It was still dark when Kate woke them. “Dress warmly,” she said.
The Aldens hurried into their jeans and sweatshirts. They tied their jackets around their waists.
Fruit, juice, and toast awaited them. Kate filled a large thermos. “Hot cocoa,” she said. “It tastes really good out there in the fog.” She slipped a black poncho over her head and started for the door. “I’ll meet you at Charlie’s.”
When she had gone, Violet said, “You see, Benny? A black poncho. Not a yellow slicker. We didn’t see her yesterday in Chinatown.”
“Maybe she has two raincoats,” Benny said.
At the door, Henry said, “Let’s go. The fish are waiting.”
Outside, fog hovered over the water and clung to the docks. Far off, a foghorn blared.
When they reached Charlie’s Chum,it seemed deserted.
“Where’s Kate?” Jessie wondered aloud. “She said she’d meet us here.”
Just then, Charlie appeared on deck. His gray hair was tangled and his eyes were sleepy. “Right on time,” he said. He stretched and yawned. It looked as if he had just awakened.
Henry said, “I thought you went home last night.”
Charlie smoothed his hair with his hands. “I couldn’t sleep. Kept thinking something would happen to the boat. So I came back here.”
That explained the noise Henry and Jessie had heard and the light they had seen. They were relieved to know there had been no foul play.
Kate ran up to them. “I went to buy some juice,” she said and held up a brown paper bag.
When the Aldens were on the boat, Kate untied the rope and hopped aboard. After everyone had put on a life vest, Charlie backed the boat away from the dock and turned it around.
Sea lions barked at them as Charlie’s Chum passed by on its way out into the bay. Gulls hovered overhead. One gull flew just ahead of them.
“Look!” Benny said. “That bird’s leading the way!”
Far off, foghorns sounded. The air was brisk. Before long, the Aldens slipped into their warm jackets. As they neared the Golden Gate Bridge, the water became rough. The boat bumped over the surface.
“Hang on!” Charlie shouted above the noise of the engine and the sea. The Aldens didn’t need to be told.
They passed under the bridge. Jessie looked up, hoping to see the underside of the bridge, but it was too foggy to see much.
In open waters, Charlie slowed the engines. He and Kate lowered the nets into the water.
“What can we do?” Henry asked.
“That’s it for now,” Kate said. “Just relax and enjoy the ride.”
The sun was beginning to burn through the fog. The water glimmered. The boat rose and fell.
In the distance, Henry spotted something. “Look!” he called. “A water spout!”
“Whales,” Kate said.
Suddenly a whale broke the surface of the water. As it dove back under, its tail flipped up high in the air.
“Ooohhh!” the Aldens said at once.
“Keep your eyes peeled,” Charlie said. “You’re apt to see more.”
“They’re migrating south to warmer waters,” Kate added.
Although they looked and looked, that was the only whale they saw.
Later, Charlie reeled in the nets. Fish flipped and flapped on the deck. The Aldens had never seen so many fish.
“These fish have to be sorted according to kind,” Kate said.
“That’s easy,” Henry said.
But, with the fish slipping and sliding, it was more difficult than it looked. Still, they were able to do the job.
“Now put them here,” Kate directed. She opened the tops of containers built into the deck. “These are the fish wells.”
Charlie turned the boat around. “Time to move to another spot,” he said.
By now, the fog had completely lifted. The water sparkled. The sky was clear blue. As they glided nearer to the Golden Gate Bridge, Jessie tilted her head to look up at it. It was so graceful, yet so sturdy. She thought about the people on the bridge. Soon she would be one of them.
Suddenly the engine sputtered and stopped. Kate raced to Charlie’s side. “What’s wrong?”
“The gauge reads empty,” Charlie said. “We’re out of fuel.”
“You filled the tank last night,” Henry said.
“Maybe the gauge is stuck,” Jessie suggested.
Charlie tapped the gauge. The needle didn’t move.
“Could be a leak.” He went to check the tank. It was in good condition. No holes or loose fittings.
“Someone’s siphoned off the fuel,” Charlie concluded.
“Why would anyone want to do that?” Violet asked
“They wanted us to be stuck out here,” Kate answered.
“But no one was near your boat last night until you came back,” Henry said.
“Yes,” Jessie added. “We saw your light.”
Charlie looked surprised. “Light? I didn’t use a light. I know this wharf like the back of my hand. I don’t need a light. A little moonlight’s all I need.”
“Then someone was at the dock last night!” Henry concluded.
Benny wasn’t listening. He was squinting toward shore. “How’re we going to get back?” he said, his voice trembling a little.
Kate put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. “Don’t worry Benny. We’ll call the Coast Guard on the radio. They’ll come get us.” She went inside the cabin.
Benny relaxed. “Good thing you have a radio, Charlie,” he said.
“We couldn’t go out without one,” Charlie told him. “We never know when we’ll need help.”
Kate came back outside. They looked at her expectantly “The radio’s not working,” she said. “One of the wires has been cut.”
Violet’s eyes grew wide. “We’re stuck out here,” she said.
“We’re drifting farther away from the bridge!” Jessie said.
Then they heard a splash. Charlie had dropped the anchor.
“Now we won’t go anywhere,” he said. “We’ll just sit here and wait. Someone will see us and come to help.”
