Chapter 10

Chapter 10 "Which cabin should we do first?" Josh asked. "I'll do Ed's," Dink said. "I'll take Fiona's," Ruth Rose said. "Did you guys notice she was wearing black tonight?" "Yeah, and Ed was doing knot tricks," Dink said. "Josh, why don't you check out Thumbs's cabin? It's out behind the barn. But be careful, he might be there!" "No problem," Josh said. "I'll look for the truck and the station wagon. If one of them is gone, he's gone, too."

The kids separated and Dink crept up the steps of Ed's cabin. The wood creaked under his feet. Dink was nervous, even though he knew Ed was still in the main house. He pushed open the screen door and stepped inside. The small light over Ed's bed was on. Ed Getz wasn't very neat. Clothes were tossed around the room. A gym bag and duffel lay on the bed, half packed. Dink quickly checked the dresser drawers. He found a book called Magic Made Easy and a few colored scarves. He also discovered a couple of pieces of rope, but they didn't look like the ones Fiona and Lulu had been tied with. In the bathroom, Dink saw a bottle of aspirin, shaving stuff, and a purple toothbrush. A black rubber tube hung from the towel rack. At first, Dink didn't recognize it. Then he realized it was a stethoscope. He probably uses it in a magic trick, thought Dink. Back in the main room, Dink checked the wall hooks. Shirts and pants were hanging there, but none of the clothing was black. Dink felt guilty about poking around in some other person's room. But he wasn't hurting

anything, and he wasn't stealing. He peeked inside the duffel and gym bags. Each held clothing and a few books. Dink wondered why Ed hadn't finished unpacking. Suddenly, Dink heard footsteps on the porch! He froze, then dove behind the bed. He lay there praying the screen door wouldn't open. Then Dink smiled. Of course! It was Josh or Ruth Rose walking on their own cabin porch! The cabins were only about twenty feet apart, and the windows were all open. Dink stood up and peeked out Ed's window. Josh and Ruth Rose were next door waving through the window! Dink waved back, then hurried next door. "Boy, you guys scared me!" he said. "What'd you find?" Josh asked him. Dink flopped on his bed. "A book about magic and some stuff to do tricks," Dink said. "No black clothing, and no gold. Sorry, Josh." "Fiona has a lot of black clothes," Ruth Rose said. "And she has a ton of mystery books!" "Anything about safecracking?" Dink asked. "Nope, but I did check out that chair she was tied in," Ruth Rose said. "I don't see how she

could have tied herself. She could have done her feet, but her hands were tied behind her back!" "She didn't tie herself," Josh said. "It was Thumbs. By the way the station wagon is gone. I sure hope he didn't drive to town to sell my gold!" "What's his cabin like?" Dink asked. "Filled with stuff," Josh said. "My mother would love this guy, he's so neat! His bed was made and all his clothes were hung up." "Josh, never mind how neat he is. Did you find any clues?" Ruth Rose asked. Josh grinned. "Yup. He owns black gloves, black jeans, and a black ski mask! A bunch of ropes, too. And check this out—he has a TV and VCR, and guess what movie he's watching?" Dink and Ruth Rose just stared at him. "Famous Robberies of the West!" Josh said. "I saw the box it came in." "That doesn't prove he's the robber," Dink said. "In fact, none of the stuff we saw proves anything." "And we still don't know where my gold is," Josh said, coiling his lasso on his lap. "I was almost rich!"

Just then the kids heard a scuffling noise out front. They looked through their screen door and saw Ed hobble past the cabin on his crutches. He moved slowly, holding his bandaged foot in the air. Once he made it up his front steps, he balanced on his good foot while he opened the door. Then he slipped inside. "Josh, I know you're bummed out," Ruth Rose said. "I don't blame you. But maybe the sheriff will find the robber." Josh shoved open the screen door and walked out onto the porch. He sat on the step with his lasso draped overone knee. "By tomorrow, the guy will sell the gold," Josh muttered. "He'll get a bunch of money and take off and no one will ever catch him."

Dink and Ruth Rose joined Josh on the porch. It was growing dark, and fireflies were beginning to flicker in the bushes. Sounds of laughter came from the main house. Dink sat next to Josh. "Want to walk down to the pond?" he suggested, trying to get Josh's mind off his lost gold. Josh just shrugged and continued staring into the night. "Okay, let's go," Ruth Rose said, "but let me get my bug spray." She turned to go back in the cabin, then stopped. From where she was standing, she could