The Big Island Burglary

by Carolyn Keene

  “I hated The Magic Hour. It was so silly and—”

  “She was our only suspect, so what now?” Nancy asked, interrupting them. She’d gotten really good at changing the subject when Bess and George started bickering. “The camera still hasn’t shown up. If someone took it by accident, wouldn’t they have returned it by now?”

  “You’re right,” Bess said. “It definitely wasn’t an accident.…”

  The girls listened to a few more bings as the elevator reached the bottom floor. For the first time in a long while, they were completely stumped.

  Chapter 7

  MYSTERY GIRL

  Bess curled her knees to her chest. “I don’t get it,” she said. “It’s like the camera vanished into thin air.”

  George took a bite of her french fry. “It must’ve been stolen when you and Harry were onstage. But I was too busy watching the show. I didn’t see a single thing.”

  “And we were too busy hula-ing.” Bess sighed.

  Nancy looked out at the crystal-blue ocean. They were sitting on two lounge chairs on the beach, enjoying some shade from a giant tiki umbrella. This was their last day of vacation, and they didn’t have any real leads. Nancy thought back to the luau, and everything that had happened in those few minutes when she was onstage. Had she seen anything odd? Is it possible she’d missed a clue? She remembered following the hula dancers and seeing Carol smiling up at Harry, but that was it.

  “Carol, Lizzy, and Z were all watching Harry,” Nancy said. “And their seats were close to the stage, so the thief would’ve crept up behind them.…”

  George took another french fry from the basket. They’d ordered a plate of chicken fingers for lunch, and they were going over what they knew about the case one more time, hoping for a breakthrough. “I bet most people were watching the hula show when the camera was taken,” George said.

  Surfers dove under the waves with their boards. A few toddlers were building sand-castles nearby while two redheaded children were having a handstand contest near the lifeguard station.

  “Do those kids look familiar to you?” Bess pointed to three kids standing near the surf shack.

  “Triplets,” George said.

  “Weren’t they sitting near Harry at the luau?” Nancy asked.

  “You’re right!” Bess said. “That’s exactly where I recognized them from.”

  “We should ask them if they saw anything,” George said. “Maybe they’re witnesses. One of them might have seen something during the show.”

  The girls left their half-eaten lunch and walked over to the surf shack. The triplets were there with their parents, who were returning two giant kayaks.

  “Hi, Jordy!” Nancy called out to the green-haired teenager working at the shack. He rented out snorkels, kayaks, and surfboards, but he was also a really great surfer. He’d given the girls a surfing lesson on their first day at Sunrise Resort.

  “Hey there! My shift is over soon, but let me know if you need another lesson before you go home. Practice makes perfect, yeah?” Jordy yelled over his shoulder as he helped the triplets’ dad load the kayaks onto a rack.

  “I think it would take ten more lessons for us to be perfect surfers,” George whispered to Nancy. It had been really hard to catch a wave. George had wiped out twice.

  Bess turned to the triplets’ mom. “I think I remember seeing you at the luau. Would you mind if we ask you some questions?”

  The tall blond woman peeled off her life jacket. She wore a bright red one-piece bathing suit. “That should be fine. How can we help you?”

  “Did you guys see anything strange last night?” George asked.

  One of the boys smiled. He held a finger up and started talking excitedly. “Everything was strange, because strange is just another word for different! And it all was so different that night. I’d never seen the hula or a fire dancer before!”

  His brother and sister were much quieter. They stood off to the side, watching him talk.

  “We think someone might have stolen a camera,” Bess explained. “Did you see anyone holding one? Maybe they were walking fast or seemed like they were hiding something?”

  “I love cameras,” the first triplet said. His green eyes got much bigger, and he smiled again. “Last summer, I took a photography class at the community center and my teacher, Chuck, showed me how to change the aperture setting, which controls how much light you let into the camera. Then he taught me about shutter speed. That’s how the camera captures motion.”

