by Bindi Irwin
The girls nodded. Meena lived in a little apartment a few streets away.
Meena narrowed her eyes. ‘Once you get there, don’t leave, okay? Just shut the door, make yourself at home, and I’ll be back soon.’
‘Okay,’ Bindi said. She gently took Lucky out of her pocket. ‘At least you’ll get some dinner, tiny buddy.’
Lucky flicked out his tongue.
Meena hailed a cab and climbed in. ‘Remember what I said? Once you get to my place, stay there!’ She smiled. ‘See you soon.’ She closed the car door and the cab drove off.
Bindi and Kelly looked at each other.
‘Once we get to Meena’s place, we’ll stay there, won’t we, Bindi?’
‘We will, Kelly. I promise. But until then, let’s go catch those shark finners!’
‘What can you see?’
Bindi and Kelly were pressed up against the back of an old tin shed only metres from the Feyrun.
Bindi peeped around the corner. The afternoon light was beginning to fade, but she could see the vessel quite clearly. ‘There’s a fisherman in a captain’s cap inside the cabin,’ she reported in a whisper. ‘The door’s shut. No-one is on deck. But there might be someone down below.’
‘Well I reckon we should get onboard and see what we can find. If Cap’n Sharkbait comes out, we’ll just pretend we’re naughty kids. And if he tries anything funny, we’ll scream blue murder!’ Kelly had a way of getting straight to the point.
Having checked no-one was watching, the two girls walked quickly to the boat side. A set of steps led up to a short gangway with handrails that crossed onto the deck. So long as they weren’t spotted, they’d have no trouble getting onboard.
They checked on the fisherman in the cabin. He had his back to them, and was looking down at something.
As fast as geckos they ran up the steps and jumped onto the deck. Keeping out of the man’s sightlines, they sized up their surroundings.
‘I bet we find a shark fin or two lying around,’ Kelly whispered.
Bindi wasn’t so sure. Everything looked shipshape.
She spotted the long line on a big mechanised reel at the back of the boat. ‘That’s what’s causing all the trouble.’
Kelly nodded. ‘Yep. Not as bad as drift net fishing, but close.’
Bindi looked around. ‘Where are all the fish they caught, do you think?
‘Maybe below deck? Let’s check it out.’
With one eye on the fisherman in the cabin, the girls bent low and ran across to the open hatch near the rear of the deck. They peered down into the hull.
It was dark, but they could see that it was empty. No fish and, by the look of it, not much of anything else either. The boat’s crew must have already unloaded the catch.
Bindi glanced back to check on the man. He’d turned around and was heading for the cabin door. He hadn’t seen them, but he would any second.
She grabbed Kelly’s arm. ‘Quick. Down the hatch!’
The girls scrambled down the ladder into the darkness. When they reached the bottom, they held hands and shuffled forward, their arms stretched out. They quickly found the side of the boat, and followed it around.
Looking back, they could just make out the man, standing by the hatch above. He hadn’t begun to descend the ladder, but he looked like he was about to.
Bindi’s foot struck something. She reached out her hands. It was a stack of heavy plastic crates. Pulling Kelly with her, she felt her way around the crates. They crouched down behind them.
It was dark, dank and smelly in the boat’s hull. Bindi’s heart was pounding. She felt in her pocket for Lucky. He was still there. She gently lifted him out and patted his head. ‘We really need some of your luck now, Lucky,’ she whispered so quietly even Kelly didn’t hear.
At that second the place was bathed in light. The man must have flicked a switch above deck.
It gave them a start – especially Lucky. He leapt out of Bindi’s hand, scuttled through the side of the bottom crate and vanished.
The fisherman was still standing on deck by the open hatch. They could see his feet.
‘Maybe he’s waiting for someone,’ Kelly whispered. ‘We should have a quick look around while the light’s on.’
‘Okay, but first I have to find Lucky!’
