The Secret of Skull Island (8 page)

Cody's eyes flashed. He opened his mouth to say something but Otis put a hand on his arm and shook his head. He held a finger to his lips and then said, “You're right, sir. We'll just go do that.”

When they had walked a few yards away, Otis said, “No sense ticking him off. We want to find out what game
he's
playing.”

“Yeah, I think what he said was lame. It looks like Sam Keller makes some dumb mistakes, like calling Steve Cordell ‘Jimmy,'” Otis said.

Just then Rae came striding toward them. Her eyes blazed and her mouth was set in a thin line.

“That Jamal Mason has a head the size of a watermelon, he's so full of himself,” she said. “I tried to talk to him and he told me to get lost. He said the inn was a dump and that coming to this island was a stupid idea. So I told him he was a spoiled brat and I was never going to see one of his movies again.”

“Well, you're back to your old self anyway.” Cody laughed.

“So much for our favorite movie star,” grumbled Otis. “What a downer that he's so stuck-up.”

“Yeah,” Rae sighed. “He thinks he's all that and a bag of chips.” She sighed again.

“Well, cheer up. We think we've found a secret passage. Maybe it will give us some clues to the mystery.”

Rae wrinkled her nose. “That's cool,” she said, “but I'm here for a vacation. Anyway, what do you mean you
think
you found one?”

The twins told her about the sliding panel and the hiding place. “Maybe there's a secret passage behind the second wall,” said Cody.

“Well, good luck, guys. I'm heading back to the beach. Swimming is the only thing that will cheer me up.”

The twins watched her walk away. Cody scratched his head. “Who wouldn't want to find a secret passage?”

“Yeah,” Otis agreed. “I wish we could get Rae more into mysteries. She'd really be a help in finding clues.”

Cody nodded. “She sure would. But she's just not interested. I don't get it.”

Otis agreed. “Well, maybe she'll come around. Anyway, let's go find that secret passage.”

[Chapter Eleven]

B
ack in their room, the boys pocketed their penlights. They opened the panel and searched for more skull buttons. They quickly located two more—one that opened the panel from the inside. A third opened the second wall from the other side. Now that they were sure they could get out, they were ready to explore.

They stepped through the second opening and found a set of steps, at the bottom of which was a winding tunnel. It was lined with bricks that seemed very old. The mortar between them was dark and crumbling.

Soon, however, the scene changed. The twins walked into a smooth, modern hallway with freshly painted walls and modern light fixtures. Then they came to a series of rooms.

They listened for voices as they stepped inside one room after another. What they found made their hearts pound and their heads spin.

There were boxes and boxes and stacks and stacks of DVDs. A quick check revealed that many were movies they had heard of—movies that had just been released to theaters.

They also found several computers, camcorders, and other equipment.
They're burning DVDs here
, the twins realized.
Lots and lots of them.

“We've got real modern-day pirates selling pirated DVDs,” Cody whispered.

“Yeah,” Otis said, “someone is doing a big business. The inn must be getting in the way.”

It looked as if the business had been going on for a while, and the plan was for it to go on longer. One of the rooms in the secret passage was outfitted with couches, a pool table, a kitchen, and a huge flat-screen television.
The crooks must view their DVDs here
, Otis thought.

In another room was a row of single beds. There was even an office. Everything had been chosen for maximum comfort. It looked like a high-class underground hotel.

They turned around and began heading back. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they heard men talking. The sound was coming from somewhere behind them. They knew those voices. It was Steve Cordell and Sam Keller.

*

Back in their room, beads of sweat dotting their foreheads, the boys watched as the secret panel slid back into place. They both exhaled sighs of relief.

“I'll bet Black Heart the pirate originally made that tunnel,” Cody said. His eyes danced with excitement.

“Probably,” Otis agreed. “But somebody else is using it now.”

“We'd better go find Dad, Maxim, and Aunt Edith and tell them what's going on,” said Cody. He turned to leave the room.

“Wait! There is more to this than just DVDs. We've got to find out who these guys are. Let's get something on them that they can't lie their way out of.”

“Oh, there you go talking about lying again. We've got a pile of bootleg DVDs and burner equipment under the inn. They can't lie their way out of that. This is something out of our league, Otis. We can't be detectives here. We need
real
detectives.”

“We can't prove that it was Cordell and Keller we heard. And who is Cordell, really? I think we should search his room and find out.”

“Break into his room? Are you nuts?”

“It's our aunt's place, Cody. He's carrying on crimes in our aunt's inn.”

Cody crossed his arms. “What if he catches us?”

“He's down there in the secret passage. I'll bet we can get in and out really fast. Let's find out who this guy is. He's probably the one who is giving Aunt Edith so much trouble … along with his buddy Sam Keller.”

[Chapter Twelve]

“W
e shouldn't be doing this,” said Cody.

“I know,” Otis whispered as he glanced nervously over his shoulder. He bent down in front of the door to Steve Cordell's room and took a video-store membership card from his pocket. “I think we have to do it, though. He's committing a crime in our aunt's place. We have to find out what he's up to.”

“Can you really get in with that thing?” asked Cody.

Otis jiggled the card carefully. “Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can. These locks aren't exactly state of the art. I don't think Aunt Edith figured on having any thieves in the place.”

