Excerpt

Chapter One: I Have a Secret Plan

As soon as my chores were done, I rushed up the narrow stairs to my attic room and ran to the window.

It was only a tiny window. But from it, over the jumble of Seattle rooftops, I could see the waters of Puget Sound.

I spent hours alone here. Sometimes I sat with my pencil and paper, sketching the busy harbor or the snow-tipped mountains in the distance. Mostly, like now, I watched for boats.

Was that a steamship coming in? If only I had a pair of binoculars. I squinted to be sure. Yes, a large steamship was headed for the docks.

I'd have to run down the hill to get there in time.

There was only one problem: Mrs. Tinker.

I tiptoed back down the stairs and into the hall, silent as a cat.

I was glad my shoes were old and worn. There wasn't a chance they'd squeak. The parlor door was closed. Maybe Mrs. Tinker was snoring away in her favorite chair.

At the door I grabbed the handle and turned it. Slowly, slowly, I told myself. My heart pounded like waves on a rock at high tide.

I pulled the door open, letting bright summer sun stream in. I picked up one foot and got ready to run. Almost free!

All at once I heard the click of sharp footsteps. The parlor door flew open.

Caught!

"Where do you think you're going, kid?" growled Mrs. Tinker, grabbing my shirt with her fingernails.

Mrs. Tinker was tall and skinny. Whenever I looked at her I thought of a pencil - a sharp one.

My landlady leaned forward, her eyes glittering like tiny beads. "David Hill, why is it lately that every time I turn around, you're gone? Don't you have chores to do?"

I gulped. "I finished already,