“Mr. Gonzales,” Nancy said, “I think you have more to worry about than I do. I have two friends with me, and a boy is helping us. We’ll be all right. But you would probably be better off if you left this club as little as possible while we’re working on the case.”
Mr. Gonzales nodded. “I see your point, and I’ll do as you say.”
Nancy changed the subject. “You told my father that you were suspicious of your business partners. Who are they, and exactly what worries you?”
“There are three partners in the Crocodile Ecology Company,” Mr. Gonzales said. “Hal Gimler, George Sacco, and me. Recently, the two active partners were evasive when I asked them about certain matters. I had a feeling they were dodging my questions about what’s going on. I found out they made trips to Mexico numerous times, and I know we have no dealings with that country. I had the feeling that they were trying to deceive me.”
“That’s when you called Dad the first time?” Nancy asked.
“Right. When they realized I suspected them, they asked me to sell my interest in the company to them; and at one point I felt that would be the best thing to do. That was when I called your father the second time and canceled your reservations.”
“But then you changed your mind?”
“Yes, because it turned out that I was not getting any cooperation at all from my partners. I’m glad you’re here, but I don’t like the idea of exposing you to danger.”
“We’re used to that,” Nancy said dryly. “Tell me, have you ever seen a submarine or a periscope near Crocodile Island?”
“No. Why do you ask?”
Nancy told him how she and her friends had spotted a periscope, which had disappeared before they could get a closer look.
Mr. Gonzales frowned. “The company could be shipping out crocodiles and not listing the sales. A submarine would be a splendid way of concealing the transaction.” He went on to say that some older reptiles had disappeared, and when he had inquired about them, his partners had merely said they had escaped.
“I don’t see how they could have, with the fencing there is all around the island,” Nancy commented.
“That’s true,” her companion agreed.
“How much of all this did you tell the other Miss Boonton?” Nancy asked.
“I mentioned that I was suspicious of Hal Gimler and George Sacco because I couldn’t get straight answers out of them. Then you arrived and she took off.”
“You didn’t mention the phone calls to my father?”
“Only the first one.”
By this time Mr. Gonzales and Nancy had finished eating. They left the table and walked to the entrance. The clerk at the desk called a taxi for Nancy. While waiting for it to arrive, she told Mr. Gonzales how much she had enjoyed talking with him.
“Now I’ll work harder to solve your mystery.”
“You’ve made a very good start,” he said, patting her on one shoulder. “From here on I’ll make calls only from the club or a public phone booth.”
Nancy rode off to the Cosgrove home. When she arrived, the couple was alone with Bess.
“George and Danny went out in the borrowed boat,” Bess said. “I thought they’d be back by now.”
“They may have hit low tide,” Mr. Cosgrove said. “Nancy, tell us how your luncheon date was. Did you get to the club all right?”
“I did, only someone else got there before me,” Nancy said, and gave full details about the impostor.
“Incredible!” Mrs. Cosgrove burst out. “Just think of the nerve of that young lady, pretending to be you!”
“I don’t like the whole thing,” Mr. Cosgrove added. “These people are obviously very clever and don’t shy away from anything underhanded.”
“We’ll be careful,” Nancy said.
When Danny and George had not returned two hours later, she began to worry.
“Did they have another encounter with
The Whisper?”
she wondered.
CHAPTER VII
Sea Detectives
MRS. Cosgrove realized that Nancy was concerned, and tried to cheer her up. “Look, Danny is a very reliable boatman,” she said. “They could have become stuck during low tide. Instead of sitting here and waiting, why don’t we all go to see a friend of mine? She has a little private zoo, which I’m sure you would enjoy.”
“That sounds great,” Nancy said. “But before we leave, do you mind if I phone the Coast Guard and ask if they’ve had a report of an accident?”
“Of course not,” Mrs. Cosgrove said. “Go ahead.”
Nancy learned that no trouble had been reported and felt better.
“I’ll stay here and wait for George and Danny,” Mr. Cosgrove said. “You enjoy yourselves.”
