Chapter 11

Chapter 11 The three kids slid Sammi out of the cart and laid him gently on the floor. While Dink and Josh worked on the knots, Ruth Rose pulled away his gag. Before Sammi could speak, Pal waddled over and covered his face with wet dog kisses. Sammi gave Pal a big hug. Then he sneezed.

They all jumped when the elevator door slid open and Joan Klinker stepped out. When she saw Sammi and the man on the floor, her face turned as white as the sheets. "You—you've found Sammi!" Joan said, rushing to his side. "Ain't that cute!" the man on the floor said. "Well, I ain't taking this rap alone! She's the one planned the whole thing! We done it together." "What are you talking about?" Joan said. "I— I've never seen this man in my life!" The man let out a cackle. "What a lousy thing to say about your own husband!" he said. Just then, the elevator door slid open again. Dink's mother and Officer Fallon stepped into the hallway. "Well, well," Officer Fallon said. "Good thing I brought two pairs of handcuffs!" An hour later, Joan Klinker and her husband, Nick, were in jail. Mr. Linkletter went back to finish eating his doughnut.

Dink, Josh and Pal, Ruth Rose, Sammi, and Dink's mom joined Officer Fallon in the police station. "You were pretty clever to leave that trail of yellow glass," Officer Fallon told Sammi. "Thank you," Sammi said. "I hoped Dink would remember that the French word for yellow sounds like 'Joan.'" "I did remember," Dink said. "But Josh's dog was the one who found most of the glass." Josh beamed and patted Pal's head. "Good dog," he said. "Well, Ms. Klinker and her husband sang like little birds," Officer Fallon said. "They planned this thing carefully. After they stashed Sammi in the closet upstairs, they brought one of his slipper tassels to the river to throw us off the trail." "I heard them talking in the car," Sammi said. "They were going to take me back to Costra. I would have disappeared, just like my parents. Then my father's enemies would have taken over our country." Dink looked at his mom. "How did you know we were at the hotel?" he asked.

"Well, I met Joan outside Ellie's," Dink's mother said. "She said she was happy to be out of the hotel and suggested we go for a walk. Naturally, we talked about the kidnapping, and she mentioned Sammi's slipper tassel being found at the river." "Which she shouldn't have known about, right?" said Ruth Rose. Dink's mother smiled. "Right. And when I happened to mention the trail of yellow glass, she suddenly hurried away. She said she had something important to do at the hotel. So I came right here to see Officer Fallon." Officer Fallon smiled at the three kids. "But by the time we got to the hotel, you three had everything under control." Just then, Officer Fallon's computer said, "You've got mail!" "Ah, I've been waiting for this e-mail," he said. He moved his computer mouse, clicked twice, and smiled. "You should all hear this, so I'll read it aloud. "The king and queen of Costra have been found, thanks to your tip. They are alive and well.

Both send love to their son. Want him to come home immediately." Everyone in the office cheered. Sammi looked shocked, and then he beamed. "But how did you find them?" he asked Officer Fallon. "Your kidnappers spilled the beans," he said. "They were hired by the same guys who kidnapped your parents. They gave me names and places, so I just e-mailed the Costran police." The next day, Dink, Josh, Pal, and Ruth Rose said good-bye to Sammi. Each of the kids gave him a wrapped gift. Pal's gift for Sammi was a big, wet lick on the cheek. Sammi smiled, then sneezed. Three weeks later, a large package arrived at Dink's house. It was from Costra and addressed to all three kids. "Dibs on the cool stamps!" Josh said. Dink opened the parcel and found four smaller packages labeled DINK, JOSH, RUTH ROSE, and PAL.

Dink and Josh found small gold kaleidoscopes in their packages. Their names were spelled on the sides with tiny rubies. "What'd he send you?" Josh asked Ruth Rose. "OH, MY GOSH!" she screamed and held up a dark blue robe just like Sammi's. "Here's a picture and a note," Dink said. He read the note aloud. The picture showed Sammi wearing the gifts the kids had given him—Ruth Rose's sweatshirt, Josh's jeans, and Dink's baseball cap. Dear friends I miss you My father says you can come here and visit someday. You can even bring Pal! your friend. Sammi Bin Oz Suddenly Pal let out a woof. "He wants us to open his package," Josh said.