Deep Trouble II Read Online Free PDF

offered his right hand. “I’m Dr. Ritter. These are my assistants, Mel
Mason and Adam Brown.” Mel was the burly blond one. Adam was the curly-haired
beaky one.
    Dr. D. shook his hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Dr. George Deep. This is my
nephew, Billy, and my niece, Sheena.”
    “Hi, kids. Wow, they look like good, strong swimmers.”
    Dr. D. grinned. “They are.”
    “What kind of doctor are you, Dr. Deep?” Dr. Ritter asked. “A surgeon on
vacation?”
    Dr. D. shook his head. “No. I’m a marine biologist. The Cassandra is
my floating lab.”
    “Really?” he asked. “A fellow scientist! Wonderful!”
    Dr. Ritter began to stroll around the deck, gazing at the ropes and
equipment. His assistants followed him.
    “I’ve got a floating lab myself,” Dr. Ritter told us. “Not far from here, as
a matter-of-fact.”
    He sucked in a big breath of salty air and patted his chest. “Ah, yes. We
marine biologists are a noble bunch, don’t you think, Dr. Deep? Studying the
mysteries of the sea. It’s the last true frontier on earth, I always say.”
    Dr. D. trailed after him. “Yes. The last frontier,” he agreed.
    “What are you working on, if I may ask?” Dr. Ritter said.
    Dr. D. cleared his throat. “Oh, I’ve got a couple of projects going. I can’t
really talk about them now, Dr. Ritter. They’re in their early stages. I’m sure
you understand.”
    The three strangers paused by the ladder where their boat was tied.
    “Yes. Indeed. I guess we should be leaving,” Dr. Ritter said. “I’m glad
you’re all safe.”
    “Thanks for stopping to help,” Dr. D. said.
    Dr. Ritter put his hand on the ladder. Then he stopped.
    “By the way—you haven’t seen anything strange in the waters around here
lately, have you?”
    “Strange?” Dr. D. asked. “What do you mean?”
    “Odd fish, unusual creatures, anything like that?”
    Odd fish! I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “We’ve seen all kinds of weird
stuff!” I gushed. “My goldfish turned into giants! And we saw huge jellyfish
bigger than a car! Ow!”
    Something sharp poked me in the ribs. My uncle’s elbow.
    Whoops.
    “I’m sorry to hear that,” Dr. Ritter said.
    “Yes, it was really scary!” I agreed. “Ow!” Dr. D.’s elbow again. “What did
you do that for?”
    He frowned at me.
    What? I thought. What did I do this time?
    “Billy is just joking,” Dr. D. assured him. He played nervously with his
glasses.
    Dr. Ritter said, “Joking? You weren’t really joking—were you, Billy?”
    “Well…” I gazed up at Dr. D. I didn’t know what to say.
    “I’m really sorry,” Dr. Ritter repeated. “I’m sorry you saw those creatures,
Billy. Because now I can’t let you go.”
    “Huh?” I gasped. “What are you talking about?”
    “You’ve seen too much,” Dr. Ritter replied solemnly. “And now I have to
decide what to do with you.”
    He snapped his fingers. The two assistants moved in.

 
 
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    “Hold on, there.” Dr. D. put his arms around me and Sheena. “Don’t pay any
attention to Billy. He has a wild imagination.”
    “The wildest,” Sheena piped in.
    “He’s always making up stories,” Dr. D. went on.
    “He’s a big fat liar,” Sheena added. “Everybody knows that.”
    “Believe me, Dr. Bitter,” my uncle pleaded. “We haven’t seen anything strange
at all. I mean, a giant goldfish? You’re a scientist, Dr. Bitter. You know as
well as I do that that is impossible.”
    Dr. Bitter opened his mouth to speak. Something stopped him. A loud noise. A
loud, lumbering, thudding sound.
    CRASH! PLOP!
    Something broke through the doors and bounced onto the deck.
    The giant snail.
    I dropped my head in my hands. “Oh, no!”
    Dr. Ritter raised an eyebrow. “Looks like your brother is not the big fat
liar you say he is.”
    “Oh, he’s a big fat liar, all right,” Sheena insisted. “And he’s stupid too.”
    I kicked her in the shins.
    “Ow!” she cried.
    “Kids, quiet!” Dr. D.