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CHAPTER TWO

At the Port

Saturday was a busy day for Bill and Michelle. They both had part-time jobs to earn some pocket money. Bill worked at the local supermarket and Michelle took the neighbors dogs for walks.

Saturday night was special because Mrs Martin always cooked something unusual. After dinner Michelle went to Juanita’s house and Bill phoned Nick.

“What are you doing tonight?” asked Bill.

“As soon as I finish working, I’m going to the movies,” said Nick.

“Good idea! What’s on?” said Bill.

“There’s a science fiction movie at the Madison Theater that everybody’s talking about: Fifth Dimension. We can meet at my parents’ restaurant at half past eight.”

“OK! See you then, Nick.”

Nick’s parents had a Chinese restaurant near the port and he always worked there on weekends.

As Bill waited for Nick at the back door of the restaurant, he saw the same beagle from the wax museum. The poor dog was sad and thin. He was probably waiting for some food. Nick came out from the back door and said, “What an evening! There was a birthday dinner and we were so busy.”

“What’s that dog doing there?” asked Bill.

“Oh, him,” said Nick. “He’s a stray and wants something to eat. My mother always gives him some food. I think he lost his master.”

On Sunday morning the port was very busy. People were going out in their boats and the fishermen were repairing their fishing nets.

The Martins had a small cabin cruiser at the port. They decided to clean it because Bill and Michelle wanted to have a Halloween party there.

“Mom and I are going down to the port to clean the boat,” said Mr Martin. “You can come later. We can use four extra hands!”

“OK, Dad, we’ll be there soon,” said Bill.

“I’m going to wear my new jeans and pink T-shirt,” said Michelle, who loved wearing new clothes.

“You don’t need new clothes to clean a boat, silly,” said Bill.

“Boys will never understand” said Michelle with a smile.

It was almost ten o’clock when Bill and Michelle got to the port. There were always a lot of fishing boats, cabin cruisers, and yachts at the port. It was a warm, sunny day and everything looked beautiful.

An old fisherman, Francisco Garcia, was sitting on a pier near his boat, repairing a fishing net.

“Hi, Francisco” said Michelle.

“Hello” said the old man with lively dark eyes. “Nice to see you.”

“Are you going out fishing today?” asked Bill.

“No, I’m going early tomorrow morning,” he said, looking at his fishing boat. “There he is again, poor thing.”

“Who?” asked Bill and Michelle.

“Peter O’Neil’s dog, Rover. He sits in front of his master’s boat every day and whimpers. Can’t you see him?” Bill and Michelle turned around. It was the same dog Bill saw at the museum and at the restaurant.

“Do you mean the beagle over there, near the boat?” asked Michelle, pointing to the North Star.

“Yeah,” said Francisco. “He’s sad because he lost his master. It breaks my heart. I wanted to take him home with me, but he only wants his master.”

“The poor dog” said Bill. “Did the Police ever find Mr O’Neil’s body?”

“The Bermuda Triangle took him,” said Francisco. “The police will never find his body in the Triangle. He was unlucky, very unlucky, but I told him.”

“What did you tell him?” asked Bill.

“Well, when Mr O’Nell bought the boat he changed its name to North Star. I told him it was bad luck to change the name of a boat. Sailors and fishermen know that. But he didn’t believe me. He thought it was an old superstition.”

“I didn’t know that,” said Michelle. “But why did he go out to sea that day in June?”

“He brought his scuba diving equipment on board. I think he was looking for something in the sea - something important. He went out in his boat every weekend.”

“Did anyone go with him?” asked Bill.

“Only his dog,” he said, and his busy hands started repairing the net again.

“It was nice talking to you Francisco - goodbye,” said Bill, walking away with Michelle.

“The O’Nell case is a big mystery. No one knows what happened to him and no one knows what he was looking for. We just know that he was a terrific teacher and everyone liked him.”

“Well, Francisco thought he was looking for something important,” replied Michelle.

“Yeah, but I wonder what?” said Bill.