Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11 Dink felt himself blushing as everyone outside the garage turned to look at everyone inside. The trailer stood a few yards away Through a thick mesh screen, Dink saw Ollie and Polly "Say what's going on here?" Harvey Fowler asked. "Hey wait a minute," his wife said. "They were at the block party! What's this all about, Mr. Evans?" "I'm not Mr. Evans," Detective Costello said. He pulled his wallet out and flipped open his

badge. "I'm Detective Frank Costello, New York City Police Department." Detective Costello nodded at Dr. Parker, who walked over to the trailer. Dink watched him take out a pair of scissors and snip a few hairs from Ollie's arm. Then Dr. Parker went back into the garage. Detective Frost took a plastic bag from inside her jacket. Through it, Dink recognized the Polaroid picture of the painting. "I'm sure we'll find your fingerprints all over this photograph," she told Harvey Fowler. "Recognize it?" Harvey Fowler glanced down at the picture. Dink saw his Adam's apple go up and down. "So? Big deal. What's wrong with having a picture? I've got lots of pictures." "Trouble is, you have one picture too many," Detective Costello said. "You taught your ape to steal the painting in this photograph."

Harvey Fowler smirked, showing a gold tooth. "I got one word for you: proof. You got any?" Dr. Parker walked back to the group. "I think so," he said. "The hairs match. The ones I just snipped from Ollie are the same as the one found in Mr. Duncan's kitchen. They're both like the hair the kids found in front of the apartment building." "Thank you, Dr. Parker," Detective Frost said. She looked at Harvey and Ginny Fowler. "You're both under arrest for grand theft." "We didn't steal nothing and you can't prove we did!" Harvey Fowler yelled. "I can't help it if Ollie took some dumb painting."

"Give it up," sighed Ginny Fowler to her husband. "It's over." She turned to Detective Frost. "Everything you said is true. Harvey's cousin works for an insurance company in Paris. Last week, he insured a Monet painting. When he saw that it was being shipped to New York, he took a snapshot and sent it to us. He also sent the address where the painting was going." "Ginny, be quiet!" Harvey shouted. "We'll get outta this. I got another cousin who's a lawyer." Mrs. Fowler ignored her husband. "Anyway, when Harvey saw the balconies on the back of Mr. Duncan's building, he trained Ollie to climb up there," she said. "The painting is hidden in the trailer." Detectives Costello and Frost handcuffed the Fowlers. Then everyone walked over to the trailer. It was divided in half. Ollie sat on one side, gazing out through the wire. On the other side, Polly stood munching hay. She didn't seem interested in what was going on in the human world. "Where is it, exactly?" Detective Frost asked Ginny Fowler.

"There's a false bottom in Ollie's cage," Mrs. Fowler said. "You'll find a handle under the straw." Detective Costello looked at Josh. "You want to climb in there, kid?" Josh gulped. "Um, sure. He won't hurt me, will he?" Ginny Fowler smiled at Josh. "Go ahead. Ollie likes kids." Detective Frost opened the trailer's rear door and Josh crawled in. Ollie shuffled over and smelled Josh's hair. Josh moved some of the straw and found a small, round handle. He tugged and a part of the floor lifted up.

Just then, a taxi pulled up next to the trailer. A short man with a brown beard stepped out. "Warren, who are all these people? What's going on?" Uncle Warren shook Forest Evans's hand. "Welcome home, Forest. Make us a pot of tea, and we'll tell you the whole story!"