The Mystery Cruise (4 page)

They climbed the stairs and went into the empty theater. The red velvet seats, red carpet and walls, gave it a plush appearance.

When they came out, Heather rushed toward them. “I heard a splash on the deck below me! And someone yelled, ‘Man overboard!' ”

Henry ran to meet her, followed by Jessie, Violet, and Benny. Henry could tell by her face that she thought something awful had happened. “What do you think it is?” Then he dashed to the rail looking overboard. “Do you think someone fell in?”

“Yes! Yes!” Heather said, frantically nodding. “Or someone jumped in!”

“Over there!” Benny yelled, in an anxious voice. His eyes were wide as he stared at a round shape. “I see something!”

Jessie shaded her eyes. “It's only a dolphin, Benny. But you've got very sharp eyes.”

“Man overboard!” Tom Bishop bellowed, rushing past them. “Call the deck officer!”

But he needn't have yelled so loud, for sailors and the captain were already searching the sea. The ship sounded three alarms and began to circle the spot where Heather had heard the splash. The captain peered through a telescope.

“Who could have fallen in?” Violet asked in dismay.

“I don't know,” Jessie replied, “but every minute is precious!”

Benny lifted off a life preserver. “I'll throw this in!” he shouted, staggering under its weight. “Whoever fell in can grab this and be saved.”

“Good thinking, Benny,” Henry said, but he reached for the life preserver and put it back. “Look, they've lowered a lifeboat and the sailors are rowing around the ship. Don't worry, they'll rescue anyone that's in the sea.”

Passengers, gathering at the rail, scanned the waves for a glimpse of a swimmer or, worse, a body.

For an hour the search continued, then the captain strode by them. “Prepare the passengers for a head count,” he ordered his lieutenant.

“Aye, aye, sir!” The lieutenant saluted smartly and ran to carry out the captain's orders.

Soon over the loudspeaker a voice commanded everyone to assemble at their lifeboat stations. “No life jackets are needed,” the voice continued. “In ten minutes an attendance check will be made.”

The children hurried to obey. As they dashed to their places, Jessie noticed something strange. Tom Bishop was squeezing himself into a small closet. “Tom!” she said forcefully. “You must go to your station. Now!”

“I thought I saw something in the water,” he said, “and I just wanted to get a life jacket.”

Jessie glanced in the closet where life jackets were stacked high. “No, Tom, hurry. Come with us! No one has been spotted overboard. It's time for the head count.”

Reluctantly, Tom turned away and went to his station.

Quickly, sailors took the roll call. It wasn't long before the voice on the loudspeaker announced the happy news, “False alarm, ladies and gentlemen. We've been delayed, but now we're back on course. Please resume all normal activities.”

“
Another
problem!” Max said anxiously. “What more can happen?”

Henry said in a puzzled tone, “What do you suppose the splash was that Heather heard?”

“I don't know,” Violet said, “but it was odd, wasn't it?” She smiled. “I'm glad, though, that the captain keeps such close track of all his passengers.”

“Whew,” Benny said with relief. “I'm glad we don't have to worry about a drowned person anymore!”

“Me, too,” Jessie said.

“Looking at all that water made me think of the pool,” Benny said, wiping his forehead. “Let's go for a swim.”

“Yes, let's,” Jessie agreed, smiling. “I'm glad everything turned out all right.”

Violet grabbed Benny's hand. “Let's get our suits on.”

At the pool the Aldens sat in the sun. Jessie, dangling her feet in the water, said thoughtfully, “Do you think someone delayed the ship on purpose?”

“Maybe,” Henry said, shaking his head. “Look at all the strange things that have happened. First the radio goes out, then the phones, and now a mysterious alarm about a man overboard.”

“What next?” Jessie said, frowning as she rubbed suntan lotion on her arms.

“Funny,” Violet said, “but the phones and the alarm all happened after the new passegers came aboard.”

“Max is acting pretty weird, too,” Jessie said. “Maybe
he's
trying to sabotage the ship.”

“It's scary,” Benny said with a shiver. “But I don't want to think about it anymore. I'm going in the water.”

Henry grinned. “Good idea, Benny.” At the deep end he dived in and swam to the shallow water. “Come on in, Benny,” he urged, holding out his arms.

Laughing with glee, Benny leapt in, followed by Violet and Jessie.

When they'd finished their swim, they ate hamburgers at the poolside cafe, then decided to top off their lunch by stopping at the ice cream bar. Benny ordered a banana split, Jessie a hot fudge sundae, Violet a chocolate shake, and Henry a butterscotch sundae.

In the afternoon the children relaxed in deck chairs alongside Grandfather, reading their books. The day had turned cloudy, and the sea became rough, whitecaps billowing on the high waves.

“This is fun,” Benny said. “I like it when we go up and down.”

Max joined them, sitting beside Grandfather. “That was very strange . . . the cry of ‘man overboard,' wasn't it?” he questioned in a worried tone. He glanced anxiously over his shoulder.

“Max,” Henry said boldly, “is something troubling you?”

“Maybe we could help you,” Violet said softly.

Max glanced from one Alden to another. “Yes,” he said, looking down at his clasped hands, “I do have a problem. I hope, though, that what has happened isn't putting friends such as you in danger.” He rose. “I-I can't talk about it now.” Head down, he walked away.

