儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Hidden Beach CHAPTER 10 The Mystery Is Solved!

“That about wraps it up, Nick,” a pale man with sandy hair said a few minutes later. He was standing 1 at the edge of the shore, watching as another officer handcuffed Katherine Kelly, and helped her into a police patrol boat.



“I know you!” Benny said. “I met you with Nick in Key West. He said you were a fisherman.”



Nick laughed. “This is Officer Adams, Benny. I’m afraid I had to tell a little white lie. I couldn’t explain that we’re both undercover investigators 2.”



“What’s going to happen now?” Henry asked. He glanced at Katherine Kelly, who glared back at him.



“It’s an airtight case.” Officer Adams pointed 3 to a group of men in Coast Guard uniforms who were carefully placing the stolen coral in clear plastic bags. “We’ve got eyewitnesses 4, we’ve got the stolen coral, and we’ve got the tools she used.”



“It sounds like you caught her in the act,” Nick said.



Officer Adams nodded. “We did. She had just dumped another load in her boat. It’s funny, but she couldn’t get the engine started. That was a lucky break for us.”



Nick laughed as Henry held up the wire. “It was more than just a lucky break. Henry disconnected her spark plugs. She’d be miles away by now, without the help of my young friends.”



Jessie and Soo Lee appeared just then, followed by a group of counselors 5 and campers.



“What’s going on?” Jessie asked, and then gasped 6 as she spotted 7 Katherine Kelly in handcuffs. “She was the one?” she whispered.



“That’s right,” Benny said excitedly. “We caught her stealing the coral and we recognized her when she took her face mask off. And then — we had to run into the woods! It was scary!”



“I’m glad you’re okay,” Jessie said, giving him a quick hug.



“Someone better fill me in,” Melanie said, coming up behind Jessie. She was out of breath. “We heard the noise and ran all the way back from the other side of the island.”



Nick smiled. “Well, the bottom line is that the kids solved the crime for us. Without them, Katherine might have made one last haul, and then disappeared for good.”



“But I don’t understand,” Jessie said. She turned to Nick. “You’re not really a marine 8 biologist?”



Violet laughed. “He’s a police officer, but it’s a long story.”



“I have a lot of questions, too,” Melanie said. “How about if we all go back to Camp Coral and discuss it?”



Half an hour later, everyone met at the picnic tables down by the dock at the camp. The other officers had left the island, but Nick stayed behind to talk about the case. Melanie lit some tiki lamps, and the campers and counselors gathered close to ask questions.



“Was she really an underwater photographer?” Soo Lee asked.



“Yes, she was a real photographer. Her work has been featured in some big magazines.” Nick paused. “I guess she just decided 9 she could make more money from stealing coral.”



“It was the picture! That’s what made me wonder!” Violet blurted 10 out. Everyone turned to look at her. “Katherine took a really pretty picture of a sunset and we saw it hanging to dry in the darkroom.”



“I remember how much that picture bothered you,” Jessie said. “But I never understood why.”



“I didn’t either — until now.” She turned to Melanie. “There was something about the rock, and the sunset that looked so familiar. I realized that I had seen that exact same view before — from your private island!”



“So the only way Katherine could have gotten that picture was if she had been standing in the same spot we were,” Jessie said slowly. “She probably discovered the big coral bed that day and decided to chop away at it.”



“It will take hundreds of years to grow back,” Melanie said sadly.



“Don’t feel bad, Melanie,” Violet said, edging close to her. “At least she’ll never be able to do it again.”



“When did you first suspect her?” A male voice came from the back of the crowd.



Henry turned to see Joshua Slade raising his hand.



“Right from the start,” Nick answered. “But I suspected a lot of people. You and your wife, for example.”



Hilary Slade laughed nervously 11. “Surely you didn’t suspect us.”



“I certainly did. You two don’t know much about sailing for a couple who are supposed to run a charter business.”



“That’s right!” Soo Lee agreed. “You didn’t even recognize a square knot when I showed you my macrame piece.”



“And you stuffed a fish inside your shirt!” Benny piped up. “I saw you that night we were out collecting specimens 12.”



“I stuffed a what? Oh, now I get it.” Joshua laughed. “That wasn’t a fish. I thought I saw a rare coin in the water, and I scooped 13 it up and hid it in my shirt. I didn’t think anyone saw me.”



