The cemetery Trevor and Loyola exclaimed together The owner says it loves to run in wide-open spaces Yes but the cemetery Trevor repeated Trevor knew a bit about the old Twillingate Cemetery He passed by its ugly iron gate every day on his way to and from school The signs posted next to the gate were bleak Beware of Falling Gravestones Enter at Your Own Risk Closed at Sunset No Dogs Allowed Inside the cemetery was even more ominous It was jammed with ancient gravestones toppling this way and that There were some benches and a hedgerow and beyond that there was the newer part of the cemetery with much plainer markers arranged in straighter lines There were never any visitors or dogs for that matter which added to the forlorn look of the place The cemetery’s no place for lost dogs he said to Ms Wentzell Mr Creelman would never allow it Mr Creelman was the cemetery’s elderly grounds keeper He was in charge of a small group of equally elderly men called the Twillingate Cemetery
Brigade They cared for the grounds and made repairs to the gravestones in need of cleaning When they took breaks from their work they hung out at Sacred Grounds Cafe nearby which was famous for its excellent lasagna Trevor knew all this because Mr Creelman had once been a guest speaker at the Queensview Mystery Book Club Trevor joined the Queensview Mystery Book Club as soon as it was formed back at the beginning of grade six because he had always loved solving riddles The club was one of the reasons that Queensview was better than any other school he’d been to which was four so far When Mr Creelman visited the club he talked about how to uncover buried family secrets by studying grave markers He also told them about the history of the stone carvers at Twillingate Cemetery and what the symbols meant Then he hauled out a book called Famous Last Words and grimly recited one gravestone poem after another in his gravelly monotone voice Trevor shook his head at the memory The school bell rang Ms Wentzell returned to her desk but Trevor lingered pretending to study the large map of the world on the wall near the window He was waiting for Loyola to leave so that he could retrieve his book without her help But she took forever to sign out her tall stack of books
Trevor studied the map some more trying to remember which countries his parents both pilots were flying to that week His bedroom was filled with things from around the world that they had brought back from their trips various globes a plush monkey who bicycled across a tightrope strung between two walls curious action figures that looked like astronauts puzzle books spinning tops exotic model cars dancing marionettes and musical instruments that made strange sounds Because Trevor’s parents were working their way up to becoming captains by gaining experience flying different types of airplanes under different types of conditions they had to jump at job openings when they had the chance In fact they were moving again for their next assignment right after Trevor graduated from grade six which was in three months Don’t you both have your photo session now Ms Wentzell asked taken that morning All the club photographs for the yearbook were being I almost forgot Loyola exclaimed as she stacked her last book under her arm then bolted Trevor immediately made a beeline for the rolling footstool heaped some more books on it climbed up and teetering like mad snatched The Case of the Waylaid Water
Gun from the loathsome top shelf By the time he finished signing his book out the school’s hallways were empty Trevor checked the wall clock He could still make the photo shoot for the Queensview Mystery Book Club if he hurried He dashed to the gym knowing exactly what he would see There would be a spot at the end of the front row saved for him And in the very middle of the back row Loyola would be lording over everyone surveying the tops of the heads before her It would be just like their grade-six class picture taken at the beginning of the year all over again Trevor pushed through the gym door but stopped in his tracks The gym was empty Had he missed the photo session Trevor He turned at the sound of his name It was Ms Albright the school’s secretary hustling down the hallway toward him I thought I saw you rush by I just told Loyola there’s been a change of plans The Queensview Mystery Book Club photo is being taken outside on the soccer field If you hurry you can still make it Thanks Trevor said and he charged past her through the back door to the schoolyard where it was unusually
