The Yellow Yacht (5 page)

Dr. Skor showed the kids a grocery
shopping list. “I must get to the store. Your parents are joining me for lunch on my boat,” he said. “You kids are invited, too, of course!” He hurried off toward the shops.

“I hope Dr. Skor is a good cook!” Josh said.

At noon, a sturdy-looking fiberglass boat pulled up to the dock. A boy who looked about sixteen years old was at the motor. He wore a bathing suit and a tank top.

“Hi, Hugo!” Sammi cried. “These are my friends Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose. They’re from Connecticut in America.”

“I want to visit your country someday,” Hugo said. “Do you live near New York City?”

“Yes,” Dink said. “My uncle Warren lives there. If you come to visit, you can stay with us!”

Hugo beamed. “Thank you!”

“Hugo is going to study at the new
school,” the king told the kids. “And one day he’ll work at the aquarium.”

Hugo helped everyone aboard and motored toward the yellow yacht.

“How are you spending your summer vacation?” the queen asked Hugo.

The boy grinned. “I’m doing a lot of diving and snorkeling,” he said.

“Do you see a lot of fish around here?” asked Josh.

Hugo nodded. “Every size and color you can imagine,” he said. “I’ll take you guys snorkeling later if you want.”

Sammi looked at his parents. “Can we?” he asked.

His father said, “Of course. Hugo, do you have four life vests?”

“Yes, sir,” Hugo said. He looked at his diver’s watch. “How about three o’clock?”

“Excellent!” Sammi said. “I’ve got snorkel gear you guys can borrow.”

A few minutes later, Hugo dropped
them off, and they climbed aboard
Sundown.

“Please come back for us at two o’clock!” the king called back to Hugo.

Hugo saluted. “I’ll be here,” he said.

Soon the lunch guests were seated on comfortable benches around a table on
Sundown’s
foredeck. A canvas canopy kept the sun off.

“Your boat is beautiful!” Ruth Rose told Dr. Skor.

“Thank you, my dear,” Dr. Skor said. “Would you like to explore her before we eat?”

“Sure!” she said.

The kids scampered away. They examined every part of the yacht, fore and aft. In the galley, they found a stove, sink, and refrigerator. A man was preparing their lunches.

There were three bedrooms. The kids stepped inside the largest onto a bright
blue carpet. The room had a king-size bed and a chair near an open porthole.

Next to the door was an antique desk. Dink saw papers and letters with Dr. Skor’s name on them. Holding down a few letters was a paperweight in the shape of a small boat. Dink saw a green stripe on the boat and realized it was a miniature replica of
Sundown.

Just then they heard a bell ring above them.

“Lunch!” Josh said, and the kids headed for the stairs.

“Dr. Skor, my husband told me you’re studying coral, is that right?” the queen asked as the lunch dishes were being cleared.

“Yes,” Dr. Skor said. “Coral is dying and … wait, I have some photographs.”

Dr. Skor left the table and returned with a photo album.

They flipped through the pages as Dr. Skor showed them pictures of healthy coral and sick or dead coral.

“When coral dies, other sea life dies,” the scientist said.

“Is this a picture of
Sundown?”
Ruth Rose asked him, pointing at another photograph.

“Yes, I took this with my Polaroid camera when we arrived here a few days ago,” Dr. Skor said. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

This snapshot showed
Sundown
with her sails up, puffed from a breeze. The yellow paint gleamed above the green stripe. In the background, Dink could see the stone pier and the castle.

“Do you fish off the boat?” Josh asked.

“I don’t, but my men do,” Dr. Skor said.

“Do you like to fish, Josh?” the king asked.

“Yes, sir, I love it,” Josh answered.

“Then maybe we can do some fishing before you leave,” the king said.

“This has been lovely,” the queen told
Dr. Skor. “Please come have dinner with us soon. Your food was delicious, but now I need a nap!”

Dr. Skor smiled. “This is my nap time, too,” he said. “And I’m afraid I can’t accept your kind invitation. We sail this afternoon, as soon as the breeze picks up.”

“I’m sorry you’re leaving,” the king said, “but thank you for your suggestions on my project. Do come back and see us when the aquarium is up and running.”

There was a pause, as if everyone was wondering if the aquarium would ever get finished.

They said good-bye, and minutes later, Hugo’s flat-bottomed boat pulled up. They all climbed aboard and headed back to the dock.

