Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Dink jumped out of bed. He shook Josh by the shoulder. "Josh, get up! We're going back to the dock!" Josh opened one eye. "Time izzit?" he asked sleepily.

Dink glanced at the clock next to his bed. "Almost eight. Hurry up!" Dink dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. He washed, brushed his hair, and grabbed the poster he'd drawn the night before. "Come on, Josh!" he said, hurrying downstairs. Ruth Rose was sitting at the table, spreading peanut butter on a bagel. "Gram's out for her morning swim," she said. She pushed the plate of bagels toward Dink. "Where's Josh?" Dink sat down and reached for the strawberry jam. "Still waking up," he said. Dink unrolled the poster as Josh stumbled into the kitchen. His red hair was sticking straight up, "This plan had better work," he said. "I was dreaming I was King Midas. Only everything I touched turned to chocolate!" Josh got a bagel and read Dink's poster through sleepy eyes. At the bottom Dink had drawn a man's arm with a tattoo of an owl.

"What happens when a bunch of people with tattoos show up, and there's no contest?" Josh asked. Dink shrugged. "We have to find out if Spike has that tattoo on his ankle. Can you think of another way?" Josh just shrugged. "All right, then. Let's get going," Dink said. They each grabbed an apple and headed for the dock. Dink carried the poster and four thumbtacks. Even this early, people were strolling along the concrete pier. Dink tacked the poster to a light

pole. "Okay, now let's go find Spike and Chip," he said. They hurried to the dock. A few people were on their boats, drinking coffee and enjoying the morning sun. The Golden Goose was tied at its slip. Not a sound came from the boat. "Think they're still asleep?" Josh asked. Dink shrugged. "I don't hear any snoring." Ruth Rose peered through one of the round cabin windows. "Nobody's down there," she said. "Look, the door's open," Josh said. "They must be here." Dink stepped onto the boat deck and knocked on the wood. "Hello?" he called. "Anyone home?" Dink hopped back onto the dock. "Maybe they went out for breakfast," he said. "Let's wait." The kids sat in the sun. A pelican waddled along the dock, stopping at each of the boats. A woman tossed him some bread. Josh pulled his book out and began reading. "Listen to this," he said. "'No matter how long it has been on the bottom of the ocean, gold stays shiny. But silver requires several days in a special chemical solution before it looks shiny again.'"

Josh looked up. "Yesterday, Spike told everyone they cleaned the gold and silver with vinegar!" The kids looked at each other. Dink got up and stepped aboard the Golden Goose. He walked around the deck, looking at everything and peeking into corners. He stopped near an oxygen tank propped against a bench, then came back to the dock. "That tank's empty," he told Josh and Ruth Rose. "How do you know?" Josh asked. "There's a round window with a dial," Dink said. "The little arrow is pointing to E." "So maybe they used up all the oxygen and haven't filled it up yet." "Maybe," Dink said. "But I don't see any other diving equipment." Ruth Rose stepped closer to the deck. "Maybe they keep it down below," she said. She looked at the guys. "I say we check it out." "Me too," Dink said. Josh glanced back toward the pier. "What if they come back and catch us snooping?" he said. "We'll tell them my grandmother sent us," Ruth Rose said. "I'll say she wants to ask them more

questions." "I think they hang pirates," Josh said. "Josh, just looking on someone's boat doesn't make us pirates," Ruth Rose said. "If they're trying to cheat my grandmother, I'm gonna find out! Come on, we won't touch anything, we'll just look around." She hopped aboard the boat and scooted down the cabin stairs. Josh and Dink followed. The three stood in the middle of the small cabin. "What a smell!" Ruth Rose said. "They aren't very neat, are they?" Josh said. The beds were unmade, and the tiny kitchen was a jumble of dirty dishes and glasses. The small eating table was covered with sticky-looking stains. Dink glanced into a few dark corners. "I still don't see—" "Shh! I heard something!" Ruth Rose said. She pointed above their heads. Suddenly, they all heard footsteps. The kids looked at each other, wide-eyed.