The Missing Marlin

by David A. Kelly

  “This is going to be great,” Mike said. “I can’t wait to see Guppy pitch.”

  “Why do they call him Guppy?” Kate asked.

  “His name is really Gary Gomez. But they call him Guppy because he gets batters to ‘go fishing,’ ” Mike said. “That means he throws a lot of pitches just outside the strike zone. It looks like a strike so batters swing. But usually they miss or just hit little bloopers for outs.”

  On the mound, Guppy was ready to pitch. He waited for the sign from the catcher. Then he twirled the ball in his glove to get it to the right position. He wound up and fired.

  The ball sailed toward home plate. But just before the plate, it dropped low and outside. The Diamondbacks batter swung anyway.

  “STRIKE ONE!” the umpire called.

  The catcher threw the baseball back to the pitcher. Guppy pitched again. This time the ball sailed in higher. But it was still outside the strike zone. The batter swung and missed again.

  “STRIKE TWO!” the umpire called.

  Mike nudged Kate. “See?” he said. “He’s a master at throwing pitches that batters think they can hit but can’t!”

  Guppy’s third pitch was so slow, it bounced on home plate. This time, the batter didn’t swing.

  “BALL ONE!” the umpire called.

  Guppy’s fourth pitch was perfect. He threw a fastball straight down the center. But the batter was too slow on his swing.

  “STRIKE THREE!” the umpire called.

  Guppy had his first out. It looked like it was going to be a good day for the Marlins.

  The next two batters went down just as quickly. Then it was the Marlins’ turn to bat. Their first batter led off with a single. The second batter grounded out. But the third hit a double, scoring the man on first. The next two batters struck out. At the end of the first inning, Miami was ahead, 1–0.

  Late fans looked for their seats as the Marlins took the field for the second inning. Kate was watching the fans walking by when she noticed something.

  “Hey, Mike!” Kate said. “Look over there.” She pointed off to their right. “It’s Ned.”

  Ned was sitting in the first row, behind the first-base fish tank. He seemed to be arguing with the two men dressed in suits next to him.

  “Uncle Oliver mentioned that Ned comes to a lot of games,” Mike said. “I guess he gets good seats. But you know what I want to get?”

  “What?” asked Kate.

  “Some good food,” Mike said. “I’m hungry. I want one of those Cuban sandwiches I’ve heard about.”

  “¡Que suena bien!” Kate said. “That sounds good!”

  They got up from their seats and wandered toward the Taste of Miami food area near left field. After waiting in line, they ordered two Cuban sandwiches. The man behind the counter layered slices of bread with ham, pork, cheese, and pickles. Then he added some mustard and flattened the sandwich with a heavy press that melted the cheese.

  “So this is a Cuban sandwich,” Mike said after he took a bite. “It’s great!”

  Kate nodded. She was too busy eating to reply.

  “And these plantain chips aren’t bad, either,” Mike said. He popped another handful into his mouth. “I think I like Miami food!”

  After eating, Mike and Kate went back to their seats. Along the way, Mike stopped at a souvenir stand to buy a Marlins baseball and a black marker. “I’m going to see if I can get Guppy’s autograph after the game!” he said.

  By the time they sat down, the Diamondbacks had tied the score, 1–1. But three innings later, Miami got two more runs. At the bottom of the seventh inning, the Marlins were still ahead, 3–1. They had one man on base and their best hitter, Felix Charles, was up.

  Charles didn’t hold back. On the second pitch, the Miami batter popped the ball high into the air. The ball sailed over the infield and headed for the right field wall. It was going, going … gone! A home run!

  Behind center field, the home run statue Mike had spotted the day before began to move. Large cutouts of marlin fish twirled and circled the statue. Jets of water shot up from the side. Neon lights blinked. Pink flamingos danced. The Marlins’ fans cheered.

  “Wow, cool!” Mike said.

  “I like the flamingos,” Kate said.

  When the home run statue stopped moving, the game continued. The Marlins didn’t score again that inning.

  Kate nudged Mike. “Take a look at Ned,” she said. “I’ve been watching him for a while. He’s arguing with those two men again. They keep pointing at the fish tank.”

