The Caribbean Cruise Caper Read Free

case.
    â€œYour friend will have to identify this as his property, sir,” Mallet said.
    â€œBelieve me, he’ll be happy to,” Joe promised. “I’ll go get him.”
    Joe hurried out and came back with David. After showing Mallet his passport, David unzipped the attaché case to check the contents.
    â€œIt doesn’t look as if anything’s been disturbed,” he told Joe. As they started across the waiting room, he added, “What a weird thing. I guess the porter saw my case and thought it belonged to those people who were leaving.”
    â€œIt could be,” Joe said doubtfully. “The way I remember it, though, the porter didn’t load the cart. He just stood by. It was the drivers who carried the suitcases from their taxis to the cart. I guess one of them must have picked up your case by mistake.”
    â€œWell, however it happened,” David said, “I owe you one. If it hadn’t been for your quick thinking, my computer and all the contest plans would be on their way back to San Juan by now. I’m tempted to complain to the airport authorities. But we don’t know who’s responsible. Maybe it’s better to let it go.”
    The moment they returned to the group, the others crowded around. “Oh, good,” Elizabeth said. “You found it. An airline lost my bag once in London. I was devastated. I had nothing to wear for four entire days.”
    â€œWhat happened?” Cesar asked Joe. “Where was it?”
    Joe laughed. “About to be loaded for a return flight to San Juan.”
    â€œSo you won’t have to call off the contest?” Jason said. “Cool. Let’s get going.”
    â€œWait a minute,” Boris said. “This is a serious matter. Somebody’s dirty trick almost ruined everything for us. We must discover who stole David’s computer.”
    That did it. Five minutes later Joe was seething with frustration. Everyone in the group was a wannabe detective. Each one had his or her farfetched theory about what had happened, who had done it, and why.
    Boris was the worst. After explaining that one of the departing passengers must be in the pay of Teenway ’s competition, he repeatedly demanded, “It is possible, isn’t it? Isn’t it?”
    Finally Frank told him, “Anything is possible, but it just isn’t very likely.”
    For a moment Joe had the feeling that Boris was about to throw a punch at Frank, but then thought better of it. A good thing for him, thought Joe. Boris might have spent a lot of time in the weight room, but Joe could tell by the way he moved that he didn’t have Frank’s martial arts skills. If attacked, Frank would have decked him.
    â€œWe’re running late,” David said after glancing at his wrist. “We’d better put this off until later. Personally, I think one of the taxi drivers probably made a mistake. But if any of you was responsible for this stunt, I hope you’ll have the guts to admit it to me privately. It won’t affect your chances in the contest if you do. That’s a promise. If I findout that one of you did it, that’ll be another matter.”
    Joe met Frank’s eyes and saw that he was thinking the same thing. David’s threat was pretty empty. Unless one of the group suddenly recalled some crucial fact, the guilty party—if there was one—was not likely to be unmasked.
    Everyone crowded into the dusty van for the short ride to the yacht club. The clubhouse was a white wooden building with a shady veranda around all four sides. White wicker tables and chairs were scattered across the lush green lawn.
    The yacht club faced a sparkling blue bay, crowded with luxurious boats. As he climbed out of the van, Joe fell in love with a sleek fifty-foot sloop. It looked ready to sail around the world. He decided to sign on as a deckhand . . . once he had talked his dad into giving him