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The Pirate Legend






 

“But, ” Penny began. “Who would do something like that? ”

“Someone who doesn’t want us to reach anyone outside the island, ” Nancy answered promptly. “Right, Dad? ”

Her father nodded, his face grim. “What worries me is why they don’t want us to make calls.”

“I’d like to get my hands on whoever did this, ” Penny said. “That radio-phone cost my grandparents a lot of money and they need it to run this resort.”

“I’m sure we’ll find out who and why, ” George murmured.

Watching a look of helplessness grow in Nancy’s eyes, Mr. Drew touched her cheek lightly. “We’re all worried about Bess, Nancy, ” he told her. “But there’s nothing we can do in the dark—especially now that we know there’s someone out there.”

“What should I do? ” Penny asked.

“I think it might be a good idea to lock up, ” Nancy said. “I realize it’s too late for us to protect this.” She waved a hand at the destroyed radio-phone. “But I would like to know that we’re safe here tonight.”

“But if they’re already inside the building, ” Penny protested.

“We’ll lock the doors, then search the whole building, ” Carson Drew explained.

“How do you suppose anyone knew that we were here to use the radio-phone? ” Nancy asked.

“Tom! ” George gasped. “We thought the DeFoes had sent him, but now I wonder. They would have had him meet Penny, too, wouldn’t they? ”

Nancy nodded. “But he must have known about the tickets, ” she reminded her. “He was looking for me at the airport. But you didn’t know we were coming, did you, Penny? ”

The girl shook her curls. “If they told him to meet you, maybe he knows where they are. I really want to know what’s going on.”

“So do we, ” Mr. Drew assured her. “Now, if you’ll show me what should be locked up, Penny, we can secure the resort.”

“While we see to dinner, ” Nancy agreed. “Good girl, ” her father murmured, giving the radio-phone one last glance, then shaking his head.

“What could anyone want around here? ” George asked Nancy as they resumed their interrupted dinner preparations.

Nancy shook her head. “You’ve seen more of the place than I have.”

“It’s beautiful, but there’s nothing to steal. I mean, it’s the resort itself that’s valuable. It just doesn’t make sense, Nancy. Nothing does.” Nancy had to agree. “Nothing has made sense since I got the tickets.”

The search of the resort building didn’t take long, and by the time they returned to the kitchen, the casserole was beginning to fill the air with a delicious scent. George sniffed appreciatively. “If Bess is nearby, that will get her back here in a hurry, ” she joked, though her eyes told Nancy that she was far from lighthearted. “Do you think that whoever is on the island is holding her prisoner? ” Nancy asked, putting into words the fear that had been haunting her since she’d seen the vandalized radio-phone. “Why would they take Bess? ” Penny asked. “Perhaps she saw them, ” Carson Drew suggested. “You did say that she went out for a walk alone.”

“But why would they care? ” Nancy asked. There was no answer to that question, so they continued setting the table in silence. Penny sighed as she surveyed the food that Nancy and George had produced from the kitchen.

“I’m sorry I can’t offer any fresh fruits or vegetables, ” she said. “My grandparents have a standing order with the ferry to bring in fresh goods every week, but I’ve checked the dock and nothing has been delivered so far.”

“Perhaps they left word to stop the deliveries while they were gone, ” George suggested.

“But why would they leave if they knew that Penny was arriving? ” Nancy asked. “That really doesn’t make sense.”

“Do you think whoever is on the island is staying in the village? ” George asked, changing the subject slightly.

“I suppose they could be, ” Penny admitted. Nancy said nothing for a moment, her mind busy; then she smiled a little. “If they came to the island by boat, maybe we could find out where it’s docked, ” she suggested. “That way, one of us could go for help.”

“Or radio, ” Penny said. “Most boats in this area have radios on board.”

“I hope we find it fast, ” George said.

Nancy nodded her agreement, then turned to Penny. “Do you have any idea why your grandparents would want my father and me here? ” she asked. “Have they ever mentioned a mystery about the resort or the island? ”

Penny considered for a moment, then shook her head. “I can’t remember anything. Of course, I haven’t spent much time here the last few years, but before that I did lots of exploring on the island. It had no secrets then.”

