Shadows at Predator Reef Read online

  READ ALL THE MYSTERIES IN THE

  HARDY BOYS ADVENTURES:

  #1 Secret of the Red Arrow

  #2 Mystery of the Phantom Heist

  #3 The Vanishing Game

  #4 Into Thin Air

  #5 Peril at Granite Peak

  #6 The Battle of Bayport

  COMING SOON:

  #8 Deception on the Set

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  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1 Dive Time

  Chapter 2 Into the Deep

  Chapter 3 Deep-Sea Detectives

  Chapter 4 Deadly Medicine

  Chapter 5 The British Are Coming

  Chapter 6 Shark!

  Chapter 7 Live Bait

  Chapter 8 Of Sharks and Men

  Chapter 9 Under the Sea

  Chapter 10 The Secret Lair

  Chapter 11 Crushed

  Chapter 12 Proof of Life

  Chapter 13 Still Missing

  Chapter 14 Something Fishy

  Chapter 15 A Metal Coffin

  Chapter 16 Human Cargo

  Chapter 17 Shell-Shocked

  About Franklin W. Dixon

  DIVE TIME

  1

  JOE

  IT WAS THE LAST DIVE of the morning. From the water’s depths, I checked the air tank pressure on the high-tech dive computer I wore around my wrist like a watch and signaled to the other divers in preparation for my rise. It wasn’t until I reached the surface that I saw the big gray dorsal fin slicing through the water and heading straight at me.

  I could practically hear the Jaws theme music reverberating through my head as the fin grew larger and larger. I glanced around, but there was nowhere for me to go. The beast sped closer until its sleek gray snout rose out of the water mere inches from my face.

  It was a huge . . . dolphin! The playful animal leaped over my head and slid back into the water on the other side, chattering happily.

  “Great job on that last dive, Joe,” my supercute scuba instructor, Aly Hawke, called from the side of the ginormous water tank. “I think Scooter approves.”

  “Well, I have an excellent teacher—” I started to reply just as Scooter the bottlenose dolphin spit a fountain of water in my face, ruining my attempt at being suave. I think he was jealous.

  “Thanks, Aquaman,” Aly giggled. “Now hop on out, do an equipment check, and then you can head over to the reef for the opening-day celebration.”

  Scooter gave my backside a helpful nudge as I climbed out of the dolphin tank at Bayport Aquarium, where I was taking a scuba certification course. I had a feeling diving skills would come in handy someday—and for more than just fun.

  See, my brother Frank and I have this knack for solving mysteries. We’ve been doing it ever since we were kids in our hometown of Bayport, and over the years I’ve learned that it never hurts for a detective to know a few extra tricks. It might still be a while before Frank and I could get our investigators’ licenses (not that that ever stopped us before), but soon I’d be a card-carrying scuba diver.

  Frank and I had both caught the ocean bug on our last big case, which had us spending a lot of time on the waterfront aboard a restored Revolutionary War ship. The ship was docked just across the harbor from the Bayport Aquarium, which had given Frank the idea of volunteering at the aquarium to help out with the grand opening of their new exhibit. Predator Reef was going to be the world’s largest indoor habitat of its kind, designed by world-famous architect Bradley Valledor. Mobs of visitors and news media had been lining up all morning for the exhibit’s big reveal.

  Frank tried to get me to volunteer too, but I wasn’t as interested in learning all that marine biology stuff he’s always going on about (I get enough of that in science class, thanks!). But when he told me the aquarium was offering scuba-diving classes? Well, that’s more my style. Exploration! Adventure! Danger! Not that diving in the dolphin tank was exactly dangerous. It was pretty mind-blowing, though. I think the technical term for it is “flipping awesome!” And it wasn’t just the dolphins that were blowing my mind.

