Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Mr. Linkletter unlocked the door and shoved it open. A man with curly blond hair stared back at them. He was sitting in a chair with his feet tied in front of him. His arms were tied behind his back. A towel was wrapped around his mouth. "Oh, my goodness!" Mr. Linkletter cried. Everyone rushed into the room.

Dink ran behind the chair to untie the man's hands while Josh untied his feet. Mavis unwrapped the towel from around his face.

"Thank goodness you got here!" the man said. "I'm Wallis Wallace. Someone knocked on my door last night. A voice said he was from room service. When I opened the door, two men dragged me in here and tied me up." He looked at Dink. "You're Dink Duncan! I recognize you from the picture you sent. How did you find me?" "We followed your itinerary" Dink said. He showed Mr. Wallace the sheet of paper. "We got it from Mr. Paskey and used it as a trail. The trail led us to this room!" "I'm so sorry I missed the book signing," Wallis Wallace said. "As you can see, I was a bit tied up." He smiled. Then he rubbed his jaw. "My mouth is sore from that towel. I can't believe I was kidnapped! And I can't wait to get back to my safe little cottage in Maine." "Can you describe the two guys who kidnapped you?" Dink asked. "We should tell Officer Fallon so he can try to find them." Wallis Wallace stared at Dink. "The two guys? Oh…well, urn, I don't think I'll-" "HEY!" Ruth Rose suddenly yelled. Everyone looked at her.

"What's the matter?" asked Dink. "You look funny, Ruth Rose." Ruth Rose was staring at the red scarf draped around Mavis's neck. She pointed at the man who'd been tied up. "You're not Wallis Wallace!" Then she looked at Mavis Green. "You are," she said quietly.