Deep Sea Mystery
Standing on the ship s deck, cold wind and rain whipped Jorge s skin. He stared at the submarine on deck. Being a private eye, Jorge was used to solving mysteries, but he had never received a call like this one. The week before, the ship launched the one-person, deepsea sub into the ocean. The pilot was Lana Haines. Her mission was to find never-before-seen sea creatures at the bottom of the sea. Seven hours later, the sub returned to the surface. The crew on the ship was stunned to find it empty. Jorge had spoken to almost every member of the crew. No one knew what happened to Lana. All of their stories were the same. They had left the coast of Florida at 5:00 in the morning. After three hours on the ship, they stopped.
They reached the place where they believed Lana would find the sea creatures. Several people on the ship saw Lana crawl into the tiny opening of the sub. Three crew members bolted the hatch shut from the outside. Then they released the sub into the ocean. One member of the crew was missing. Jorge found him at the back of the ship. The first thing Jorge noticed about Marcus was that he seemed nervous. Marcus never made eye contact with Jorge. Marcus told the same story as the rest of the crew, but Jorge got the feeling Marcus was not telling everything he knew. Jorge climbed into the sub. He was shocked at how small it was inside. The crew helped Jorge act out Lana s journey to the sea floor. Lana traveled down for two hours to a depth of more than five miles. The whole time, she was able to text messages to the crew. She also used a special microphone to talk to them. On the sea floor, Lana controlled the sub with joysticks. She was able to move the sub forward and backward. There was also a light that shone on the sea floor. Additionally, there was a robotic arm. Lana used the arm to pick up sea creatures and return them to the surface.
Jorge asked the crew if they found anything in the robotic arm when they found the sub. Everyone said it was empty. Everyone except Marcus. Jorge continued his pretend journey. He learned that the sub had a battery. It could power the sub for five hours. After that, Lana would be helpless. The crew told Jorge that Lana refused to leave the sea floor, even when time was running out. She said she was collecting magnificent creatures. Jorge noticed that according to the crew, Lana said each creature was gold. One crew member said, I finally convinced her to come up. She said she was on her way. Then she let out an excited shriek. I asked her what was happening. She said she saw a jewel a jewel-toned squid. She said it was unlike any seen before. She described how she watched as the predator ate one of her recent finds. She said she had to go back to get more gold creatures. I told her she could return later, but she had to get to the surface before the battery died. Jorge also learned that Lana s return to the surface was swift. The sub only took an hour to reach the top of the water.
The crew used maps and GPS trackers to find the sub. That s when they found it empty. The crew was weary with worry and lack of sleep, so Jorge sent them home. Then he climbed back in the sub. He was determined to find clues. Suddenly, the hatch slammed shut. Frightened, Jorge pushed up on it, but it was too heavy. It wouldn t budge. Jorge shined a flashlight on the inside of the hatch, desperate for a way out. That s when he saw bolts had been added to the inside. Jorge began to put the puzzle pieces together. He banged heavily on the hatch. Sure enough, it opened. Hi, Marcus, Jorge said as the crew member s face came into view. Let s talk. Marcus told Jorge that Lana was his sister. She and their other brother had become obsessed with a sunken pirate ship that was reported to be near the sight where Lana was to dive. Jorge heard them talking of treasures. Marcus explained that just as the crew spotted the sub, he saw a boat speed away. When he searched the empty sub, he found a gold coin stuck in the robotic arm.
So she picked up treasure in the arm, Jorge said. When she got close to the surface, she unlatched the hatch. Your brother was there to help gather the loot and speed away. Where do you think they are now? I have a pretty good idea, said Marcus. The End