  Mike looked over. Kate was right. Ned and his friends were staring at the fish tank and jabbering about something.

  “That’s weird,” Mike said. “I’ve got an idea. Wait here.” He stood up and walked down the aisle to an open seat in the third row. A few minutes later, he returned.

  “So what are they talking about?” Kate asked.

  Mike shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “They were speaking Spanish. Maybe you can figure it out.”

  Kate’s eyes lit up. She loved to practice her Spanish. She slipped into the same seat that Mike had just been in. Mike pretended to watch the game until Kate came back.

  “Did you figure it out?” Mike asked.

  Kate nodded. “Yup, I got some of it,” she said. “They were talking about the Tortugas. Uncle Oliver mentioned those islands when he was telling us about coral reefs. They said something about money, like they were arguing over an amount.”

  “What do you think it meant?” Mike asked.

  Kate shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “It sounded like they were planning a trip or something.”

  Mike was disappointed it wasn’t more interesting. He settled back into his seat to watch the rest of the game. Kate kept her eyes on Ned in between plays. The Marlins were still ahead with only one inning left.

  Suddenly, Kate nudged Mike. “Look!” she said to him. “Over there!” She pointed to the other side of home plate, near the third-base line. Don Dixon from Critters and Creatures was sitting a few rows behind the infield wall.

  “So? We already knew Don Dixon was here,” Mike said. “What’s the big deal?”

  “Look at what he’s eating,” Kate said.

  Mike spotted something yellow in Don Dixon’s left hand. It looked like a package of candy. Mike watched as Don tilted it into his other hand. Three bright blue gummy sharks dropped into his palm!

  “Think about it, Mike. Don Dixon has a lot to gain if Uncle Oliver runs into problems!” Kate said.

  Mike nodded. “Sure, but lots of people eat gummy candy. It doesn’t mean he’s the thief. And I hate to say it, but the clues against Uncle Oliver are worse.”

  Out on the field, the Marlins had finished the game, 6–3. Fans started getting up. Mike and Kate watched as Ned and the two men with him left.

  “Hang on for a minute, cuz,” Mike said. He took the black marker out of his pocket and held up his baseball. “I want to see if I can get some autographs. I’ll meet you back here in a minute.”

  Mike ran down to the infield wall. A small group of kids stood near the dugout, trying to get the players’ attention. Mike joined in. He waved his baseball in the air.

  While Mike was busy, Kate dropped into one of the front-row seats to watch the fish swim. She noticed two baseball fish in the tank. She waited for them to puff up, but neither did. Then the fish on the left caught her eye. It was brighter than the other one. Kate remembered Uncle Oliver saying that Marlin, one of the missing fish, had bright red markings. Kate shook her head. It was probably just the light.

  By the dugout, Mike was having better luck. The Marlins first baseman had already signed his hat. Now Mike was trying to get Guppy to sign his baseball. Mike held it high so the pitcher would see it.

  Guppy was only one person away when Mike felt a tug on his T-shirt.

  “Mike! Quick! Come here,” Kate said. “You’ll never believe what I just found!” She gave his shirt another tug and ran over to the tank.
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  Mike turned to see Guppy take a step back and wave to the crowd. He wasn’t going to sign any more autographs.

  “Drat!” Mike said. He had missed his chance. He took one more look at Guppy walking back to the dugout, and then he scrambled after Kate.

  Kate stood in front of the fish tank on the first-base side. “Look at this!” she said. “What do you see?”

  Mike studied the tank. It looked just like it had before the game. He shrugged. “Um … water. Is that a trick question?”

  Kate stamped her sneaker on the cement walkway. “No, you sponge head!” she said. “Don’t you see what’s in the water?”

  Mike leaned over to look more closely. As he did, a green turtle about ten inches long swam by! A minute later, a second turtle swam past.

  “Those are just like the one I saw yesterday!” Kate said. “See? I wasn’t imagining things. They’re the endangered sea turtles that I saw in Uncle Oliver’s book! And look, there are two baseball fish in there! The one on the left has bright red markings, just like Uncle Oliver’s missing fish Marlin. I bet that’s what Ned and his friends were pointing at during the game!”

