“Please,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “Let me explain.”
10
The Confession
Frank and Joe just stood there, shocked. They had never suspected that Sir Reginald’s daughter had anything to do with the case. She’d just sat there listening when the boys had questioned her parents. They’d had no idea that she was the thief!
“Melinda?” Frank asked. He could barely remember her name. “Why would you steal your dad’s watch? We’ve been looking all over for it. Your parents were so upset.”
“I’m upset!” she said, tears on her cheeks. “This isn’t my father’s watch. This is my grandfather’s watch. It was his, and now my dad is selling it.”
“But your parents said they have to,” Joe tried to explain.
Melinda shook her head. “I don’t care. I don’t want them to. . . . I was so close to my grandpa before he died. He called me Little Lindy. And he always carried this watch around. It’s been in our family forever. If they sell it, what do I have to remember him by?”
Frank lowered his head. He felt a little bad for Melinda now. He could tell the watch meant something to her, and she was very upset her parents were selling it. But she still shouldn’t have taken it without asking. “You could’ve told your parents how you felt,” he said.
“They wouldn’t have listened,” Melinda said. “They never listen.”
“So you just took it?” Frank asked.
“When they left the room Friday afternoon, I took it from the case. Then when they were talking to Ollie and Margaret, I told them I needed something in the room. I used that time to get dressed, go down to the game room, and hide it. I know how crazy it must seem, but I didn’t know what else to do,” Melinda said.
“Well, I’m sure they’ll be happy to see it again,” Joe said. “Why don’t we all go to your parents’ cabin and talk about this? We know you’re upset, but your parents are upset too. You need to tell them the truth.”
Melinda bit her lip. Her eyes filled with tears again. “I don’t want to,” she said. She wiped her cheeks off as she spoke.
“I think there is something you need to give back,” Frank said. He held out his hand. “We’ll help you.”
Slowly, without saying a word, she gave the watch to Frank. Then she followed them up the stairs to the family’s cabin, where her parents were waiting to hear news of the stakeout.
• • • •
“Melinda dear,” Mrs. Heartpence said. “We just wish you would’ve told us you were upset. We had no idea.”
She and Sir Reginald sat on the couch in their cabin. Mrs. Heartpence held her daughter’s hand.
“I wanted to, but I didn’t know how,” Melinda said.
Her brother, Andrew, just shook his head. “We’ve had the whole ship looking for that watch! I can’t believe you did this, Mel.”
“It’s all right,” Mr. Hardy said. He stood beside Mrs. Hardy and the boys, looking on. “We were all happy to help. We’re just glad we found it.”
“Melinda, we don’t want to get rid of the watch either, but we have to. It’ll help pay for the house, and for your and Andrew’s college education. Your grandfather would’ve wanted to help us do that,” Sir Reginald added.
“But if we sell it, I won’t have anything to remember him by,” Melinda said sadly.
“That’s the thing, though,” Mrs. Heartpence replied. “We’ll have our memories of him. And pictures. Remember that time he took you to the zoo? You were in love with the bears, and he sat there with you for hours, just watching them. He loved being around you.”
“Or the time he brought you to the sweetshop in the city?” Sir Reginald continued. “You two had frozen hot chocolate. You talked about that for months afterward. You had the greatest time.”
Melinda sniffed back tears. She smiled at the memory. “That was the best day.”
“See, dear?” Mrs. Heartpence said. “It doesn’t matter if we have the watch or not. Your grandfather will always be with us. We think about him all the time. How could we not?”
Sir Reginald gave his daughter a big hug. For the first time Joe noticed that the red scarf Melinda had worn as a disguise was Sir Reginald’s scarf. It was the same one he’d worn the first day of the cruise.
Then Sir Reginald turned away and stood up from the couch. He clapped Frank and Joe on their backs. “You boys did an amazing job,” he said. “If it weren’t for you, we never would’ve talked about this. We might not have found the watch at all. I can’t thank you enough.”
“We’re happy we solved the case,” Joe said. “And the watch is back to its rightful owner.”
Frank and Joe turned to leave, their parents right behind them. Before they could reach the door, Sir Reginald called out to them, “Tomorrow, when we pull into the harbor, I’d like you to be my special guests at the auction. They’ll be a huge party afterward. A giant feast with music and dancing! Will you join us?”
Mr. Hardy looked at the boys. Frank and Joe smiled. A party sounded like the perfect reward for their hard work.
• • • •
The band played a fast song, and Frank and Joe danced on the open roof deck. From the top of the tallest building in Miami, they could see the entire harbor, including the giant cruise ship.
“This has been the best part of the trip so far!” Frank exclaimed. Across the dance floor his mom and dad swung each other around. They were really getting into the music.
“My favorite part was the chocolate fountain,” Joe said. They’d spent more than an hour dipping strawberries and marshmallows into it. Joe still had chocolate around his top lip.
Frank was about to say something about the coconut cake, or the giant stack of lemon candies that were piled high on the dessert table, but then Melinda came over to them. The party was ending. Mr. Hardy waved at them to get their coats.
“Thank you guys again,” Melinda said. “You were right. I should’ve just told my parents what was wrong.”
“No problem,” Joe said. “We had fun on our stakeout. You were a tough thief to catch!”
Melinda’s cheeks turned bright red. “Well, I’m glad you caught me. I might’ve never told my parents. I was so scared once I’d taken the watch. I didn’t even know what to do with it!”
Across the room Sir Reginald chatted loudly with his friends. He held his wife’s hand. He looked happier than he had all weekend. Frank looked at him, then back at Melinda. “That was one place your dad would never have found it. The T. rex’s mouth!”
Joe, Frank, and Melinda all laughed. “Is that game any good?” Melinda asked.
“Good? It’s the best game on the ship!” Frank said. “It’s called Dino Ball. We’ll teach you sometime.”
“How about now?” Melinda laughed. “I could use some friends. My parents decided not to punish me . . . at least not yet. This might be my last night of freedom.”
Joe smiled. “Well, come on, then!” he said. “Let’s go back to the ship. Dino Ball is waiting . . . and so is our Soaker Shooter.”
“What’s a Soaker Shooter?” Melinda asked.
“We’ll explain later,” Frank said. He looked at his brother. Now they could enjoy the rest of their vacation. They couldn’t wait!
SECRET FILES CASE #15: SOLVED!
CATCH UP ON ALL THE HARDY BOYS ® SECRET FILES
#1 Trouble at the Arcade
#2 The Missing Mitt
#3 Mystery Map
#4 Hopping Mad
#5 A Monster of a Mystery
#6 The Bicycle Thief
#7 The Disappearing Dog
#8 Sports Sabotage
#9 The Great Coaster Caper
#10 A Rockin’ Mystery
#11 Robot Rumble
#12 Lights, Camera . . . Zombies!
#13 Balloon Blow-Up
#14 Fossil Frenzy
#15 Ship of Secrets
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places a
re used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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First Aladdin paperback edition August 2014
Text copyright © 2014 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Scott Burroughs
Series design by Lisa Vega
Cover design by Karina Granda
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
ALADDIN is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and related logo is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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The text of this book was set in Garamond.
Library of Congress Control Number 2014939259
ISBN 978-1-4424-9045-1
ISBN 978-1-4424-9046-8 (eBook)
Ship of Secrets Page 4