Bindi peered through the gaps in the bottom crate. She spotted the little gecko. He was motionless, hiding by the crate’s other side.
Lucky! Bindi tried to poke her fingers through the holes, but she couldn’t reach him. ‘I’ll have to move all the crates off the top, and get to him that way,’ she whispered to Kelly.
‘Well you better wait until Cap’n Sharkbait leaves, otherwise he’ll hear us.’
Just then Lucky darted out from the crate and across the floor. He scurried up the side of a brown sack in the opposite corner, only stopping when he was right on top.
Bindi glanced up at the hatch. The fisherman’s feet were still visible. He hadn’t moved, but Bindi had no idea where he was looking or what he could see from up there.
She decided to chance it. She had to get Lucky back, and they had to try to get some proof about the shark finning fast, so they could get back to Meena’s before she arrived home.
Bindi dashed silently across to Lucky, keeping low. When she’d reached the sack, she crouched down beside it, out of sight of the hatch.
In fact, there were two sacks. Bindi hadn’t noticed them before. They were made of hessian, and tied up with yellow string . . . and they smelled fishy!
Bindi put out her hand and invited Lucky to climb on. He did.
‘Good boy, Lucky.’ She kissed him lightly and popped him back in her pocket.
‘What’s in the sacks?’ Kelly hissed from behind the crates.
‘Don’t know yet.’
Bindi pulled at the yellow string ties on one of the sacks, but they’d been knotted tight. She tugged again. They didn’t untie. She’d have to pick the knots loose. It could take ages.
She started on the first knot. Whoever had tied up the sacks had done a good job. It seemed to take hours to pick the knot loose. Still there was another knot to go.
A voice shouted something loud in Dhevehi. Bindi ducked down behind the sack.
She heard a second voice. Now there were two men talking.
Bindi checked the hatch. She couldn’t see the man’s feet.
She sat up on her haunches and started work on the second knot. This one also seemed to take forever. She could hear the men talking above. Any minute now, she was sure they’d climb down the ladder and discover them.
Finally the knot was loose. She tugged on the strings and pulled the top of the sack open.
It was a grisly sight. There must have been a hundred shark fins, and that was in just one sack. The smell was very strong.
Bindi held her nose with one hand, took a small fin from the top and held it up for Kelly to see.
‘You found ’em!’ Kelly said. ‘Good work, Bindi.’
Bindi gave her friend a quick smile. ‘I didn’t find them. Lucky did!’
At that moment Bindi heard a sound she’d been dreading: footsteps on the ladder. Someone was on their way down.
‘Sharkbait’s coming! Get back over here!’ Kelly was whispering so loudly Bindi was sure the fisherman would hear.
Bindi tried to dash back to Kelly, but she slipped. The fin fell from her hand and slid across the floor out of reach.
Bindi only had time to skitter across and huddle behind the crate before the fisherman stepped down off the ladder.
The crates hid them well, but the girls remained as silent and still as statues, barely breathing. Kelly found Bindi’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Bindi squeezed back.
Through the holes in the crates they wat
ched as a large man dressed in a smart grey business suit followed the fisherman down the ladder.
When the large man was safely down, the fisherman led him to the two hessian bags in the corner. Noticing one of the bags was open, the fisherman said something loud in Dhivehi and seemed to grumble to himself. Spotting the fin that Bindi had dropped, he walked over and picked it up, grumbling some more.
Bindi grimaced. That was the evidence she needed, and now Cap’n Sharkbait had it.
He handed the fin to the man in the suit, who examined it briefly before nodding and returning it to the sack.
Bindi’s heart sank. There was little chance of getting a fin to take back to the police now.
As Sharkbait concentrated on tying up the sack, the large man in the suit reached into his inside jacket pocket.
Bindi held her breath, her face frozen in fear. What if he pulled out a gun? She squeezed Kelly’s hand. The girls glanced sideways at each other, their eyes wide.
