The Secret of Skull Island Read Online Free PDF Page B

hardly any pounding,” he said. “After all, they weren’t building something that was supposed to last. It had another purpose.”
    â€œYeah, it sure did. Do you think whoever it was wanted to hurt Ms. Esposito?” Cody asked.
    â€œNah,” Otis replied. “I think they just wanted somebody to get hurt.”
    â€œThe question is … why?”
    â€œOh—you two mystery freaks,” Rae said, hands on her hips. “Maybe the step was repaired with a piece of wood that didn’t match. So what? The accident could have been just that—an accident.”
    The boys had to admit that she could be right. But they couldn’t help thinking that maybe, just maybe, they had stumbled into a mystery.
    When the three went back inside, Helen Wallace and Eric Barber were seated across from Ms. Esposito and Mr. McNab.
    â€œYou handled that situation so professionally,” Ms. Wallace told him. “You distracted Muriel so quickly and took her mind off what happened to her leg. It was like you had experience with such things.”
    â€œYes, indeed,” Mr. Barber agreed. “And you were so sure the way you grabbed her leg to see if it was broken.” He gave out a little chuckle. “If you hadn’t told me otherwise, I’d think you were a doctor.”
    â€œOh, that’s quite a stretch.” Mr. McNab laughed. “I’ve been a scoutmaster for many years. You have to learn about first aid to take a group of scouts into the wilderness. I just acted on instinct. Fortunately, it worked out.”
    â€œOh, come now. Are you sure you haven’t had any medical training?” Ms. Wallace persisted.
    Mr. McNab blinked. “No, it’s just as I told you. I am a scoutmaster, and I know first aid. Beyond that, I just know it’s important to try to get someone who is injured to calm down.”
    The twins watched Ms. Wallace and Mr. Barber give each other meaningful looks again. It was clear that they suspected something about McNab. But what?
    â€œHas anyone else here ever been a scoutmaster?” McNab asked. “It’s very rewarding. How about you, Cordell—ever led a scouting troop?”
    Steve Cordell acted as if he hadn’t heard a word. He sat there staring into space, drumming his fingers on the table. When McNab repeated the question, he looked at him and blinked and then mumbled, “Aw, what a waste of time.”
    Sam Keller threw down his napkin abruptly. He glanced at Cordell and muttered, “I think I’ll take a walk. See ya later, Jimmy.”
    Cordell slapped his hand on the table loudly enough to make everyone stop talking. He stood up and called to Keller, “Don’t call me Jimmy,” he snapped. “My name is Steve, remember?”
    Keller did a double take and turned around. “I’m s-sorry, S-Steve,” he stammered. “I didn’t mean to, uh, offend you.”
    Cordell was fuming. But after a moment he blushed scarlet and sat down again. He looked around the table. “Sorry, everyone, I’m kind of edgy. I didn’t get enough sleep. That ghost woke me up.”
    There were shrugs and murmurs as everyone assured Cordell that he was forgiven. Cody and Otis were thinking the same thing—that this guy was really wound up. And they were surer than ever that he was hiding something.
    Meanwhile, Rae announced that she was going off for a swim. “I can’t wait to get in that water,” she told the twins as she hurried away.
    Later, when breakfast was over and the other guests were heading their separate ways, Otis turned to Cody and whispered, “Did you see how angry Steve Cordell got when Keller called him Jimmy by mistake?”
    â€œYeah—it was really weird.”
    â€œI’ve figured out what it is about him that bothers me,” said Otis. “It’s that I know I’ve seen him somewhere before. I feel like I should know who he is, but