it up to them somehow,” Joe replied.
“The storms not to blame for all our troubles, though,” Frank said. “Storms don’t slash tires or shoot blowguns.”
“And it wasn’t even cloudy when someone set El Diablo free,” Joe said, continuing his brother’s thought. He shook his head. “Someone is stirring things up on this island. The question is who, and why?”
“It was very convenient for Lucas McGill to be at Casa Bonita when it caught fire,” Frank said.
“He was there at the boat hijacking and when the bull got loose too,” Joe said. “And he was at the town hall, come to think of it.”
“He’s a shady character, just like Angela said,” Frank observed. “No doubt about it. But what could he gain from all this chaos?”
“What would anyone gain?” Joe replied.
“It could be some kind of hotel insurance scam,” Frank said. “Ms. Aranya could have torched her place for insurance and set up the other stuff to make it look like a general pattern of crime.”
“Or Lopez could be looking to get rid of his hotel’s competition,” Joe suggested.
“Either way, it seems a bit extreme,” Frank said. “This kind of trouble could hurt the whole island’s economy.”
As the brothers pondered the mysterious case they found themselves thrust into, they felt the tension in the room grow. A crowd gathered in the center of the gymnasium, and the mayor stepped on top of a chair in the middle of the throng.
“Everyone stay calm!” the mayor said. “This building is safe. We have plenty of food and fresh water. Everyone will be all right.”
“What about our homes?” someone called.
“And our businesses?” asked another.
“Tourism is already down,” said a third. “We will be ruined!”
“All this trouble has made our property nearly worthless!”
“Never mind all that,” someone said. “I have family missing out in the storm. What am I going to do about that?”
The murmur grew to a dull roar. The mayor waved her hands, palms down, to quiet the crowd. Rodrigo Lopez stepped forward and stood on a chair next to the mayor. “I am organizing volunteer search parties to assist the police,” he said. “We will look for missing people and help anyone who is injured. We won’t wait for the storm to end. If youare interested, meet me by the main doors.” He got down and headed in that direction, followed by a handful of people.
Jorge Tejeda stepped up onto the empty chair. “I have faith in our town,” he said. “Nuevo Esteban will bounce back from this disaster. I will help locate buyers for those who cannot afford to rebuild damaged property themselves and for those who do not wish to rebuild—as I have done after past storms. Recovery will be a long, arduous task, but Nuevo Esteban will rise again. This I promise you.”
The two short speeches calmed the crowd. Most of those present drifted back to their personal business. Shortly thereafter Iola and Callie returned. They looked worried.
“What’s wrong?” Frank asked Callie.
“Did you talk to your parents?” Joe added.
“I got them on the phone,” Callie replied. “But we couldn’t find Angela.”
“She’s not at the other shelters, and no one seems to have seen her,” Iola said.
The brothers stood up. “We’ll go with the search parties,” Frank said, “and try to find her.”
“You two stay here,” Joe added. “No sense in all of us trudging into the storm again.”
“Besides, we need someone here in case Angela shows up,” Frank finished.
Iola and Callie glanced nervously at each other.Callie finally said, “Okay. Keep the heroics to a minimum, though. All right?”
Frank nodded at her and gave her a quick hug. “You bet.”
“Don’t get hurt,” Iola said to Joe.
The younger Hardy smiled. “What, me? Never.”
The brothers joined the small crowd gathered with Lopez near the doorway. They saw Luis the handyman, Jose Ruiz, Pablo Ruiz, and Jorge Tejeda among the crowd as well.
“I
“The storms not to blame for all our troubles, though,” Frank said. “Storms don’t slash tires or shoot blowguns.”
“And it wasn’t even cloudy when someone set El Diablo free,” Joe said, continuing his brother’s thought. He shook his head. “Someone is stirring things up on this island. The question is who, and why?”
“It was very convenient for Lucas McGill to be at Casa Bonita when it caught fire,” Frank said.
“He was there at the boat hijacking and when the bull got loose too,” Joe said. “And he was at the town hall, come to think of it.”
“He’s a shady character, just like Angela said,” Frank observed. “No doubt about it. But what could he gain from all this chaos?”
“What would anyone gain?” Joe replied.
“It could be some kind of hotel insurance scam,” Frank said. “Ms. Aranya could have torched her place for insurance and set up the other stuff to make it look like a general pattern of crime.”
“Or Lopez could be looking to get rid of his hotel’s competition,” Joe suggested.
“Either way, it seems a bit extreme,” Frank said. “This kind of trouble could hurt the whole island’s economy.”
As the brothers pondered the mysterious case they found themselves thrust into, they felt the tension in the room grow. A crowd gathered in the center of the gymnasium, and the mayor stepped on top of a chair in the middle of the throng.
“Everyone stay calm!” the mayor said. “This building is safe. We have plenty of food and fresh water. Everyone will be all right.”
“What about our homes?” someone called.
“And our businesses?” asked another.
“Tourism is already down,” said a third. “We will be ruined!”
“All this trouble has made our property nearly worthless!”
“Never mind all that,” someone said. “I have family missing out in the storm. What am I going to do about that?”
The murmur grew to a dull roar. The mayor waved her hands, palms down, to quiet the crowd. Rodrigo Lopez stepped forward and stood on a chair next to the mayor. “I am organizing volunteer search parties to assist the police,” he said. “We will look for missing people and help anyone who is injured. We won’t wait for the storm to end. If youare interested, meet me by the main doors.” He got down and headed in that direction, followed by a handful of people.
Jorge Tejeda stepped up onto the empty chair. “I have faith in our town,” he said. “Nuevo Esteban will bounce back from this disaster. I will help locate buyers for those who cannot afford to rebuild damaged property themselves and for those who do not wish to rebuild—as I have done after past storms. Recovery will be a long, arduous task, but Nuevo Esteban will rise again. This I promise you.”
The two short speeches calmed the crowd. Most of those present drifted back to their personal business. Shortly thereafter Iola and Callie returned. They looked worried.
“What’s wrong?” Frank asked Callie.
“Did you talk to your parents?” Joe added.
“I got them on the phone,” Callie replied. “But we couldn’t find Angela.”
“She’s not at the other shelters, and no one seems to have seen her,” Iola said.
The brothers stood up. “We’ll go with the search parties,” Frank said, “and try to find her.”
“You two stay here,” Joe added. “No sense in all of us trudging into the storm again.”
“Besides, we need someone here in case Angela shows up,” Frank finished.
Iola and Callie glanced nervously at each other.Callie finally said, “Okay. Keep the heroics to a minimum, though. All right?”
Frank nodded at her and gave her a quick hug. “You bet.”
“Don’t get hurt,” Iola said to Joe.
The younger Hardy smiled. “What, me? Never.”
The brothers joined the small crowd gathered with Lopez near the doorway. They saw Luis the handyman, Jose Ruiz, Pablo Ruiz, and Jorge Tejeda among the crowd as well.
“I
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