7 A Plan

7. A PLAN Jim Lad and Matilda were in the captain's cabin, beneath the poop deck. The captain's table was strewn with paper, pens, maps, and empty potato chip bags. It had taken all afternoon, twelve cookies (each), a large bottle of cream soda, two apples, four bananas, and plenty of chips to come up with a plan. Jim unfolded his map of Dull-on-Sea.

"So, where be Miss Pinky's house?" he asked, pencil in one hand, compass in the other. "And she keeps the Key of Souls in her cupboard, y'say?" "Yeah," answered Matilda. "Like I said, it was just hanging there. I don't think she has any idea." She pointed to her street on the map. "Right, methinks we need to pay Miss Pinky a visit," said Jim.

Jim and Matilda walked out on deck and saw a police officer shuffling uneasily up the gangplank. "Dad!" Jim Lad called out. His dad's grimy face popped up from a hatch in the middle of the deck. "Blinkin' engines!" he grumbled. "Good afternoon, Mr. Jolley-Rogers," said the officer. "ARRR, g'day to ye!" said Jim's dad. "We've had a few robberies in Dull- on-Sea of late, and it would appear that the perpetrators were of a piratey persuasion," said

the police officer as he took his notebook from his top pocket and ruffled through its pages. "Could you tell me where you were on the date of the last full moon? Which, let me see, would be the twelfth of June...." "The last full moon, eh?" said Jim's dad. "Well, we'd have been plowing a course through a tropical sea, cutting a swath between the isles of Barbados and Jamaica, on the trail of Captain Scarletbeard. We had a lovely time. Perfect weather. Would ye like to see the photos?"

"Um, I see...." said the officer. "And did anyone see you on your adventure?" "Well, there'd be that scurviest of sea dogs, Scarletbeard himself. I'm sure the hen-hearted varmint would give me an alibi, if that's the cut of yer jib. Would ye like his e-mail address? Or I think my wife may have his cell number." Jim's dad cupped his mouth with both hands as he bellowed aloft, "DARLIN! DO YE HAVE SCARLETBEARD'S NUMBER?" "OW, YES, I'M SURE I DO. ALTHOUGH AFTER THAT BUSINESS IN BARBADOS, I DON'T THINK HE'LL WANT TO CHAT" came a distant reply. "IF YOU GIVE ME TEN MINUTES TO FINISH THIS

SPLICING, I CAN LOOK IT UP ON MY PHONE...." "Well, um... I'll just pop back, but here's my card," said the police constable. "Oh, and one more thing, the folks in Dull-on-Sea are a little nervous about pirates right now. You might be better mooring in the bay rather than on the quayside. We don't want any incidents." And with that, he stuffed his notebook into his top pocket and strolled off to town. "Dad," Jim said, "Tilly and I have a plan, but we need to go see Miss Pinky first. And can Tilly come for a sleepover tonight? We need her to be here for our plan to work."