Free Moonfin by L. L. Mintie Page A

faces.
    â€œHello, Mr. Walden,” they all said in unison.
    Lizzy felt sorry for poor Bill Walden. He was branded the town crackpot, and no one knew where he came from or who his family was. There was a rumor that he came from the far northern territories to do some seasonal fishing and while out on an expedition lost all his fishing mates in a freak accident. The Coast Guard found him, the sole survivor, floating on a buoy, babbling on about how they were all eaten. He’d never spoken a sane word since. Now he lived up at the lighthouse all by himself.
    Crazy Bill grasped the edge of the table, nearly tipping it over, and cast them feverish looks.
    â€œThe bell, a break, it’s not too late,” he croaked.
    â€œEr—how are you doing, Mr. Walden?” Lizzy asked kindly.
    â€œI think, I thought, and then I forgot,” he replied woefully and in perfect beat.
    Kai giggled and got a swift elbow in her side from Lizzy. Usually Bill would say a few cryptic phrases and move on. They tried to be respectful, but the things he said always made them want to laugh in spite of themselves. This time he looked right at Lizzy and said, “The mark, the deep, secrets to keep.”
    She sat quietly in shock while Kai and Jeff tried to maintain control of their contorting faces.
    He repeated the same phrase, face red with frustration: “ The mark, the deep, secrets to keep. ” Then he scratched his arm seemingly befuddled.
    Jeff and Kai were about to burst. Lizzy sat quietly rubbing her right hand, casting them both disapproving looks. Was he talking about her birthmark? This was the second time today someone seemed to notice it.
    He set a wrinkled hand on the table and gazed out the window into the harbor. He seemed to be straining to recall something—to say something, but he couldn’t find the words. They waited, frozen with anticipation, worried that something he strained out might smell awful.
    At last, he gave up and shook a finger in their faces. “You hustle and bustle, muster some muscle,” he burped out, flashing a toothless grin. And then he moved off to a corner and started talking to the pie case.
    â€œWhere does he come up with that stuff?” Jeff laughed hysterically. “It’s awesome!”
    â€œI don’t know,” said Kai, “but isn’t Mai Poina Lighthouse three miles from town? He hardly ever comes this close to people. Oh, look—”
    Quinn Malloy sauntered past them and sat down in a booth across the aisle. His slickers were wet and grimy from the day’s work, his wool sweater smelled of fish guts mingled with pipe smoke. He pulled off his tartan cap and tossed it on the laminate table, raking back greasy wisps of copper-red hair with a swipe of his hand. All three kids hustled and bustled out of their booth and squished into his, which didn’t seem to make him too happy.
    â€œHello, kids, what can I do for you?” He scowled, perusing the menu without looking at them. “And make it quick, I’m starving.”
    â€œDon’t you have the menu memorized? You eat here every day,” said Jeff matter-of-factly.
    Kai nudged him. “Don’t make him mad,” she hissed.
    â€œDon’t want to miss any changes. Besides, the pictures are nice,” he said curtly. “Don’t you all have something better to do than watch me order my dinner?”
    Lizzy gulped. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Brandon used to work on Captain Quinn’s fishing boat in the summers and they were good friends. She didn’t want to dredge up painful memories for either of them. Maybe she should just stick to asking questions about the aquarium. Then again, he might know something about the day Brandon went missing, and this could be her only chance to find out.
    â€œRight. We’ll come to the point then. Have you ever discovered anything strange about the aquarium—or Otter Island?