Shadows at Predator Reef Read online

  “Sure, you feel guilty. You want to clear your conscience to make yourself feel better. So do lots of criminals. That doesn’t change the fact that Captain Hook is missing and it’s your fault,” I told him.

  Mr. V turned around again to face us.

  “It’s not my conscience I’m concerned with. It’s the life of an innocent animal. I want you to help me get her back. I know now that her rightful home isn’t here,” he said, gesturing at the marvelous tank behind him. “It’s at the aquarium where everyone can enjoy her company and learn from her. I hope it doesn’t come to this, but I am willing to turn myself in and face the consequences as long as it means Captain Hook is safely returned to the aquarium.”

  Mr. V stopped and looked both of us in the eye.

  “Even if it means going to prison.”

  CRUSHED

  11

  JOE

  I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO think about Mr. V or his confession. Somehow we’d managed to solve what we’d thought was the mystery without solving the crime. We now knew how Captain Hook was taken and we even knew who’d planned to take her, but we still didn’t know who actually had taken her.

  As mad as I was at Mr. V, I believed that he hadn’t taken her and that he was heartbroken about the fact that someone had.

  But if Bradley Valledor didn’t do it, Frank and I had to find out who did. And we had to find out fast. Captain Hook’s life was in danger. Every hour that went by might turn out to be an hour too late.

  Since Mr. V had created this mess, I was hoping he could help us clean it up.

  “So if we’re to believe you, you’re a criminal mastermind without actually being the criminal,” I said once we were back in his study.

  “I . . .” Mr. V hesitated. “I wouldn’t put it that way, but I suppose so, yes.”

  “Well, if you’re not the bad guy, then who is?” Frank asked the million-dollar question.

  “I don’t know how anyone would have found out about the hidden tank. My firm’s own architects didn’t even know, and neither did anyone on the construction crew. I made sure of it.”

  “I saw that escape hatch,” I said. “It’s not like you threw that thing together at the last minute with a handful of Legos. It’s a complicated piece of engineering. How do you build something like that into the exhibit without anyone on the construction crew knowing about it?”

  Mr. V smiled self-consciously. Things had gone terribly wrong, but you could tell he was still proud of his plan.

  “It wasn’t easy, but by designing and overseeing the construction of the exhibit myself, I was able to divide up the labor so different workers handled only small parts of the secret holding tank without knowing what those parts were for . . . or what anyone else was doing, for that matter. That way no one would suspect anything out of the ordinary.”

  “Yeah, but it didn’t work out that way, did it, dude?” I said.

  Mr. V looked down at his feet. “But I was so careful. I don’t know what went wrong.”

  “What about the rest of your staff ? Laura and Ron and the others?” Frank asked.

  “No one knew who wasn’t supposed to,” Mr. V said. “Not my family, not Ron, not anyone else.”

  “I noticed you didn’t mention Laura’s name,” I pointed out.

  “Or Jonathan’s,” Frank added.

  “So there were going to be other people in on the heist with you?” I asked, reading between the lines. “Couldn’t they have gone through with it behind your back?”

  “Absolutely not,” Mr. V insisted. “I trust my inner circle completely. They wouldn’t betray me.”

  “People will do a lot of things you don’t think they would if there’s enough money at stake,” I told him.

  “Not my people,” he said.

  “We’re still going to need to talk to them,” Frank said. “Even if they weren’t involved, they may have information that helps us.”

  Jonathan appeared at the door before Mr. V had a chance to respond.

  “You have another unscheduled visitor, sir,” Jonathan announced.

  Mr. V’s face burst into a huge smile when he saw the young lady who walked in the door behind Jonathan. Mine, on the other hand, fell.

  “Boys, have you met my niece Aly?”

  Frank threw me a quick glance. Sometimes I wish we weren’t able to read each other so well. I knew he was thinking the thing about Aly that I was trying not to. Even if Mr. V was in denial about it, it was possible that someone close to him could have secretly gained access to his plans—making his favorite niece, and my favorite scuba instructor, even more of a suspect.

