and we can all travel on the ship together. And when we get to Palestine, we can find a real rabbi to make it even more official, if that ’ s what you want to do. ”
Everyone except Henrik stared at Mrs. Melchior, waiting for her answer. In the distance, a tugboat whistle shattered the morning silence.
“ That might work, ” she finally said. “ I ... I think so. ”
Satisfied with her “ maybe, ” Matthias smiled and clapped his hands together. Peter looked over at Henrik, who was standing still with his fists clenched. Peter ’ s father cleared his throat.
“ Ah, Matthias, there ’ s one more thing we need to tell you before you leave here. Something Peter wants to tell you. ” He gave Peter a nudge.
“ Uh, right. ” Peter knew he had no choice but to apologize, and he took a deep breath before he stepped up to the plane. Henrik was right beside him.
“ Um ... we ’ re supposed to apologize — I mean, we apologize for spying on you. ”
“ Spying? ” Matthias was still smiling. “ What are you talking about? ”
“ We followed you last night, ” explained Henrik, looking down. “ When you went into that ship over there. ” Henrik pointed toward the spot where the rusty, old Acropolis had been berthed the night before.
Peter looked twice, then he remembered what the Greek captain had been told about leaving in the morning. The ship was already gone.
“ Well, you know which ship, ” continued Henrik. “ We thought you were up to something funny, so we followed you. We heard through the door what you were planning. ”
Matthias raised his eyebrows. “ Oh, you did? ”
“ Yeah, ” agreed Peter. “ And that other guy who was following you probably heard, too. ”
The smile that had been playing on Matthias ’ s lips suddenly disappeared, and his voice turned serious.
“ Wait a minute, ” he told them, swinging out of the airplane to face them on the dock. “ You boys can play secret agent if you like. But this I need to know about. What did you see? Who was following me? ”
“ I didn ’ t see him close up, ” Henrik explained. “ There was just a man listening at the door when we got there. Then some sailors came along, and he disappeared. ”
“ I saw him, ” Peter said. “ I got a good look at his face. ”
“ Describe this man, ” insisted Matthias, leaning forward.
“ We saw him again coming off the ship, following you back to your room, ” Peter explained. “ He was kind of dark looking. Mustache, I think, dark curly hair ...”
Matthias nodded. “ That probably describes at least half a dozen crewmen on the Acropolis . ”
“ And his nose was really crooked, like it had been broken once. ”
Mr. Andersen ducked under the plane ’ s wing where they were standing. “ Maybe you should explain all this for us, Matthias. What did the boys see? ”
Matthias sighed and scratched his head. “ Arne, don ’ t be angry at the boys for a little detective work. I don ’ t blame them for being suspicious. The other day, Peter found my gun on the plane, and he ...”
“ You knew about that? ” Peter asked.
Matthias smiled and nodded. “ I carry it for extra protection. With some of the characters I have to deal with in my business — well, it requires this sort of thing. ”
Peter still wasn
Everyone except Henrik stared at Mrs. Melchior, waiting for her answer. In the distance, a tugboat whistle shattered the morning silence.
“ That might work, ” she finally said. “ I ... I think so. ”
Satisfied with her “ maybe, ” Matthias smiled and clapped his hands together. Peter looked over at Henrik, who was standing still with his fists clenched. Peter ’ s father cleared his throat.
“ Ah, Matthias, there ’ s one more thing we need to tell you before you leave here. Something Peter wants to tell you. ” He gave Peter a nudge.
“ Uh, right. ” Peter knew he had no choice but to apologize, and he took a deep breath before he stepped up to the plane. Henrik was right beside him.
“ Um ... we ’ re supposed to apologize — I mean, we apologize for spying on you. ”
“ Spying? ” Matthias was still smiling. “ What are you talking about? ”
“ We followed you last night, ” explained Henrik, looking down. “ When you went into that ship over there. ” Henrik pointed toward the spot where the rusty, old Acropolis had been berthed the night before.
Peter looked twice, then he remembered what the Greek captain had been told about leaving in the morning. The ship was already gone.
“ Well, you know which ship, ” continued Henrik. “ We thought you were up to something funny, so we followed you. We heard through the door what you were planning. ”
Matthias raised his eyebrows. “ Oh, you did? ”
“ Yeah, ” agreed Peter. “ And that other guy who was following you probably heard, too. ”
The smile that had been playing on Matthias ’ s lips suddenly disappeared, and his voice turned serious.
“ Wait a minute, ” he told them, swinging out of the airplane to face them on the dock. “ You boys can play secret agent if you like. But this I need to know about. What did you see? Who was following me? ”
“ I didn ’ t see him close up, ” Henrik explained. “ There was just a man listening at the door when we got there. Then some sailors came along, and he disappeared. ”
“ I saw him, ” Peter said. “ I got a good look at his face. ”
“ Describe this man, ” insisted Matthias, leaning forward.
“ We saw him again coming off the ship, following you back to your room, ” Peter explained. “ He was kind of dark looking. Mustache, I think, dark curly hair ...”
Matthias nodded. “ That probably describes at least half a dozen crewmen on the Acropolis . ”
“ And his nose was really crooked, like it had been broken once. ”
Mr. Andersen ducked under the plane ’ s wing where they were standing. “ Maybe you should explain all this for us, Matthias. What did the boys see? ”
Matthias sighed and scratched his head. “ Arne, don ’ t be angry at the boys for a little detective work. I don ’ t blame them for being suspicious. The other day, Peter found my gun on the plane, and he ...”
“ You knew about that? ” Peter asked.
Matthias smiled and nodded. “ I carry it for extra protection. With some of the characters I have to deal with in my business — well, it requires this sort of thing. ”
Peter still wasn
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