Ship of Secrets Read Online Free PDF Page B

“She’ll be back at some point tomorrow to get it.”
    Frank and Joe looked around the game room, which was emptying out. A man in a cruise T-shirt was sweeping popcorn off the floor. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Frank asked. He pointed to the photo booth in the corner. Therewas a curtain covering the inside. Taped to the front of it was a sign that said OUT OF ORDER.
    “Stakeout?” Joe asked.
    “Stakeout,” Frank said, smiling.
    Mr. Hardy nodded. “Great idea, boys. It’ll be impossible to find the watch in here without some help. When she comes back tomorrow, she’ll lead you right to it.”
    Joe felt more hopeful than he had all day. Tomorrow they’d be on a real stakeout, just like in the movies. With a little luck they’d get the watch back to Sir Reginald by nighttime.
    “What are you going to do?” the boy with the freckles asked. He looked confused.
    “We’re going to do the easiest thing,” Joe replied. “Tomorrow we’re going to sit in that booth and just wait.”



9
Straight from the Dino’s Mouth
    J oe pushed his feet against the wall, trying to get comfortable. “I can’t feel my legs,” he said. He folded himself in half and tried to squeeze into the corner.
    “Join the club,” Frank said, and laughed. Joe could barely hear him, though. Frank was poking his head out from behind the booth’s curtain, looking for the girl from the photo.
    There was popcorn and empty juice boxes on the photo booth floor. Their mother had packed them lunch, including turkey sandwiches from the ship’s dining hall. They’d been stuffed into the booth for more than five hours now, but there’d been no sign of the girl. “She has to come back,” Joe said. “Doesn’t she?”
    “I hope,” Frank said. But it was feeling less likely. It was almost two o’clock. Half the day had passed, and they still hadn’t seen her.
    Frank drew the curtain closed again. “Your turn,” he said, climbing over his brother. They switched spots, so Joe was sitting on the outside. They’d done this all day, taking turns keeping watch.
    Joe pulled the curtain back just an inch so that he had a good view of the game room. Because it was Sunday, it was busier than ever. A group of kidswas standing around the dancing game, watching a girl who was really good. She jumped and kicked in time with the music. They all cheered when she beat her high score.

    Ten minutes passed, and Joe was so busy watching the scoreboard that he almost didn’t notice the girl walk in. She had the same red scarf on that she wore in the picture. Her sunglasses were so big, they covered half her face. “Psssst! Frank!” Joe whispered. He nudged his brother in the side. “I see her! She’s here!”
    Frank sat up straight. “It’s about time!”
    They both squeezed into the front of the photo booth, looking out into the game room. The girl wore a long gray trench coat and had brown hair, just like the boy had said. She looked around as if she knew someone was watching her. Then she took off toward the other side of the room.
    “We have to follow her,” Joe said. He stepped out of hiding. He and Frank crept along the wall, trying to stay out of sight. They watched the girl move through the game room. She went past the pinball machines and the Hungry Alligator game.When she stopped, they stopped, hiding themselves behind a bouncy castle.
    “She’s going to Dino Ball!” Frank said. He couldn’t believe it. She walked right up to the game and stood there, watching two boys shooting the dinosaur eggs into the nest. “What does she want with that game?”

    “Shhhh,” Joe whispered. “Just watch.” He didn’t mean to be rude, but Frank was always talking on stakeouts. The last time they’d been watching a thief, he’d nearly blown their cover. (That was what their dad called it when people discovered you were there.)
    The girl stood still. The two boys kept shooting basketballs into the nest. Then she looked around, and