  Being an expert diver and a member of the BAD team, Aly had free, unsupervised access to Predator Reef. That gave her both the means and the opportunity to have committed the crime.

  Supercute Aly hadn’t just walked in the door of Mr. V’s study. She’d also moved straight to the top of our suspects list.

  “Joe?” she said, sounding just as surprised to see me. “What are you doing here?”

  “Hey Aly, we were, uh . . .” I fumbled for the right thing to say. I had a feeling this could get real awkward real quick. Mr. V stepped in to save me.

  “The Hardy boys and I were just discussing the investigation into Captain Hook’s disappearance,” Mr. V said.

  Aly gave me a look I couldn’t quite read. To the paranoid detective in me, it seemed like a hostile one. It also occurred to me that if she’d had something to do with releasing the shark into Predator Reef, she might be surprised to see me alive.

  I’d have to save that particular disturbing thought for later, though. Jonathan had just walked back into the room carrying a phone.

  “Call for you, sir,” he said to Mr. V.

  “Take a message if you could, Jonathan. I’m in the midst of some pressing matters.”

  “They say it’s urgent, sir,” Jonathan said, holding out the phone to his employer.

  Mr. V looked annoyed. “Who is it?”

  “They wouldn’t say, sir. They said they’d only speak to you.” He lowered his voice. “It’s about the turtle.”

  Mr. V took the phone and lifted it to his ear.

  “Yes,” he demanded. A moment later his expression turned to one of horror. He lowered the phone.

  “They say to have the reward money ready in one hour or we’ll never see Captain Hook alive again.”

  PROOF OF LIFE

  12

  FRANK

  THIS WAS IT. THE RANSOM call.

  All this time, we had wondered about the motivation for the crime. As is so often the case, the crook was after money. It gave us hope that Captain Hook wasn’t bound for some witch doctor’s pot. At least not yet.

  As an international businessman, Mr. V seemed to know his way around a negotiation. The first thing he did when he got back on the phone was to demand “proof of life”; that’s what it’s called when the kidnapper provides some kind of proof that the victim is still alive before a ransom is paid.

  The kidnapper hung up, and a minute later Mr. V received a photo text on his cell phone. It was dark and out of focus, but there was no question it was Captain Hook. She was partially submerged in a tiny tank that looked like a hot tub on wheels. It was heartbreaking to see her like that.

  Mr. V turned to his niece. “I’m sorry, darling, but we’ll have to catch up later. Right now I need to speak to Frank and Joe alone.”

  Aly had something else in mind.

  “No way, Uncle Brad. I have as much right to know what’s going on with Captain Hook as they do.”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t let you get mixed up in the middle of a kidnapping investigation,” Mr. V said. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “Dangerous?!” she said, laughing him off. “You need to have a better reason than that, Uncle Brad. In case you forgot, I’m a master diver. I think I can handle dangerous.”

  “I didn’t mean to insinuate that you can’t, darling, it’s just—” Mr. V started, but Aly wasn’t having any o
f it.

  “Just what? That you trust them to help more than your own niece?” Aly waved her hand dismissively in our direction. Getting shut out by her uncle just as there was a break in the case had her pretty heated.

  “Aly, dear, it’s not—” Mr. V tried to protest, but Aly cut him off again.

  “I’m just as qualified to deal with danger as they are. I go swimming with sharks every day.” She shot Joe a look before adding, “And I’ve never almost been eaten by one.”

  It looked like Mr. V picking us to stay over Aly had turned Joe into the competition. I could tell he felt burned. It didn’t help that Aly could have been the one to plan the episode that almost turned my brother into shark food. Joe didn’t say anything, though. This argument was between Aly and Mr. V. Tempers were hot, and we were just caught in the crossfire.

  “I’ve spent more time with Captain Hook than either of them. And I’m family. They’re not,” Aly added, emphasizing the point.

  “Which is exactly why I want to keep you safe,” Mr. V tried to explain.

  “This is totally unfair,” she complained. “You’re really going to choose a couple of strangers over me? You don’t need to protect me. You should just tell me what you know about the kidnapping and let me decide for myself if I can help.”

