The Legend of the Emerald Lady by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2001-01-02T05:00:00+00:00

9

A Poisonous Plot

“Pierre's not here,” Ned cried. “We've got to save Bess, quick!”

Nancy and Ned swam toward Bess, their flippers propelling them through the water in a flash. In seconds Nancy saw three dark shapes hovering around Bess's legs.

Nancy didn't know much about barracuda, except that they did sometimes attack humans. These, about seven feet long, looked vicious and ready to lunge at any second.

One of the barracuda opened its mouth to expose razor-sharp teeth. When it saw Nancy and Ned, it shot backward, observing them through lidless eyes. Nancy shivered—it was like a totally alien creature.

Another barracuda plunged toward Bess. She screamed as it darted at her finger. A gold ring she wore gleamed in the water.

Nancy and Ned lifted their heads and spat out their snorkels. “Get your hand out of the water, Bess—now!” Ned shouted. Bess obeyed him instantly, and the barracuda stopped short. Bess stared at the fish, paralyzed with shock.

“Ned, do you have any coins or keys on you?” Nancy asked tensely.

“Yeah, in my pocket. Why?”

“Drop them in the water,” Nancy urged.

Reaching into the pocket of his swim trunks, Ned pulled out several coins and dropped them on the sandy ocean floor. To Nancy's relief, all three barracuda instantly dove for the coins.

“Wow!” Ned exclaimed, staring at the three huge fish. Then he quickly refocused on their predicament. “Let's get Bess back to shore!”

Nancy and Ned each grabbed one of her arms and hauled Bess into shallower water. Clouds of sand roiled through the water as the barracuda continued to dive-bomb the coins. “Are you okay, Bess?” Nancy asked as they waded toward land.

Coughing up sea water, Bess nodded. “I'm okay,” she sputtered bravely.

Once safely on the beach, Ned asked, “So, Nancy, how did you know that barracuda would go for those coins?”

After catching her breath, Nancy said, “When the barracuda went for Bess's ring, I figured it liked it because it was shiny.” Taking off her flippers and mask, she went on, “So I got the idea that dropping something shiny might distract them for a minute.” She flashed him a smile. “But I thought it was a long shot you'd have coins in your bathing suit pocket, Ned.”

Ned chuckled. “Well, you never know where a soda machine will turn up.”

“Definitely not on Pirate's Rock,” Bess said glumly as she plopped down on her towel. “This place is like no-man's-land. And now Pierre's skipped out on us.”

“Where'd he go?” Ned asked.

“To check out a reef on the other side of the island. He said it has awesome fish,” Bess answered. “He wanted to make sure the current wasn't too strong there for us. He said we'd be safe here without him, and I was just on my way to join you guys when those barracuda showed up.”

Nancy scanned the cove. The sun beat down on the beach and the scrubby island vegetation. Other than a few mangroves off to the right, there were no other trees in sight.

“There's not a whole lot of shade here,” Nancy commented.

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