Cam Jansen and the Barking Treasure Mystery (4 page)

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Authors: David A. Adler

BOOK: Cam Jansen and the Barking Treasure Mystery

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“There’s who?” Mrs. Shelton asked.

Mabel Trent said, “You’re both looking the wrong way. The
Evil Skull
isn’t over there. It’s this way! It’s in the water!”

Cam opened her eyes and said, “Yes, that’s him. Let’s get Lila.”

“He’s either a thin man with a bushy beard,” Cam said with her eyes still closed, “or a short, bald man.”

Cam opened her eyes and told the woman in the red dress, “I saw them standing near you when you were looking at the fireboat. That’s when Little Treasure was taken.”

Cam, Eric, and Lila went to the port side. People were crowded against the rail, looking at the
Evil Skull.
But Cam, Eric, and Lila saw only their backs.

“I see two tall, thin men,” Eric said. He pointed to both of them. “But from here, I can’t tell if they have bushy beards.”

“And I don’t see any short, bald men,” Lila said. “It’s hard to find short people in a crowd.”

“We have to get to the rail,” Cam told them. “Then we can turn around and look at everyone.”

Lila tapped a woman and said, “Excuse me, I have to get to the front.”

The woman told Lila, “I’m sorry, but I want to see, too.”

Cam and Eric got behind one of the thin men. They tried to see if he had a beard.

“I have an idea,” Eric whispered. Then he said loudly, “I’m just a child. I can’t see anything from here.”

“Oh, of course,” the man said. “Let the boy through.”

He turned and made room for Cam and Eric. Cam looked up. The man had no beard.

A woman and another man made room for Cam and Eric. Soon they were in the middle of the crowd. They looked for the man with the bushy beard and the short, bald man.

“There you are,” Mabel Trent said loudly. “I’ve saved a place for you.”

Cam and Eric moved next to Mrs. Shelton and Mabel Trent. Then they turned and faced the crowd.

“There he is,” Eric said. “There’s the man with the bushy beard!”

Chapter Eight

C
am and Eric hurried through the crowd. They found Lila in the back of the boat. That was where everyone would get off when the boat docked. A short, bald man carrying a shopping bag was there, too.

Ruff! Ruff!

“Don’t worry,” Lila told Little Treasure. “He won’t take you away from me.”

Then she asked Cam, “Was he standing near me when Little Treasure was taken?”

“I’ll bet he was,” Eric said. “And I bet he took Little Treasure. Everyone else is looking at the pirate ship. But he’s here. He wanted to be the first one off when the boat docked.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the man said.

Cam closed her eyes and said,
“Click.”
She looked at the picture she had in her head of the people who were standing near Lila before. Then she opened her eyes and looked at the man.

“Yes,” Cam said. “He and the thin man with the bushy beard were next to you when you looked at the fireboat.”

“So what?” the man asked. “I can stand next to anyone I want!”

The man looked around. The boat was still a long way from land. There was no place he could go.

Cam closed her eyes again and said,
“Click.”

“He’s the same man who was standing in front of you before we boarded the boat,” Cam said, with her eyes still closed. “He saw the jewels in Little Treasure’s collar.”

“Nancy! Nancy!” Lila called.

An old, short woman with long white hair, wearing a long bead necklace, came from the covered area. “I’m Nancy,” she said.

Then she looked at Little Treasure and told Lila, “We don’t allow dogs on this boat.”

Lila pointed to the man and said, “But he stole my dog’s collar.”

“That’s silly,” the man said. “What would I do with a dog’s collar?”

“There are jewels on it,” Eric said.

“Go up the ladder to the right of the snack bar,” Nancy said to Cam and Eric. “Tell Captain Kramer I need him.”

Cam and Eric hurried to the covered area of the boat. As they climbed the ladder Cam called, “Captain Kramer! Captain Kramer!”

Two men, one young and one old, were sitting in the small cabin. They both turned. In front of them was a large wheel and lots of dials.

The old man said, “I’m Captain Kramer.”

“There’s a man and a dog and jewels,” Eric said really fast. “It’s a collar, Little Treasure’s, and he has it.”