  “You love cameras?” Nancy asked. She glanced sideways at Bess and George. Was it possible this kid was a suspect? Did he like cameras so much, he’d take one that wasn’t his?

  “Oh, I would have a million if I could,” he continued.

  “Do you remember seeing any cool cameras at the luau last night?” George asked. It was a trick, of course. If the boy said no, they’d know he was lying. If he said yes, he might reveal some more clues they’d missed.

  “This man with a shiny bald head had the coolest camera. It was super expensive. I think it was a Bluestone 5400, but I’m not totally sure.”

  Nancy perked up. Not only was this boy sitting at the table next to Harry when the camera went missing, but he’d been admiring it. Had he liked it enough that he wanted it for himself?

  His mom stepped forward, her arms crossed over her chest. She didn’t look happy. “What’s this about? A camera went missing, so you want to blame Timmy? Everyone’s heard the rumors, you know.”

  “What rumors?” George asked.

  The father left the kayaks on the rack and came toward them, his brow furrowed. He didn’t look happy either. He wrapped his arms around his three children, bringing them closer to him. “Some teenager took it. People saw her on the beach with it this morning. Meanwhile, that man and his wife are going around questioning everyone at the resort. We’re on vacation. We don’t need this!”

  Nancy pulled her clue book from her back pocket and started scribbling down notes. “I’m so sorry… but maybe you could just tell us a little about the teenager? Did you see her yourselves?”

  “We didn’t,” the mom said. She pulled her glossy blond hair into a ponytail. “But I heard people talking about her. I think they said she had glasses and black hair?”

  “No, no. They said she was tall and had brown hair,” the father said. “It was in a ponytail?”

  “She was wearing purple sneakers,” the mom interrupted.

  “Yes, that I remember,” the dad agreed. “I definitely heard she was wearing purple sneakers.”

  Nancy underlined PURPLE SNEAKERS. She wasn’t surprised that the mom and dad remembered the description differently. It was hard to get people to agree on what they saw or heard. But they both had said that the girl with the camera had been wearing purple sneakers. That seemed like a big clue.

  “Anything else?” George asked. “Can you point us to the people who saw her?”

  “Oh, I don’t remember who we were talking to,” the dad said. He waved off into the distance. “I actually heard several different people talking about it. They were somewhere down the beach.”

  “Thank you, and thanks, Timmy!” Bess called over their shoulder. Then the Clue Crew took off to find their first real witnesses.

  Chapter 8

  THEY’RE HIDING SOMETHING

  The girls didn’t get very far before they saw Z, Harry’s son. He was standing by the water, talking to Jordy, who’d just finished up his shift at the surf shack. They both had surfboards tucked under their arms.

  “That sizzle reel is going to be awesome,” Jordy said. “I don’t care if five hundred people want to be in this competition. With that tape, I’ve got a serious chance.”

  “No doubt!” Z gave Jordy a high five, then they bumped their fists. “Big Island Surfers, here you come. Now, we just have to find someone to put it all together.”

  “What competition?” George asked. The girls stopped and let the water rush over their toes. A few yards out,
a surfer rode in on a huge wave.

  “Oh, just this surfing contest Jordy’s trying to get into,” Z said. He ran his hand through his fauxhawk. “Did you find out anything about my dad’s camera? He’s still really upset, but I have a feeling it’ll turn up somewhere.”

  “We do have one clue,” Nancy said. “People are saying they saw a girl with it on the beach this morning. We’re not totally sure what she looks like, but we know she was wearing purple sneakers.”

  “Does that sound familiar?” Bess asked.

  Jordy stared out at the ocean and shrugged. “Uh… I don’t think so?”

  “What do you mean?” George said. It was a simple question. Had they seen a girl with purple sneakers or not?

  “Nah, doesn’t sound familiar,” Z said. He turned back to Jordy. “You want to catch a few waves?”

  Then the two sprinted into the ocean, shouting “Good luck!” and “Bye!” to Nancy and her friends. Bess and George just stood there and stared after them.

  “That was weird,” Bess finally said.