Mrs. Cosgrove drove her guests along the waterfront until they came to a large estate. She pulled in, stopped at the front door, and rang the bell. To her disappointment she was told by the woman who answered that her friend, Mrs. Easton, was away for the day, and so was the animal trainer.
“I’d like to show my visitors from the North your zoo,” Mrs. Cosgrove said. “Is it all right?”
“Yes, indeed,” the woman replied. “Go ahead. You’ll probably meet Eric, our gamekeeper. He’ll show you around.”
The man was not in sight. Mrs. Cosgrove, who had been to the estate many times, drove on. She told the girls a bit about the birds, turtles, and snakes that were in large covered cages.
“That flamingo is gorgeous!” Bess exclaimed, watching the long-legged creature with the pink feathers and dignified-looking head walk daintily across a fenced-in lawn. In the center was a pooL
Mrs. Cosgrove pointed out an enormous turtle and remarked, “They live to a very old age. I’ve heard of some that had dates carved on their backs showing they were a hundred and twenty-five years old!”
In another wire-mesh enclosure were a variety of snakes.
“I’m not going to look at them!” Bess declared. “They give me the creeps.”
Mrs. Cosgrove laughed. “If you lived in Florida, you’d have to get used to snakes. We have all kinds and sizes. Some are beautiful, and all are very graceful.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Bess said and was glad when Mrs. Cosgrove passed the snake pen and stopped the car some distance away. She and the girls got out and walked to a spot directly on the bay. Here there was a large enclosure, part of it extending into the bay.
“A pair of crocodiles,” Mrs. Cosgrove said, resting her elbows on the cement fencing.
As the onlookers watched, one of the reptiles got up and walked into the water. At the same time Nancy spotted a canoe being paddled under the overhanging mangrove trees along the shore. In it were three boys. Without warning, one threw a large piece of coral rock at the reptile. Fortunately it missed.
The move annoyed the crocodile, however. He turned back to join his mate. The boys in the canoe paddled off quickly.
“I’m glad they’re gone,” Nancy said. “I’d hate to see the croc injured.”
Mrs. Cosgrove explained that the creature’s hide was so thick that it was almost impossible to hurt its back. “But if something hits a crocodile in the eyes, it’s very painful.”
Bess asked, “Do these crocs have names?”
Mrs. Cosgrove smiled. “Yes. They’re Lord and Lady Charming.”
Nancy and Bess laughed, and Bess remarked, “They don’t look very charming to me.”
As if he had heard her, the larger of the two crocodiles emitted a low growl, followed by a hiss. He opened his jaws wide.
Bess retreated in a hurry, “W-what’s the matter with him?”
Suddenly several small fish, sucked up through a pipe running into the enclosure from the salt water, were sprayed into the pen. The crocodile forgot it was angry. With lightning speed he ran down into the water and grabbed several fish with his great jaws, then closed them with a resounding crack.
At this moment the canoe with the three boys returned. This time each of them was armed with large pieces of coral rock. They pitched them over the wall of the enclosure directly at the big reptiles. One of the rocks hit Lord Charming on one eye. It was obviously painful, for he began swishing madly in a circle, growling and hissing,
“Get away from here!” Nancy yelled at the boys. “Don’t do that again!” The youngsters, looking scared, quickly paddled out of sight.
The crocodile swished his great tail back and forth so rapidly in the water that it sprayed into the air, soaking the onlookers.
“Eric!” Mrs. Cosgrove called frantically. “Eric, come quickly!”
The gamekeeper, a tall man with a gray beard, ran toward the enclosure and looked at Lord Charming. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
“His eye,” Mrs. Cosgrove answered.
“Poor old fellow!” Eric said. “He’s in pain, all right. I hope he won’t lose the sight of that eye. Let me get something to put on it.”
He hurried off and returned with a tube of salve and a pole with a hook on the end of it. Fearlessly he jumped over the cement wall and talked soothingly to the crocodile. “Sorry, old boy,” he said. “Come now, Lord Charming, let me help you.”
Nancy and her friends watched in fascination as Eric flipped the reptile onto his back with the pole, and squirted some of the salve into his injured eye.