The man withdrew his hand. Bindi could see he was holding a large wad of money. She let out a little sigh of relief.
Sharkbait straightened up and looked at the money in the other man’s hand.
Standing with his feet apart, the man in the suit began to count it. He flicked through the notes, licking his finger every now and then to separate them.
When the large man was done he handed the wad to Sharkbait, who proceeded to count it himself. Satisfied, the fisherman then stuffed the money into his back pocket.
The two men chatted for a moment and then shook hands. The large man in the suit smiled, revealing a gold tooth. He turned and began to climb the ladder. Bindi noticed the flash of gold rings on his hands and a heavy gold watch on his wrist. Gold Tooth must have a lot of money, she decided.
Still undiscovered in their hiding place, the girls watched as Sharkbait hoisted one of the sacks onto his shoulder and climbed the ladder.
‘I’ve got to get a shark fin before he comes back,’ Bindi whispered as soon as he was out of sight. Without waiting for Kelly to answer she ran across to the sack of fins still sitting in the corner.
She looked at the knot. Phew! This time it had been tied in a bow.
Unfortunately, Sharkbait had made a double bow. Bindi only had time to untie it before she heard the familiar sound of footsteps on the ladder.
She scrabbled to pull the sack open but again was forced to dash back to Kelly.
Not noticing that the sack was now untied, Sharkbait hoisted it onto his shoulder and climbed back up the ladder.
When he’d disappeared through the hatch, Kelly mimed slapping her friend on the back. ‘Good try, Bindi! You nearly did it!’
‘Nearly, but not quite.’ Bindi sighed.
‘Well, we can’t give up now. We have to get our hands on some evidence to show that policeman so we can stop these guys from killing all those innocent sharks.’
Bindi took a deep breath. Kelly was right. They couldn’t give up now. They had to catch these sea robbers.
She reached into her pocket to pat Lucky. With his help, she was sure they could do it.
‘Okay, Kelly. Time for Plan B,’ she said in a low voice.
‘Good idea, Bindi. Just one question.’
‘Yes?’
‘What’s Plan B?’
The cabin door banged shut. The girls waited for a moment, then Bindi ran to the ladder. She climbed as quickly and quietly as she could. When she reached the top, she peered over the hatch, keeping out of sight.
It was getting dark. Lights from the city beyond the wharf threw dancing reflections onto the black water. Meena would surely be back by now and wondering where they were. But the girls couldn’t give up now.
The boat’s deck was deserted. A single light shone, just above the cabin door, but much of the deck and the gangway was in shadow. Bindi looked about her – it was dark but she was certain the sacks were not on the deck.
She checked the cabin. She could just make out the two men through the porthole. They were talking. One of them raised a small glass to his lips. The liquid in the glass looked like milky tea.
Bindi climbed down a few rungs and called softly to Kelly. ‘All clear.’
Kelly appeared at the foot of the ladder and scrambled up.
Bindi checked the cabin again. The two men were still talking. Neither was looking in the direction of the deck or the hatch, but that could change at any second.
‘Quick!’ Bindi whispered down to Kelly. ‘Go raise the alarm! I’ll stay here and see if I can waylay them until you get back!’
Kelly nodded up at Bindi.
Checking on the men in the cabin one last time, Bindi scrambled up through the hatch and onto the deck, keeping low and out of sight.
Kelly followed.
Bindi gave Kelly’s hand a squeeze. Then Kelly was off, ducking along the deck towards the gangway.
In seconds she was back on the wharf and hiding behind a big black shiny car now parked under a lamp-post not far from the moored boat. It must belong to Gold Tooth, Bindi surmised.
Kelly’s head popped up. She gave Bindi a quick wave then ran across to the shed they’d hidden behind earlier. In a blink she disappeared into darkness.
Bindi looked around her. She needed a hiding place while she figured out what to do next.
