chief Sam Colbert and Officer Jenny Littlepoole at a reception at the Vista Falls Museum. Mrs. Conn, the most beloved person in town, had gone to a lot of trouble to arrange the reception and had supplied delicious foods from her bakery and many beautiful decorations from the “Bed and Breakfast” that she owned. Mrs. Conn’s young friends, elementary school students, Nancy Wu (a sensitive and brilliant girl), Isaac Friedman (a jokester), Kathy Johnson (with her warm heart and smile) and the high-spirited Sarah Cotswold were also in attendance.

Also celebrating were famous art historians Joel and Joan DeLorca. The DeLorcas had recently settled in Vista Falls after moving from their home in a fantastical place called Londonderry. Aside from running a stunning art gallery in town, Mrs. DeLorca had begun to work as the curator of the Vista Falls Museum and Mr. DeLorca was continuing with his unusual (mostly food-related) inventions. Along with their grown-up son, Eben (the owner of an antique jewelry store), they came to Vista Falls with Eben’s dog, Sheridan, and Mr. DeLorca’s pet pelican, Shakuntala.

Their dear friend, Mia Duomo, a former high-fashion model also enjoyed the wedding reception and, for once, didn’t mind not being the center of attention. She spent most of the event chatting with Violet Trotter, the wealthiest person in town. Known for being a bit eccentric, Miss Trotter was well respected in Vista Falls—not just for her age of over ninety-years, but for her many charitable donations.

As is often the case with parties in Vista Falls, the event was not without some mystery. While enjoying some of Mrs. Conn’s delightful cake, the DeLorcas spotted someone in the crowd that they hadn’t seen in years! They wondered what this woman, Evelyn Pipkin, could be doing in Vista Falls of all places. What happened? Let’s find out as we start another River Road Adventure!

Chapter 1: A Face in the Crowd
By Joseph Crisalli

Eben DeLorca placed the silver fork gently on the edge of his dish of cake. He squinted into the crowd.

“Mother,” Eben said quickly. “Isn’t that…?”

Mrs. DeLorca looked up and immediately noticed what had caught her son’s attention. She sat back in her chair and ran her finger quickly through her long brown hair.

“Yes.” Mrs. DeLorca took a deep breath. “It’s Evelyn Pipkin.” She glanced at her husband and raised her eyebrows. “Joel?”

“I say, what is it?” Mr. DeLorca wondered before taking another forkful of cake. “Did they bring out another cake? Or a pie perhaps? A tall stack of pies—layered together like a wedding cake? Oh, but wouldn’t that be exciting and such? It puts one in mind of pies, cakes, and also pancakes. Yes, that would be remarkable and so on. Is that what’s happened?”

“No.” Mrs. DeLorca shook her head, “but I could see how that would appeal to you—three of your favorite things at once.”

“Make a note of it, my darling dear.” Mr. DeLorca smiled. “I’ll make a point of inventing it. I’ll call it the ‘stackable wedding pie-cake.’ I say, it’ll be all the rage. Yes, yes, but it will need lots of testing. I’ll have to have an appetite for that.”

“That won’t be a problem for you, Father.” Eben smiled. “Still, we’re trying to tell you something. Something totally unrelated to food.”

“Nothing is unrelated to food, dear boy.” Mr. DeLorca laughed.

“This is.” Mrs. DeLorca said quietly. “Look over there, in the corner by the roses.”

Mr. DeLorca looked. “Evelyn Pipkin! I say, but what could this mean?”

“It means that we’re in for a lot of trouble.” Mrs. DeLorca answered seriously. “A lot of trouble…”

“Maybe not.” Eben said hopefully. “Perhaps she’s changed. People do change, you know. Look at Mia Duomo. She’s positively a different person than when we met her. She’s become much more giving and pleasant than she used to be.”

“That’s true.” Mrs. DeLorca said. “Perhaps I should give Evelyn the benefit of the doubt. It’s unfair to judge her for things she did years ago.”

“I don’t wish to be negative, and all that. But, Evelyn Pipkin was the cruelest person I ever met. She was as unwelcome as an olive in a peach pie. No—wait! That might actually be tasty if done properly. Let’s say she was as unwelcome as a rock in a sandwich. No, again… Depending on the rock, that might not be so bad either. I say, but you get my point.”

“We should try to be fair.” Eben interrupted his father.

Mrs. Conn hurried over to their table. “Oh dear, something’s wrong. I can tell. What’s happened?”

“It’s nothing, really, Kitty.” Mrs. DeLorca smiled. “It’s simply that we see someone we knew in Londonderry.”

“Really?” Mrs. Conn raised her eyebrows. “Where?”

“Over by the roses.” Eben answered.

“I wondered who that was.” Mrs. Conn squinted. “I’ve never seen her before. I figured she was from Jenny’s side of the family. Many of them came from out of town.”

“Do you think Evelyn Pipkin could be related to Officer Littlepoole?” Eben asked.

“Could be.” Mrs. DeLorca nodded. “Jenny never mentioned having relatives from Londonderry. And, you’d think she’d have mentioned it considering how difficult it is to get to or from Londonderry.”

“Why is that?” Mrs. Conn asked.

“No bridges.” Mr. DeLorca grunted. “One has to be a strong swimmer, and so on. I say, but luckily, the waters are filled with delicious fish—and sometimes cheeses—lots to snack on while trying to get to shore.”

Mrs. Conn nodded. She was used to Mr. DeLorca not always making a lot of sense.

“There’s only one way to find out why she’s here,” Mrs. Conn said. “Someone will have to ask her.”

“Never,” Mr. DeLorca shook his head. “That woman was just horrible to me. Worse still, she was rude to my pelican. Poor Shakuntala cried for weeks. Have you ever seen a pelican cry? It’s not pretty.”

“Well one of us should talk with her,” Eben sighed.

“Really?” Mrs. DeLorca asked. “Should we?”

What should happen next?

They should just ignore Evelyn Pipkin?
They should all go as a family to talk with her?
Eben should go alone to talk with Evelyn?

Email your thoughts.