The Secret of Skull Island (10 page)

Cody looked at the photo. At first he didn't know what Otis was talking about, but then he saw it. Just beyond the gangster's shoulder stood Steve Cordell.

“Here's another one.” Otis handed him another newspaper with a photo of the group. It was dated six years earlier. This time Keller had brown hair.

“Remember that worker Aunt Edith said she had to fire? The one with the brown hair and mustache, the dark eyes, and the bushy eyebrows? Keller has to be our man,” said Cody.

“It looks like he made sure things would go wrong at the inn.” Otis nodded. “They made a plan to scare people off the island before Aunt Edith even opened the place.” He ran a hand through his hair.

“So the inn is interfering with their business, whatever that is,” Cody went on. “Shutting it down is important. Important enough to cause accidents and scare people—but nothing bad enough to attract the attention of the police … at least, not major attention.”

Otis was nodding. “And the officer who shows up when something gets reported never takes it seriously. He acts like it's all a big joke.” He pulled out the note paper he'd taken from Cordell's room and waved it. “What do you think?”

“I think we've figured it out. He wasn't paying for a phony tan in installments. He was making payments to
Tano
at $5,000 every month,” said Cody. “Tano was paid off.”

He chewed his lower lip and frowned. “Whatever Cordell and Keller are tangled up in, it's important enough to approach a police officer and pay him off. Otis, I think we're in over our heads. We should get someone to help us. This seems really dangerous.”

Otis sighed. “You're right. But we still don't have enough evidence to convince anyone that they are crooks. So Keller has some disguises? Maybe it's a hobby. He has an old newspaper? So what?”

“We've got passports with fake names. We've got a basement full of pirated DVDs,” said Cody.

“Come on, we can do better. What's this
big job
? We need more evidence. If we don't get it, they'll keep trying to close the inn. They'll keep doing whatever it is. But we've got to be careful, and make sure they don't suspect us.”

“Okay,” Cody agreed after a moment. “Let's get out of here and—”

A thundering roar filled the air. It was coming from down the hall. The twins raced to see what had happened.

[Chapter Fourteen]

T
hey found Rae standing at the door of Albert McNab's room. “What were you doing in my room?” he thundered.

“Cleaning it,” Rae s aid calmly, looking him in the eye.

“Cleaning it?” McNab sputtered.

“Well, someone has to,” she said.

“I didn't think anyone would be in the room since the maid left,” he said, calming down. “I was just surprised, that's all.” He smiled slightly.

Eric Barber and Helen Wallace appeared. McNab scowled when he saw them.

“What is it, Mr. McNab? Bad news about your
grocery business
?”

“You two,” he muttered. “No, it isn't about my grocery business. But why don't you mind your
own business
? And quit shadowing me.”

Cody and Otis exchanged glances. “How did you know Inez was gone?”

McNab glared at them. “She
told
me
herself.
Yesterday. She said she got a new job that paid better. So I didn't expect anyone in my room. Rae startled me.” His voice softened. “I'm sorry I yelled.”

“I guess you really were surprised,” said Rae, who was shocked that McNab had acted the way he had. He was usually so charming.

“What's all the commotion?” asked Steve Cordell, who had Sam Keller at his elbow. He peered into McNab's room.

“Confound it,” said McNab. “Why is everybody so interested in my room?”

“Can I just finish cleaning it?” asked Rae.

“Uh—no, dear, that won't be necessary.” McNab gently guided Rae from the room and stepped inside. “I'll take care of it until a new maid arrives.”

“
If
one arrives,” snorted Cordell. “I think this place is getting a reputation.”

Suddenly he shot a threatening look at Rae. “You haven't been into my room have you?”

“Or mine?” snapped Keller. “I don't want you in there.”

“Me neither,” snarled Cordell. “I'd better not catch you in there.”

“Calm down, Mr. Cordell, Mr. Keller,” Rae said firmly.

“That's right,” said Cody. “Both of you, take it easy. We all agreed to help out Aunt Edith by cleaning rooms. The less we have to clean, the better. Especially if you don't appreciate it.”

“Oh yeah? Well, I don't,” Cordell replied. “Stay outta my room.”

“Mine, too,” said Keller. They stalked away.

“Well, my heavens, what a couple of rude fellows,” said Ms. Wallace.

“I'll say,” said Barber.

“Ought to teach
them
a lesson in manners, along with that young movie star,” said McNab. He stepped out of his room and locked the door. “I think I'll go down to the garden and smell the flowers for a while.” He walked toward the stairs.

“Whew! What a bunch,” said Rae. “I guess that means I'm finished for the day—I've done my rooms.”

“Why don't we show you that secret passage we told you about last night?”

“Fine, but I want to show you something first.” Rae pulled a newspaper clipping from her pocket. “It's an article about a criminal. Check out the face in the photo.”

The twins examined the clipping. It was Albert McNab!

“It says that he's a former doctor who became a con man.”

Cody thought for a moment. “Looks like Ms. Wallace and Mr. Barber suspected it. But if that's Mr. McNab, why hasn't anyone done anything about it?”

“I wonder,” said Otis.

Just then the door to Keller's room opened. “Gonna make this a double whammy,” he muttered to himself. He locked his door and went downstairs.

