Free Summer Camp Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner Page A

basket Mrs. McGregor had sent along, that was nearly empty, too. And so was Benny’s trail mix bag.
    Mr. Alden shifted in his seat. He’d been driving a long time. “We’re practically there, children. Now that we’re off the main highway, let’s look for road signs. There’s some fog rolling in. I don’t want to miss the turnoff for the Claw Island ferry. It’s just outside Dark Harbor. I went there all the time when I was a boy.”
    “Now Henry and I are the boys!” Benny said proudly. “And we’re visiting Claw Island just like you did.”
    “Right you are.” Grandfather smiled to himself. “Only there wasn’t a camp on the island back then, just the old Pines estate that the family owned, along with some deserted buildings. Many a time my chums and I would go out to Claw Island to explore and play games.”
    “Just like us — if we ever get there.” Benny pressed his forehead against the window.
    Violet stared out, too. “The fog has swallowed up everything except for the pointy pine trees.”
    “Look! There’s a sign!” Benny made a claw with his hand. “Why is it called Claw Island, anyway?”
    “If you look at a map, you can see the island is shaped like a lobster claw,” Jessie explained.
    Mr. Alden turned onto a sandy beach road. “And so it was in my grandmother’s day. Only back then it was called Claw Point, not Claw Island. It was still connected to the mainland just outside Dark Harbor. One summer, Grandmother returned to discover the ocean had washed away the road. Two hurricanes later, the ocean covered over the beach and the dunes in between.”
    Jessie flipped through the Camp Seagull manual. “It says here that after the second hurricane, the Pines family turned their property into a camp. Then last winter they sold it to Rich and Ginny Gullen, the new owners.”
    Mr. Alden drove slowly down the dirt road. “I hope the Gullens make a go of it. Rich told me the Pines family found it difficult running a camp on the island. They had to sell it because they lost too much money. As you can see, it’s not an easy place to get to. It can only be reached by boat. People travel out on the small passenger ferry. Camp supplies go on the freight boat once a week.”
    “We’re on the people boat,” Benny said. “I just hope the food boat doesn’t get lost.”
    Grandfather smiled. “That’s not likely to happen. It’s only a ten-minute boat ride from here. Too bad it’s foggy right now. On a sunny day Claw Island is a very pretty sight.”
    “But not today,” Violet said. “There’s no sign of the island, just dark shapes and fog everywhere.”
    Grandfather Alden brought the car to a stop in a small parking area. “Here’s the ferry landing, just where it used to be. I see a few other camp families have already arrived.”
    The Aldens scrambled from the car. They needed to stretch their legs after their long trip. They followed the sound of the lapping ocean right down to a small beach and an empty dock.
    The children looked out at the gray water. A few seagulls bobbed in the cove, ducking under now and then for a fish. Everything else was wrapped in fog and strangely silent.
    The Aldens returned to the parking area. They looked shyly at the other families milling around in the mist. Some of the children already had on their Camp Seagull shirts. Most of the younger children stayed close to their families, just as Benny and Violet stayed next to Grandfather Alden. Everyone would be saying good-bye soon enough.

CHAPTER 2
Screams on the Beach
    Henry and Jessie helped unload Grandfather’s car. They carried their trunks toward the dock, where other campers were lining up their luggage.
    Jessie smiled at a sandy-haired girl with a ponytail and a Junior Counselor cap. “Hi,” she said.
    The girl kept on counting the bags and trunks. She didn’t seem to hear Jessie.
    Jessie greeted the girl again. “I’m Jessie Alden. That’s my brother Henry over there. He’s also a Junior