The Mystery of Adventure Island by Paul Moxham Page A

first. “There’s a cabin that the men use in the woods. We haven’t searched it, but—”
    “That sounds like a good spot. Is there anything else on this island?” The woman pointed towards the church. “What’s down there?”
    “Oh, nothing much. It’s a ruin,” Joe said, “so I don’t think the paintings would be in there. There are some caves though, but we explored all of them and couldn’t find anything.”
    “There’s also a lighthouse, but it was high tide so we couldn’t get across and see what it was like,” Will said.
    Nancy nodded. “The one that sounds the most promising is the cabin. Do you want to lead the way?”
    “ Oka y, but we’ll have to keep watch for the men.” Will headed down the hill. There was no sign of the men as the group walked past a group of oak trees and neared the church, but as they came in sight of the inlet, Will held up his hand. “I think I hear something.”
    The group stopped and listened. Angry voices came from the direction of the wood. As they huddled behind two bushes, they spotted the men emerge from the trees. They were talking loudly but not loud enough to hear the exact words.
    However, it was clear that two of the three men were not happy. They walked onto the beach and disappeared from view a minute later as they went behind the cliff.
    Will was tempted to follow them to see where they were going, but he knew that this was the perfect time to explore the cabin. He looked at the woman. “The cabin is in the middle of that wood.”
    “What are we waiting for then?” Nancy asked.
    The children knew that the men could return at any minute, so they raced to the wood and hurriedly walked through it until they reached the building.
    The woman went to the door and swung it open. But before she went inside, she turned to the children. “Keep an eye out for the men while I search.”
    She disappeared inside the cabin. The children wanted to peep into the building, but instead they obeyed her instructions and kept watch. Three minutes ticked by and still she didn’t come out.
    Joe turned to Amy who was nearest to him. “I’m going to see what she’s up to.” He moved off and was just reaching to open the door when it opened and the woman appeared. “What took you so long?”
    “It takes time to examine everything without making a mess,” Nancy replied. “I couldn’t have the men suspect that someone had been through their stuff. The men are—”
    Suddenly, one of the men yelled out. Joe turned to Nancy . “We need to go!” He turned and raced back to Amy.
Chapter 11: The Plan
     
    As Joe reached Amy, he followed her gaze and saw Will and Sarah running towards them. Behind them, they saw the thin fellow with beady eyes. As soon as the others reached them, the group raced off down the path. As the man pursued them, Joe saw that he was gaining ground.
    “We have to split up!” Joe yelled. “Let’s meet back at the campsite.” He turned to the woman. “Come with us.” Up ahead, as the path veered left, he went right, followed by Nancy and Sarah, leaving Will and Amy to head left.
    ~
    As Will and Amy arrived at the campsite, they saw that the others were already there.
    “Did the man chase you?” Will said.
    Joe nodded. “Yes, but we were able to lose him. You should have been there. It—”
    “Look!” Sarah interrupted as she suddenly spotted a boat.
    The others stared across the water, watching as the boat cruised past the island.
    “What type of boat is it?” Amy asked.
    Putting the binoculars to his eyes, Joe peered towards the craft. His face broke into a smile. “It’s a police boat!”
    “Let’s wave like mad,” Amy exclaimed. “If the police—”
    “No!” the woman interrupted.
    “What?” Will said, surprised. “But they can help round up the men.”
    Nancy shook her head. “Headquarters believe that a local police officer is involved in the thefts.”
    “Why do they think that?” Joe asked.
    “I can’t go into