Island Ambush Read Free Page A

otherwise he’ll hear us.’
    Just then Lucky darted out from the crate and across the floor. He scurried up the side of a brown sack in the opposite corner, only stopping when he was right on top.
    Bindi glanced up at the hatch. The fisherman’s feet were still visible. He hadn’t moved, but Bindi had no idea where he was looking or what he could see from up there.
    She decided to chance it. She had to get Lucky back, and they had to try to get some proof about the shark finning fast, so they could get back to Meena’s before she arrived home.
    Bindi dashed silently across to Lucky, keeping low. When she’d reached the sack, she crouched down beside it, out of sight of the hatch.
    In fact, there were two sacks. Bindi hadn’t noticed them before. They were made of hessian, and tied up with yellow string . . . and they smelled fishy !
    Bindi put out her hand and invited Lucky to climb on. He did.
    â€˜Good boy, Lucky.’ She kissed him lightly and popped him back in her pocket.
    â€˜What’s in the sacks?’ Kelly hissed from behind the crates.
    â€˜Don’t know yet.’
    Bindi pulled at the yellow string ties on one of the sacks, but they’d been knotted tight. She tugged again. They didn’t untie. She’d have to pick the knots loose. It could take ages.
    She started on the first knot. Whoever had tied up the sacks had done a good job. It seemed to take hours to pick the knot loose. Still there was another knot to go.
    A voice shouted something loud in Dhevehi. Bindi ducked down behind the sack.
    She heard a second voice. Now there were two men talking.
    Bindi checked the hatch. She couldn’t see the man’s feet.
    She sat up on her haunches and started work on the second knot. This one also seemed to take forever. She could hear the men talking above. Any minute now, she was sure they’d climb down the ladder and discover them.
    Finally the knot was loose. She tugged on the strings and pulled the top of the sack open.
    It was a grisly sight. There must have been a hundred shark fins, and that was in just one sack. The smell was very strong.
    Bindi held her nose with one hand, took a small fin from the top and held it up for Kelly to see.
    â€˜You found ’em!’ Kelly said. ‘Good work, Bindi.’
    Bindi gave her friend a quick smile. ‘I didn’t find them. Lucky did!’
    At that moment Bindi heard a sound she’d been dreading: footsteps on the ladder. Someone was on their way down.
    â€˜Sharkbait’s coming! Get back over here!’ Kelly was whispering so loudly Bindi was sure the fisherman would hear.
    Bindi tried to dash back to Kelly, but she slipped. The fin fell from her hand and slid across the floor out of reach.
    Bindi only had time to skitter across and huddle behind the crate before the fisherman stepped down off the ladder.

The crates hid them well, but the girls remained as silent and still as statues, barely breathing. Kelly found Bindi’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Bindi squeezed back.
    Through the holes in the crates they watched as a large man dressed in a smart grey business suit followed the fisherman down the ladder.
    When the large man was safely down, the fisherman led him to the two hessian bags in the corner. Noticing one of the bags was open, the fisherman said something loud in Dhivehi and seemed to grumble to himself. Spotting the fin that Bindi had dropped, he walked over and picked it up, grumbling some more.
    Bindi grimaced. That was the evidence she needed, and now Cap’n Sharkbait had it.
    He handed the fin to the man in the suit, who examined it briefly before nodding and returning it to the sack.
    Bindi’s heart sank. There was little chance of getting a fin to take back to the police now.
    As Sharkbait concentrated on tying up the sack, the large man in the suit reached into his inside jacket pocket.
    Bindi held her breath, her face frozen in fear. What if he pulled out a