CHAPTER 17 MRS. ALLISON’S CRUISER

FROM the bedroom window, the children saw Raymond Curry walk directly across the sand toward the roadway. His black bathing trunks were dripping wet, but he did not seem to mind the chill air.

“What a funny time to swim,” Connie whispered. “It must be long after midnight.”

“Everyone has gone from the beach too,” added Vevi.

The lifeguard had paused at the roadside where three or four cars had been parked for the night. Vevi and Connie saw him glance up and down the beach as if to see if anyone were watching.

Then, one by one, he began trying the car door handles to see if they were unlocked.

“I guess he’s just checking the automobiles,” Connie said, losing interest. She stiffled a yawn. “I’m going back to bed.”

“Wait!” Vevi commanded. “Why would Mr. Curry check automobiles at this time of night?”

“It does seem queer, Vevi.”

“On Mr. Fulsom’s beach too. I think he’s trying to break in.”

“Mr. Curry?” Connie exclaimed in disbelief.

“Then maybe he’s trying to find his son,” Vevi speculated. “He may think Jamie is sleeping in one of the parked cars.”

“That must be it,” Connie agreed, her mind relieved. “But he won’t find Jamie here at the beach. If he didn’t go to Mr. Green’s place, he’s still at the captain’s cottage.”

“We ought to tell Mr. Curry where he can find his son.”

“You mean now?”

“We may not see him tomorrow, Connie. We go boat riding so early. After that, there’s the turtle race.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Connie agreed unwillingly.

“I’ll tell him now,” Vevi decided. “It will take only a minute. I hate to go outdoors alone though.”

“I’ll dress and go with you,” Connie offered. “Help me find my shoes.”

In the dark bedroom the girls had to search for a minute or two before they found all of Connie’s clothes. She dressed as fast as she could. “Hurry!” Vevi urged. “Mr. Curry’s still trying car doors, but he’s almost out of sight up the beach.”

“I’m hurrying as fast as I can,” Connie gasped. “My shoe strings are all tied in knots.”

“Don’t bother about that. Unless we catch him right away, he’ll be gone.”

“Shouldn’t we tell Mother we’re leaving the cottage?”

“No time,” Vevi insisted. “We’ll be back in a minute anyway. Come on.”

The two girls groped their way to the front door. It was locked. However, the key was in the lock.

Vevi turned it as far as she could, but it seemed to be stuck.

“It won’t open, Connie.”

“Let me try, Vevi.”

Connie pushed hard on the key. At first she could not make it turn far enough either. Then she gave the door a quick shove with her hip. The jolt made the key click all the way over.

“There, it’s unlocked!” Connie exclaimed.

Shoving open the door, the girls stepped outside. The beach, bathed in soft moonlight, looked ghostly and unreal.

“It’s c-cold,” Vevi shivered. “And I’m scared.”

Connie felt rather frightened too though she could not have explained why.

“Maybe we should wait—” she began, but Vevi cut her short.

“No, let’s tell him now,” she urged. “Come on, before he gets too far away.”

Already Mr. Curry was some distance from the cottage. He was standing beside a parked sedan, checking to see if one of the glass windows could be pushed down from the top.

“Oh, Mr. Curry!” called Vevi.

In the still night air her voice carried very clearly.

The lifeguard heard, for he turned around quickly. Then he did an odd thing. Instead of answering Vevi, or waiting for the girls, he deliberately walked away from them.

They saw him dash into the surf. Wading out to shoulder depth, he swam off toward his own beach.

“Now, why did he do that!” Vevi exclaimed in disappointment. “He didn’t give us a chance to tell him about Jamie.”

“He acted as if he didn’t want to talk to us,” agreed Connie.

The girls had not taken time to put on sweaters or jackets. Teeth chattering, they crept back into the cottage and into their beds. They had lost all interest in lifeguards and turtles.

Vevi was awakened next morning by the clatter of an alarm clock.

She rubbed her eyes drowsily. Then realizing that it was six o’clock, she leaped out of bed.

“Time to get up!” she aroused Connie, giving her a hard shake. “We want to beat the girls at Oriole Cottage. If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late for the motorboat ride.”

Connie mumbled drowsily and burrowed deeper into the covers. Vevi jerked them off.

“Get up, sleepy head!” she ordered. “We want to be the first to get to the wharf.”

As Vevi gave her another hard shake, Connie really came awake. She leaped out of bed and dressed so fast she was ahead of everyone.

For a while all was hubbub in the cottage as the girls from Oriole Cottage began to arrive. Connie and Vevi though, were the first to get their beds made and have their room straightened.

“We’ll go on ahead to the wharf,” Vevi told Miss Gordon.

“Isn’t it rather early?” asked the teacher. “Mrs. Allison doesn’t plan to leave the dock before seven-thirty.”

“It won’t do any harm to be there a little early,” Vevi said. “That way, Mrs. Allison will be sure the Brownies haven’t forgotten.”

Miss Gordon smiled and told the two girls they might walk on ahead if they liked. “We’ll come as quickly as we can,” she promised.

In leaving the cottage, Vevi recalled that she had not fed her pets that morning.

