Dedication The Happy Hollisters and the Sea Turtle Mystery is Volume 26 in a 33-book series The books are being reissued in honor of my grandfather Andrew Edward Svenson who began The Happy Hollisters series in 1953 using the pseudonym Jerry West The characters in the Hollister fami ly were based in part on his family my grandmother father uncle and aunts and I am grateful to them for inspiring these books and for their support of this labor of love Marian S Svenson Elaine Hollister Andrew E Svenson Jr Pete Laura Svenson Schnell Pam Eric R Svenson Sr Ricky Jane Svenson Kossmann Holly Eileen Svenson de Zayas and Ingrid Svenson Herdman Sue Many thanks also to Callie Svenson and Libby Svenson for production and marketing assistance Andrew E Svenson III The Svenson Group Inc on behalf of The Hollister Family Properties Trust Your mystery wouldn’t be too scary for us Holly declared her eyes dancing
CHAPTER 1 Charlie Tiger Tail NINETY ninety-five a hundred shouted Ricky Hollister as he leaned against a tree with his eyes tightly shut Ready or not here I come The seven-year-old boy whirled about in the game of hide-and-seek But there was no one on the broad green lawn surrounding the Hollister home on Pine Lake Red-haired Ricky tiptoed to the hedge and parted it Nobody A giggle sounded The boy spun around and his gaze was caught by the odd-looking craft far out on the lake He stared in amazement then called out Yikes Look at that funny boat Silence The hiding youngsters did not make a peep I’m not fooling Ricky pleaded keeping his eyes on the strange boat You all can come in home free Honest This isn’t a trick Out of the leafy tree dropped six-year-old Holly her pigtails flying Pam ten stepped from behind the garage She had a sunny smile and fluffy golden hair Pete’s crew cut head popped up behind a big azalea bush and next to it an upside down bushel basket 7
flipped over There was little dark-haired Sue Where’s the funny boat she demanded There It’s heading for our dock Pete a handsome boy of twelve raced ahead of the others to the shore front They all stood on the wooden pier and watched the speeding boat The Hollisters had never seen one like it before It was a wide flat-bottomed craft about twelve feet long Up front were two seats one back of the other Higher up behind these was a single chair made of metal tubing and sitting there was a bronze-skinned man with his left hand on a rudder stick This moved two fins like the tail end of an airplane and between them was mounted a metal tube about three feet long Crickets Pete called out as the boat whizzed past with a peculiar whistling sound That’s a little jet motor I’ve read about Florida airboats Pam said Could this be one The strange craft made a wide circle skimming over the calm surface of Pine Lake As it headed toward the shore again a dark-haired boy of Pete’s age ran into the yard Hi Dave Pete called Did you see that queer boat I thought maybe it was something your dad made said Dave Mead who was Pete’s best friend We’ve never seen it before Ricky replied Just then all the children gasped at once as the boat took a backward flip The driver was thrown from his 8
seat and hit the water with a splash The craft sank beneath the surface For an instant the youngsters were stunned Then Pete cried Come on we must save him Holly Ricky Go tell Mother As Pete stepped down into their rowboat he added Dave I’ll need your help and yours too Pam The two boys each took an oar and rowed toward the place where the boat had sunk There he is Pam called out as they neared the spot Several yards ahead was a man floating on his face He must have been knocked out Pete said as he pulled alongside the drifting figure Give me a hand Dave The two boys tugged at the limp victim and pulled him over the gunwale into the bottom of the boat Pete and Pam gave artificial respiration for a few minutes and the man’s eyes blinked open Who are you was Pete’s first question The man uttered something which sounded like Tiger Tail Then he lapsed into unconsciousness Jiminy Dave said Tiger Tail isn’t any name He must be delirious Pam rested the man’s head against her arm while Pete and Dave rowed toward shore as fast as they could Halfway to the Hollisters dock a canoe with two boys glided past them In it were Joey Brill and Will Wilson We saw that boat too cried Joey He was a heavy set boy about Pete’s age whose chief delight was bullying younger children His dark-haired companion liked to do just what Joey did 9
