The Mystery of Smugglers Cove (The Mystery Series, Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

“Follow me,” he said as he took off running down the hill.
    Joe knew that if someone had been following them up the tunnel, they would emerge any minute, so he looked back after he was halfway down. He saw no one. With hope that this would remain so forever, he ran down the rest of the hill.
    A few moments later, Will suddenly yelled out. “Oh, no!”
    Joe glanced back and spotted Jake rushing towards them. He looked towards the manor. There was no way that they could reach it and hide somewhere in time.
    “What are we going to do?” Amy yelled.
    “We can’t go to Chandler Manor and we can’t go to the road,” Joe said.
    Will suddenly grinned. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of it before?”
    “What?” Amy asked.
    “Follow me,” Will replied. He rushed off, heading towards the woods. He sped down a well-trodden path. “This spot up here is my home away from home.”
    “What do you mean?” Joe said.
    “I know this place like the back of my hand,” Will said. “I come here all the time.”
    “How far away is it?” Sarah gasped as she tried to catch her breath.
    “We’re nearly there,” Will said. He ran around the next bend and stopped. In front of him was a river with a small island in the middle. “Our destination is over there.”
    “How are we going to get over there?” Amy asked.
    “Are we going to get wet?” Sarah queried.
    “Not if we do it right,” Will said. He sprinted over to a tree that had a rope attached to a high branch. “Last summer, my cousin and I tied this rope here so we could hold on while someone else pushed us, and then we’d fly over the water and land on the island. That’s what we’re going to do now. It will save us getting wet and, if we can get across without the man seeing us, we might lose him.”
    Will got Joe to push him, and soon he was on the other side. “Let’s go,” he called.
    “You go first,” Joe said to the girls.
    It worked according to plan until it was Joe’s turn. “How am I supposed to get across?”
    “Just climb onto that dead stump behind you. The extra height will help you get across,” Will said.
    “Okay,” Joe replied as he looked behind and saw the stump.
    Noticing a movement to his right, he glanced in the direction and saw Jake!
Chapter 5: The Raft
     
    As Joe climbed onto the stump, the man grabbed his left foot. Joe slammed his other foot into the man’s face and used the momentum to push himself off the stump. Crying out in pain, the man let go.
    As Joe flew over the water, he knew it was going to be touch and go. He hadn’t managed to get a good push off, so he would be lucky if he made it to the other side.
    Reaching the island, he let go of the rope. As his feet touched the ground a foot from the water, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Phew, that was a close shave.”
    “You can say that again,” Will said.
    “Hey, look! He’s not giving up,” Amy pointed out.
    Sure enough, Jake had grabbed hold of the rope as it swung back. He was preparing to swing over himself.
    “Oh, no! What if he makes it?” Sarah exclaimed.
    “I don’t think he will,” Will said. “That rope was already old when we tied it on. With his weight, it’ll probably break. But if it doesn’t, we’ll need to make a run for it.”
    They watched as Jake launched himself off the tree stump. For a few seconds everything went fine, and then the rope broke.
    Jake tumbled into the river. He discovered with visible annoyance that the water was too deep to stand in. It was also moving quite fast. If he wasn’t careful, he would be swept down the river. After taking a deep breath, he started to swim towards them.
    “What are we going to do now?” Joe said.
    “Follow me,” Will said, smiling. “I’ve still got one more surprise in store.”
    “What is it?” Amy asked.
    “Wait and see,” Will replied, smugly, as he led them across the island. After reaching the other side, he went over to a clump of long grass and began pulling it