The Beverly Gray Series #19-22

Beverly Gray's Vacation, Top Secret Mission, and Search for Her Missing Friends

Any person who has not yet read the Beverly Gray series is warned that the following summaries will reveal important plot information that not all readers would wish to know before reading the stories.

#19 Beverly Gray's Vacation

Beverly, Lenora, Larry, Jim, Terry, Roger, and Anthony Anton, with Miss Ernwood as chaperon, set sail on the Susabella for Canada, by way of Panama. Shortly into the voyage, they discover first that Michael McKay and next Phyllis Tanner are stowaways on board. Mike decided at the last minute to come with them, and Phyllis is frightened. Phyllis received a fur coat that she thought was from her brother, but when she wrote to thank him, her brother told her to hide the fur. Phyllis noticed men were following her so she decided to get on the boat, not only to hide, but because the Susabella's destination is the town in which her brother lives. When the young people arrive in Sterling, Canada, they learn that Neil Tanner is accused of stealing valuable furs from Louis Anton's fur farm and that Neil has gone into hiding. Neil is suspected of the robbery because his knife was found at the scene of the crime. Phyllis decides to stay at her brother's store while the rest of the group stays at Louis Anton's farm.

Beverly, Lenora, Lois, and Shirley go with Phyllis to a cabin in which Neil Tanner sometimes stays. They don't find him and head back to town. They get caught in a blizzard but manage to get back safely. More furs are stolen from Louis Anton, and he remains convinced that Neil Tanner is the culprit. Beverly and Lenora explore an old mine and discover a cache of furs. In a nearby tunnel they find Neil Tanner, who says that he saw the thieves hide the furs in the tunnel and was waiting for them to return. Neil explains that the stolen fur coat was sent to Phyllis by the crooks in order to throw blame on Neil.

Beverly and her friends keep watch in Louis Anton's warehouse, hoping to trap the fur thief. They catch the thief, Batouche, in the act, but Batouche escapes. Beverly and Lenora go back to the mine tunnel, hoping to find either Neil or Batouche. Unfortunately, they are taken prisoner and escorted to Batouche, who is also holding Neil and Phyllis captive. Beverly escapes and gets word to her friends. The thieves are captured, Neil is exonerated, and the Susabella prepares to sail again.

#20 Beverly Gray's Fortune

The Susabella arrives in Hawaii with Beverly, Lenora, Shirley, Lois, Larry, Roger, Jim, Terry, and Miss Ernwood. Both Michael McKay and Anthony Anton left the voyage before departure for Hawaii. While swimming in the ocean, Beverly saves a young boy from drowning. The boy's father gives Beverly the pearls of Fu Chen as a reward for saving his son. Beverly learns that the pearls supposedly bring misfortune to the owner and notices her fortune taking a sudden turn for the worse.

Larry seems very displeased that Beverly is now wealthy, and he and Beverly break off their engagement. Beverly notices that she is followed by a certain man everywhere she goes. A thief known as the Phantom ransacks the house where they are staying and pays a visit to the boat as well. A man known as Happy Jack appoints himself as the group's Hawaiian guide, but Beverly is a little suspicious of his motives.

The group decides to go diving for pearls, and Happy Jack guides them to a good location. On a nearby boat, Beverly notices a man who looks just like the man who followed her. Jim is injured while diving for clams, so the group goes to a nearby island to visit a doctor who cares for the local natives. Beverly and Lenora go with a guide to visit a nearby volcano and pass near the temple of Taru. They wish to visit the temple but are told that it is off-limits to outsiders. Beverly and Lenora disguise themselves as natives to get into the temple of Taru. While inside the temple, Beverly and Lenora enter the sacred room but are captured by the natives. The girls escape when the volcano erupts.

