LITMIR.BIZ

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white anemones. “Hey, look at this.”

      Two of the anemones were stretched out with their white tentacles extended into the water. The other anemone’s tentacles were retracted, and its stomach bulged as if it had just eaten a supersized meal.

      “In there?” Tristan questioned.

      “Only one way to find out,” Hugh said, turning to Rosina.

      “I’m not going in there with that monster octopus,” Rosina responded. “Hugh, you go in.”

      “I’m not sticking my hand into that anemone through those tentacles.”

      “No,” Rosina said. “I meant just go in and ask the octopus.”

      “Oh,” Hugh responded. “I can do that.”

      They went through a nearby door that led behind the exhibits. At the giant octopus tank, Tristan and Ryder quietly worked to remove the cover. Hugh then leaned over into the water. Tristan could tell he was concentrating. He wondered how Hugh was going to politely wake the creature and then accuse it of being a jewel thief.

      “So, what’s he say, dude?” Ryder questioned.

      Hugh stood up. “Says he has an alibi, was asleep all night.”

      Sam rolled her eyes. “C’mon, Hugh, we’re not stupid. Octopus are nocturnal. They’re more active at night. Tell him we’re not buying it.”

      Hugh leaned into the tank again. Less than a minute later, he stood back up. “Now he says he was busy straightening up his tank.”

      Sam nudged Hugh. “Tell him we know where he hid the earring.” She pointed to the bulging anemone.

      The giant Pacific octopus’s huge head slithered out of its hole, and it turned an eye toward the teens. Tristan swore if an octopus could look guilty, this one had “thief” written all over its giant red head. The octopus then held up its arms so that the tips were out of the water, as if saying, See, nothing here.

      Tristan counted the arms and whispered to Hugh.

      “Let’s see number eight,” Hugh said out loud.

      The octopus paused and then lifted its other arm out of the water. Dangling from the tip was a teardrop-shaped earring with a glittering diamond as big as a marble.

      “Wicked!” Tristan exclaimed. “No wonder everyone’s freaked out. That thing’s humongous.”

      Hugh gently took the earring from the octopus. “Says the earring was laying on the floor after the party. And that it was pretty.”

      “An eight-armed diamond heist,” Tristan laughed.

      “Talk about sticky fingers. Oh, I mean sticky arms,” Sam giggled.

      “Hey!” Hugh said. “The octopus swears the earring was lost, and he just happened to be the one to find it.”

      They said good-bye, and Hugh promised the octopus he’d try to put a good spin on things. They went straight to the aquarium director’s office. The door was open, but they knocked anyway.

      “Come in,” Dr. Maggie Earle said from behind her desk. “Oh, it’s you. Perfect timing. Just got off the phone with someone about all of you. Heard about your little escapade in the bay last night. What were you thinking going out there in the dark? You could have been seen. And weren’t you cold?”

      The aquarium director was an older woman, wearing a stylish black-and-white knit jacket. Her reddish-brown hair was pulled neatly back in a bun. Though her words and tone were reprimanding, her eyes shone with compassion and curiosity.

      Hugh held up the diamond earring. “We found the missing earring!”

      “Oh, thank the lord,” the woman said, letting out a sigh of relief. “Where was it?”

      “Uh, the giant octopus spotted it last night on the floor and picked it up,” Hugh told her. “He was just waiting for someone to come by the tank this morning.”

      The director eyed Hugh and the other teens a little suspiciously. “Really?”

      “Yes, ma’am,” Hugh said. “And we heard there’s a reward for finding it?”

      “You want the reward?”

      Hugh shook his head. “No, not for us. For the octopus.”

      “The octopus?”

      “Yes, ma’am.”

      The woman chuckled. “We’ll feed it an extra helping of big, juicy lobster for lunch. And speaking of lunch, Mr. Ozdale would like to know if you are going out to his yacht.”

      “His yacht?” Tristan asked.

      “Yes, his yacht,” Dr. Earle answered. “Mr. Ozdale is a fine patron of the aquarium, a longtime supporter, and quite the successful entrepreneur.”

      “Really?” Tristan blurted out. “We just thought he was some crazy dude out diving in the kelp.”

      “We didn’t mean for him to see us or anything,” Sam said rapidly. “But he was all tangled in the kelp and it was dark. We couldn’t just leave him. I mean, he could have died. We know we weren’t supposed to go in the water. But there he was. And—”

      Hugh interrupted Sam. “We called Director Davis at Sea Camp last night after it happened and everything.”

      “Yes, and what did Mr. Davis say?”

      “He said he’d make some calls and that we should talk to you.”

      “Quite right,” the aquarium director responded. “I think your secrets will be safe with Leo. He’s a strong supporter of the ocean and marine life. I also have a feeling he’ll be quite excited to hear about your special skills, and, who knows, knowing someone like him might just come in handy some day. Besides, he has some fun toys on his yacht that I think you’ll all enjoy.”

      Tristan wondered what type of toys she was referring to. It’s not like they were little kids anymore, looking to play with dump trucks or dolls.

      “So, it’s settled,” Dr. Earle said. “Meet out at the dock behind the aquarium just before noon. One of the staff will show you where it is. A skiff from Mr. Ozdale’s yacht will be there to pick you up. And by the way, let’s not have any more little swims in the bay after dark.”

      The teens thanked the aquarium director and assured her that it had been their first and very last nighttime swim in the kelp. They left the office and made their way to their assigned touch tanks for the morning.

      On the way, Ryder puffed out his chest and said, “See, nothing bad happened. Lucky I suggested we go out there. We saved that guy.”

      Tristan didn’t say anything. He wasn’t so sure what had happened was such a good thing. Sure, they had saved this Leo Ozdale guy. That was good. But now he knew about them and could blab to who knows who. Was he really someone they could trust with their secrets? Or had they just made the biggest, stupidest mistake of their young lives?

       5

       HOVERCRAFT TWISTER

      A FEW HOURS LATER, THE CAMPERS WERE CLIMBING into a small powerboat tied up at the aquarium dock. The driver introduced herself as Sophie, one of Mr. Ozdale’s crew. She was in her early twenties and wore dark, sporty sunglasses, a baseball cap pulled low over her face, and a tan, long-sleeved shirt with “Super Green” printed across the front. Tristan wondered if the shirt meant she was a die-hard vegetarian like the blacktip shark he helped back at camp.

      The boat cruised slowly away from shore toward the kelp beds.

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