McKenzie’s Oregon Operation Read Online Free Page A

book and stuck it back in the bag with her other purchases. The girls walked down the winding lane to Mr. Carney’s cottage. After they delivered the book, he promised she could borrow it when he was finished.
    Since Aunt Becca wouldn’t get home from work for several more hours, the girls decided to have a picnic on the beach. They found a spot they liked in the bright sun and settled on the sand.
    A woman stretched out on a lounge chair beneath a huge yellow beach umbrella. A girl who looked about six years old and a boy of about nine were building a sand castle near the water. The girl carried buckets of sand while the boy pounded the sand into shapes. So far, their castle looked like a bunch of lumps.
    While the girls ate, the kids’ voices drifted up the beach.
    â€œI want to see the sea lion pups,” the little girl said as she dumped a pail full of wet sand next to the castle.
    â€œYou can’t see them,” the boy said, patting the sand into a cone shape. “They’re gone.”
    â€œWhere did they go?” the girl asked. She plunked onto the beach and folded her arms across her chest.
    â€œHow do I know?” the boy answered, dumping another bucket of sand. “A man and woman took them away this morning.”
    McKenzie stopped chewing and leaned forward. She held her breath and a tingle ran up her neck as the boy continued. “I saw them. Mario and Bianca were kidnapped!”

An Intriguing Invitation
    â€œDid that kid say what I think he did?” McKenzie asked, nudging Alex.
    â€œDid he say somebody kidnapped Mario and Bianca?” Alex said, with her mouth full of sandwich.
    A banana slice fell out of McKenzie’s sandwich on its way to her mouth. It rolled down her front, smearing a glob of peanut butter down her swimsuit. “That’s what I thought he said, too.”
    McKenzie plucked the banana off her lap and stuffed it in her mouth. She turned her attention back to the family building the lopsided sand castle.
    The mother lifted her head from the lounge chair and turned toward her son. “Did you really see someone take the sea lion pups, Keaton?”
    The boy nodded. “I went outside this morning before anyone was up. I saw some guy and a woman pull two little sea lions out of the water and put them into their boat. Two teenagers were helping.”
    â€œDid you see what they looked like?” the mom asked as she sprayed sunscreen on the boy’s back.
    The boy shrugged. He stuck a plastic shovel into the sand, scooping a trench around the castle. “Sort of, but not really. The guy had a really cool giant fish tattoo on his arm. Their boat was silver with red trim.”
    The mother turned from her son and tossed the sunscreen bottle to the ground. “Claire, get your life jacket on!” she yelled as she chased her daughter, who was running toward the water.
    Standing, the boy tossed his shovel to the ground. He grabbed an inner tube and raced down the beach after his mother and sister.
    Thank God Mario and Bianca are still alive,
McKenzie thought with relief.
Elizabeth was right.
She glanced toward the boats sailing in the cove and sighed.
Five or six boats there now are silver with red trim. How can anyone figure out who took the pups if the boy can’t remember what they look like?
    â€œDo you think someone really stole Mario and Bianca?” Alex took a gulp from her juice bottle.
    â€œThat kid seems to think so.” McKenzie squirted sunscreen onto her leg and rubbed it in. “But he only remembers the guy’s tattoo. Whoever stole them surely wouldn’t come back around. They’re probably long gone by now.”
    Alex stuffed her sandwich bags into her tote and nodded. “True. But maybe the kid is just making the whole thing up.”
    â€œHe sure acted like he knew what he was talking about. I mean, he noticed the guy’s tattoo and all. Why would he make that up?”
    Alex rubbed