Mystery #2: What Happened to the Angelfish? Scott and Angie Sharpe wanted an aquarium, or even a little fish bowl for the family room, but their mother nixed the idea in no uncertain terms. Kelly goes wild over the merest whiff of tuna, she said, naming their mischievous gray cat. Imagine what a whole aquarium will do to him. She shook her head decisively. No fish. No way. No how. So the twins indulged their interest in aquatic life by paying frequent visits to Frank s Fantastic Fish House in the nearby shopping center. Frank was an enthusiast as well as a businessman. He seemed to care about keeping the fish happy as much as he cared about selling them. More than once, the twins had listened to him grumble about customers who d spend a fortune setting up a nice aquarium and then kill off all the fish by keeping the water too cold or
10 Sharpe Thinking too hot or feeding too much or too little of all the wrong things. Once, they were sure Frank was going to lash out at a customer who focused her attention on a pretty little orange fish decorated with white bands on its body and a fluff of black on its fins. Good grief, you re selling Nemo, she said sarcastically. Ignoring her tone, Frank said, These fish do well in tropical aquariums, and as you can see, they re very decorative. The movie called attention to them, but they were always popular. The woman sniffed. Probably have some fancy name, too. Again, Frank disregarded her haughty manner. Proudly, as if he were talking about his favorite child, he said, This is a false clown anemone fish. The woman let out a loud guffaw. A clown, yes, I can see that, the woman laughed. But a false clown? She guffawed again. The cute little Nemo look-alike kept swimming around in its tank, unfazed, but Frank s expression went stony. His lips were locked into a tight line, as if he was trying hard not to say what he was thinking. It was lucky the woman left without wanting to buy something. Angie and Scott were sure he would have hated selling her even a single goldfish
11 The Angelfish Mystery or guppy. From that time on, the twins knew how distressed Frank could get about his sea creatures. But they d never seen him as upset as he was the day they came in and found him incensed over the disappearance of his prized Regal Angelfish. Ordinary thieves don t steal fish, Frank fumed. Who s going to buy them? And what else can you do with them? Have them for supper? Angie and Scott knew better than to laugh. Their father was an avid fisherman, so they were well acquainted with the kinds of fish you d want for supper. Not only was a Regal Angelfish too small to make much of a meal, it was also far too pretty, with its decorative yellow and blue stripes. It was certainly not something you d want to see on a plate! No, the only thing you d want to do with a Regal Angelfish is watch it swim around in its tank, Scott said, The Regal Angelfish had vanished peering into the empty, coral-filled aquarium Frank had so lovingly set up.
12 Sharpe Thinking Does this book have anything about angelfish? Scott asked as he picked up a thick reference book on tropical fish that was sitting on Frank s desk. Frank nodded and opened to the proper page. Scott paced back and forth with the giant book as he quickly tried to become an expert on aquatic life. Then he stopped and stood defiantly in front of the empty tank. You know who I think took the fish? Frank asked, interrupting Scott s thoughts. I think it was Reggie. He s always coming around to check out my stock. Reggie was the owner of Reggie s Aquarium Hut, which had recently opened not half a mile down the road. We ll go talk to him, Scott and Angie said, already halfway out the door. Making no effort to be discreet, Reggie had a Regal Angelfish swimming around in a tank right at the front of his store. The tank was decorated exactly like Frank s, the twins noted, exchanging a silent glance. Frank s missing a fish just like this, Scott said. Is he? Reggie stroked his chin thoughtfully,
13 The Angelfish Mystery then frowned. Regal Angelfish are very sensitive, he said. Maybe Frank s fish died and he doesn t want to admit it. For a second, Angie s face turned bright red with anger. Frank was one of the most honest people the twins knew! Then she got hold of herself. Regal Angelfish are sensitive? she asked mildly. Oh, yes, Reggie said importantly. Their native habitat is warm ocean reefs and lagoons, where they hang around the coral and eat sponges and sea squirts. But in captivity they have to get used to other foods, like seaweed and vegetables. Sometimes they don t make it. Is that so? Scott asked, encouraging Reggie to keep talking. You have to keep them separated from other fish that might get to the food faster, too, Reggie said. Larger fish will sometimes bully them. Mentally, both twins were checking Reggie s answers against the information they d read in Frank s reference book. Scott walked closer to the tank and peered in. Where did you get this little guy? he asked. Down in Florida, in Lake Okeechobee, Reggie told him. I go down there sometimes to fish for largemouth bass.
14 Sharpe Thinking Oh? Our dad s a bass fisherman, too. Angie told him. Whenever I go to Lake Okeechobee, I always see if I can find anything to bring back to the store. He motioned Angie over to the tank. If you two decide to get this fine Regal Angelfish, make sure you get a 75 gallon aquarium like this one, and put in plenty of rock Lake Okeechobee is in Florida and coral for it to take shelter. We will, Angie said. Thanks for all the info. Outside the shop, the twins practically ran all the way back to Frank s. Reggie s your thief all right, they cried in unison. He knows a lot about Regal Angelfish, but he told one big lie! HOW DID THEY KNOW THIS? (answer on page 71)
71 Answers Mystery #2: What Happened to the Angelfish? Answer: Reggie stole it. While Reggie seemed to know the basics about Regal Angelfish, he did make one big mistake. He said that he caught the fish in Lake Okeechobee in Florida. Reggie couldn t have caught the fish where he said he did, because the Regal Angelfish lives near ocean reefs which means it s a saltwater fish. Lake Okeechobee is a freshwater lake, and saltwater fish can t survive in fresh water. Reggie added to his mistake by admitting that he goes to Lake Okeechobee to fish for largemouth bass. Because their father is an avid fisherman, the twins know that this is a very popular freshwater fish.