“We're not thieves!” Cody whispered urgently.

Otis glanced up at him. “Come on, Cody, get a grip. I didn't mean
we
were thieves.”

“Okay, okay … but that's what we'd look like if we got caught.”

“We won't get caught.” Otis jiggled the card again.

“Wait a minute! I think I hear somebody.”

Both boys froze and held their breath. Silence.

“You're getting all wired, Cody. Calm down.” Otis gave the card a little push and turned the knob. “Got it,” he mumbled as the door swung open.

“Remember, leave everything exactly as it is—and don't break anything!” Cody said hurriedly as he tiptoed into the room.

“Well, our pal's a slob,” said Otis with a chuckle. There were socks and shirts tumbled over the floor and a jacket flung on a chair along with two rumpled pairs of pants.

“Who cares? We're here trying to find out if he's a criminal,” Cody muttered as he pulled open a dresser drawer. He pawed gingerly through a pile of T-shirts. After a moment he closed the drawer and opened the next one.

Otis was searching through the desk. “This is weird,” he said as he picked up a couple of magazines. “
Casino King, Slots, Bluffer, Lucky, Rowdy Roulette
… These are all gambling magazines. What's a guy who likes gambling doing in a place like this?”

Cody shrugged. “Saving money?” He opened another drawer.

“Keep looking,” Otis told him. “I'll check the closet while you finish the desk.”

“Maybe I've found something,” Otis announced moments later. “Cordell wrote a note on this pad. The note itself is gone but maybe I can find out what it said.”

Cordell's writing had left an impression on the blank surface of the notepad. Otis tore off a blank sheet from the back of the pad and laid it over the top sheet. Then he grabbed a pencil and rubbed the side of the lead gently across the surface. Letters and numbers appeared.

“It's just some kind of list of personal expenses,” he said, disappointment in his voice. He began reading them aloud: “Haircuts, $100; suits, $900; car repair, $250; casino, $4,000; tan $5,000; massages, $450 … This guy likes to spend, and he's vain.” He chuckled. “That's a lot of tanning—like, a year's worth at least. But the letters look the same as those jagged ones on the note in McNab's room.”

He stuffed the piece of paper into his pocket. “How are you doing over there?”

Cody was looking through the closet. “I've found his wallet in a jacket,” he said, holding it up. He began fumbling through the contents. The more he looked, the more his gut twisted.

“This guy isn't who he says he is, that's for sure.” Cody examined the credit card in his hand, replaced it, and withdrew another, then a driver's license. “He's got credit cards under two different names and a driver's license under a third name. Jacob Netter, Frank Marks, Martin Rathbone.
None of the names is Steve Cordell.”

Otis frowned as he rifled through a drawer. “Stolen cards? Or aliases?” His heart beat faster as he laid eyes on a passport. His hands shook as he opened it. “His passport says Martin Rathbone. So what does this all—”

Suddenly Otis's fast-beating heart began racing. He looked at his brother. All color had drained from his face. He mouthed the words, “Someone's coming.”

Cody nodded as the footsteps drew closer and closer. He pointed under the bed.

Otis shoved the passport back into the drawer. He clenched his teeth as he closed the drawer without making a sound.

The footsteps stopped. The doorknob began to turn. Both boys dove to the floor and rolled.

They peered from under the bed and saw scuffed sneakers step into the room, followed by a pair of flip-flops on pale feet.

Both twins felt the sweat begin trickling down their faces. Cody and Otis dared not move a muscle. Every minute seemed to last forever.

“Look, your plan isn't working,” one of the men said. The twins recognized Sam Keller's voice. He sounded exasperated.

“There isn't much more we can do.” Steve Cordell's voice was an angry snarl.

“Of course there is,” Keller snapped. “Quit fooling around with this kiddie stuff. It's not
really
scaring anyone. You're afraid to get tough,” he taunted.

Now Cordell's voice sneered. “Yeah, what do you have in mind, genius?”

Keller snorted. “Maybe have a talk with Edith the way I did with her cook.” He snorted again. “We should do whatever it takes, even if we have to burn the place down. Hey, that would get rid of these people.” Keller actually laughed.

“Oh, those are real smart ideas. It's a lucky thing that cook didn't go running to the police after you threatened her. That's just what the Boss doesn't want—the police sniffing around here. That's all we need. And how can you even think about burning the place down with all our
pirate treasure
here?”

Otis and Cody looked at each other. So these two men were responsible for all the “accidents.”

“Okay, so we can't burn the place down,” Keller said grudgingly. “How are we going to take care of business? Everything will get screwed up and both of us will be in hot water with the Boss.” Keller's hand slapped a wall. “It's dangerous to get on the wrong side of that guy.”

“Oh, come on, calm down. Take it easy.” The twins heard Cordell cracking his knuckles. “I wish I'd never taken a job with that guy. The money's good, but he's always in our faces. I've got to admit, it's a sweet deal, though. We carry the stuff right through the tunnel, load it on the boat, and go out to sea.”

Cody was trying to remain calm, but he was having a hard time. Moments before, he had inhaled some dust. Now a sneeze threatened. It was getting closer by the second.