“I must keep up Clover’s strength, or he won’t win the race this afternoon,” she declared.

Vevi fed the turtle, and then dropped a little grain in Snow White’s cage.

“Your pigeon needs exercise,” Connie said. “Why not let him fly away, Vevi? You know you can’t take him home when we leave here Monday.”

“Maybe Miss Gordon will let me.”

“You know she won’t, Vevi. Besides, you have no place where you could keep a bird except for a few days. Let him go now, Vevi.”

“He might get lost again.”

“You’ll have to let him go by tomorrow at the latest,” Connie said severely. “So why not now?”

Vevi stubbornly shook her head. “Maybe I will find a good home for him.”

“Where?”

“Captain Tarwell might take Snow White.”

“He can’t be bothered with a bird and you know it.”

“Jamie would like to have my pigeon.”

“We don’t know what has become of Jamie. So you know he can’t look after the bird.”

“Maybe Mrs. Allison would like Snow White,” Vevi said hopefully. “She could keep him at her house on the water and he’d be happy there. I know! I’ll take him along this morning and ask her!”

“He’ll be in the way,” Connie said, trying to discourage her friend.

“I don’t care,” Vevi insisted. “I want Snow White to have a nice boat ride. Anyway, we won’t have much longer to be together.”

Connie said no more. So Vevi picked up the cage. On the way to the wharf, she carried it very carefully so as not to jar the pigeon.

“There’s the boat!” Connie exclaimed a few minutes later as they came within view of the Adventurer, tied up at the wharf.

“But where is Mrs. Allison and her husband?” asked Vevi. “I guess we are here too early.”

The cabin cruiser was completely deserted. Dew lay heavy on its decks and the canvas covers had not been removed.

“I hope Mrs. Allison didn’t forget,” Vevi said anxiously as she and Connie walked out on the dock.

“Oh, she’ll be along. It’s early. We’re the only persons anywhere around.”

“Let’s go aboard,” proposed Vevi.

Connie hung back. “Oh, should we? Maybe Mrs. Allison wouldn’t like it.”

“She won’t care, Connie. We won’t hurt anything. I want to peek inside the cabin before the other Brownies get here.”

“Oh, all right,” Connie consented reluctantly. “We’ll get on for just a minute. Then we’ll get right off and wait for Mrs. Allison.”

Still carrying the pigeon cage, Vevi scrambled aboard. The boat was rocking gently up and down on the waves.

“I’m tired of carrying this basket around,” Vevi announced as Connie joined her on deck. “I’m going to leave it in the cabin.”

“Mrs. Allison may not like it, Vevi.”

“Oh, she won’t mind. We aren’t hurting anything. Aren’t the seats grand?”

Vevi plumped herself down in one, bouncing up and down.

“Vevi, let’s get off,” Connie said anxiously. “We might damage something.”

“I’m not hurting this seat one bit.”

“I don’t like to be here unless Mrs. Allison says it’s all right.”

“We aren’t doing any harm,” Vevi insisted.

“I’m going to get off.”

“Oh, all right, so will I,” Vevi grumbled. “But first I’m going to put Snow White inside.”

She disappeared into the cabin with the pigeon cage. A moment later, Connie heard her call for her to come in too.

“It’s darling inside, Connie! You ought to see!”

Connie could not resist taking a quick look at the cabin’s interior. The room had been made very attractive with red draperies at the portholes. Bunks lined one side of the wall. A galley or kitchen unit filled the other side. The third wall was taken up by a leather seat.

“Why, one could live on this boat!” Vevi cried. “See! The cupboard is stocked with groceries!”

“We’re staying aboard too long,” Connie said uneasily. “Let’s go before Mrs. Allison finds us here.”

Even as she spoke, the girls heard soft footsteps on the dock.

“Someone’s coming now!” Connie declared, moving quickly to the window. “It’s probably Mrs. Allison or her husband.”

Peering out the porthole window, the girls tried to see who approached. At first they could see no one, although they kept hearing the soft tread of bare feet.

But as they watched, a man came into view. He wore only black bathing trunks and evidently had been swimming for his suit was wet.

“It’s Mr. Curry again,” said Vevi in a whisper. “Why does he swim so often? And so early in the morning?”

“At our beach too,” added Connie. “He’s coming here, I think.”

Now, although the girls had done nothing wrong they felt very uneasy. Not saying a word, they remained by the window, watching.

The lifeguard had not seen them. He came on down the dock toward the Adventurer and the other cruisers tied up alongside.

Vevi and Connie saw him pause beside a mahogany craft which bore the name Miss Lady. It was one of the most expensive boats at Silver Beach, owned by a very wealthy man.

Mr. Curry glanced quickly around to be certain no one was watching. Then he leaped lightly aboard the vessel.

“Let’s tell him about seeing Jamie,” Vevi suggested.

She started to leave the cabin. Connie caught her by the hand, drawing her back to the porthole.

“Don’t make a sound,” she advised. “Just watch! He’s up to something!”

Vevi could not imagine why Connie had become so excited.

Then, peering through the window, she understood the reason. Although no one appeared to be aboard Miss Lady, the lifeguard was trying to force open the cabin door!