  “But the turtles weren’t there when we checked the tanks with Uncle Oliver,” Mike said. “And neither were the baseball fish!”

  “I know!” Kate said. “That’s because someone put them in the tank after we checked it.”

  “Maybe it was Don Dixon,” Mike said. “He said he’d be happy to take over the tanks from Uncle Oliver. And we know he has a key to the tanks.”

  Kate nodded. “Maybe,” she said. “But it could be someone else.”

  “What do you mean?” Mike asked.

  “It could be Ned! Remember when I overheard Ned and those men speaking Spanish during the game?” Kate asked. “I thought they were talking about the Tortugas islands that Uncle Oliver had mentioned when he told us about coral reefs. But maybe they weren’t!”

  Mike looked puzzled. “What were they talking about, then?” he asked.

  Kate pointed at the two turtles. “When I saw these, I remembered something. Tortuga means turtle in Spanish!” she said. “They might have been talking about these turtles. Not the islands.”

  “Oh wow!” Mike said. “But weren’t they talking about taking a trip to the islands?”

  “They were talking about money, but maybe they weren’t talking about a trip,” Kate said. “Maybe they were deciding how much to pay for the turtles!”

  “Whoa! So you think Ned’s selling rare turtles?” Mike asked.

  “And fish! Ned could be the connection between Uncle Oliver’s missing fish and these turtles,” Kate said. “He must be taking the fish from Panther Park!”

  “What happened to the turtle you saw yesterday?” Mike asked. “Why wasn’t it here this morning?”

  “Because Ned sold it!” Kate said. “He sells the fish in this tank and replaces them with new ones from Uncle Oliver’s place. Maybe he’s working with Don Dixon and the pet store. But I don’t know where Ned got the turtles.”

  Mike snapped his fingers. “I know! How about where we went snorkeling yesterday?” he asked. “Maybe Ned or Don Dixon was the scuba-diving shark that I saw! The mesh bag was for the turtles!”

  Kate nodded. “So if Ned’s the thief, he must put new fish in before games and take them out after,” she said. “If that’s it, then those men next to him weren’t planning a trip. They were bidding on exotic fish and endangered turtles!”

  “Do you see anything?” Mike whispered.

  Kate shook her head. “No sign of anyone yet,” she said.

  Mike and Kate were huddled behind the infield wall. By now, almost all the fans had left the stadium. The grounds crew was busy getting the infield ready for the next day’s game. From their hiding spot, Mike and Kate could keep a direct eye on the tank with the turtles and the baseball fish.

  Kate checked the time. “My mom said she’d give us thirty minutes. She’s still working on her story.”

  They crouched quietly for ten minutes. But no one came close.

  “Think this will work?” Mike asked.

  “We know that someone’s putting turtles in the tanks and taking them out,” Kate said. “So someone must be coming by after the game. It’s either going to be Don Dixon or Ned.”

  “Or Uncle Oliver,” Mike said sadly.

  Kate glared at him. “It’s not our uncle,” she said.

  After ten more minutes, Mike’s knees began to ache. “How about if I just sit over there and you call me if anything happens?” he asked.

  “No, we both need to watch,” Kate said. “And if the thief sees you in the seats, he may not pick up the fish and turtles!”

  The minutes ticked by. The stadium was completely empty except for the cleaning crew.

  Kate checked the time again and sighed. They were supposed to meet her mother in five minutes.

  Mike dropped to the ground. “Let’s just go,” he said. “This isn’t going to work.”

  Kate ignored him. A minute later, she gasped and pointed to the field. Mike popped his head around the corner and looked.

  Uncle Oliver was walking down the aisle toward the tanks!

  “Oh no!” Mike said. “It’s Uncle Oliver!”

  “I can’t believe Uncle Oliver is stealing his own fish!” Kate slumped against the side of the wall. “I guess he’s working with Ned to sell them. That way, he’ll get the insurance money.”

  Mike nodded. “Geez, Kate, I think you’re right. Take a look at this,” he said.

