Summer Camp Mystery Read Free Page A

is the first day of camp,” she said. “The Gullens and Boo have a lot of jobs at the camp. They don’t have time to make special trips to Dark Harbor all because people leave their things behind.”
    “But when I wanted to help with the trunks, you told me . . . ” Jessie stopped. “Never mind. We’ll be more careful next time.”
    When the Aldens looked back at the beach, the fog had swallowed it up along with their three camp trunks.

CHAPTER 3
Monster Rock
    Just as Booth Pines guided the passenger ferry across the water, the fog lifted. Grandfather Alden had been right. Up ahead, a very pretty sight appeared: Claw Island sparkled in the water.
    From the boat, the Aldens could see cozy wooden buildings tucked into groves of tall pine trees. A flagpole rose above the large main building.
    Jessie grabbed Henry’s arm. “The island is so close. I wonder if we could swim between Dark Harbor and Claw Island. After all, we just passed our lifesaving test at the Greenfield Pool.”
    “You’re not allowed,” Zach Pines told Jessie. “There are strong currents between the island and Dark Harbor. You could get sucked out to sea.”
    When some of the younger children heard this, they moved closer to Henry and Jessie.
    “Oh, I was just wondering, that’s all,” Jessie said. She turned to some of the younger children. “My counselor manual said the swimming lessons are given on the bay side of the island. The water is warm and calm there — like a lake.”
    “Look, a whale!” Benny cried. He pointed to something wide, smooth, and gray off in the water not too far from Claw Island.
    The campers swiveled around to see the whale.
    “That’s Monster Rock, not a whale,” Lizzie Pines informed Benny. “When it gets dark, the rock can turn into a monster that comes out of the water. Sometimes we even find giant footprints in the sand.”
    “Goodness, this isn’t the time for that old made-up tale, Lizzie!” Ginny said when she noticed the worried looks of some of the new campers. “Actually, children, that’s Seal Rock. Often, if the sun is out and the tide is low, seals climb onto the rock to sun themselves.”
    With the fog and Monster Rock behind them and Camp Seagull in front of them, the campers had a hard time sitting still. Camp was about to begin!
    Onshore, a circle of campers who had arrived earlier stood around the flagpole. Behind them a group of teenagers and young adults waved their Senior and Junior Counselor caps at everyone on the ferry.
    “Welcome, Seagulls!” the flagpole crowd yelled out. “Give us a seagull squawk!”
    The new campers weren’t sure what to do.
    “Go ahead,” Ginny urged everyone.
    “Crawk! Crawk!” the campers screamed out like a flock of seagulls about to land on Claw Island.
    “The camp is so pretty,” Violet said when she stepped onto the dock. “Evergreen Lodge looks just the way I pictured — with porches and big windows looking out on the bay.”
    “You know,” Benny said, “Claw Island doesn’t look a bit like a scary lobster claw.”
    “That’s only on a map, Benny,” Violet said, laughing. “Or if you’re a bird looking down.”
    Ginny waved the campers toward the flagpole group. “There’s my husband, Rich.”
    Rich and Ginny Gullen wore identical CAMP SEAGULL DIRECTOR shirts and nearly identical friendly smiles.
    “Greetings,” Rich began. “Welcome to Camp Seagull. Hope you had a smooth ride over. Ginny and I are happy to welcome you to our first season as directors of Camp Seagull. The camp has been around since Ginny and I grew up in Dark Harbor. Both of us worked here when we weren’t much older than most of you.”
    Ginny looked around at the campers. “I know some of your parents were once campers here. We’ve kept up many of the traditions the Pines family started in the past. And we’ve added a few of our own.”
    The Aldens noticed Mr. Pines and his children didn’t seem in a hurry to join the group.
    “Is Mr. Pines related to