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He explained what had happened.
"And so," he finished up, "the triplets are back in your care." "Da-ad!" exclaimed Adam unhappily.
"Adam," Mr. Pike warned him. "You're in hot water already. Don't make it worse." He turned to Stacey and me. "At least for tomorrow," he said, "you'll have to watch all the kids except Mallory." "Okay," said Stacey. "No problem." "Right. We'll divide them up," I added.
We gathered the Pike kids in the cabin I was sharing with Vanessa the Slow and Mallory.
"Here's how we'll do things," Stacey told the kids. (She's better at taking charge than I am.) "Unless you all want to stay in one big group, Adam, Byron, and Jordan will go with Mary Anne, and Nicky, Vanessa, Claire, and Margo will stay with me. Mallory, you're on your own as usual." Mallory smiled.
But Nicky jumped up and cried, "Just one change. Can I go with the triplets and Mary Anne? Please?" The triplets looked at us eagerly — like they actually wanted Nicky to join them.
Stacey and I glanced at each other. I didn't mind being in charge of the four boys even though it would be a tougher job than taking care of Vanessa, Claire, and Margo. But what was this sudden friendship between Nicky and the triplets? Usually, the triplets can't stand Nicky.
We decided not to question it.
"Fine with me," I said.
"Fine with me," Stacey said.
My day with the boys began early. And we were quickly joined by David Michael Thomas. The five kids seemed to be in an enormous hurry and they were very excited about something.
"Just what are you guys up to?" I asked as I chased them up a flight of stairs. "And slow down. No running. That's how you got in trouble last night." The boys halted at the top of the steps. Byron drew a rumpled piece of paper out of the pocket of his shorts. He glanced at the others. "Should we tell her?" he whispered.
"I guess so," Adam whispered back. Then, raising his voice, he said to me, "Promise you won't laugh. And promise you'll listen to us and believe us." "I promise," I said.
"A fisherman laughed," Adam persisted, "and Dawn didn't even pay attention." I didn't know what they were talking about, but I said, "I promise," as strongly as I could.
The boys told me about the treasure map. In all honesty, it was a little hard not to laugh. I mean, treasure hidden on an ocean liner? And a stowaway pirate? But I have heard of stranger things, so I held my laugh in.
"Well? What do you think?" asked Byron.
"I think," I replied seriously, "that there isn't much chance of finding a treasure or a stowaway on the Ocean Princess — " The boys groaned.
"But," I went on, "if s true that you don't know what that map is for, so you might as well look around the ship." "WHOOPEE!" cried the boys.
"Quietly," I added.
"Whoopee," whispered Jordan, and everyone laughed.
"Okay, you guys," I said. "Lead the way — quietly." The boys led the way. I followed them. When I got bored, I snapped a few pictures.
Click. I caught the five of them bent over their map, studying it.
Click. I caught Adam peeking under a tarpaulin.
Click. I caught Nicky and David Michael scaring themselves as they backed around the same corner from different directions.
Click, click, click, click.
After awhile, though, even picture-taking began to wear thin. I was bored. I looked at my watch. It was only quarter of eleven.
I sighed — loudly.
"What's the matter?" I was sitting in an indoor lounge that looked like a hotel lobby. Around me, the boys were poking into things, peering behind potted plants, and calling out, "Hey, this would be a good hiding place for a stowaway," or, "I know! That arrow on the map must be the arrow that points down those stairs." I looked up. Standing nearby was a beautiful girl — the one I'd seen in the Seven Seas Beauty Salon on our very first day aboard the Ocean Princess. She looked as lovely and as sophisticated as ever.
I was fascinated. There was the possibility that her parents had been killed. Plus, I knew that both Mallory and Karen had noticed