Free Terror at High Tide by Franklin W. Dixon Page A

have owned some cuff links that came from the Ebony Pearl.”
    â€œAlicia told us her father was just a kid when the ship sank.” Joe thought for a moment, then added, “Maybe he took them as a souvenir.”
    â€œMaybe,” Frank agreed. “Mr. Geovanis could have been wearing them when he disappeared. It was a fancy dinner party, and he might have worn a dress shirt with cuff links.”
    â€œWe’ll have to show this to Alicia,” Joe said, slipping the cuff link into his pocket. “If she ever talks to us again, that is.”
    Frank and Joe scanned the path for other clues, then headed for the Jeep. After changing the tire, they drove into town to pick up Callie at the newspaper. Soon they were all sitting down to a lobster dinner at the Easy Street Café at Steamboat Wharf.
    â€œNo way am I wearing one of these,” Joe muttered, crumpling the plastic bib the waitress had brought. “I mean, I’m not two years old anymore.”
    Callie laughed as she and Frank put their own bibs aside on an extra chair. “A lot of people don’t want to ruin their clothes eating messy lobster. That’s why they give out these bibs. Still, I know what you mean, Joe.”
    â€œMy sweatshirt can handle it,” Frank commented. “It’s seen worse.”
    Before ordering, Frank and Joe had filled Callie in on the case so far. “So, what are your theories about all this?” she asked as they all dug into their lobsters.
    â€œI think that someone’s looking for something in the museum,” Frank said. “The culprit’s trying to force Geovanis to tell him where it is, so he kidnapped him.”
    â€œWhat do you think the guy’s looking for?” Callie asked.
    â€œWho knows?” Frank answered, cracking open his lobster’s shell with a nutcracker. “If we canfigure that out, we might get more leads to Geovanis’s whereabouts.”
    Callie took a sip of water. “What about suspects? I hope you’ve at least ruled out Mr. Ferrier.”
    â€œNot completely,” Joe told her. “He was the only person who knew we were going to the mill. He had an alibi for the time we were there, but he could have an accomplice. And it was strange that he appeared in front of Alicia’s house this afternoon.”
    Callie rolled her eyes. “He was dropping off stuff at the publisher’s house—he often does that. He probably just decided to go fishing right then.”
    â€œSomeone else could have heard us planning to go to the mill,” Frank said. “And Ferrier’s motive does seem far-fetched. Also, why would he ransack the museum?”
    â€œI’m glad you’re finally seeing my point of view,” Callie said with a smile. “Now, what about Harrison Cartwright? There’s evidence against him—his argument with Mr. Geovanis, then the shadowy figure in the cranberry bog near his property.”
    â€œBut Cartwright wasn’t wearing a dress shirt with cuff links when we saw him at the mailbox,” Joe said.
    Callie looked thoughtful. “Since none of your suspects has the initials EP , maybe EP does standfor Ebony Pearl and the cuff links belong to Alicia’s father.”
    â€œI want to search the cranberry bog first thing tomorrow,” Frank said. “I have a feeling the cuff link is a clue to where he is.”
    â€œI still think Scarlatti’s our strongest suspect,” Joe said, loudly cracking a lobster claw with his nutcracker. “He would have a key to the museum and know the alarm system. He wants Geovanis’s job. And remember the secret passageway in his house that Alicia mentioned? If it’s for real, it would be a great place to hide someone. Why don’t we check out his house after dinner?”
    â€œIf we find nothing there,” Frank said, “then we should go to the police. It’s been twenty-four hours since Mr. Geovanis