“Why won't Max confide in us?” Jessie asked.

“I think he will when he's ready,” Grandfather replied.

Violet closed her book. She cared about Max, but maybe, she thought,
he
had caused all this trouble. It was up to them to find out what was going on.

CHAPTER 6

Sightseeing in San Juan

M
ax's problems were soon forgotten when the children arrived in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. It was late afternoon, but they had a number of hours before the ship left at midnight.

The Aldens hurried down the ramp onto the narrow cobblestoned streets of Old San Juan. El Morro, the sixteenth-century fort, loomed ahead. The Aldens climbed up to the fort, now a museum. After exploring its many rooms, Grandfather urged them to go outside and wait for him. “I want to study this treaty,” he said, indicating a yellow parchment in a glass case.

“We'll be resting under the trees,” Benny said.

“Good,” Grandfather replied. “Then we'll have our dinner at the Cat's Paw in New San Juan.”

Once outside, Henry leaned back against a tree, a slight frown on his face. “I wonder what Max meant when he said he hoped he hadn't put us in any danger.”

“I wonder, too,” Violet said. “It's all very strange.”

Benny's eyes widened. “I hope we don't have a shipwreck.”

“I don't think we need to worry about that,” Henry said with a chuckle.

Jessie said, “I'm sure Max knows what's behind all this.”

Violet shook her head. “I hate to think he could be causing these things.” She hesitated, then added, “But he's always in the middle of any problem.”

Henry nodded. “Remember when we overheard Max on the phone? He said, ‘I will, but only because you think I should. Yes, I'll do everything you told me.' ” Henry rubbed his forehead. “I don't like to admit it, but those words sound pretty suspicious to me.”

“I still say it's one of the new passengers,” Jessie said. “Maybe it's Tom. He's strong and quick, too. He could pull out wires before anyone caught sight of him.”

“Not Tom,” Benny protested. “He's a good weight lifter, and exercise is all he cares about.”

Violet sighed. “It's all very confusing. And the Rands are new passengers, but they're such a sweet family.”

“Yes,” Jessie said. “But they used to work for another cruise line.”

“Maybe they're trying to hurt the West Wind,” Benny said. “So their ship could get more passengers than ours!”

Henry shrugged. “I doubt it. I think Heather could be the one. Like the Rands, she's sweet, too. You need to remember that she knows the ship and, being a crew member, she can go anywhere she wants, and she's the one who heard the splash.”

“She's always nervous,” Jessie added, “and she never wants to talk to us for very long.”

“And she received a telegram from C,” Violet said.

“Yes,” Henry said. “She could be working for this C. Remember the message she sent saying that everything was going along fine?”

Soberly, Jessie nodded. She hated to think that Heather could be so sneaky and underhanded, but she certainly acted very mysterious.

“Here comes Grandfather!” Benny shouted, standing and waving.

“Well, well,” Grandfather said, coming nearer. “Are you solving all the ship's troubles?”

“Not really,” Violet said, smiling. She rose and gazed about at the city below. “Isn't San Juan beautiful?”

“Yes, I just wish we had more time here,” Jessie added.

“We'll make the best of the time we have,” Grandfather assured her. “Let's go to our cafe.”

“Yes!” Benny said. “I'm hungry.”

They all laughed at the familiar words as they wended their way down to the narrow street below. The busy sidewalks were filled with people and the small shops were busy.

The Cat's Paw, a tiny cafe tucked away in an alley, had a small marimba band and a singer who sang in Spanish.

When they had finished eating a dinner of broiled chicken, browned rice with fresh pineapple, and a creamy pudding with caramel sauce for dessert, they walked back to the ship.

They arrived an hour before sailing and sat on the deck, waiting for the boat to sail.

“This is fun,” Benny said. “I don't get to stay up this late very often.”

At midnight, as the ship glided away from the dock, the Aldens watched the harbor lights gradually disappear into the darkness.

On Thursday morning, Jessie picked up the morning's bulletin which had been slid under the door and quickly scanned it. All at once she stopped and stared at the paper.

“What is it?” Violet asked anxiously.

Quietly, Jessie handed her the paper. “Due to engine trouble the ship will be delayed by a day.”

“
Another
problem!” Violet said, shaking her head.

Jessie said slowly, “I'm getting scared. Not that I'd mind staying an extra day on the cruise, but do you think someone has deliberately tampered with the engine?”

“Let's see what Grandfather says,” Violet said, opening the door. “He'll be at breakfast.”

“No, let's not worry him. He's enjoying the cruise so much,” Jessie said.

The girls met Henry, Benny, and Grandfather at their favorite table. As usual Benny's plate was heaped with pancakes, bacon, muffins, and fruit.

Ralph Rand stopped at their table. “Good morning,” he said, holding a sleepy Robin. “How are the Aldens?”

“We're fine,” Jessie said, smiling at the baby.

“Where's Melissa?” Violet asked, glancing around.

“Over there,” Ralph motioned with his head, “loading up food on our breakfast tray.”

“The chefs give a person enough to eat, don't they?” Henry said.

“Oh, I suppose so,” Ralph replied. “But the French ship that we worked on had more delicious food.” He gave a low chuckle. “And now this ship has engine trouble!”

“Oh, I'm sure we won't be delayed very much over a day,” Grandfather said reassuringly.