Great Shark Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

cabin and see if anyone’s claimed it.”
    The office was empty when the Aldens entered. Ms. Carver’s door was open a bit, and the children could hear her talking with someone inside, although they couldn’t see who it was.
    “Maybe if we wait a few minutes she’ll be done,” Violet suggested. As they stood at the counter, they couldn’t help but overhear what Ms. Carver was saying.
    Suddenly, she said something that made the children look at one another in horror.
    “The only answer,” Ms. Carver said, “is to kill the great white shark.”

CHAPTER 5
Kill the Shark!
    The Aldens couldn’t believe what they had just heard. Had Ms. Carver really said she wanted to kill the shark?
    The other person in the room with her murmured a response, speaking too softly for the children to hear.
    “I know, I know,” Ms. Carver went on. “I’m not happy about it, either. But it’s simply too expensive.”
    Then, suddenly, Ms. Carver’s door opened. The Aldens looked at one another, unsure what to do. Before they could say or do anything, Ms. Carver stepped out.
    When she saw the Aldens, she looked surprised. And angry.
    Then the person she was speaking with appeared in the doorway. The Aldens were surprised to see someone they recognized. It was Mr. Wilson. The children recognized him from that morning, when he’d been talking to the police outside his store.
    “How long have you been standing here?” Ms. Carver asked.
    “Just a couple minutes,” Henry said.
    “Were you listening to our conversation?” she demanded.
    “No!” Jessie said.
    “I certainly hope not,” Ms. Carver said fiercely. She gave Mr. Wilson a look before turning back to the children. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
    Jessie spoke up in a nervous voice. “We just, um, we just came to see if anyone had claimed the card key.”
    “No,” said Ms. Carver. “No one has. Which is strange, because I can’t imagine how someone could do their job without their key.”
    “That is odd,” Jessie agreed, eager to escape. “Well, see you later!”
    The Aldens hurried out of the office. When they were down the path a bit, Jessie turned to the others. “Can you believe what she said?”
    “How could she kill the shark?” Violet asked in horror.
    “And why was she talking about it with Mr. Wilson?” Henry added.
    “We need to tell Emily right away,” Jessie said. “I hope she’s back in the arena.”
    The Aldens ran back to the Dolphin Arena, their sandals pounding the pavement. Emily was refilling her fish pouch when they ran in, breathless. She looked concerned when she saw their serious faces. “What is it?” she asked.
    “We just overheard Ms. Carver saying something awful!” Jessie said.
    “What?” Emily asked.
    “She said she was going to kill the shark!” Henry said.
    “She said what?” asked Emily.
    “She said it was too expensive, and she’d have to kill it,” Jessie said.
    “She was in her office,” Henry explained. “And when she came out, she asked if we’d heard what she was saying. We said no, because we didn’t want her to get mad.”
    Emily thought for a minute. “I have a show coming up in a few minutes, but you guys need to tell Mac. He’ll know what to do.”
    The Aldens ran to Mac’s office, which was next to the great white shark’s tank. They found Mac standing beside the tank, talking to some of the visitors who were crowded around watching the shark swim. Benny watched, too. The shark didn’t scare him as much as it had the day before.
    The Aldens waited, trying to be patient. At last Mac finished talking and came right over. “Is something wrong?” he asked.
    The Aldens repeated what they’d told Emily. Mac shook his head. “Who was she speaking to?” he asked.
    “It was Mr. Wilson, from the jewelry store downtown,” Jessie said.
    Mac frowned sharply.
    “Do you know him?” she asked.
    “Yes,” said Mac. Then he added quickly, “I mean, I know the store.”
    “You’ve been