The two men looked at each other. They didn’t know what Eric was telling them.

Then Cam said slowly, “Nancy said she needs you.”

“Take the wheel, Josh,” Captain Kramer told the young man. Then he followed Cam and Eric.

“He stole my dog’s collar,” Lila said, and pointed to the short, bald man. “There are jewels on it.”

The man said, “You should tell her that dogs are not allowed.”

Captain Kramer stepped toward the man.

“I don’t even have a dog,” the man said. “What would I do with a collar?”

Captain Kramer took another step toward the man.

“I didn’t know it had diamonds and emeralds,” the man said.

“She said it had
jewels
!” Cam said, pointing to the woman in the red dress. “That man knows what jewels they are because he stole them!”

Chapter Nine

“
M
ay I look in your bag?” Captain Kramer asked.

The man smiled and said, “Sure.”

He gave Captain Kramer the shopping bag. Captain Kramer reached into the bag and took out two books.

“Look at this,” Cam said. She found a few short hairs on the books. “Gray hairs, just like Little Treasure’s.”

Captain Kramer said, “Please empty your pockets.”

The man looked over the edge of the boat. They were still far from the dock. Then he slowly reached into his pocket and took out the collar and gave it to Captain Kramer. The captain gave it to Lila.

Ruff! Ruff!

“Don’t you go anywhere,” Captain Kramer told the man.

People started to gather, to be ready to get off when the boat docked.

“There you are,” Mrs. Shelton said to Cam and Eric.

“You missed the best part of the ride,” Mabel Trent told them.

“No, they didn’t,” Lila said. “They caught a real pirate.” She pointed to the thief and said, “He stole Little Treasure’s collar.”

Then Lila took some money from her pocket and gave it to Eric.

“No, thank you,” Eric said. “We don’t need to be paid.”

“I just want to thank you,” Lila said. “And I want each of you to buy something, a book or a toy.”

Cam and Eric said, “Thank you.”

Just then the boat moved close to the dock. The man in the sailor uniform was standing there, ready to help people get off the boat. The thief jumped onto the dock and started to run.

“Get him!” Captain Kramer yelled. “Call the police!”

The man in the sailor uniform grabbed and held the thief. Then he blew a whistle. Two police officers came quickly.

Then the boat docked and people started to get off.

“Please,” Captain Kramer said to Cam, Eric, Nancy, and the others, “stay here for a few minutes.”

They watched Captain Kramer talk to the police. One of the police officers asked Lila to join them. They spoke some more. Then the police put handcuffs on the thief and took him away. Lila went with them.

Captain Kramer came back on the boat. He said to Cam and Eric, “Lila told us how you helped catch the thief.”

He took four tickets from his pocket and gave them to Cam. “You were too busy to see a lot of the sights,” he said, “so I’d like you to come back, as my guests.”

Cam, Eric, and Mrs. Shelton said, “Thank you.”

Mabel Trent said, “I’m going home tomorrow.”

“You can go on our next tour. It starts in one hour,” Nancy said.

“Can we go again?” Mabel Trent asked Mrs. Shelton.

Mrs. Shelton looked at Cam and Eric. Then she smiled and said, “Sure, we can go again.”

“Good,” Mabel Trent said. She put her arm over Nancy’s shoulder and told her, “You are so lucky! I’ll help you give the next tour. I’ll tell people about the sights and I’ll tell jokes. And I don’t even need the speaker box. I can talk
really
loud.”

“She sure can,” Mrs. Shelton said, and laughed.

Cam and Eric laughed, too, and so did Mabel Trent.

Cam Jansen has a great memory. Do you?
Look at the picture on page 53.
Blink your eyes, say,
“Click!”
and then turn back to this page.
How much do you remember?

1. How many people are on the boat?

2. Is anyone wearing eyeglasses?

3. Is Mrs. Wood on or off the boat?

4. Who is carrying the thief’s shopping bag?

5. Who is holding the tickets?

6. Can you describe Captain Kramer?

Is he wearing a jacket? A necktie?

Does he have a beard? A mustache?

Is he smiling at Cam?