The Secret of Skull Island Read Online Free PDF

They wondered, too, why a California real-estate broker needed to travel for work.
    Everyone else looked bored—except for Albert McNab, who kept nodding as if he were hanging on Cordell’s every word. “My goodness, that’s very interesting,” he said.
    Cody took a sip of juice and asked, “Anyone hear the ghost last night?”
    â€œI did,” said Ms. Wallace. Her eyes danced. “It was incredible. He walked right down the hallway and talked about his treasure. It was wonderful.”
    â€œWhat’s so wonderful about being woken up in the middle of the night by a ghost?” Cordell asked. “At least we had hot water this morning.”
    Eric Barber took a seat. He shot a sour look at Cordell. “I couldn’t help overhearing,” he said. “You seem to be spreading good cheer again this morning.”
    Nobody said anything. The twins munched on their food. Cody was going to mention that he and Otis had also heard the ghost, when suddenly a cry of pain shattered the silence.
    Everyone rushed to see what it was and found Muriel Esposito with one foot all the way through a porch step. She was holding her knee and rocking back and forth.
    â€œI think it’s broken,” she sobbed. “I think my leg is broken.”
    McNab hurried to her. “Can you pull your leg out?” he asked gently. “Let’s have a look at it.”
    Trembling, Ms. Esposito drew her leg through the broken wood. As soon as the leg was free, McNab gasped. “Oh, no! Look over there, in the bushes,” he exclaimed.
    Everyone looked around, and when they looked back, McNab’s hand was clasped around Ms. Esposito’s leg below the knee. “It’s not broken,” he said firmly.
    She looked down, astonished. “What—”
    â€œYou were just surprised and frightened,” McNab said gently, withdrawing his hand. “That bone is strong. If it had been broken you would have screamed as soon as I grabbed it. Trust me. You have a little scratch, that’s all. You’ll be fine.”
    â€œThank goodness for that,” said Maxim. “Come on back in and have a cup of coffee, Muriel, and some fresh-squeezed pineapple juice. I picked the pineapples this morning and the juice is delicious. It’ll fix you right up.” He beamed.
    Ms. Esposito smiled weakly. “Thank you,” she whispered. She turned to Mr. McNab. “Thank you so much.”
    â€œI’m just glad you’re all right,” McNab said, giving her a warm smile. He threw an arm around her shoulders and walked her back inside.
    Strangely, the other guests weren’t smiling. Cody and Otis were puzzled by their reactions.
    Helen Wallace and Eric Barber were exchanging meaningful looks. But why?
    Steve Cordell was looking at Sam Keller with an angry expression. Keller seemed annoyed. He kept huffing and pacing back and forth.
    Aunt Edith seemed nervous, too. Of course, she would be upset at having one more accident happen. Inez looked even more nervous than Aunt Edith.
    The twins and Rae stayed behind when the others went inside. They all examined the broken step. After a moment, the twins looked at each other and nodded. They had both recognized the same thing.
    The wood grain on the broken step didn’t match the grain on the other steps. In fact, it looked like a different kind of wood entirely. And the nails were brand-new and shiny, not dull like the others.
    â€œSomebody planned this,” said Cody. “They just pried up the step and replaced the board with another that was thin in the middle. I wonder who changed it—and when.”
    â€œThey had plenty of time to sneak down here when everyone else was asleep,” said Otis. “They probably had the step loosened already—then they just had to pry it up and replace it with the board they had prepared. The nails probably slipped into the worn holes easily, with mostly pushing and