  Kate peeked around the edge of the wall. Uncle Oliver had stopped to talk to someone. It was Ned! Kate shook her head and frowned.

  Uncle Oliver turned and walked back up the stairs to the exit. Meanwhile, Ned looked around nervously. He took a step toward the fish tank near Kate and Mike.

  As Ned got closer, they saw he was carrying two black coolers.

  Mike and Kate watched Ned open the top of the tank. He checked to see if anyone was watching him. When he decided no one was, he quickly dipped a net into the tank and pulled out a turtle. He slipped the turtle into one of the coolers. Ned did the same thing with the other turtle and the two baseball fish.

  All the while, Kate snapped pictures with her camera. “Now we have proof that Ned’s taking the fish!” she whispered.

  When he was finished, Ned put the top back on the tank. He picked up the coolers and headed for the exit.

  Kate put the camera into her pocket. “We’ve got to stop him,” she said.

  Mike and Kate scrambled through the seats to the aisle. But it was blocked by a cleaning crew sweeping up. By the time they made it to the top of the stairs, Ned had reached the ballpark exit. He opened the door and left.

  “Drat! We’ve lost him!” Kate said.

  “No, we haven’t,” Mike said. “Come on. Pretend you just hit a triple and run as fast as you can!” Mike took off running. Kate followed. Their sneakers slapped against the concrete floor.

  Mike reached the exit door first. He pushed it open. Ned was right ahead of them. He stood on the corner, waiting to cross the street.

  “We’ve got him!” Mike said. They sprinted to the corner. The light turned, and Ned started across.

  But just as Ned stepped off the sidewalk, Mike grabbed the cooler on the right. Kate took the one on the left. They wrenched the coolers out of his hands.

  Ned spun around. “What are you doing?” he asked. “Don’t fool around with those. I’m delivering fish.”

  Mike and Kate stood their ground. “Yeah,” Mike said. “You’re delivering stolen fish and endangered turtles!”

  Ned shook his head and laughed. “You’re crazy,” he said. “I’ve just been doing a test of the filters. I’m returning the fish to their own tanks.”

  Ned took a step toward Kate’s cooler.

  “Not so fast,” Kate said. She moved the cooler closer to Mike.

  Ned looked like he was about to push Kate and Mike aside. But a voice called out from behind them.


  “Need help?”

  Mike and Kate turned around. It was Don Dixon!

  “Oh no!” Kate said.

  “Rats!” Mike said. “Don Dixon’s going to help Ned escape!”

  Kate’s shoulders sank as Don Dixon ran over. There was no way she and Mike could stop both Don and Ned. The men were going to escape with the stolen animals!

  Thinking quickly, Mike pushed the two black coolers behind them. But instead of trying to snatch them, Don Dixon reached out and grabbed Ned!

  “Got him!” he said. “Thanks to you two!” Don Dixon held Ned by his arm. He dragged him back toward the Marlins’ stadium. “I just called security. They should be here shortly.”

  Mike and Kate exchanged glances. What was going on? They picked up the coolers and followed Don Dixon back to the stadium.

  Just as Don reached the main entrance, a security car pulled up. The officer jumped out and handcuffed Ned.

  Don Dixon walked over to Mike and Kate. “I think they can take it from here,” he said. “Thanks for stopping Ned before he got away.”

  “But we thought you were helping Ned steal the animals!” Kate said. “You told Buck that you’d love to manage the fish tanks!”

  Don Dixon laughed. “I can see why you’d think that,” he said. “I was only teasing your uncle about the tanks. I wouldn’t want to take the business away from him. Buck just asked me to keep an eye on the tanks in case Oliver had problems.”

  “Is that why you were following Ned?” Mike asked.

  “Yes. I was upstairs in the food area when I saw Ned take something out of the tanks after the game. It seemed strange,” Don Dixon said. “But I couldn’t get down the stairs in time to stop him! I’m glad you two were here.”

  “Me too,” Kate said. “Did you know Ned was stealing?”

  “I had no idea,” Don Dixon said. “A few weeks ago he asked me for a part-time job at my pet store, but I didn’t need the help. Good thing I didn’t hire him. He probably would have stolen some of my fish!”