Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Dr. Pitts stepped into the dark office. The kids watched him creep toward Uncle Warren's desk. Suddenly, he switched on his flashlight. Turning slowly, Dr. Pitts played the beam around the room. In James's office, Dink shrank back against the wall. He held his breath. Next to him, he could feel Josh and Ruth Rose trembling.

Dink dared to peek out again. The flashlight was now lying on the desk. Its beam made a yellow circle on the fish tank. Dr. Pitts was crouched down, staring into the tank. Suddenly he swore. Dink watched Dr. Pitts grab his flashlight and shine it wildly around the room. Dink froze and held his breath. When he peeked out again, Dr. Pitts was shining the flashlight beam at the floor, near his feet. He bent over and touched something on the floor. Dink thought about the water Ruth Rose had dripped there. Dr. Pitts once more shone the flashlight's beam around the dark office. The light fell on James's door. "Who's in there?" Dr. Pitts said. Dink closed his eyes. He felt his whole body grow cold. Ruth Rose let out a soft gasp. Then Dink heard footsteps. Dr. Pitts was coming toward their hiding spot! We have to get out of here! Dink thought. He pressed himself against the wall—but suddenly the wall wasn't there!

Dink felt a strong hand grab his arm. Another hand went over his mouth. Struggling, Dink felt himself being dragged backward. "Don't speak!" a hoarse voice whispered in his ear. "Come with me!" Too frightened to resist, Dink let himself be led. He reached out for Josh and Ruth Rose but felt nothing. Where were they? "Down here, quickly!" the voice said. Dink felt stairs under his feet. As he stumbled down, he smelled something familiar. At the bottom of the stairs, a door opened. Dink saw light. He smelled onions. He was in Yvonne's kitchen! Then Josh and Ruth Rose piled into him. Yvonne released his arm and slammed the door shut. This was the same narrow door Dink had seen her close before. "Come," Yvonne said, putting a finger to her lips. Yvonne rushed them toward the front of the restaurant. "The thief is still up there," she said. "I must lock the outside door. He will be trapped, no?"

She hurried toward the exit, but Dr. Pitts was already racing past the restaurant's window. "He is gone!" Yvonne wailed. "Now we will never catch him!" "It's okay," Dink said, grinning. "I have a feeling we caught him on video." "Video?" Yvonne asked. "I do not understand." "My uncle has a hidden camera in the office," Dink explained. He looked at Josh and Ruth Rose. "I hit the 'rewind' button before we had to hide, remember? I'll bet the tape rewound to the beginning and started recording again before Dr. Pitts came in." "Not only that," Josh said. "His fingerprints should be on the letter opener!" "Letter opener?" Yvonne asked, looking at the three kids. "I think I've figured that out," Ruth Rose said. "When the lights were turned off, he must have used the letter opener to pry the jewel out of the jaguar's paws. Then he quickly switched in the fake and slipped the real jewel into the fish tank." "But what does it matter, this camera and these fingerprints," Yvonne said, "if he has the jewel?"

"But he doesn't!" Ruth Rose said. She opened her fist and showed the emerald to Yvonne. "It was in the fish tank, and I got it out before he did!" "How lovely!" Yvonne said, giving Ruth Rose a hug. "Now what?" Josh asked. Yvonne went for the wall phone. "Now we call the police!" she said.