Chapter 9

Chapter 9 The kids sat and thought about Thumbs as the thief. "I know you don't like Thumbs," Dink said to Josh, "but I can't believe he'd rob the Wheats. Besides, he didn't know the combination, remember?" "Who says?" Josh asked. "If he worked here for years, he could've learned it without the Wheats knowing." Dink picked up some pebbles and tossed them into the path. "Maybe it was some stranger," he

said, "like Ma suggested." "I keep thinking about them being tied up and gagged," Ruth Rose said. "Whoever did it was taking a real chance. What if we all came back from riding in the middle of it all?" "That's another reason I think it was Thumbs," Josh said. "He knew we wouldn't be back for a while. And he knew Ma and Pa would be gone at least an hour. Have you guys noticed how he's always sneaking up behind people?" "Guys," Dink said after a moment, "I wonder why the robber used ropes on Fiona and Lulu but he handcuffed Ed." "Ed told us," Ruth Rose said. "He had the handcuffs out to practice some tricks. The robber saw the handcuffs and decided to use them." "Maybe," Dink said. "What, do you think Ed was the robber?" Josh asked, grinning. "I can just see him hobbling around, tying up people and cracking safes on crutches." "Unless he was faking," Ruth Rose said. "Faking what?" Josh asked. Ruth Rose turned and stared at Dink and Josh. "What if Ed didn't really hurt his ankle? What if

he pretended so he could stay here to rob the safe?" "Ruth Rose, Ed was handcuffed and gagged," Josh commented. "He couldn't do that to himself, could he?" "Well, he is a magician, isn't he?" "Plus," Josh went on, "Fiona stayed with him. Unless you think she and Ed are partners in crime." "Well, it's possible, isn't it?" Ruth Rose asked. "I guess it could be any of them," Dink said. "But how do we prove it?" "I still say it was Thumbs," Josh said after a minute. "He knows a lot about ropes, and I bet he wore gloves so no one would see his missing thumb." "Josh, a lot of people know how to tie knots," Dink said, "and anyone planning to rob a safe would wear gloves so he wouldn't leave fingerprints." "Officer Fallon would say, 'Find the proof,'" Ruth Rose said. "So why don't we look in their cabins?" "For what?" Dink asked.

"Clues," Ruth Rose said. "Like the black clothing this guy was wearing." "And my gold!" Josh said. "Whoever took the nugget might've hidden it in his room." "Wouldn't that be breaking and entering?" Dink asked. "Just entering," Ruth Rose said. "All the doors are unlocked, so we wouldn't be breaking in." Just then the dinner bell clanged. Josh dropped his rope and stood up. "Let's go eat. My brain can't think when my stomach is empty." They hurried to the dining room. While the adults talked about the robbery, the kids ate, kept quiet, and listened. Dink looked around the table at the guests and staff. It seemed unbelievable that one of these people was probably guilty. How could that person sit here and pretend? It can't be any of the Wheats or the Clydes, Dink reminded himself. That leaves Ed, Fiona, Thumbs, and Lulu. Dink glanced at Ed, sitting on the other side of the table. His crutches were leaning against the

wall. Ed was showing Fiona and Jud a trick using a piece of string. Fiona was wearing a black turtleneck shirt over black jeans. Dink could see the red rope marks on her wrists. Was she the thief in black? Lulu was bustling back and forth between the kitchen and dining room. Somehow, Dink couldn't picture her tying people up and cracking safes. But, like Thumbs, she might have learned the combination. Dink looked down the table toward the seat Thumbs usually occupied. His chair was empty! Suddenly, Dink felt someone's foot kicking him under the table. It was Josh. When Dink glared at him, Josh nodded toward the empty chair. Josh held up his thumb and wiggled his eyebrows. "I know he's not here!" Dink whispered. "Cool it." "What's going on?" Ruth Rose said. Before Dink could answer, Josh asked Ma Wheat where Thumbs was. "He … he promised to teach me a rope trick after supper."

"Why, I don't know, Josh," Ma said. "Perhaps he's gone to town." Pa tapped his spoon against his water glass. "It's been a bad day at the ranch," he said. "Why don't we all stay here after supper and play some cards? Ed, you can show us more of your magician tricks." The adults at the table seemed to think Pa's idea was great. Josh pulled Dink and Ruth Rose aside. "This is great!" he whispered. "We can check out the cabins while they're all here." "But won't it seem weird if we just leave?" Ruth Rose asked. Josh just winked, then walked off to talk to Ma Wheat. He came back a minute later. "It's all set," he said. "We're outta here." "What did you tell her?" Dink asked. "Just a little lie," Josh said, heading for the door. Dink and Ruth Rose followed. "What kind of lie?" Ruth Rose asked on the front porch. Josh headed down the path toward the cabins. "I told her we had a summer project we had to work on for school."