The Emerald Quest by Renee Pawlish

were laid. She ran a hand along the spines, reading titles.
    “I don’t know which books would be the best.” She made a ‘tsk’ sound. “They’re quite old and Poppy didn’t take care of them very well. He should’ve gotten them out of this humidity.”
    “Knock, knock,” a voice called, and the front screen door rattled.
    Deidra stood up. “Mr. Thorndike, come on in.”
    A wizened old man let himself in. “Hello Miss Deidra. How y’all doing today?”
    “Fine, thank you. Just cleaning some things up in Poppy’s yard.”
    The old man eyed the strangers.
    “Mr. Thorndike, I’d like you to meet Noah, Anthony, and Juan Carlo,” Deidra introduced them. “They came here hoping to ask Poppy some questions about the Keys.”
    “I see,” Mr. Thorndike said. “James and I spent a lot of years around these Keys, hee-hee. I expect I’m about as old as the Keys myself.”
    “Maybe you know the place they’re looking for,” Deidra said. “The Island of the Barracudas?”
    “Island of the Barracudas.” Mr. Thorndike rubbed at his gray beard stubble. “Now that takes me back. I seem to recall that folks used to call Copper Key that. ‘Cause of all the barracudas around it.” He winked at Noah.
    “Really?” Noah perked up. “Are you sure Copper Key is it?”
    Mr. Thorndike nodded slowly. “I believe so. They say a long time ago pirates gave it that name.”
    Noah stared at him, eyes wide. “Are there really barracudas there?”
    “Not anymore,” Mr. Thorndike laughed. “At least not that I’ve heard.”
    “Is there a cave on Copper Key as well?” Anthony asked. “One that’s hard to dive because of the currents?”
    “Yes, sir.” Mr. Thorndike answered. “I’ve heard about that cave. Supposed to be on the north side. But you can’t go there. That Key is owned by Isaiah Wright. There’s no way he’ll let you on the island.”
    “I’ve heard of him,” Noah said, remembering things he’d heard from his parents.
    Isaiah Wright was a recluse who had lived on Copper Key for over fifty years. He rarely left the island, where he had a full staff of house servants to take care of him, and he closely guarded his privacy. Boats patrolled the waters around the Key and sentries watched the boat dock twenty-four hours a day to keep strangers out. Wright himself was an expert marksman, and had been known to shoot at unwanted ‘guests’.
    “Thank you for the information.” Juan Carlo reached out and shook Mr. Thorndike’s hand.
    “You’ve been very helpful,” Deidra patted Mr. Thorndike on the shoulder. “I don’t know if we would’ve found that in any of Poppy’s books.”
    Noah looked at the books on the shelves. After all that time they’d spent in the library, he was grateful for Mr. Thorndike’s information. No more perusing books, at least for now.
    “Should we tell Chief Burton about this?” Noah asked as they drove off.
    Anthony shook his head. “If we do, who knows what the police will do. They could keep us from looking there ourselves and delay things.”
    “I think Anthony is right,” Juan Carlo said. “We must find the chest with the etched-glass pieces ourselves. That is the best hope for your parents.”
    “Now I know why Dad didn’t tell me about the 4x4 cave,” Noah said. “He wasn’t supposed to be diving there.”
    “And we aren’t either,” Anthony said. “But that’s not going to stop us.”
    ***
    The sun had set by the time the Explorer rounded the north end of Copper Key. Located nine miles west of Key West, the thirty-acre island had a beautiful sandy beach with towering palm trees on the south side. Isaiah Wright had built himself a huge mansion close to the shore, complete with a guest house nearby. This part of the island was idyllic. But the north side was lined with a rising rocky shore leading up to a jagged cliff face. Reefs close to the shore made landing a boat here impossible. Approaching without being seen by Wright’s patrolling boats