began to walk out, she realized something that made her stop. Something about Mac’s card was different. She turned back to the desk and looked at it again.
Something was written on the corner of the card. Jessie picked up the card to look at it more closely. There, in the corner, were the letters EB, handwritten with a pen.
EB? Jessie thought. What does that stand for? They weren’t Mac Brody’s initials. That would be MB.
EB … Emily Ballard! Jessie realized suddenly. Emily had said she’d written her initials on her card key. This must be it. That explained why Emily hadn’t been able to find hers—Mac had it.
But what was he doing with it?
Was he using Emily’s because he’d lost his own at Wilson’s?
Jessie quickly laid the key on Mac’s desk. Should she ask Mac about it?
No, she didn’t want him to think she’d been poking around on his desk looking at his personal things. And anyway what would she say to him? Did you take Emily’s card? She couldn’t say that.
She’d have to tell her sister and brothers. Together they’d figure out what to do.
Jessie hurried out to where the others were standing, watching the sharks in the tank.
They seemed to be studying something.
“What are you looking at?” Jessie asked.
Violet turned around. “I just remembered that when we were here yesterday, I noticed something strange.” She pointed into the tank.
“See how all the rocks have algae on them?”
“Yes,” Jessie said.
“Now look at those rocks over there.” Violet pointed to the other side of the tank.
The rocks where Violet was pointing were perfectly clean.
“That’s strange,” Jessie said.
“It is,” Violet agreed. “As if those rocks were just recently added.”
“But why would someone have just added them?” Jessie asked.
“I don’t know,” Violet said.
Benny and Henry had walked to the other side of the tank, to see if they could find anything else unusual. Suddenly Benny shouted, “There’s something behind the rocks! Come look!”
Jessie and Violet ran over. They looked where their brother was pointing. Sharks swam by, still grabbing at the fish that had been tossed into the tank for their dinner. But then the area cleared, and she saw it. Squeezed behind the rocks was a dark blue bag.
“A bag,” Henry said.
“That would explain why those new rocks were added,” Jessie said. “To hide that bag.”
“What’s in the bag?” Violet asked. “Why would it need to be hidden?”
“I don’t know,” said Henry, “but I think we need to find out.”
“It’s a hidden treasure!” Benny shouted.
“Maybe it’s just … I don’t know, something for the fish,” said Violet.
“Could be,” said Jessie. “Or maybe it’s a bag of diamond jewelry.”
“Do you really think that?” Violet asked.
“Well, listen to this.” Jessie told the others about the card key she’d found on Mac’s desk.
“So you think Mac stole the jewelry and hid it in the tank?” asked Violet. “And he borrowed Emily’s card key so no one would know he’d lost his at Wilson’s?”
“Looks that way,” said Jessie.
“But he’s such a nice man,” said Violet.
“It is hard to think of him as a thief,”
Henry agreed. “But it makes sense. It all depends on what’s in the bag.”
“How do we find out?” asked Benny. “Jump in the tank with all those sharks?”
“They just had their dinner, so they probably wouldn’t eat you,” Violet joked, putting her arm around Benny.
“Very funny,” Benny grumbled.
“Let’s go tell Emily,” Henry said. “She’ll know what to do.”
The Aldens hurried to the Dolphin Arena, where Emily had just finished the last show of the day. She was pulling a T-shirt over her bathing suit when the Aldens arrived.
“Hey, guys,” Emily called out.
“We need your help!” Jessie said.
“What’s up?” Emily asked, sitting down on a bench and giving them her full attention. The Aldens told Emily about the card key and
Something was written on the corner of the card. Jessie picked up the card to look at it more closely. There, in the corner, were the letters EB, handwritten with a pen.
EB? Jessie thought. What does that stand for? They weren’t Mac Brody’s initials. That would be MB.
EB … Emily Ballard! Jessie realized suddenly. Emily had said she’d written her initials on her card key. This must be it. That explained why Emily hadn’t been able to find hers—Mac had it.
But what was he doing with it?
Was he using Emily’s because he’d lost his own at Wilson’s?
Jessie quickly laid the key on Mac’s desk. Should she ask Mac about it?
No, she didn’t want him to think she’d been poking around on his desk looking at his personal things. And anyway what would she say to him? Did you take Emily’s card? She couldn’t say that.
She’d have to tell her sister and brothers. Together they’d figure out what to do.
Jessie hurried out to where the others were standing, watching the sharks in the tank.
They seemed to be studying something.
“What are you looking at?” Jessie asked.
Violet turned around. “I just remembered that when we were here yesterday, I noticed something strange.” She pointed into the tank.
“See how all the rocks have algae on them?”
“Yes,” Jessie said.
“Now look at those rocks over there.” Violet pointed to the other side of the tank.
The rocks where Violet was pointing were perfectly clean.
“That’s strange,” Jessie said.
“It is,” Violet agreed. “As if those rocks were just recently added.”
“But why would someone have just added them?” Jessie asked.
“I don’t know,” Violet said.
Benny and Henry had walked to the other side of the tank, to see if they could find anything else unusual. Suddenly Benny shouted, “There’s something behind the rocks! Come look!”
Jessie and Violet ran over. They looked where their brother was pointing. Sharks swam by, still grabbing at the fish that had been tossed into the tank for their dinner. But then the area cleared, and she saw it. Squeezed behind the rocks was a dark blue bag.
“A bag,” Henry said.
“That would explain why those new rocks were added,” Jessie said. “To hide that bag.”
“What’s in the bag?” Violet asked. “Why would it need to be hidden?”
“I don’t know,” said Henry, “but I think we need to find out.”
“It’s a hidden treasure!” Benny shouted.
“Maybe it’s just … I don’t know, something for the fish,” said Violet.
“Could be,” said Jessie. “Or maybe it’s a bag of diamond jewelry.”
“Do you really think that?” Violet asked.
“Well, listen to this.” Jessie told the others about the card key she’d found on Mac’s desk.
“So you think Mac stole the jewelry and hid it in the tank?” asked Violet. “And he borrowed Emily’s card key so no one would know he’d lost his at Wilson’s?”
“Looks that way,” said Jessie.
“But he’s such a nice man,” said Violet.
“It is hard to think of him as a thief,”
Henry agreed. “But it makes sense. It all depends on what’s in the bag.”
“How do we find out?” asked Benny. “Jump in the tank with all those sharks?”
“They just had their dinner, so they probably wouldn’t eat you,” Violet joked, putting her arm around Benny.
“Very funny,” Benny grumbled.
“Let’s go tell Emily,” Henry said. “She’ll know what to do.”
The Aldens hurried to the Dolphin Arena, where Emily had just finished the last show of the day. She was pulling a T-shirt over her bathing suit when the Aldens arrived.
“Hey, guys,” Emily called out.
“We need your help!” Jessie said.
“What’s up?” Emily asked, sitting down on a bench and giving them her full attention. The Aldens told Emily about the card key and
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