Ling jumped out of the boat as it came to a gentle halt on the sand in the shallows and started dragging it shoreward. The others joined them, and they soon had the boat stowed behind an outcrop of rocks.
Almost straight away they heard someone shouting.
‘Geez, you don’t think they just found the treasure, do you?’ E.D. asked.
‘Shhhh,’ Ling said, holding up a hand. ‘Listen!’
Muffled voices drifted over a small rise only 30 metres inland from where they stood.
‘I think that’s where the cemetery is,’ Hannah whispered.
‘Hannah, how come you know so much about the island?’ E.D. hissed.
‘I saw a map of it on the wall back at the cottage. It didn’t seem that important but Iremember things like maps. And anyway, remember the newspaper article that Ling and I read? One of the kids that drowned in that accident is buried here.’
‘Oh, they’re not digging up a grave, are they?’ Gabby asked, taking a few steps back. ‘That is so gross.’
‘Well, if there’s treasure in there, I would.’ E.D. took a few paces forward. ‘Let’s go see.’
‘They shouldn’t be doing anything of the kind even if there’s treasure in the grave,’ Hannah said, following E.D. Angus shrugged and took off as well.
‘Ling?’ Gabby flung out her hand, grabbing her cousin by the wrist.
‘We’ll watch from a distance,’ Ling said. ‘But Hannah’s right. They shouldn’t be messing around with someone’s grave.’ She frowned suddenly, her face pale.
Gabby shuddered. Holding hands, the girls walked slowly after the others.
With Angus and E.D. just behind her, Hannah marched over the rise and stared at the scene in front of her. An old iron fence, almost completely overgrown with long grass and bushes, bordered a bare patch of ground about the size of a house block.
Jamie and Daniel were digging with shovels while Kristy watched. Already they had piled up a few wooden boards. For a horrible moment Hannah thought these might have been the sides of the coffin. Four or five other graves, marked only by roughly carved crosses, were scattered about the small area.
‘What are you doing?’ Hannah yelled.
The gang members looked up sharply.
‘Beat it, if you know what’s good for you,’ growled the taller boy, Jamie, taking a few steps towards Hannah.
‘She asked you a question,’ E.D. said, appearing beside Hannah with his arms folded.
‘Hey,’ said Kristy. She walked across to them; in her hands she held a small book. ‘It’s that smart arse who wouldn’t finish a game of pool.’ She stopped in front of E.D. One of the boys appeared behind her, waving his shovel menacingly. ‘You need to mind your own business,’ she sneered, poking E.D. in the chest with her finger. She was a head taller than E.D. and broader in the shoulders too. The black T-shirt she was wearing was soaked in sweat.
E.D. pushed her arm away.
‘Well, you’re obviously doing something totally illegal,’ E.D. said, standing his ground.
This time it was Jamie who gave him a shove. E.D. staggered back, just managing to keep his footing.
‘Listen here, jerks,’ said Kristy. ‘Why don’t you go back home and build sand castles?’ She pointed to Intrepid Point.
Suddenly there was a shout from behind and then a high-pitched scream. Ignoring E.D. and the others, Kristy and Jamie turned and ran back towards the graves.
‘C’mon,’ Angus said, running after them.
Only Hannah noticed the piece of paper fall out of the book Kristy was holding. She bent down quickly, picked it up and shoved it deep inside her pocket before following the others.
‘I’ve hurt my leg!’ cried a whimpering voice. Hannah peered over the edge of the hole. The sun had disappeared suddenly behind a cloud but she could still see that one of the boys, Daniel, must have fallen at least three metres. ‘Get me out!’ he screamed.
A cool breeze suddenly ripped across the island, whipping up sand and causing the trees to groan eerily as