Free The Secret of Skeleton Reef by Franklin W. Dixon Page B

something. Mentioning Chrissy just now brought it back to me.”
    Frank knew a little about psychology. He knew that sometimes people with troubled consciences wanted someone to whom they could confess their crimes. If that’s what he wants, Frank thought, I’ll give it to him.
    â€œGuilty about what?” Frank asked.
    â€œSomething I did last night,” Montclare said almost in a whisper.
    â€œWhat was it?” Frank asked softly.
    Montclare lifted his head and stared toward the veranda, watching the rain slash at the banana plantation below. “Last night,” Montclare said, slowly forming his words, “Chrissy found some wrongdoing in my records. You see, I was so worried about money, I . . . juggled some things about so I could pay a little less in taxes. Chrissy . . . she . . . she noticed this, and she began teasing me about it.”
    â€œSo you feel guilty about cheating on your taxes,” Frank said, a little disappointed.
    â€œNo, not that,” Montclare said, turning to face Frank. “I was so uptight about my money problems that I yelled at Chrissy for teasing me. I’m afraid I was quite cross with her. She began crying, and then . . . then she ran out of here.”
    â€œYou only yelled at her?” Frank asked.
    â€œThat is all,” Montclare said, looking away. “Ifear that is why she did not show up for work this morning. I imagine she wanted to steer clear of me for a few days. Or perhaps she wanted to teach me a lesson by slowing down the expedition. All in all, it is not that momentous a thing, but, still, I feel guilty for hurting her feelings. She is a lovely young woman. Probably the nicest person on the crew.”
    Frank took all this in, wondering if it was the complete truth. The money part could have been a lie designed to cover Montclare’s guilty behavior, and the Chrissy part could have been a lie designed to explain Chrissy’s mysterious absence.
    â€œIf all that was hurt were her feelings,” Frank said, “I’m sure she can forgive you when she returns. That is, if she ever does return.”
    â€œI hope so,” Montclare said quietly. “Yes, I hope so. Now, please, perhaps you can leave me alone. I . . . I have a little work to do.”
    â€œThank you very much for your time,” Frank said. He noticed the rain had stopped as he got up to leave.
    â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢
    Joe and Jamal had ducked into a village pool hall to escape the downpour. Once it had let up, they began walking along a dirt road toward Peg Riley’s bungalow. “I think that’s it,” Jamal said, pointing to a small house peeking through some leaves. The boys walked across the drenched earth to the bungalow, which was surrounded by trees andshrubbery. The paint on the bungalow was peeling badly, and the roof was merely a sheet of corrugated metal, but the address checked out.
    No interior lights were on, and no one answered Jamal’s knocks at the door. Jamal tried the door, but it was locked. Joe pulled a long piece of metal from the pocket of his khaki pants and slipped it into the front door cylinder. With a few deft turns, he managed to unlock the door.
    Joe and Jamal stepped into the darkened bungalow and carefully wiped their feet on a mat. Joe made sure the door was relocked. Then Joe and Jamal flipped on flashlights they had brought from the bungalow. They began to look around, Joe in the living room, Jamal in the bedroom and bathroom.
    It seemed the living room was furnished mostly with lawn chairs and milk crates. Joe didn’t find any treasure lying around, but then he hadn’t expected it to be out in the open. Noticing a book on the floor, he pointed the flashlight on it. His heartbeat sped up when he saw the book was Treasure Island .
    Then Joe’s heart skipped a beat. Someone was unlocking the front door.

10 X Marks the Spot
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    Joe froze in