They sat for a long time. No one came to help.
Finally Henry saw a sailboat. It seemed to be coming their way. “Violet, quick! Give me your jacket,” he said.
Violet handed him her pale lavender windbreaker.
“Your jacket is the lightest color,” he explained. “Maybe they’ll see it.” He waved it above his head.
The boat moved farther away.
“It’s going the other way,” Jessie said. Disappointed, Henry lowered the jacket.
“I might have a flare,” Charlie said, and he went inside the cabin to look. The others searched for something they could use to attract attention.
“Ahoy there!” someone called.
Benny ran to the rail. “It’s Joe!”
Sure enough: Joe Martin’s boat was moving toward them. They all waved and shouted.
Joe cut his engine and drifted in. “What’s the trouble?”
“We’ve run out of gas!” Benny shouted.
“And the radio’s dead,” Kate added.
“I’ll go ashore and bring back some fuel,” Joe offered.
“Can you take the children with you?” Charlie asked.
“Sure thing.” Joe threw a line onto Charlie’s boat. Kate caught it.
The boats were pulled side by side. “Benny, you go first,” Henry directed.
“Watch your step,” Joe said. He reached out his hand.
The boats pitched and rolled. When one bobbed up, the other dropped down.
This was not going to be easy. Benny took a deep breath. He grabbed hold of Joe’s hand.
“Gotcha!” Joe said as Benny jumped into his arms.
Soon the other Aldens were aboard Joe’s boat. Kate and Charlie stayed behind.
“I’ll be back soon,” Joe said as he nosed his boat away from Charlie’s Chum.
“Lucky you were out here,” Henry commented.
Joe smiled. “I was just coming in.”
“Do you go out fishing more than once a day?” Henry asked.
Joe’s smile faded. “No. Why?”
“Well, you went out twice yesterday,” Henry said.
For a moment Joe looked confused. Then he smiled again. “Oh, yeah, right. When I brought in my catch, I noticed the engine seemed sluggish. I took her out later to check. That’s when I saw Tony’s boat.”
“The engine seems fine now,” Jessie said.
Joe nodded. “Probably my imagination.”
Before long, the Aldens were back on shore. They waited on the pier for Charlie and Kate.
“Who do you suppose took the fuel?” Jessie asked.
Henry shrugged. “It was the person we saw last night. That’s the only thing I’m sure of.”
Violet and Benny said, “What person?”
Henry explained about the noise and the light he and Jessie had seen. “But it was too dark to tell who it was,” he concluded.
“This morning we thought it was Charlie returning to his boat,” Jessie said. “But then he told us that he didn’t use a light.”
“Maybe it was that mysterious man you keep seeing,” Benny teased. He hadn’t seen the man and wasn’t sure he really existed.
Soon Charlie swung his boat up to the dock. Henry caught Charlie’s line and tied it to a post. Kate and Charlie hopped onto the deck as Vito Marino trotted up.
“How was your catch?” he asked Charlie. “The restaurant is completely booked for tonight.”
“We had a little trouble,” Charlie said. “It shortened our day. I’ll bring you our catch as soon as I prepare it.”
“Show it to me now!” Vito insisted.
Charlie swung back aboard. Vito followed him. In no time, Vito was back on the dock, complaining.
“You can’t say they aren’t fresh,” Charlie told him.
“They might be fresh, but there aren’t enough of them to fill tonight’s dinner orders,” Vito snapped. “I’m telling you, Charlie, I can’t deal with this.” He stormed off.
Tony and Joe came up to find out what was happening. Kate explained.
“If anything else happens, I’ll lose the account,” Charlie said.
Joe’s face clouded. “That’s too bad, Charlie. That’s a good account. Vito’s is popular. He uses lots of fish.”
Tony nodded. “I’d give anything if Vito would buy fish from me.”
They all returned to prepare their boats for the next day. The Aldens waited nearby for Aunt Jane and Uncle Andy.
“Do you suppose Joe or Tony is causing the trouble?” Violet asked.
“They each have a motive,” Henry said. “If Vito doesn’t buy from Charlie, he might buy from one of them.”
“It can’t be Joe,” Violet said. “He’s too nice.”
“Right,” Benny agreed. “He took Tony out to get his boat, and he rescued us. Guilty people aren’t that nice.”
“Tony can’t be the one,” Jessie said. “Someone let his boat go. He wouldn’t do that himself.”
“He might have done it so no one would suspect him,” Violet suggested.
“Or maybe Joe was right: Tony’s knot came undone and the boat just drifted away,” Benny said.
“Tony was on the wharf last night,” Henry said. “He slept on his boat, remember? He could’ve sneaked onto the Chum before Charlie came back here.”
“And he did say he’d give anything if Vito would buy fish from him,” Jessie said.
Benny nodded. “He probably took the gas and broke the radio.”
“There’s that strange man,” Henry said.
“Maybe he has nothing to do with the trouble, Henry,” Violet said. “Just because he hangs around the wharf doesn’t mean — ”
“No, no,” Henry interrupted. “I mean: There he is!”
They followed his gaze. The man stood against a wooden shack at the other end of the wharf. His sunglasses glinted in the light.
This time everyone — even Benny — saw him.
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