“Find my little brother first,” Crunch replied.
“Maybe find him, too. Where Crunch find you?”
“We’re going to make our headquarters here just down the street. At the Sans Souci. We’ll show you,” Charlie Keene said, “and if you want to find us, or get in touch, ask there.”
“What about Derek?” Biff asked. “We’ve got to locate him.”
“Don’t worry, Biff. In a town this size everybody knows everything that’s going on. I’ll bet you right now the grapevine has spread word of our arrival. If Derek is around, he’ll be looking us up within an hour.”
Charles Keene was right. He and Biff checked into the Sans Souci. Crunch went off.
“A little more shopping, Biff, and we’re ready to take off as soon as Derek locates us, or vice versa,” Biff’s uncle said.
Derek caught up with Biff and Uncle Charlie in midafternoon. The Dutch boy was delighted to rejoin his friends.
“This is really fine!” he exclaimed. “So good, Biff, to be back with you and your uncle.”
“That goes double for me, Derek. Any news of your father?”
Derek’s face fell. “No. I’ve heard some rumors about him, but so far, I’ve learned nothing definite as to where he might be. The island grapevine of news seems to break down just as I think I have a real clue.”
“Too bad, Derek,” Charlie said. “But don’t give up hope. We’re all together now. Biff and I want to help you search for your father. It’s important to me to find him, too. After all, I’m working for him.”
“Are you working for me now, too?” Derek asked with a mischievous smile.
“Sure thing, Derek,” Uncle Charlie agreed. “When your father’s not here, you’re the boss.”
“We’ll work well together. How about it, Biff?”
Biff grinned. “Couldn’t find a better combination.”
“And I don’t think we have to worry too much about Dietz now,” Charles Keene added.
It was nearly five o’clock when Biff, Derek, and Charlie Keene reached the dock in the harbor of the Baie du Trésor. They rode a truck five miles out of La Trinité. The truck was piled high with gear necessary to their search.
A thirty-foot cabin cruiser was waiting for them. Keene had chartered it as his first step after arriving in La Trinité. Slung on davits on the cruiser’s stern was a fourteen-foot dory with an outboard motor. This was the boat from which they would do the pearl diving.