Chapter 11

Chapter 11 The kids stood looking down at the name tag. "I've seen an apron and name tag like this before," Dink said. "In the supermarket!" "Martin must work there!" Josh said. "Let's go arrest him!" "We can't arrest anybody," Ruth Rose said. "We have to tell Officer Fallon!" Ruth Rose scooped up the apron and wrung out the water. Then the kids raced up the grassy slope and across River Road. Pal loped alongside Josh. On the firehouse driveway, they saw Jake, Lenny, and a couple of other firefighters. The jeep

was standing in a puddle of river water. "Have you seen Officer Fallon?" Dink asked one of the firefighters. "You just missed him," the man said, pointing to the jeep's open glove compartment. "He grabbed some papers and left." "Do you know if he went to the police station?" Ruth Rose asked. The firefighter shrugged. "He didn't say." Dink looked at Josh and Ruth Rose. "What should we do?" he asked. "If Martin is the crook, we need to let Officer Fallon know," Ruth Rose said. "But it might be too late," Josh said. "If Martin works next door, he might have seen the jeep being dragged over here." Josh quickly glanced toward the supermarket. "He could be watching us right now!" Dink thought for a minute. "We saw Martin in a rowboat a while ago, so maybe he isn't working at the market today," he said. "He might not know we found the jeep." Ruth Rose was still holding the damp apron. She looked across the lawn toward the supermarket. "Come on," she said. "If Martin isn't

working today, maybe we can find out where he lives. And even if he is working, we'll tell Officer Fallon." They crossed the lawn that separated the fire station from the supermarket. Josh left Pal tied to the bike rack again, and the kids hurried inside. "Keep your eyes peeled for a big guy with mushroom ears," Josh whispered. But the store was packed with Sunday shoppers. Dozens of workers in green aprons scurried around. Many of the male employees were pretty big. "How will we ever find him?" Ruth Rose asked. "Martin could be anywhere!" "I have an idea," Dink said. "When we were here before, I saw a bunch of pictures of employees. Let's check 'em out." Josh and Ruth Rose followed Dink toward the back of the store. They cut through the pet food aisle, took a right at the dairy department, and stopped in front of the wall of photographs. "There he is," Dink said, pointing. The man they'd seen in the rowboat was in the bottom row of pictures. He was the only one with huge ears.

"Martin Fleece," Dink said, reading the name under the picture. "What should we do?" Josh asked. Ruth Rose held up the apron. "We have to find out if he's here," she said. "Let's see if Mr. Robb is in his office." The store manager's office was only a few yards from the wall of pictures. The door was open, and Dink could hear Mr. Robb's voice. "Someone's in there with him," Dink whispered to Josh and Ruth Rose. They stood just outside the door. "Marty, I just don't understand," Mr. Robb was saying. "Yesterday you were happy to work here, and today you want to quit."

"I'm sorry," a deep voice responded. "But I have to go out of town. My … my grandmother is in the hospital, so I have to leave today. And I'll need my paycheck, too." Josh peeked around the corner. When he looked back at Dink and Ruth Rose, his eyes were huge. "Martin Fleece!" he whispered. "What can we do?" Ruth Rose asked. "Let us take it from here," a quiet voice said, this time from behind Ruth Rose. It was Officer Fallon with Officer Keene. "Did this come from the jeep?" Officer Fallon asked, pointing at the wet apron. Ruth Rose nodded. He took the apron and walked into Mr. Robb's office. Officer Keene followed and closed the door. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose stepped closer and listened. "Martin Fleece, you are under arrest for theft," they heard Officer Fallon say. One hour later, the kids were sitting in Officer Fallon's office. Martin Fleece was in jail.

"How did you know where to find him?" Dink asked Officer Fallon. "The jeep's registration was in the glove compartment," Officer Fallon said. "His name and address were on it. One phone call told me he worked in the supermarket." "How come he didn't get caught in the quicksand like I did?" Josh asked. Officer Fallon shrugged. "Most likely, when the jeep got stuck, he realized he was in some kind of deep mud. He must have leapt clear, or swum till he could walk out of the river." "Did the firefighters open the bank yet?" Ruth Rose asked. Officer Fallon stood up. He opened his drawer and took out the cookie tin and his jar of money. "Why don't we go find out?" he asked. Three weeks later, the duck bridge was completed. The high school kids had done a great job. The bridge was wooden and looked like a regular bridge, only it was much narrower than most. A small sign said DUCKS WELCOME. One end of the bridge was on the riverbank, and it curved gracefully over River Road. Cars would