Clive Cussler (10 page)

Hotsy Totsy was driving hard, but the weight of the water pulling her under the surface cut her speed down to only ten miles an hour. The shore seemed close enough to touch, but the twins knew it was out of reach. Just when all seemed lost, there came a bump and the boat shuddered. Then it came to an abrupt stop that threw Floopy over the windshield into the water.

"A sandbar off the beach!" shouted Casey excitedly. "We've run onto a sandbar off the beach."

Hotsy Totsy responded with a tremendous surge that pushed her up and onto the sandbar until she was high and dry above the water and the danger of sinking under the depths had faded away.

"She did it!" Lacey cried happily, hugging Casey around the neck. "She saved herself."

"How did we do? Were you able to see how many boats passed us?"

"Five," said Lacey. "Only five beat us across the finish line. If we hadn't stopped to rescue those men after the accident, we might have won."

Casey raised his hands and shrugged. "No regrets," he said with a slight smile. "We did what we had to do. Some things are more important than winning a race." He turned off the engine and was surprised at the roar that remained in his ears.

The twins had forgotten about Floopy until he began barking. Boats were drifting around Hotsy Totsy, staying safely away from the sandbar, their passengers cheering madly at seeing the old wooden boat and her crew safe and sound. Many people who were on the beach swam out from shore. One teenage boy helped lift Floopy onto the boat. Floopy, who was happy to be back on board, stood on the cowling in front of the windshield and shook the water from his fur in a great curtain of spray.

A small boat motored over from the big official yacht and picked up the twins and Floopy.

It was a beautiful old mahogany boat about the same age as Hotsy Totsy. It carried them over to the yacht, where they were helped on board.

Boatloads of reports and photographers surrounded the yacht while helicopters with TV camera crews hovered overhead. Spectators on a fleet of small boats, yachts and passenger boats swarmed around the official race yacht. Horns tooted, whistles shrieked and people cheered. It was a merry and joyous demonstration.

All the officials greeted them. The kindly man in the green cap shook their hands and Floopy's paw. The chief race official in the white cap smiled as he patted Casey and Lacey on the head. He merely nodded at Floopy.

"Well, well," he said nicely. "You and your boat are the heroes of the hour."

"Our boat deserves most of the credit," said Lacey.

"You saved the little boy who fell off the dock and stopped and rescued three crew members from drowning when you might have ignored them, continued on and won the race."

"Our parents taught us to help other people and do the right thing," said Lacey.

"They taught you well," said the official in the green cap.

"Our boat is in pretty bad shape," Casey said, staring at Hotsy Totsy, sitting on the sandbar and surrounded by people who had swum out from shore and boats from the news media, whose crews were shooting photos and taping with TV cameras. "I'd like to see if we can repair it and return home to Castroville."

"Don't worry your little head about your boat," said the chief official. "The race officials arranged for a barge to lift it from the sandbar and have it repaired by people who are experts at restoring old mahogany boats."

"And there's more," said Green Cap. "There's a reward of ten thousand dollars for helping catch the Boss and his henchmen. And on top of that, the bank is offering you another reward of fifteen thousand dollars for helping return their money that was stolen by the Boss."

"Twenty-five thousand dollars," Lacey said with growing excitement. "Our mom and dad can use it to buy new equipment to run the farm."

"And speaking of your mother and father."

He stepped aside, revealing Ima and Ever Nicefolk.

Fear ran through Casey and Lacey, but it quickly melted as the Nicefolks swept their twins up in their arms and kissed them. The scene of warmth and happiness was a sight to see.

Mother and father were happy to see their children happy and unhurt. They were also proud of their amazing accomplishments.

Even Floopy was caught up in the good cheer. He hopped up and down with his tongue hanging out and his tail swirling like a windmill.

Mr. Nicefolk then looked serious and said, "We have to talk when we get home."

"Yes," said Mrs. Nicefolk,"You must never do something like this without our permission."

Then they both laughed and wrapped their arms around the twins and squeezed them tightly.

That night in the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill there was a big celebration by all the powerboat crews and the people who supervised the race. During a lavish dinner, the winner's trophy and a check for a hundred thousand dollars were awarded to the crew of the red, white and blue Uncle Sam, who had crossed the finish line first.

Then the chief official got up and made a speech, telling how the twins, their dog and their boat, Hotsy Totsy, had saved the lives of other crew members as well as the little boy. He also told of their harrowing adventure of being kidnapped by the Boss and escaping his clutches.

When he finished talking, the president of the bank presented Lacey with the fifteen-thousand-dollar check for the return of the bank's stolen money. Then the San Francisco police chief rose and handed Casey the ten-thousand-dollar check for helping apprehend the criminals.

The Nicefolk family embraced, and the audience stood and applauded. Floopy, who sat in a chair at the table in front of a juicy steak with a bone, ignored the festivities and chewed and chewed.

Two days later, Hotsy Totsy was restored to her natural beauty. Ima and Ever Nicefold left for the drive home as Casey and Lacey boarded their beloved boat for the voyage to Castroville.

The docks were loaded with well-wishers. The drivers chipped in and bought them a beautiful brass trophy made from a powerboat's big propeller. The engraving on one of the prop blades read:

TO CASEY AND LACEY NICEFOLK

FOR THEIR BRAVERY AND KINDNESS.

IN DEEP APPRECIATION FROM

THE CREWS IN THE GOLD CUP GRAND NATIONAL POWERBOAT RACE.

Lacey had tears in her eyes while Casey puffed out his chest as they were handed the trophy.

"Oh, thank you, thank you," Lacey cried as she kissed the three crew members she and Casey had saved, who presented them with the trophy.

Finally, after saying their good-byes to the crews and race officials and accepting the cheers of the spectators, who had come to love them, their boat and their dog, the lines were thrown andHotsy Totsy slowly slipped from the dock and headed toward the Golden Gate Bridge as a band played "Auld Lang Syne."

As soon as they motored up the Salinas River to their farm, Casey shoved the boat onto the magical pad. He pushed the right lever on the mystery box that made things smaller. After the purple mist had faded, Hotsy Totsy had became a toy model boat again.

"I'm going to miss her," Lacey said sorrowfully.

Casey put his arm around his sister. "We'll make her big again, just as we will Vin Fiz."

Lacey said, "We'll have to tell Mom and Dad our secret."

"We can only hope Mr. Sucoh Sucop won't mind if they know too."

"He won't," said Lacey, her eyes dreamy. "I'm sure of it."

"Then we can make another toy grow big and go off on an adventure."

"Yes," she said, giving her brother a big hug. "There's always another adventure waiting over the horizon."

SMcG