  “The truth is that there are things I need to discuss with the boys that could get us all in a lot of trouble with the police, and I can’t let you be involved.”

  That caused Joe and me to exchange a look. What else hadn’t Mr. V told us?

  I think Aly could tell her uncle wasn’t going to give in, but she didn’t look happy about it.

  “Fine,” Aly conceded. “But promise me you’ll call me as soon as you hear anything. If you don’t . . .”

  “You’d probably kick my butt. I know, my dear,” Mr. V said with a sad smile. “You have my word.”

  He gave his niece a hug before she left.

  “Bye, Aly,” Joe said tentatively.

  Aly walked out the door without looking in his direction.

  I felt bad for my brother. I knew he liked Aly a lot, and I didn’t think her appearance in the middle of our case was going to do much to help his romantic prospects. Something was bothering me more than Joe’s love life, though.

  “What did you mean about us getting in trouble with the police?” I demanded. We weren’t strangers to Chief Olaf’s bad side, but we certainly weren’t looking for new reasons to get into his doghouse. Or worse, a jail cell. He’d threatened it enough times, and I didn’t think he’d hesitate to make good on his threat if we gave him a good enough reason.

  “The kidnapper said if he sees any sign of the police, he’ll kill Captain Hook,” Mr. V replied.

  “It sounds like a bluff to me,” Joe said. “Not with that much money on the line.”

  “I’m not willing to take that chance,” Mr. V said. “That’s why I want you boys to handle the drop.”

  I wasn’t expecting that. But Mr. V was right. Chief Olaf most definitely would not approve of Joe and me going behind his back and confronting a kidnapper on our own.

  “I know it’s risky. Frankly, it’s more than I have a right to ask, so I won’t think any less of you if you decline,” Mr. V said.

  “Count us in,” I said. I didn’t even have to look at Joe to know he was with me.

  Mr. V gave a solemn nod. “It’s settled then. I would go myself, but the press has been following me, angling for a scoop, ever since I left the aquarium this morning. Jonathan,” he said to his butler, “please go to the safe and pack two briefcases for Frank and Joe.”

  The kidnapper called again a minute later. We were to take the money to a construction site a few blocks from the harbor and await further instructions. Mr. V had his own plan, which the kidnapper had agreed to: insisting that the payment be made in two parts—half up front and half after Captain Hook was safely back in our possession. It was quick thinking on Mr. V’s part. That way the kidnapper had incentive to make good on his promise to deliver the turtle and, more importantly, not to harm us after we handed him the first installment.

  “Do any of the tunnels have an entrance near there?” I asked Mr. V, hoping he might be able to provide us with some intel about Captain Hook’s potential location.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I designed my plan around use of the main tunnel, since that was the most direct route. I didn’t have time to map the others.”

  A short time later, Joe and I were in the back of Mr. V’s Rolls-Royce with half a million in cash each. Jonathan let Joe out in front of the construction site with the first briefcase, while I snuck around the corner with briefcase number two to provide backup if needed.

  Joe stood in the construction site’s empty parking lot and waited. After a few minutes, someone called out from the shadows. Whoever it was, they were trying to disguise their voice, but it sounded familiar—and it was definitely a man’s. I couldn’t quite place it, though.

  “Do you have the money?” the kidnapper asked.

  “Half of it,” Joe called back. “You get the second half after I get the turtle.”

  “Leave the briefcase in the middle of the lot and then walk back to the street and I’ll bring out the turtle,” the voice said.

  “I need to see the turtle first.” Joe played it cool.

  “No. The money first, then the turtle.”

  “Not gonna happen,” Joe said.

  “Do it now or the turtle is toast!” the kidnapper yelled.

  “Not until you show me Captain Hook,” Joe said, calling the turtle-napper’s bluff. “If you even have her.”

  The turtle-napper was getting flustered. This apparently wasn’t going the way he had planned. “I’m not messing around! The turtle gets it if you don’t give me the briefcase!”