  Aly was only a few years older than me, and she was already a master diver, so she was talented as well as pretty. And she really did look extra cute in her scuba gear. She had scheduled our class early so we could finish in time for Predator Reef’s big ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon. She was taking part in the festivities too, diving in the tank to feed the fish along with the rest of the BAD team (that’s what the Bayport Aquarium Divers call themselves).

  I wasn’t involved in the exhibit’s prep and planning like Frank or Aly, but I was excited to see it. They were keeping it under wraps until the big unveiling, and from everything Frank had told me, it sounded totally out of this world: hundreds of different species of sea animals, including a giant turtle, rays, and small sharks.

  I was looking forward to seeing the BAD divers in action too, although not all of them were as enticing as Aly. There was one in particular I actually wouldn’t have minded seeing eaten by a shark. Aly’s ex-boyfriend Carter was as clueless as he was obnoxious. I really didn’t know what she had seen in him—other than the fact that he was featured in national scuba-diving magazines and that all the girls at Bayport High seemed to be gaga over him.

  Did I mention that I really, really don’t like the guy?

  When he showed up in the dolphin arena after class, it was almost enough to ruin my morning.

  “Hey, babe,” Carter called to Aly from the staff tunnel. “You done babysitting the newbies yet? We’ve got a hot date to get to.”

  Aly rolled her eyes. “Having to work together as dive buddies is not a date, Carter. And I’m not your babe anymore.”

  “Sure you are, you just don’t realize it yet,” he said. He looked so smug, I didn’t need a special computer to know my annoyance meter was rising to dangerous levels.

  “Show her some respect, man,” I said as I packed up my dive kit.

  “Mind your own business, newb.” Carter didn’t look so smug anymore. But he did look angry. I don’t think Scooter was the only jealous one. “Babe, tell me you’re not interested in this twerp?”

  “You have water in your ears, Carter? I thought she asked you not to call her that.” I stood my ground as he stalked toward me.

  “Sheesh, knock it off, Carter,” Aly said. “Joe is just taking my class. Besides, it’s none of your business even if I was.”

  I have to admit that I liked the way that last part sounded. Now it was my turn to look smug. But Carter sure didn’t like it. He might have actually been getting ready to do something about it too, but Scooter had the last word, slapping the pool with his tail and soaking us both in a sheet of water.

  Aly laughed and gave Scooter a kiss on the nose. “Aw, my hero.”

  She looked back over her shoulder at Carter and me and shook her head as she walked off. “Boys.”

  I think just maybe the little sparkle in her eyes was meant for me.

  Carter must have thought so too. He waited until Aly was out of earshot and stared me down before chasing after her.

  “You’d better watch your back, newb,” he said, just low enough so none of the other divers could hear. “You’re gonna be fish food when I’m done with you.”

  INTO THE DEEP

  2

  FRANK

  COR
AL REEFS ARE THE CITIES of the sea,” I told a group of kids and parents gathered around me. We were standing in front of a big blue curtain that was blocking the entire tank area; the curtain had PREDATOR REEF printed on it in bold letters surrounded by the silhouettes of circling sharks. When pulled back in a few minutes, the curtain would reveal the world’s largest replica coral reef.

  Joe sometimes makes fun of me because I get so psyched about this stuff, but how could you not? As an aquarium volunteer, I’d gotten a sneak peek at Predator Reef, and it was one of the coolest things I’d ever seen. With a whopping four hundred thousand gallons of salt water and thousands of beautiful and bizarre sea creatures, it was like entering another world.

  “Reefs really are some of the world’s most fascinating ecosystems,” I continued, eager to share my enthusiasm with the kids. “Just like the houses and high-rises in a city, different types of coral provide homes for all kinds of fish—and each has a different job to do. Everything in the reef—from the tiniest clown fish to the biggest predators, like sharks—serves a purpose in an intricate web of life. Reefs aren’t just beautiful and interesting, though; they’re crucial to the health of the entire ocean, which is why it’s so important to protect them.”

