CHAPTER PAGE I [Peril in Paradise] 1 II [A Disturbing Call] 5 III [Worried Twins] 11 IV [Aloha!] 18 V [Detective Biff] 25 VI [The Letter] 33 VII [An Important Find] 41 VIII [The Police Call] 51 IX [Mysterious Message] 61 X [Starting a Search] 70 XI [Wharf Rats] 76 XII [Bomb Away] 87 XIII [A Near Miss] 97 XIV [Storm!] 108 XV [Men Missing] 117 XVI [Held Prisoner] 123 XVII [A Dangerous Dive] 130 XVIII [Exploring the Depths] 141 XIX [Reunion] 152 XX [Dawn Attack] 160 XXI [A Human Fish] 166 XXII [Check-Out] 175
HAWAIIAN SEA HUNT MYSTERY
CHAPTER I
Peril in Paradise
In the tropical, jungle-like garden behind the hotel, a man stood absolutely motionless. The broad trunk of the coconut palm tree behind which he lurked protected him from being seen by anyone on the hotel’s wide, sweeping porch.
The tense set of the man’s features showed his growing impatience.
The broad porch ran around all four sides of the white, sprawling Royal Poinciana Hotel on Waikiki Beach, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The porch was called the “deck,” and it had been designed to resemble the promenade deck of an ocean liner. It was an open porch, or deck, with brightly colored floral-patterned umbrellas spreading welcome shade. The deck was spotted with lounge and captain’s chairs, and its teak-wood floor was marked off at regular intervals with shuffleboard courts.
The fore deck, that part of the porch running across the front of the hotel, overlooked the beautiful beach and its rolling, coiling breakers. Chairs and tables scattered on it were occupied by people waiting for the noon meal. On the rear deck, overlooking the carefully planned, luxuriant jungle-garden, only one couple could be seen.
“Will they never leave?” the man muttered to himself. He looked at his watch, then carefully peered around the tree, looking up at the deck jutting out from the hotel’s second floor.
Just as he did so, the couple got up from their chairs and walked leisurely away, heading for the other side. The man waited until they rounded a corner and were out of sight. Then he moved swiftly.
His linen-clad figure was a white flash against broad green leaves as he dashed for the steps leading up to the now unoccupied porch. Once on the deck, he moved casually, as though he were just another tourist. He walked softly on crepe-soled shoes, making not a sound.