The Mystery of the Ghostly Galeon Read Online Free PDF Page B

tasted. The pastry melted in the mouth, the whipped cream topping was perfection, and the cherry filling itself surpassed any superlative that Mart could think of.
    He summoned their waiter at once. “You shouldn’t tell people they won’t enjoy it,” he announced severely, pushing his almost clean empty plate away. “That delectable morsel really hit the spot, you know.”
    But all Weasel said was, “Oh, well, maybe the chef had a good day for once. He doesn’t often. Sometimes he gets homesick, and when that happens, his cooking’s terrible.”
    “Where’s he from?” Trixie asked.
    “Someplace called the Cordon Bleu,” Weasel answered.
    “But that’s a very famous cooking school in France!” Di exclaimed. “No wonder the food is so excellent.”
    “You couldn’t prove it by me,” Weasel said sourly.
    Brian watched as he joined the other pirate waiters on the far side of the room. “Reverse psychology,” he said suddenly. “He was using reverse psychology on all of us.” He grinned. “Effective, wasn’t it?”
    “I don’t understand what you mean, Brian,” Di said.
    Brian rubbed his nose thoughtfully. “Don’t you see? Sometimes when you tell someone to do something, they immediately do the opposite.“
    “And I suppose it also works the other way around,” Dan said.
    “Sure,” Brian answered. “For instance, Weasel definitely told us not to order the pie. But he also managed to sneak in the information that it was a specialty of the house and that everyone liked it and was ordering it. So what did we order?”
    “Scrumptious Cannonball Whatnot!” Mart exclaimed. “Hey, you’re right! Weasel’s reverse psychology worked like a charm. I only wish I could duplicate his efforts.”
    “It’s too bad you’re not that clever,” Trixie remarked without thinking.
    To her surprise, Mart only sighed. “I know,” he said. “But in the meantime, what do you all say to a tour of the town? The fresh air will do us all good. Miss Trask says it’s only a few minutes away, and a walk will help Miss Sherlock Belden sharpen her wits. I know she wants to think about the color of a certain bear.”
    “That’s where you’re wrong, smarty!” Trixie answered, immediately on the defensive. “I want to stay right here and solve the mystery of the pirate’s disappearance!”
    Mart chuckled and rose to his feet. “See?” he said to the other grinning Bob-Whites. “I’ve just shown you how to get rid of a sister in one easy lesson. Reverse psychology really works. It’s easy when you know how!”
    “Trixie?” Honey asked in a low voice. “Would you like me to stay and help you?”
    “Yes, I would,” Trixie replied loudly. “And that isn’t reverse psychology at all. It’s just the truth, which some people I know would never be able to recognize, anyway.”
    She glared at her brother’s back as he sauntered away.
    “Don’t be angry, Trixie,” Honey begged. “You know Mart’s only teasing.”
    But Trixie wasn’t listening to Honey. She was busy watching the people at the captain’s table.
    They were preparing to leave at last. The disappointed looks on their faces told anyone who cared to know that they hadn’t found anything.
    Honey had noticed them, too. “Don’t worry, Trix,” she whispered. “They just couldn’t have been looking in the right place.”
    “I know,” Trixie answered slowly, “But somehow I feel certain that we’ll do better. Come on, Honey. It’s time we went into action!”

A Narrow Escape • 5

    AFTERWARD, TRIXIE was never quite sure what happened. She thought that she and Honey had moved immediately to claim the mysterious captain’s table. Before they reached it, however, they found that a young man with sandy-colored hair was already seated there.
    “Oh, woe, Honey! We’re too late!” Trixie whispered in dismay. “I don’t know how that man managed to move so fast.”
    She jumped when Mr. Trask’s voice said in her ear, “So he beat you