  And that was one of the big reasons I was so fired up about the new exhibit. The world’s reefs and their inhabitants were disappearing at an alarming rate, and Predator Reef was going to be a great tool to teach people about the importance of conservation. All I had to do was look at the amazed expressions on the kids’ faces, and I knew I was really getting the chance to inspire them.

  Catching crooks would always be my first love, but after volunteering at the aquarium, I could also see myself becoming a marine biologist someday. “Frank Hardy, Deep-Sea Detective” has a nice ring to it.

  During our last case, I’d been volunteering at the Bayport History Museum, a short water-taxi ride across the harbor from the aquarium. While I was still really interested in local history—in fact, later that week I was supposed to go on a tour of a tunnel that was used by the Underground Railroad to smuggle escaped slaves—it was nothing compared to the excitement I felt about Predator Reef.

  The exhibit’s humungous tank was going to be the centerpiece of the aquarium. It was designed so you could see it from above or below the surface depending on which level you were on. The surface of the tank filled the center of the aquarium’s lobby so you could look straight down into the water from there or from any of the aquarium’s upper levels. Even better, you could go down to the lower level to get an underwater view through a giant panoramic window that brought you face-to-face with all the different creatures. Skilled artists had sculpted synthetic coral for the exhibit, so no living reefs would be harmed collecting the real thing. The whole project really was like a bustling underwater city full of brightly colored fish of all sizes, along with trippy-looking rays; exotic bottom-dwelling zebra sharks with cute smiley faces and long, sail-like tails; and a whole school of ultra-sleek blacktip reef sharks.

  The sharks weren’t the main attraction, though. That honor went to the aquarium’s unofficial mascot, a five-hundred-pound giant green sea turtle named Captain Hook. Captain Hook had gotten her name when a great white shark took a big bite out of one of her front flippers, leaving her with a skinny flipper that looked like a hook. Together with the black patch marking over her left eye, the name just seemed to fit.

  The aquarium had made Captain Hook the main focus of Predator Reef’s marketing campaign, featuring her in TV commercials, online videos, and billboards. Her sweet-natured personality was as big as she was. It was no wonder the kids in my tour group were itching to see her in person.

  “When do we get to meet the big turtle?” one little girl asked.

  I checked my watch and smiled. “It’s almost time. Any minute now Predator Reef will come to life right before your eyes.”

  “Is that going to be the turtle’s home?” another child asked.

  “It sure is,” I said, leaning down to the kids’ level. “The aquarium rescued Captain Hook when she washed up on the beach and nursed her back to health. They normally would’ve had to release her back into the ocean, because green sea turtles are an endangered species, but the aquarium kept her because she would have had a hard time surviving in the wild with her injured flipper.”

  The kids were mesmerized. One little boy in a Captain Hook T-shirt jumped up and down, asking his mom if he could have a giant turtle too. It was really cool how Captain Hook had turned into a Bayport celebrity before the exhibit had even opened.

  Her biggest fan was probably Bradley Valledor, the aquarium board member whose architecture firm had built the new exhibit. Mr. V, as everyone at the aquarium called him, fussed over Captain Hook like she was a spoiled grandkid.

  “How was a small town like Bayport able to get such a big-name architect involved with the aquarium?” asked the dad of the boy in the Captain Hook shirt.

  “Along with being a world-famous architect, Mr. V is a huge sea-life enthusiast. He jumped at the chance to build such an ambitious, groundbreaking exhibit,” I told the adults. “He was so passionate about the project that he even footed part of the bill.”

  The father nodded, impressed. That was another great thing about Predator Reef—the parents were just as excited as the kids.

  And now for the big moment when it would be revealed to the world.

  “Are you ready to see Predator Reef ?!” I asked the tour group. The kids all cheered and the parents clapped.

  They weren’t the only ones. TV cameras were rolling as visitors packed into the aquarium by the hundreds, crowding the lobby level to catch their first look at the spectacular new exhibit.