“I suppose it could have been someone else who sent the tickets, ” Carson Drew admitted.

“But why would someone else want us here? ” Nancy asked.

“Perhaps it has something to do with the medallion, ” her father suggested.

“What medallion? ” Penny and George asked. Nancy gasped, realizing that in her worry over Bess’s disappearance she hadn’t even thought about the beautiful golden antique necklace. She jumped to her feet and ran to her room, suddenly afraid that it, too, might have disappeared.

Surprisingly, the black box was still in her purse when she opened it and she took a moment to look at the lovely medallion before carrying it out to the dining room. There she handed it to Penny. “Do you know anything about this? ” she asked.

Penny’s eyes grew round in astonishment.

“What is it? ” George asked. “What does it mean? ” She, too, stared at the beautiful piece of golden workmanship.

“I never believed that it existed, ” Penny gasped. “I mean Grandpa told me stories about it all the time when I was little, but I always thought... He told me that it was just a legend.” She looked across the table at Nancy. “Where did you get this? ”

Nancy explained quickly about losing her earring and finding the necklace beneath the floorboards. As she spoke, Penny’s face paled and the excitement of seeing the necklace faded back into worry and fear.

“What is it, Penny? ” Carson Drew asked as Nancy finished her description.

“The abandoned boat was the Polka Dot, ”

Penny gasped. “Where Nancy found this proves it. The place you found the necklace Grandpa calls his ‘hidey hole.’ He always kept any money he had on the boat in there or any valuables they were carrying. Said it was safer there than in his wallet or in Grandma’s purse.” “Then you think your grandparents put the medallion in there? ” Nancy asked.

Penny nodded. “But where would they get something like this? ”

“What do you know about the necklace? ” Nancy asked, unable to answer Penny’s question.

“Well, the legend says that it belonged to some pirate, that he wore it at all times and guarded it with his life. He was an island man who hated and feared the Spaniards and raided their galleons whenever he had the chance.” Penny paused to take a sip of her iced tea.

“So did he succeed as a pirate? ” George asked impatiently.

“According to legend, there were three Spanish ships sailing in the area that were separated when a terrible storm hit. Two of the ships managed to stay afloat till the storm cleared and they found their way back to each other. But the third was nowhere to be seen.”

Penny paused as though expecting comment, but no one spoke, so she went on. “The two ships searched and searched till they came upon a tiny island with wreckage on the beach. The Spanish sailors rowed to shore and discovered that it was from the galleon. They searched some more and found a few survivors, but no one who could tell them what had happened.” Penny stopped again, her eyes sparkling.

“What do you mean what had happened? ” Nancy asked, her imagination caught by the story. “Didn’t the ship break up on the island? ” Penny shook her auburn curls. “The wreckage was a small boat from the galleon and they soon learned that all the survivors had been in that boat and that they’d left the galleon without knowing for sure that it was going to sink.” Penny smiled.

“You mean that people thought the pirate had taken the galleon? ” Mr. Drew asked.

Penny nodded. “The necklace was supposed to be part of the bounty he took from the galleon—the only part of it that was ever seen by anyone else.”

“You mean that’s the legend? ” Nancy was both intrigued and a little disappointed.

“That’s one of them. I’ve heard all sorts of stories. That’s why I never really believed there was a necklace. And this might not be the one from the legend. I mean, I’m sure there are lots of antique gold necklaces from that era, so…” Her smile faded.

“That’s what the man who restored it for us said, ” Nancy admitted.

“Only I think my grandparents would probably know about it—if it was genuine or not, I mean. Grandpa was always reading about the legend and talking to old-timers around here. That’s where he got so many stories to tell me.” Nancy reached out a hand to take the medallion from the girl. She studied it carefully, wishing that Mr. Yates had been able to bring out the entire design instead of just the strange hook.

“Do you think this could be why your grandparents sent me the tickets? ” she asked at last. “I mean, if they really thought this was the necklace in the legend.”

“I’d be willing to bet on it, ” Penny answered. She stopped with a gasp as the lights suddenly went out—leaving them in almost absolute blackness.

 






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