All this time Lady Charming had been watching from a distance. When her mate turned over onto his stomach, she hurried forward. Using the pole for support, Eric leaped high over the concrete fence.
The visitors clapped. “You’re marvelous,” Mrs. Cosgrove said.
Eric grinned. “It’s all in a day’s work. Tell me how Lord Charming got hurt.”
Nancy reported that three mean boys had come by in a canoe and hit the crocodile.
Eric scowled. “I can’t stand people, big or little, who take advantage of a defenseless animal!”
“Where’s the trainer today?” Mrs. Cosgrove asked.
“It’s his day off,” Eric replied. “You must come back when he’s here. I’m sure you girls would enjoy the various acts he puts on with the animals.”
“We will,” Mrs. Cosgrove promised, then the visitors turned to leave.
When they reached home, George and Danny were back. They explained their delay, saying they had been caught in the low tide.
“Did you pick up any new clues?” Nancy asked.
“I think so,” George replied. “We went all the way to Crocodile Island. There was no periscope in sight. But
The Whisper
was tied up at the dock. We got near enough to overhear voices. Apparently someone was talking on a radio telephone.”
“What did he say?” Nancy asked eagerly.
“Tonight at eight,” George replied.
“What do you think it meant?” Bess asked.
George said she and Danny had figured out that either someone was coming to the island or that
The Whisper
was taking off for a rendezvous with another boat.
Nancy was excited by the report. “I think you’re right,” she said. “Let’s go out there this evening and see what happens.”
Danny said that the tide would be perfect for the trip. He turned to Mrs. Cosgrove. “Okay with you, Mother?”
She smiled. “It sounds like a great adventure. Of course, you must be careful not to get caught. You’ve been warned to stay away from that place, so take it easy!”
She packed a picnic supper for the young people, and before six o’clock Danny and the girls set off.
They ate the food on the way, and arrived at Crocodile Island before sunset.
The Whisper
left sometime later, and Danny followed it.
Nancy remarked that she was glad they were in a covered boat. “This way our enemies won’t suspect we’re in it, even if they see us,” she said.
Danny nodded. “And the
Sampson
is powerful enough so we won’t lose them,” he said.
The Whisper headed out into the green channel and traveled for miles and miles.
“It seems as if they’re going around the world,” Bess said after dusk had come on. “Do we have enough gas to follow them?”
“Our supply won’t last forever,” Danny said, “but we can follow for several miles and still have enough gas for the return trip.”
More time passed, then suddenly the young people spotted the vague outline of a large freighter. It was too dark to see its name or country of origin.
“I wonder if
The Whisper
is going to rendezvous with that ship,” Nancy said. She took the binoculars out of their case and scanned the area. “They’re both running without lights. Danny, I think we’d better turn ours off, too.”
Danny complied and said, “I wonder if
The
Whisper
and the freighter are still in motion.” He flicked on the
Sampson’s
sonar and detected the sound of
The Whisper’s
motor. “The freighter is standing still and
The Whisper
is idling alongside,” he said.
“Can we go any closer without being detected?” George asked.
“I think so,” he replied. “We’ll advance slowly. I’ll keep the engine as low as possible.”
“It’s getting very misty out here,” George observed. “I hope we’ll be able to see what’s going on.”
Danny chuckled. “At least they won’t
see us!”
He drew up to within a hundred yards of
The Whisper
and cut his motor again. The four young people strained their eyes and ears, eager to find out why the two craft had met. Suddenly a bright searchlight was turned on, revealing the deck of the freighter and illuminating the smaller boat alongside it.
Nancy and her friends were terrified that they might be seen. Would the beam penetrate the mist far enough so the
Sampson
could be spotted?
CHAPTER VIII
Indian Tricks
THE four watchers in the
Sampson
held their breath. Would they be kidnapped and taken aboard the freighter?
Although the brilliant searchlight showed up the
Sampson
clearly, the two men paid attention only to the freighter. The young people observed a large pine box being lowered from the freighter to
The Whisper.