  Mr. V beamed with pride as he took the microphone in front of the curtain, looking sharp in a captain’s blazer embroidered with the aquarium’s logo. The crowd gave him a warm round of applause as he got ready to speak. Mr. V had only recently moved to Bayport, but he’d already become a very popular public figure. He was such a nice guy and so enthusiastic about the aquarium that he was kind of like a cross between a grown-up kid and everyone’s favorite uncle: You couldn’t help but like him.

  “Greetings, Bayport,” he said in a strong New England accent that made the word “Bayport” sound more like “Baypaat.”

  New England wasn’t really all that far from Bayport in terms of miles, but the strange non-rhotic accent with its drawn-out syllables and dropped Rs (that’s pretty much what non-rhotic means) was kind of funny and foreign-sounding to the ears of us Bayport High kids.

  “As a child idolizing the great French sea explorer Jacques Cousteau, I developed a deep love of the ocean and all its many wonderful creatures,” he told the crowd. “I have been lucky in my career to get to build many different kinds of architectural projects all over the world, but none of them are closer to my heart than Bayport Aquarium’s Predator Reef. It’s been a lifelong dream to use my architectural talents in a way that allows me to share my passion for the sea with the rest of the world—and I couldn’t be happier with the result. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.”

  Applause turned to cheers as he cut the ribbon with an oversize pair of scissors. The big blue curtain swept aside, revealing Mr. V’s fantastic seascape.

  But something was wrong.

  The crowd oohed and aahed at the swirl of colorful fish and patrolling reef sharks, but I could tell something was off. From the nervous glances I saw Mr. V giving a couple of the staff members, I knew they sensed it too.

  The animals seemed agitated, and the normally crystal clear water was stirred up and murky from all the activity. The blacktips were zipping back and forth instead of slowly cruising around the tank in their usual mellow glide. One of the larger zebra sharks was swimming in tight circles, whipping the surface with its long tail. And a lot of the smaller fish were clinging closely to the coral or hiding away in its many nooks and crannies.

  There were BAD divers in the tank too, but that
shouldn’t have bothered the fish. The fish in Predator Reef were conditioned to pretty much ignore the divers when they weren’t being fed, in which case they flocked to them like pigeons at the park. Even the predatory blacktip reef sharks were trained not to pay the divers any mind.

  But it wasn’t the animals we could see that had me worried. It was the one we couldn’t.

  The crowd could sense the staff’s distress and started murmuring.

  “Where’s the turtle, Mommy?” one little girl asked.

  Just then a dark shape began to swim up from the deepest part of the tank. Everyone peered down into the water expectantly.

  “Is that Captain Hook?” another little kid asked, pointing at the figure.

  It wasn’t. It was one of the divers. Joe’s dive instructor Aly swam to the surface and pulled off her mask. She looked frantic.

  “She’s gone!” she cried. “Captain Hook is gone!”

  In her hand, Aly held a piece of broken coral smeared with what looked like blood.

  DEEP-SEA DETECTIVES

  3

  JOE

  PREDATOR REEF WAS MISSING ITS star attraction.

  When Aly broke the surface holding the gory coral and told everyone that Captain Hook was gone, it sent the place into chaos. The crowd was horrified, the aquarium staff went into crisis mode, the news reporters started shouting questions, and some of the little kids started crying.

  I was standing off to the side with some of my diving classmates when it happened. Frank turned around and shot me a look from his spot in the front row. I nodded. If Captain Hook really was missing—and I wasn’t ready to concede that a five-hundred-pound giant turtle had just vanished without a trace—we were going to do everything we could to help find her. I knew how important the aquarium was to Frank.

  When I got to the front, Frank was huddled with Aly and some of the other aquarium staff. I peered over the glass rail into the tank and took in the exhibit while I waited for them to finish. The water was kind of hazy from all the sand kicked up by the fish and divers, but the exhibit was still breathtaking. All the different colors and shapes amid the movement of the animals were almost hypnotic. I could see why Frank got so into this stuff.