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think there is some treasure on the island,” Cody said.
    â€œMaybe—or maybe it’s just a hoax,” said Rae. “As for your mystery, I can’t get excited about it. Why worry about a couple of grumpy guys when there is this beautiful island with this perfect blue water? Look at it!” She ran and plunged into the waves.
    The twins looked out at the great ocean. Seabirds dotted the sky and swooped down over the water.
    Cody squished sand between his toes. He smelled the scent of the sea and the flowers and trees. He forgot about Cordell and Keller and the mystery.
    Otis dipped his toes into the water. “It looks like your treasure marker idea was all wet ,” he said.
    â€œI haven’t given up yet.” Cody gave him a lopsided smile. “Come on, let’s go for a swim.”
    The two boys plunged into the surf. The water was crystal clear and cool. Colorful fish swam all around them.
    The twins swam for over an hour. Then they left Rae, who insisted on staying in the surf, and walked slowly back to the inn. They left the shovels in the garden shed and then headed up the walkway, past some iguanas and geckos standing on rocks that lined the path. The reptiles were so still they looked like green spiky-headed statues.
    The step had been fixed. The new board looked strong and sturdy.
    â€œThat was fast,” Cody observed.
    The twins entered the kitchen, where they found Aunt Edith and Maxim sitting at the table in the dining room. The adults looked up as the boys walked in.
    â€œWe’ve just been talking about cooking,” said Aunt Edith. “I had no idea Maxim used to be a chef.”
    â€œHe’s done a lot of things,” Cody said. “Hey, Aunt Edith, you got that step fixed pretty fast.”
    â€œYes. Shortly after the accident, Mr. Cordell came to me and insisted on fixing the step so that no one else would get hurt. He even apologized for getting so angry—isn’t that nice?”
    â€œOh,” Otis said softly.
    â€œIs something wrong?”
    â€œNo—no. We were just wondering how it broke the way it did. It held us all when we were entering. And then we noticed that the wood on the step that broke didn’t look the same as on the other boards.”
    Aunt Edith put her hands on her hips. “But they were all replaced at the same time. That would be very odd.”
    â€œYes, wouldn’t it?” Cody nodded. “But think about it. Why did it break all of a sudden?”
    Maxim was shaking his head. “I see that you are determined to be detectives. There is a perfectly reasonable explanation. Apparently an animal has been scratching and gnawing away at it. Finally the step was so weak that poor Ms. Esposito went through it.”
    The boys exchanged glances. Just as they thought, Maxim was sure the boys were only getting carried away with the game of being detectives.
    â€œWhat happened to the broken board?” asked Otis. “Do you know where it is?”
    â€œI imagine that Mr. Cordell tossed it on the rubbish heap behind the house,” said Aunt Edith. “But I don’t think you’d find it. There is a mountain of stuff left back there from the renovation that I’ve got to get carted away.” She thumbed over her shoulder.
    Otis and Cody walked to the window and stared out at an immense mountain of tangled lumber and plaster. It was very unlikely that they’d locate the board there.
    As they walked from the kitchen they talked about what they’d been told. It just didn’t seem right that it all fit together so neatly and innocently.
    â€œWell, we didn’t exactly nail that one,” Otis remarked.
    â€œNo, we didn’t.” Cody sighed. He paused for a moment, listening. “Do you hear water running?”
    Otis tilted his head. “Yes, I do. It sounds like a lot of water.”
    The boys hurried in the direction of the sound. It was coming from the bathroom