  “You don’t have her, do you?” Joe said.

  “I do so! Now give me the money!”

  “No can do.” Joe kept his cool.

  The perp didn’t. “I have a gun! Now put down the briefcase!”

  If Joe was afraid, he didn’t show it.

  The turtle-napper stepped out of the shadows, and I gasped. It was the same hooded figure I’d chased across the harbor earlier that day. His face was still hidden by the hoodie and sunglasses, and his hand was jammed in the sweatshirt’s pocket holding something that could have been a gun. As a general rule, if someone really has a gun, they’ll show it to you, but there was no way to tell for sure if this guy was bluffing until he did or didn’t pull the trigger. There are some mistakes you never got a chance to learn from.

  “Drop the briefcase or I’ll shoot!” he yelled again, stepping closer.

  “Hey, I know that voice!” Joe said.

  That’s when the perp panicked. He pulled his hand from his pocket. It wasn’t a gun at all. It was a chunk of brick. And he hurled it right at Joe’s head. When Joe lifted his briefcase to deflect the brick, the perp charged. The brick ricocheted off the case and glanced off Joe’s knuckles.

  “Argh!” he cried.

  I sprinted from my hiding place, trying to intersect Joe’s assailant. The assailant got there first and slammed into Joe. He was able to tear the briefcase out of Joe’s wounded hand, but he didn’t make it far. The second he got up to make a run for it, I leveled him with a clean tackle. He didn’t even see me coming.

  As he lay on the ground, trying to catch his wind, I yanked back his hood to reveal . . .

  “Carter?”

  STILL MISSING

  13

  JOE

  FIGURES,” I SAID.

  Even with my knuckles throbbing from their encounter with the brick, I still couldn’t help laughing. No wonder the kidnapper had botched the ransom attempt. Carter was, to put it nicely, a bozo. Seriously, what had Aly ever seen in this guy?

  I looked at the bloody gash where the chunk of brick had clocked me and checked the sudden impulse to hit him. It’s okay to defend yourself if you have to, but I wasn’t about to sink to Carter’s l
evel and sucker punch an unarmed person. I helped my brother hold him down instead.

  “Let me go!” he yelled.

  “The only place you’re going to is jail. Now where’s the turtle?” I demanded. Frank and I held Carter down tightly. He wasn’t getting away.

  “I don’t have her, I swear. I just made it up so I could get the money.”

  “This is the last time. Where is Captain Hook?” My patience was running out.

  “I swear, I don’t know. I didn’t do anything wrong!”

  Didn’t do anything wrong? Carter was even more clueless than I thought.

  “You don’t call extortion and assault and battery doing anything wrong?”

  “And why did you run from me at the aquarium? Or were you just going for an afternoon jog?” Frank asked.

  “It wasn’t my fault! I didn’t want to have anything to do with it. Someone made me.”

  Now we were getting somewhere.

  “Who? Who made you?”

  “I don’t know who it was. I never saw them. I don’t know where the turtle is. I don’t know anything. Please, I swear.” Carter had started to ramble.

  “That doesn’t make any sense, Carter. You obviously saw the turtle. We saw the picture you sent Mr. Valledor.” Frank tried using logic. I could have told him he was wasting his time.

  “I saw the turtle, but not who took her. They blindfolded me.”

  “So you’re telling us you were just minding your own business and the thief randomly decided it would be fun to blindfold you and show you the turtle against your will?” I asked, laughing at the ridiculousness of it. “Why risk exposing themselves to you of all people? I know it wasn’t because of your brains.”

  “They found out I was stealing fish from the aquarium, okay? They threatened to turn me in if I didn’t help.”

  That meshed with what Murph had picked up about someone stealing rare fish and selling them to collectors online. Carter’s list of felonies just kept on getting longer.

  “Help do what?” Frank asked.

  “Steal Captain Hook’s medicine, since I had access to the lab. I guess they didn’t know she needed special medication until they saw Mr. V’s press conference,” Carter said. The BAD team worked closely with the vets who were treating her, so that part made sense at least.