Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 "Josh, wake up." Dink shook Josh's shoulder, then yanked the covers off him. "Come on, help me clean the kitchen before my uncle gets up." Josh mumbled something and pulled the covers back over himself. "He made us breakfast …," Dink said. Josh shot out of the bed, tripping over his sneakers as he charged into the kitchen. Ruth Rose was already there, washing the fruit bowl.

"I don't see any food," Josh grumbled. "No, but you will after we get this mess cleaned up," Dink told him. "Blueberry pancakes are my uncle's specialty." Josh dropped into a chair. "I've been lied to," he mumbled. "Come on, Josh," Dink said. "If we work together, we can have this done in ten minutes." "I'll wash the floor," Ruth Rose said, dragging a mop from a closet. Dink handed Josh a damp sponge. "While you're sitting there, wipe the chairs and tabletop." "I thought we were going to talk to Mrs. Cornelius this morning," Josh said, giving the table a fast swipe. "We are." Dink opened his uncle's address book. "I'm calling her right now." When Dink had Mrs. Cornelius on the line, he introduced himself and asked if they could visit her for a few minutes. He thanked her and hung up. "We can go down as soon as we're done cleaning up," he said. "Let's get to work!" Dink turned the radio on low, and they cleaned to country songs.

"Hey, look what I found!" Josh said. He held up a long orange hair. "It was caught on the back of this chair." Dink and Ruth Rose walked over and studied the hair. "Looks like one of yours, Josh," Ruth Rose said. "Is not," Josh said. "My hair is red, not this orange color. And mine's a lot cleaner!" Ruth Rose took the hair and held it up to the light. "Miss Booker has orange hair," she said. "We can check her out later," Dink said. He folded the hair inside a paper towel and stuck it in

his pocket. "Let's finish up and go see Mrs. Cornelius." Ten minutes later, the kids quietly left the apartment. They found the stairs and walked down one floor. Dink knocked on Mrs. Cornelius's door. It was opened by a woman who had white hair and was wearing a fuzzy robe. Behind thick eyeglasses, her pale blue eyes looked huge. "Good morning!" Mrs. Cornelius chirped. "I see I'm not the only one who likes to get up with the birds. Come in, come in!" Using a cane, she led them into a cheerful living room. "Please sit on the sofa, where I can see you," she said. The kids lined up on the sofa. Mrs. Cornelius sat opposite them. She leaned close and studied their faces. "Now tell me why three children have come to visit an old lady like me," she said. Dink told Mrs. Cornelius about the stolen painting. "Goodness!" she said. "I always miss the excitement. When did it happen, dear?" "Last night, during the block party," Ruth Rose said.

Mrs. Cornelius clapped her hands. "That prowler I saw on my balcony must have been the thief!" she said. "I'm a witness!" "Um, we were wondering if you could tell us what happened." Using her cane for support, Mrs. Cornelius stood up. "Come with me." She walked to her balcony. "Pull those drapes, dear," she said to Josh. When the drapes were opened, the kids looked out onto the balcony. It was just like Uncle Warren's, except that several bird feeders were attached to the balcony railing. "I love to feed the birds, but I have trouble seeing them," Mrs. Cornelius said. "That's why I bought this!" She pointed to a round magnifying glass about the size of a pie plate. It was stuck to the inside of the balcony's glass door. Dink looked curiously through the magnifying glass. "Wow, everything looks bigger!" he said.

"Isn't it fun?" Mrs. Cornelius said. "I heard a noise last night, so I walked over and peeked