Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4 Amy, Dan, and Nellie were used to quick exits. Dan stuffed his feet back in his sneakers. Amy leaped over the back of the couch. Nellie charged for the door, opened it, and waited until Amy and Dan were clear. Shep leaped into the Jeep parked outside. "Get in!" he roared. A surfboard stuck out of the back, and Dan and Amy had to wedge themselves in next to it while Nellie swung into the front seat. Shep took off with a squeal of tires. Nellie leaned closer to Shep as they rocketed over the bumpy road. "What happened? Where are we going?" "Bondi, of course!" Shep yelled over the rushing wind. "Surf's up!" "Surf's up?" Nellie asked incredulously. "I thought the place was going to blow!"

Dan crashed back against the seat in relief. Amy blew out a breath. "You've got to drop everything when the call comes," Shep said. "I have to say, you three are aces at clearing out." "We used to be fire drill monitors at school," Dan said lamely. "Don't worry, there're plenty of shops," Shep yelled over the rushing wind. "You can pick up your gear there. And I've got plenty of surfie mates with long boards, short boards, body boards— we'll set you up." "I never understood surfing," Nellie said. "I'm a New England girl. Why jump on a board and get creamed by giant waves? I'd rather just swim." Shep chortled. "You'll love it. Just watch out for the bluebottles, and you'll be fine." "Can they kill you?" Dan asked hopefully. "Nah, but the pain is excruciating." "Cool!" Within a few minutes, Shep pulled into a space in front of a small surf shop. Soon he was

cheerfully directing them to the proper gear and slapping down a credit card. Now dressed in board shorts and tops, they followed him down to a wide beach with rolling high surf. "The waves look awfully big," Amy said. Dan was glad that somebody besides him had said it. "Don't worry. Excellent lifeguards. Don't wave if you get into trouble, just raise your arm. Hey, there are my surfies!" Shep waved at a group that was passing around bottles of juice and sandwiches. They all looked tanned and athletic, both men and women, with sun-bleached hair like Shep's. Surfboards were resting on the sand or stuck in it like standing stones. "There he is!" one of the men called. "Took your time getting here, mate." "What have you got there, some shark biscuits?" another one called. "Did they just call us shark food?" Amy asked, gulping. "Don't pay them any mind. Shark biscuit just

means a beginner." Shep strode forward. "These are my rellies Amy and Dan, and their au pair, Nellie. They're going to learn how to surf like an Aussie." "Choice," one of the girls said. "I've got a boogie board you can borrow." Shep grinned and tucked his board under his arm. "Come on, you three. I'll give you a quick lesson. And don't worry about the sharks— just stay between the flags." "Sharks," Nellie muttered. "Better on a plate. Sauce on the side." They spent twenty minutes trying to get the hang of the boogie boards. Nellie caught on almost immediately, but Amy kept falling off and getting dunked in the surf. She'd wind up yards down the beach and come up sputtering, having swallowed half of the Pacific Ocean. Dan kept laughing at her and getting smacked in the face with a wave. It was the most fun he'd had since he'd Fed-Exed his dead spider collection to his piano teacher. "I think you've got the hang of it now," Shep told them after awhile. "If you don't mind, I'll

paddle out with the long board for a bit." "I'm going to sunbathe," Nellie said. Nellie headed in, and Shep paddled out. Dan and Amy positioned themselves for the next wave. Amy pushed her hair out of her eyes and grinned. That worried look that made her eyebrows come together was gone. Dan caught a wave at the perfect point. He yodeled with happiness. When he finally came into shore, he sprang up laughing. But his grin faded when he saw a family in matching bright yellow board shorts and blue goggles start to splash into the water with long surfboards. Holts. Muscle-bound dimwits on parade. Dan towed his board as he timed a swim out past the breakers to where Amy still lay on her board, rocking with the swells. "We have company." Amy scanned the beach. "Oh, no. Quick, let's—" But it was too late. Eisenhower Holt had spotted them. He pointed a thick finger in their direction. "Game on!" he bellowed over the

crashing surf. "What do you think they want?" Dan asked. "Besides to drown us?" "Hamilton wouldn't," Amy said uncertainly. They had struck up a temporary alliance with Hamilton Holt in Russia. They'd even shared a Clue with him. But that didn't mean they were friends. "The Hammer is scared of his daddy," Dan said. "I'm scared of his daddy. You can't show fear to a Holt, though. They smell fear, and it tastes like chicken." He smacked the surface of the water. "Bring it on!" he yelled back at Eisenhower. Eisenhower flopped onto his board awkwardly, but as he began to paddle through the surf, he moved powerfully fast. "You owe us!" he yelled. "You sent us to Siberia! That wasn't fun! Now we need some answers." "We gave you a clue!" Amy shouted. "Big deal! We would have found it anyway!" "Dream on!" Dan yelled. "You couldn't find a clue if it bit you on the nose and hung on until Thursday!"