Dink turned around and looked over Hugo’s shoulder at
Sundown.
He could see Dr. Skor standing on the foredeck,
watching them through binoculars.

Watching the yacht get farther away, Dink didn’t see the green stripe. He rubbed his eyes. How could the stripe just disappear? he wondered.

While the queen napped and the king talked with the police, Sammi outfitted the kids with snorkel equipment.

At three o’clock, they were waiting on the dock for Hugo.

Hugo showed up a few minutes later. His boat left a small wake as it bumped gently up against the dock. “Climb in!” he said.

“Will we see any sharks?” Josh asked as the kids clambered down into the boat.

“Not where we’re going.” Hugo pointed to the right, just outside the harbor entrance. “See that red buoy sticking up? It’s marking the place where a boat sank a long time ago,” he said. “The
water is shallow and lots of fish hang out there. Perfect for snorkeling!”

Hugo handed the four kids orange life vests and made sure they were fitted properly. He aimed the boat out into the harbor, and a few minutes later, he reached the buoy. He stopped the engine and dropped the anchor. Then he tossed a float with a small flag attached to it into the water.

“This flag lets other boaters know there are people in the water here,” Hugo explained. “When they see the flag, they stay away.”

Hugo helped the kids with their snorkels, masks, and flippers. He jumped into the water and showed them how to clamp the snorkel’s mouthpiece in their teeth and breathe.

When the kids were floating in the water, Hugo and Sammi showed them how to swim facedown, using just their flippers and no arms.

“If you need me, just tap the top of your head with your hand like this,” Hugo said, demonstrating. “If I see that signal, I’ll swim right over.”

With Hugo leading, the four kids flippered a few yards away from the flag.

When Dink put his face underwater, he was amazed. The water was as clear as glass. Hundreds of fish darted every which way. He saw yellow, purple, blue, and red fish.

Ten feet below the surface lay the sunken boat. It was partly rotted away. Seaweed and barnacles clung to the boat’s broken hull. Several large rocks sat on the boat’s bottom.

The kids stayed near each other. Hugo pointed to a creature that looked like a lobster, but it didn’t have big claws.

When the creature saw the humans, it darted under the boat.

After about ten minutes of exploring,
Hugo signaled that they should meet him at his boat.

The kids paddled over and held on to the side. They removed their masks and mouthpieces so they could talk.

“This is so amazing!” Josh said. “A purple fish came right up to my mask and looked at me!”

“Hugo, why are there rocks in the sunken boat?” Dink asked.

“The rocks are to weigh it down so it won’t drift away,” Hugo said. “The boat attracts fish.”

Suddenly Dink knew why
Sundown’s
green stripe was missing. He felt his heart start to race. Goose bumps marched up his arms.

“Guys, I think I know where the gold is,” Dink said.

Hugo helped the kids climb back aboard his boat. They sat drying in the sun while Dink explained to them what he suspected.

“I think Dr. Skor stole the gold,” he said. “And I think it’s on his boat.”

“But where?” asked Ruth Rose. “Remember, he let us look around. Wouldn’t he be afraid we’d find the gold by accident?”

“And what about Yondo and Riko and Mr. Baz?” Sammi asked.

“Yeah, and the note we found about
dropping the gold over the wall,” Josh added.

Dink shook his head, and water drops flew from his hair. “I think Dr. Skor put that note in the tunnel, where the cops could find it,” he said. “I’ll bet he had his crew dig the tunnel. He wanted the cops to think Riko and Mr. Baz pulled off the robbery.”

“But what about the gold scraping we saw on the backhoe shovel?” Sammi asked.

“That was another of Dr. Skor’s fake clues,” Dink said. “The cops would search for the gold on land, but the gold is really on his boat.”

Hugo gazed across the water at
Sundown.
“Why do you think it’s on his boat, Dink?”

“The first time we saw
Sundown
, there was a green stripe above the waterline,” Dink said. He pointed across
the harbor at
Sundown.
“But look, there’s no green stripe now. It came to me when I saw the rocks weighing down the sunken boat. The gold is making
Sundown
heavier! The green stripe is still there, only we can’t see it now because it’s underwater!”

Five pairs of eyes stared across the harbor at
Sundown.

“Where could it be hidden?” Ruth Rose asked.