Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 Dink looked past his uncle into the study. The painting was gone. "I've got to call the police," Uncle Warren said. He hurried toward the kitchen, leaving the kids standing in the hallway. "Who could have taken it?" Ruth Rose asked. "And how?" wondered Josh. "The door was locked." "Kids, come quickly!" Dink's uncle yelled from the other end of the apartment.

They ran back down the hallway and into the kitchen. "Look at that!" Uncle Warren said, pointing at the kitchen table. The tabletop was littered with orange juice and peels. The fruit bowl was overturned. More peels and dribbles of juice covered the floor. "Yuck, it's all sticky!" Josh said, backing away from a small puddle. "This is terrible!" Uncle Warren said as he called the police. "Guys, look!" Ruth Rose was pointing to an orange peel near the balcony. The kids walked over, and Ruth Rose opened the balcony door. "There's juice on the door handle, too," she said, wiping her hand on her jeans. They found more orange peels on the balcony. "Guy must've been hungry," Josh observed. Dink looked down over the balcony railing. "Could this be how the thief got into the apartment?" he asked. "How?" Josh asked. "On a hang glider? Dink, we're ten stories up, remember?"

Uncle Warren joined them. "A detective will be here soon," he said. Then he noticed the orange peels all over the balcony. "Goodness!" The kids started to pick up the orange peels. "Leave them," Uncle Warren said. "The police said not to touch anything." They walked into the living room and sat down to wait. "Forest will be devastated," Uncle Warren said. "Thank goodness he had the painting insured! At least he'll get his money back." Suddenly Roger's voice came over the small speaker next to the door. "Mr. Duncan, there's a detective here to see you. Shall I send him up?" Uncle Warren jumped up and ran to the door. Pressing the TALK button on the speaker, he said, "Thank you, Roger." Then he opened the door and walked into the hall.

The kids sat on the sofa staring at the front door. After a few moments, they heard the elevator door open. Dink's uncle said, "Yes, this is the place. I'm Warren Duncan." Uncle Warren walked back in, followed by a tall man wearing a dark suit and tie. "Kids, this is Detective Frank Costello," Dink's uncle said. The man nodded at the kids, then looked around the room. He had black eyes, dark, swept-back hair, and a nose that looked as if it had been broken. "Where was the painting?" Detective Costello asked. "Back here," Uncle Warren said, leading him down the hall toward the study.

"Let's go talk to Roger," Ruth Rose said. "Why?" asked Josh.

"Maybe he saw someone sneaking around," she answered. "Good idea," Dink said. He grabbed a pad and scribbled a note to his uncle. "Okay, let's go." He and Josh followed Ruth Rose to the elevator. In the lobby, they found Roger at his desk near the front door. Through the glass, Dink could see that the block party was winding down. "Going out again?" Roger asked the kids. Dink shook his head. "Someone stole a valuable painting from my uncle's apartment!" he said. Roger jumped from his seat. "A theft in our building? I can't believe it!" "It happened while we were at the block party," Josh said. "The creep ate all the oranges, too!" "We were wondering if you noticed anyone strange," Ruth Rose put in. Roger shook his head. "I was here the entire time and saw only people who live here," he said. "Absolutely no one else. …" Roger closed his eyes, then opened them slowly. "I just remembered. Mrs. Cornelius on the ninth floor called down about an hour ago. She