  “It was like they didn’t want to talk to us,” Nancy agreed.

  The friends walked down the beach, past the kids making sandcastles. A toddler stomped on a few, and a girl with pigtails burst into tears. Not far down the beach from where Jordy and Z had been talking, the Clue Crew found another group of teenagers lying on blankets—a girl wearing a striped bikini, two boys in wet suits pulled down to their waists, and a guy with a nose ring. There were three surfboards next to them.

  “I’m Nancy, and these are my friends Bess and George. Did you guys happen to see a girl wearing purple sneakers today?” Nancy asked. “Maybe this morning?”

  The girl in the striped bikini looked up at them. “Why do you want to know?”

  Nancy wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want to lie. “We think she might know something about a missing camera.”

  “I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.” The girl shook her head. “That wouldn’t be cool.”

  Bikini Girl lay back down on her towel and closed her eyes. The two wet-suit boys shrugged, but they didn’t seem like they were going to answer, either. The boy with the nose ring was staring at them like he wanted to say something, but after a minute passed, Nancy and her friends all felt a bit silly. The teenagers were ignoring them.

  “Let’s go, Nancy.…” George tugged on Nancy’s arm.

  As soon as the girls were sure the teens couldn’t hear them, they started talking about the case.

  “They’re protecting someone!” Bess said. “That was just like what happened with Z and Jordy. They know who took they camera, but they don’t want to get them in trouble.”

  “I think you’re right,” Nancy said.

  George shook her head, annoyed. “Whoever took the camera must be a surfer. Z, Jordy, and those teenagers—they’re all surfers.”

  “Maybe,” Bess said. “Or they’re close friends with the surfers. I bet they’re all around the same age.”

  The girls kept walking down the beach toward a family a few yards ahead. They’d have to question people who weren’t surfers if they were going to get any real answers. As they passed a beach volleyball game, the trio heard something behind them. It sounded like someone was running.

  “Hey! Wait up!” a voice called out.

  When they turned around, they saw the boy with the nose ring crossing the sand toward them. He had dark, almond-shaped eyes and was wearing neon-green board shorts. He glanced over his shoulder, like he didn’t want anyone to see him talking with the Clue Crew.

  “I’m Ben,” he said. “I’m sorry about before. Gina was a little rude.”

  “Who’s she protecting?” Nancy asked.

  Ben seemed uncomfortable with the question. He just shrugged and pointed to a figure in the distance, “Look… you should ask her about the camera.”

  Nancy, Bess, and George squinted against the sun. They could barely see the person he was motioning to. But before they could ask him anything else, he ran back the way he came, returning to his friends.

  “Thanks?” Bess called after him. She wasn’t even sure what she was thanking him for. What did the girl know? Why did Ben want them to talk to her?

  They picked up their pace, walking twice as fast as before, trying to catch up to the girl. As they got closer, they saw she was barefoot.

  “I don’t get it!” George said. “Why is this person so important? She’s not the girl with the purple sneakers.”

  “But look,” Nancy said. She pointed to the bag the girl was holding—a little black backpack with something tied to the front of it.

  Bess and George looked closer, and noticed there was a pair of purple high-tops tied to the bag. They swung back and forth as she walked.

  “The girl with the purple sneakers!” Bess said excitedly. “It is her!”

  Chapter 9

  THE CHASE

  Nancy, Bess, and George followed the girl down the beach, trying to stay close enough so she was always in view. It was hard, though. The beach was crowded. Every now and then, a group of surfers would get in their way. The Clue Crew almost lost sight of the girl when a skinny boy with dreadlocks dove right in front of them. He hit a volleyball up into the air just before it landed in the sand.

  “We need to get closer,” George said. “We’re going to lose her!”

  Their suspect was just a tiny figure at the very end of the beach now. The girls started running, swerving through picnic blankets and lounge chairs, and past a bunch of umbrellas made of straw. When the sand got too crowded, they went down to the water, racing through the waves and soaking the bottoms of their shorts.