“You’re interested in rare coins?” Henry said. “So that was you snooping around our cabin that night!”



Joshua looked embarrassed. “I’m afraid it was. To tell the truth, we’re treasure hunters, not sailors.



“From the way he talked, I thought Benny had found a doubloon. I didn’t realize it was worthless.” He paused. “The only valuable thing I found here was the conch shell and it was cracked.”



“You took my conch shell?” Violet asked.



Joshua looked embarrassed, realizing his slip. “I wanted to show it to one of my investors 14. I wasn’t sure how rare it really was.”



“What did you do with it?” Melanie asked.



“I stuffed it in a drawer in the classroom,” Joshua said defiantly 15. “I figured you’d find it eventually.”



Everyone was silent for a moment, and then Jessie spoke 16 up. “We even suspected you, Nick. Someone took a powerboat out one night, and we found a key ring with the initials NS lying on the seat.”



“I can explain that,” Nick said. “NS stands for North Star. They’re a big coral wholesaler 17. Those are probably the people that Katherine was dealing 18 with.”



Violet reached down to pet the tabby cat who was rubbing against her legs. “At least we know now that Horace didn’t scratch Katherine.” She saw the surprised look on Nick’s face. “Her legs were all scratched from the mangrove 19 trees on Melanie’s island, and she blamed it on poor Horace.”



“Breaking into someone’s cabin is against camp rules,” Melanie said sternly to Joshua Slade. “You won’t be welcome here again.”



“I’m sorry about that,” Joshua said softly. He looked at his wife and they turned and walked back to their cabin.



“All those times they acted friendly,” Violet remarked, “they were just trying to see if we knew about any sunken treasure.”



Benny stifled 20 a yawn. “I can’t believe the mystery is all solved,” he said sleepily.



“And just in time,” Violet said. She glanced at her watch. “Grandfather will be here in just a few hours to pick us up.”



“You did a great job, kids,” Nick said.



He stepped through the crowd to shake hands with each of them. “Without you, Katherine could have moved on to other sites and other coral beds. It might have taken months, or even years, to catch up with her.”



“I’m glad we could help,” Henry said. He looked at Benny, who was leaning against him with his eyes half closed. “But now I think it’s time to say good night. My little brother is sleeping standing up.”



“I’m awake,” Benny protested drowsily 21. As soon as Henry lifted him up, Benny’s eyes shut and he snuggled against his older brother.



“Good night,” Melanie said softly. “I’ll see you in the morning before you leave. Let’s have breakfast together.”



Grandfather arrived bright and early the following morning. “I’m so glad to see you!” he said, hugging Violet, Jessie, Henry, and Soo Lee. They were already packed and waiting by the camp entrance.



“We spent days out on the water,” Jessie said. “It was wonderful.”



“But where’s Benny?” Grandfather asked, looking around.



“He’s here,” Violet said playfully. “He’s down by the shore. He has something special he wants to show you.” She took Grandfather’s hand. “Come on, I’ll take you there.”



“Whatever you say,” Grandfather said good-naturedly. He was so happy to see his grandchildren. He missed them, even if they were only away for a few days.



“Tell us about your trip, Grandfather,” Henry said.



“It was very relaxing,” Grandfather began. “I did a little sailing and I — ” He broke off suddenly as they approached the beach. “Is that Benny?”



“It sure is!” Jessie said proudly.



All the children watched as a small figure skimmed over the water on a bright red wind-surfer.



Henry whistled under his breath. “He really got the hang of it,” he said admiringly.



“He wanted you to be proud of him, Grandfather.”



“Well, I am,” Mr. Alden replied, waving to Benny as he zigzagged 22 toward the shore. “I’m proud of all my grandchildren.” He moved forward to greet Benny as he neared the shore. “And what have the rest of you been doing while Benny learned wind-surfing? Did anything special happen?”



Violet and Jessie exchanged a look and burst out laughing. “Anything special! Grandfather, we solved another mystery!”



“Tell me about it,” he said as Benny ran along the sand toward him.



“It will take a long time,” Soo Lee pointed out. “It’s a long story.”



Grandfather gave Benny a bear hug and scooped him up in his arms. “That’s all right,” he said, heading back to the car. “We have a long drive back to the Miami airport. But nothing will make the time go faster than hearing about your adventures!”