A set of steps near the long line reel led up onto a roof over part of the deck. With her eye on the cabin occupants, she darted across and sat behind them, in the shadows and out of sight.
As Bindi got her breath back she thought through what to do next. The men would finish their tea soon. She guessed they’d then unload the sacks of shark fins and put them into the car parked on the wharf.
Somehow she had to slow them down long enough until Kelly returned with the police.
Bindi reached into her pocket and gently lifted out Lucky. He looked up at her before doing his clever trick, giving each of his eyes a quick lick.
‘We’ve got to stop them, Lucky,’ she whispered to her little friend. ‘But how?’
She looked around again. Right beside her lay an enormous spare reel of fishing line the size of a car wheel. She could see where the end of the line had been taped to the side of the reel.
Popping Lucky back in her pocket, she reached over and picked at the tape on the reel’s side with her fingernail. The edge came up easily.
Bindi peeled off the tape, pulled on the end of the line, and began to unwind it from the reel. She knew she didn’t have much time.
‘Okay, tiny buddy,’ she whispered to Lucky as she worked. ‘Let’s play cat’s cradle.’
When Bindi had unwound several metres of fishing line, she grabbed the end and sneaked across the deck to the gangway.
Working in the dark, she wound the line around the bottom of the railing. Then she began to weave the fishing line back and forth across the gangway, creating a tangled maze.
Every now and then she glanced towards the cabin. She saw Gold Tooth throw back his head and down the last of his tea. Any second now he’d be ready to go, she thought. She’d have to move extra fast.
Bindi reached the far end of the gangway and kept going. She wound the line back and forth across the stairs, climbing down the steps backwards into the darkness as she worked.
At the bottom she glanced up. The light was on in the cabin, but it was empty. The two men seemed to have vanished.
Bindi’s heart leapt. Where were they? She scoured the deck. Although most of it was in shadow, she was sure it was empty. Her gaze moved to the front of the boat, but it was also bathed in shadow. She couldn’t make out anything. She’d just have to continue.
She tied the fishing line to the bottom of the stairs and quickly viewed her work. With a bit of luck, she thought, they wouldn’t see it, and would trip. She glanced bac
k at the cabin. The men had reappeared. It seemed they had just been bending down. Now they were moving towards the cabin door, Sharkbait in front.
Bindi ran to the parked car. Hiding out of sight, she lifted Lucky from her pocket and placed him on the boot lid. If they did get as far as the car, maybe Lucky could slow them down.
Lucky didn’t move. He seemed to understand what his role was. He was the last line of defence. If they somehow got to the car with the sacks of shark fins, Lucky might find a way to delay them for a few more seconds.
Leaving the gecko on the car boot, Bindi dashed across to the old shed, and hid in the shadows out of sight.
Almost immediately the cabin door opened.
Bindi held her breath. Phew! That was so close!
Sharkbait stepped out of the way to let Gold Tooth through the door. The fisherman then came through, heaving a sack of shark fins onto his shoulder as he did so.
Again the men shook hands before picking their way across the deck in the direction of the gangway.
Bindi watched. She was frozen, almost unable to breath. Would it work? At least she’d given it her best shot. She’d tried to stop these people from killing sharks in this horrible way.
Gold Tooth reached the gangway. Gripping the rail he stepped onto it. Nothing happened.
His load still on his shoulder, Sharkbait stood behind, waiting for Gold Tooth to clear the gangway.
Bindi crossed her fingers. Then she crossed her toes. She made a wish. Bring us some luck, Lucky, please! We have to catch these guys!
She looked over at Lucky. He was perched on the car boot directly above the lock. Despite the darkness, Bindi was sure she saw his little tongue flick out. She closed her eyes . . .
An almighty thump was followed by a loud splash. Bindi’s eyes flew open. Gold Tooth had disappeared.
She heard a shout. With the sack still on his shoulder, Sharkbait rushed forward to help the other man, who could now be heard splashing furiously in the water below.