  “There she is!” Nancy called out. They could see her more clearly now. She had on a white baseball cap and a long, flowy dress.

  But as Nancy, Bess, and George closed in, the girl with the purple sneakers must have sensed something was wrong. She turned around, but it was hard to see her face. She was wearing huge black sunglasses.

  “Is she looking at us?” Bess asked as the girls paused to catch their breath.

  For a few seconds, the girl with the purple sneakers didn’t move. But then, without a word, she turned again and ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

  “She’s trying to get away!” George yelled. The Clue Crew sprinted after her, but it felt like their feet were sinking. They ran half the speed they normally would have, every step difficult in the sand as they wound through more beach umbrellas.

  The girl was heading toward a crowded restaurant with tables overlooking the water.

  When they got closer, Nancy realized there was a wedding going on. A hundred people were eating and dancing, all dressed up in suits and long gowns.

  The girl ran through the flowered archway and into the party, disappearing into the crowd of guests. A few older couples twirled around the dance floor. Dozens of waiters were passing appetizers on shiny silver trays.

  “Quick, this way!” Nancy ran around the side of the patio. Then Nancy, Bess, and George slipped through a small gate, unnoticed, before sneaking around two waiters with trays full of drinks. But the girls were so much shorter than everyone else, and they couldn’t see their suspect anymore.

  A tuxedoed man stepped forward holding a microphone. “And now, I’d like to introduce… the new Mr. and Mrs. Garcia!”

  The bride and groom strolled out through the restaurant’s glass doors. Mrs. Garcia was wearing a beautiful poufy white dress and a flower in her hair. Music started playing, and Mr. Garcia took her hand to dance. Normally, Nancy and her friends would’ve loved to watch, but now they could see the girl with the purple sneakers on the other side of the patio, ducking out of the party and racing down the street.

  The Clue Crew was stuck. They couldn’t run across the dance floor and ruin the couple’s first dance, so they just stood there, watching as their suspect made her escape. When the dance was finally over, they snuck out of the side gate and ran to the street, where they saw a long st
rip of shops and restaurants stretched out behind the beach. They didn’t see the girl anywhere.

  “She got away,” Bess said sadly. “She’s gone.”

  “She’s definitely the one who took the camera,” George added, “or she wouldn’t have run. Now that she knows we’re looking for her, she’s going to be super careful. We probably won’t ever see her again.”

  Nancy looked up and down the street one last time, hoping the girl would reappear.

  How were they going to find Harry’s camera when their only suspect had vanished?

  Chapter 10

  A SURPRISE FOR HARRY

  “You tried your best,” Mrs. Fayne said. She took a bite of her mahi-mahi. “That’s all that matters. Some mysteries aren’t meant to be solved.”

  “Like what happened on Amelia Earhart’s final flight,” Mr. Fayne said.

  “Or the Loch Ness monster,” Mrs. Fayne added. “They still don’t know if that picture is a fake or not. There are people who still swear that monster exists.”

  “Monster?” Scotty asked. His eyes went wide as he pushed some rice around with his fork.

  “But we know it’s not real,” Mr. Fayne said under his breath. “Monsters don’t exist!”

  “This isn’t anything like the Loch Ness monster,” George said, annoyed. “We know who took Harry’s camera. We just don’t know where to find her.”

  Nancy rested her chin in her hands. It was their last dinner in Hawaii, and Mr. and Mrs. Fayne had spent most of it trying to make Nancy, Bess, and George feel better about losing their suspect. They’d fly home tomorrow morning and they’d never know what happened to the camera. As happy as Nancy would be to see her dad, she couldn’t believe they’d come so close to solving this mystery… and then hadn’t.

  Mrs. Fayne tried again. “We’re just saying, it’s okay. You girls did a great job. You chased that suspect into a wedding!”

  Bess started laughing, and before long, Nancy and George couldn’t help but join in. Soon, they were all laughing so hard their stomachs hurt. Chasing a suspect through a wedding was definitely silly, to say the least.