“I think he's up to something right now,” said Otis. “Let's follow him and see if we can find out what it is.”

They followed Keller to the garden, where he approached McNab. They watched as the two got into a heated argument, shouting and waving their arms around. The twins and Rae couldn't hear what the men were saying, though.

After a while, things began to change. The voices got quieter—and then the angry faces began to smile. The scene ended with both of the men laughing. Keller ended up by slapping McNab on the back before he left the garden. When he was gone, McNab sat on a bench sunning himself, his eyes closed and his face turned to the sky. His mouth was curved in a quiet smile.

That was when Rae and the twins saw the wiry Winston Cato step out from behind a shrub and walk up the garden path. They were sure he had heard what had gone on.

“Mr. Cato, wait,” Cody cried as he drew near them. “We want to ask you something.”

“Still trying to figure things out?” Cato grinned.

“I guess you've got
us
figured out,” Otis said. “Did you hear what Mr. Keller and Mr. McNab were talking about?”

“Yes, and it wasn't good—but it ended up all right. That Sam Keller is a sleazy guy. He tried to blackmail Mr. McNab. Claimed he found out he was really Horace Perkins, some criminal the law is looking for.”

“But it seemed like they ended up as friends.”

Cato chuckled. “That's right. Mr. McNab kept talking about his grocery business, and how he started thinking about going into it when he was a student at Kenmore High School in Arlington, Virginia. Turns out that's where Mr. Keller went to school—and they were in the same English class. Well, the two of them found out they had more in common—like they are both religious and belong to the same political party.”

“
Sam Keller
is a religious man?” Cody asked in disbelief.

“I didn't think he was smart enough to pick a political party,” said Otis.

Cato laughed. “I know, but there's more. It seems that both like to go to Las Vegas casinos. Well, pretty soon Mr. McNab has Mr. Keller convinced that he's a dead ringer for Mr. Perkins, but he's not Perkins.”

Cato paused a moment and smiled broadly. “I believe him, too. That Mr. McNab is a nice guy. He's always pleasant. He didn't even hold it against Mr. Keller that he tried to blackmail him. Isn't that unbelievable?”

“Unbelievable, all right,” said Rae.

“See you all later,” said Cato, hurrying away.

“Well, we have more proof that Keller is a sleaze, but I don't know where we go with it,” said Cody.

“So why don't we go down to the secret passage,” said Otis.

Rae grinned. “Let's go.”

*

The boys nodded to each other. Then Otis pushed the button on the panel, the wall slid back, and they walked into the secret passage. Both carried their penlights, the narrow beams shining in the darkness. Rae switched on her own flashlight and followed.

The three of them felt their way down the steps and then headed into the winding tunnel. “It looks absolutely ancient,” Rae breathed.

“Wait until you see what's up ahead,” said Otis. “It's outrageous.”

Before long, they were able to shut off the penlights. They could see that the rooms ahead were all lit up. They listened for voices as they walked.

Soon they were walking through the modern, freshly painted hallway, past the electronic equipment and the stacks and stacks of pirated DVDs. Just outside the lounge, they stopped to listen for voices.

Hearts pounding, they stood as still as statues. There was no sound coming from the lounge. They moved on, past more rooms stockpiled with equipment and DVDs, until they came to a smaller one near the end of the hall that was almost empty, except for a figure in a chair.

The three of them gasped when they recognized who it was. It was Steve Cordell!

[Chapter Fifteen]

S
teve Cordell was tied to the chair. There was a gag in his mouth. Cody, Otis, and Rae hurried to untie him. He didn't thank them for it.

“How did you kids get down here?” he roared, spitting out pieces of the cotton gag.

“Why don't you start by thanking us for freeing you?” asked Cody.

“Then tell us who tied you up and why,” said Otis.

“You can add a part about where all these bootleg DVDs and this equipment came from,” said Rae.

Cordell stood up slowly and stretched. “I don't have any idea where this stuff came from,” he said. Then he sneered. “It looks like your aunt Edith is running a little business on the side.”

“Why you—” Cody began, taking a step toward him.

Otis put a hand on his arm. “Take it easy.” He turned to Cordell. “So is there an entrance to the secret passage in your room?”

Cordell rubbed his wrists where the ropes had bound him. It looked like he was stalling for time.

“Yeah, I found the panel in my room by accident.”

“You didn't come down here and tie yourself up,” Rae observed.

“Hey, I don't have to tell you anything,” he said.

“We could call the police,” Cody told him.

“Don't you dare,” he began, but then changed his tune. “Oh, go ahead and call them. I don't care.” He gave them a half-smile. “Look, I showed Keller the passage. He came down here with me. When I sat down, he put a sleeper hold on me. Then when I was out cold, he tied me up. It was just a prank.”

“You call that a prank? You've got to be kidding,” Cody blurted.

“Well, I'm not kidding,” Cordell said. “Now, if you don't mind, I'm getting out of here.”

“You aren't planning on leaving the inn, are you?” asked Otis.

“What I'm planning is my own business,” Cordell replied. “But I'll tell you anyway. No, I'm not going anywhere.” He walked out of the room.

*

“Prank? Getting bound and gagged is someone's idea of a joke?” After hearing the story, Aunt Edith was appalled. “I don't really want to see all that stuff in the secret passage, but I definitely have to call the police.”