"She must be Mrs. Grote," Nancy concluded. The woman spotted her at the same moment, and walked toward the girl, holding out her hand. "Anne, I'm Mrs. Grote. I'll be very happy to drive you to the club."
They left the store by the rear entrance, where Mrs. Grote had parked her car. Nancy was relieved. If anyone had followed the van and was waiting for her in front, he would be fooled!
"Are you enjoying your visit here?" Mrs. Grote asked as she drove off.
"Oh, yes," Nancy replied. "It has been very exciting."
"In what way?" Mrs. Grote asked.
Nancy did not want to give any details concerning the mystery, so she merely talked about their interesting boat rides, their trip to the Easton estate, and the show the Indian had put on.
Soon Mrs. Grote drove into the club grounds, so it was not necessary for Nancy to explain any further. She thanked the woman for picking her up and wished her a good score in her golf game.
Mr. Gonzales was seated in the lobby. "I'm so glad you came," he said, and led her to the dining room.
While they were eating, Nancy told him about Colombo and what he had said regarding the officers of the Crocodile Ecology Company.
"I'm not surprised," Mr. Gonzales commented.
Nancy mentioned the phrase: They want five hundred. Can you carry that many? "Mr. Gonzales, have you any idea what that could have meant?"
The man furrowed his brow. "No, I haven't. Surely they couldn't have been talking about crocodiles. There wouldn't be enough to fill such a big order."
"Do you raise anything else on the island that they could have referred to?" Nancy asked.
"No, nothing. I could ask my partners, but if I do they will know that I received word from Colombo. Then they are likely to go after the poor man and harm him."
"You're right," Nancy agreed. "Would you like to speak to Colombo personally?"
"Indeed I would. Do you know how to reach him?"
"I'll try. Colombo said he would be staying at the YMCA."
Nancy stood up and went to a phone booth in the lobby. Luckily the receptionist at the Y confirmed that Mr. Banks was registered and offered to get him. Soon he was on the line.
"Hello?" he said hurriedly. His voice sounded frightened.
"Hello, Colombo," Nancy replied. "It's Anne Boonton. Could you meet me at this club?" She gave the address. "A friend of mine wants to speak to you about Crocodile Island. Take a taxi. I'll pay for it."
"All right," he said. "I'm glad it's you and not one of my former bosses. I'll be there as soon as lean."
Half an hour later the man arrived. Nancy hurried outside to pay the cabbie, then took Colombo to the tropical garden to meet Mr. Gonzales. When the young man heard that he was one of the partners in the Crocodile Ecology Company, he looked at Nancy apprehensively.
"Don't worry," she said. "Mr. Gonzales is not like the other men. He wants to find out what's going on at Crocodile Island and if his partners are dishonest."
This reassured Colombo and he talked freely about the hardship he had suffered and the things he had observed.
"I'm in real trouble," he finished. "I've been trying to find a job but haven't been successful. I'm running out of money, but I'm afraid to contact my relatives for fear of being tracked down by Gimler."
"Perhaps I can help," Mr. Gonzales offered. "I heard the other day that one of the men in the club kitchen is quitting. Wait here, and I'll see what I can find out."
He went to the lobby to talk to the manager, and returned a few minutes later with a smile on his face.
"You're in luck, Colombo," he said. "Do you know how to prepare seafood?"
Colombo grinned. "I did that in New Orleans. But I never cut up a crocodile!"
Nancy laughed, and Mr. Gonzales asked Colombo to come along with him to see the head chef in the kitchen.
"We won't be long," he told Nancy.
Within ten minutes the two were back with a third man, who proved to be the pastry chef. Mr. Gonzales said that this man had finished his work and was about to drive home. He would take Colombo with him.
The cook went to get his car. Meanwhile, Nancy was told that Colombo had been given the job and was to report for work the next morning.
Colombo said, "I certainly appreciate what you've done for me."
Mr. Gonzales patted him on the back. "We're glad to help, and thank you for some good clues. If you think of anything else about the Crocodile Ecology Company, leave a note for me at the desk."
"I will," Colombo promised, then hurried outside, where the pastry chef was waiting for him.
When Nancy returned to the Cosgroves' home, no one was there. She knew where a key was hidden and went to get it. As she entered the hall, Nancy saw a note from George lying on the table. It said that Danny and the girls had gone to the small local Naval Station with the bottle George had found in the water. "Maybe we can find out about it without going to Key West," George had written.
At this moment, George was telling her story to a friendly young captain named Smith. He agreed that the old note appeared to be authentic and said he would try to verify its contents.
He stood up and went to a shelf containing and registries. George meanwhile walked around his small office and glanced at photographs on the wall. Suddenly she stopped in front of a group picture of sailors. One of the faces looked familiar!
"Bess," George said, excited, "come here a moment. Doesn't this man remind you of someone?"
"Matt Carmen or Breck Tobin!" Bess answered. "Only the sailor's a lot younger."
As Captain Smith turned around, George asked who the sailor was.
CHAPTER XIIChild in Danger
Captain Smith turned over the picture George had pointed out. He read the names on the back and said, "This fellow is Giuseppe Matthews. I'll look up his record."
After a search in several volumes, he came across the item. "Matthews went AWOL," Captain Smith explained, "and was never heard from again. Why did you ask about him?"
George replied, "We've met a man who looks very much like the one in this picture. He's older, but there's a strong resemblance."
"Where did you see him?" Captain Smith asked.
"Out in the bay, near Crocodile Island. If he's the same person, he's using a different name now."
"What is it?" Smith inquired.
"Matt Carmen or Breck Tobin," George answered. "We were never introduced so we don't know which name goes with whom."
"You realize, of course, that we're still looking for Matthews," Captain Smith said. "And that we'll have to arrest him when we find him. Can you tell me where these men live?"
For a moment George hesitated. "What if one of them is the wrong person?" she asked. "I wouldn't want to get anyone in trouble."
"If they're not Giuseppe Matthews, they won't get into trouble," the captain pointed out.
"We saw a boat called The Whisper," Danny said. "We checked in a registry of ships and learned that it belongs to two men from Bridgeport, Connecticut. One of them is Matt Carmen, the other Breck Tobin."
Captain Smith wrote the information on a pad, and said he would follow up the lead. Then he checked another set of records for proof that the note in the bottle was authentic. Finally he smiled.
"Here it is," he said. "This is really amazing. A ship named Venerable was last heard from in Argentina. Her captain was George Wayne. This is the first message received since then."
"No one reported that she was wrecked?" Bess asked.
"No. And this note must have traveled at least ten thousand miles. I presume it would be considered part of the Venerable's records, so I'd like to keep it if you don't mind."
"Of course not," George said.
"Perhaps we can locate relatives of the captain and the crew, who would like to see it," Captain Smith added. He thanked the girls for bringing him their find and remarked, "The government may give you a citation for this."