Read Online Deadly Waters by Gloria Skurzynski - Free Book Online Page B

and pretended to look through the glass at some comic books on a display rack. Tugging Bridger’s arm, he whispered, “Hey, hold up a minute. What’s wrong?”
    â€œNothin’.” Bridger hardly slowed down.
    Hurrying to catch up, Jack asked. “You sure? Come on. You can tell me.”
    Bridger turned his head halfway for a quick glance at Jack, as if deciding whether it was worth answering. “OK,” he said, “it’s just—”
    â€œJust what?”
    â€œFrankie trusted me, and I screwed up.” He kept walking, hands in pockets, staring down at the path in front of him.
    â€œHey, Bridger, it’s not your fault. You didn’t know about sharks and manatees. I didn’t, either.”
    â€œBut I was in charge.”
    Through the rest of the walk, Jack tried to persuade Bridger not to blame himself, but Bridger just clammed up and kept shaking his head.
    â€œHere’s where we’re going to eat,” Steven called back. “Right there.” The Captain’s Table Restaurant hovered against the water’s edge. As the five of them made their way toward the carved wooden doors, a swarm of mosquitoes covered them like a black mist.
    â€œThey’re in my hair!” Ashley cried. “Jack, there’s a bunch of them on your back.” Bridger swatted his cowboy hat through the air, while Steven smacked at his own neck with loud slaps.
    â€œThese are awful!” Olivia said, yanking open the door and hurrying the rest of them inside.
    A plump woman, her pale eyes lined with indigo blue, greeted them with a knowing smile. “Welcome to The Captain’s Table. Skeeters got ya, huh? Here in the Everglades, we consider the mosquiter our state bird. In the old days, houses had a skeeter room where people could brush them off so they didn’t drag the critters through the rest of the house, but we don’t have rooms like that anymore.” She gave a light laugh, then ushered the Landons and Bridger around a corner and into the main dining hall.
    The feeling of phantom mosquitoes on his skin made Jack itch all over, even though he knew nothing was on him, and even though he wasn’t the one mosquitoes usually feasted on. Imagine needing a special room in your house to debug yourself! He was just deciding he would never want to live in a place like Everglades City when he noticed the restaurant’s wall of glass windows, with the sun setting behind them.
    A blazing ball of gold burnished a sky streaked with bronze and amber, and lit waves that looked as if a giant brush had been dipped in glitter and then painted across the horizon. Luminous colors sparkled in a pattern of light and dark, moving and shimmering, while boats bobbed at the pier, their masts cutting into the sky like church spires. Palm trees thrust dark silhouettes against the rosy dusk—the whole scene took Jack’s breath away. Suddenly, a few bug bites in exchange for this spectacular view seemed a small price to pay.
    â€œI’ll sit you right by the windows so you can watch the sunset,” the woman said, handing them their menus. “Enjoy your dinner, folks.”
    Jack couldn’t be bothered to read the menu, not with this beauty in front of him. If only he’d had his camera, he could have captured the spectacular scene on film. The thought made his chest ache.
    â€œWhat’s the matter, Jack?” Olivia asked. “You look like you’re ready to—”
    She was probably going to say “cry,” but caught herself in time so she wouldn’t embarrass Jack in front of Bridger.
    â€œI was thinking about my camera being stolen.”
    â€œOh. Well, I told you insurance should cover it, honey. What a day you kids had—first a thief, then a manatee, then a shark!”
    Steven unrolled his linen napkin and set his silverware to the side of his plate. “You know, I think the part about that man stealing your