The girls overhear Happy Jack speaking to the Phantom and learn that both men are working together to get the pearls. The volcano continues to erupt, and the girls narrowly escape from the lava. Beverly and Lenora separate so that Beverly can follow Happy Jack. Lenora gets the others, and they search for Beverly. They are taken prisoner by Happy Jack and the Phantom at the doctor's house, but Beverly appears and during her confrontation with the criminals, the house is accidentally set afire. Everyone escapes, the criminals are captured, and Beverly gives the cursed pearls to the doctor so that he can help the natives. Larry and Beverly reconcile and the Susabella sets sail.

#21 Beverly Gray's Secret

Beverly receives a terse message from Charlie Blaine stating that she is no longer needed at the newspaper. Beverly and Larry fly back to New York so that Beverly can fight for her job while the others continue their cruise on the Susabella. When Beverly asks Blaine about his message, he insists that he no longer needs her. She clears out her desk and leaves the building. After Beverly leaves, Blaine meets up with her and tells her that firing her was a ruse so that nobody would know that Beverly will be investigating something for him.

The son of one of Charlie Blaine's friends has been accused of counterfeiting. Blaine wants Beverly to travel to Florida, get a job with Philip Barton's airline, and learn whether he is guilty. Beverly drives to Florida and gets a secretarial job with Barton Airline. Beverly becomes suspicious of the bookkeeper, Walter Baker, because he seems so distrust her so much.

Beverly also becomes suspicious of Lennet, the pilot for Barton Airline, when he claims he was forced out of the plane by a hijacker who disappears with the plane. Barton Airline is in danger of failing because the plane is needed in order to fulfill a new contract, especially because the two remaining planes are out of commission. Beverly thinks that Walter Baker may have tampered with the planes because she saw him in the hangar. Beverly asks Larry to come to Florida to help her. They follow the secretary, Thelma, and see Lennet give her two packages. Beverly and Larry also find the missing plane and a package of counterfeit money that is on the plane. Beverly reports to the authorities, who find counterfeit money in Thelma's possession. Thelma and Lennet are arrested.

Larry prepares to fly the Barton plane for the next scheduled shipment. Beverly thinks something will happen so she boards as a stowaway. Shortly into the flight, Walter Baker comes out of hiding and threatens Larry and Philip. When Beverly appears, Baker is startled and is overpowered by the other two men. Baker was trying to ruin the airline so that Philip would sell out to him. Beverly and Larry prepare to head back home.

#22 Beverly Gray's Island Mystery

Beverly receives a letter from Lenora in which she reveals that an elderly man, Professor Green, is traveling home with them. She also sends a photo of another man and asks Beverly to find out who he is. The man was seen skulking about on the boat before it set sail. Beverly goes to the authorities and learns that the man in the photo is a criminal named Captain Seers.

The Susabella fails to dock on the day it is to arrive in Florida, and the authorities are unable to contact the boat by radio. The boat has vanished without a trace, except for a lifeboat that washes up on shore. On one of the seats, the names Professor Green and Seers are scratched. Beverly is convinced that they are responsible for whatever has happened to the Susabella. Beverly travels to Vernon College and stays at Professor Green's house, pretending to be his niece.

At Vernon College, Beverly becomes acquainted with a girl named Mary Lynn, who typed Professor Green's manuscript for him, and with Otto Klem, who is an assistant to Professor Green. Beverly overhears Klem speaking to another man in a nearby cave and learns that he knows where Professor Green is. Beverly suspects that the men are after his manuscript. Beverly is able to eavesdrop on another meeting and determines that the other man is Seers. Otto Klem kidnaps Beverly after he learns that she is working against him, and Beverly is rescued by government agents.

Beverly finds the manuscript as well as Professor Green's will and a deed to an island in the South Pacific. Beverly flies with several government agents to the island where they find Beverly's friends stranded. Seers sank the Susabella so that nobody could escape from the island. Seers arrives at the island soon after the government agents and is arrested. The excitement proves to be too much for Professor Green, who dies of a heart attack. The friends go back to Vernon where they attend the reading of Professor Green's last will and testament. The island contains a valuable mineral deposit and will be sold to the U.S. government. Mary Lynn will inherit the money realized from the sale.

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