Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose exchanged glances. Officer Fallon was still looking at Mr. Pocket. "The man looked like a duck? Can you explain, Mr. Pocket?" Mr. Pocket smiled. "I noticed a shiny head and a duck's beak. Now I realize the man must have had a shaved head and a large nose." Officer Fallon thanked Mr. Pocket and wrote down his phone number. The man and his dog continued their walk. "That guy driving the jeep must have been the thief!" Josh blurted out. "The duck bank was in

the passenger seat!" "When Mr. Pocket saw the jeep, the driver had probably just stolen the bank and was making his getaway!" Ruth Rose added. Officer Fallon walked over to his cruiser. "I'll get word out to watch for a jeep carrying a duck," he said. "Would you mind holding on to our money?" Dink asked. He stepped over to the cruiser and handed Officer Fallon the cookie tin. "And here's yours back." Josh returned Officer Fallon's jar. "Will do," Officer Fallon said, setting both containers on the seat. "Don't worry, we'll get our duck bridge built yet." He climbed into the car and pulled away down Main Street. "That crook could be anywhere by now," Dink said. He started walking toward the corner of Main and River Road. "It makes me so mad!" Ruth Rose said. "The town has been saving up for a year, and now we have to start all over again!" The kids crossed River Road and sat in the grass above the riverbank. Pal woofed at a family

of ducks feeding in the weeds. The ducks paddled quickly away toward the other side. "Maybe Officer Fallon will find him," Dink said. "I don't know how," Josh said. "That jeep could be hundreds of miles away by now." "Well, we still have this," Ruth Rose said, holding up the chunk of wood stamped with ET CO. "These letters must mean something!" Josh picked up a stone and tossed it into the river. The kids watched the stone sink to the sandy bottom. "Any ideas?" Dink asked. "Yeah, let's go to Ellie's," Josh said. "A milkshake always helps me think better." "Josh, we have to focus on finding that money," Ruth Rose said. "Think of those baby ducks!" "Okay, but we don't have a plan," Josh said. Dink checked his watch. "Why don't we see if the firemen who were on duty last night are up yet?" he suggested. "Good idea," Ruth Rose said. "Maybe they saw the jeep when they were coming back from the fire."

With Pal leading, the kids walked back into the fire station. A tall man was wiping the rescue truck with a cloth. A mug of coffee rested on the truck's hood. "'Morning," he said, yawning. "Good morning," Dink said. "Are you one of the night firemen?"

"Did you hear about the robbery?" Josh asked before the man could answer Dink's question. The man nodded. "My name's Jake," he said. "I'm really bummed that someone stole that duck money." He picked up his coffee and sat on the truck's front bumper. "Lenny and I were gone, putting out a fire in the meadow. It turned out to be small, probably left burning by some campers." "Officer Fallon thinks the crooks set it," Josh said. "We figure they did it to get you to leave the firehouse," Dink said. "I saw some headlights near where the fire was set last night." "And a man walking his dog saw a jeep speeding up Main Street," Ruth Rose added. "He saw the duck bank in the jeep!" Jake's mouth fell open. "Really?" "By any chance, did you pass a jeep on River Road?" Josh asked. Jake shook his head. "Didn't see any vehicles, going or coming back." "Did you see anyone hanging around here?" Ruth Rose asked.

Jake leaned down and gave Pal's ears a gentle rub. "Not last night, but a few days ago some guy was poking around in here. He used our bathroom, then left." "Did he see the duck bank?" Dink asked. "Probably. The thing's pretty hard to miss," Jake said. "Do you remember what he looked like?" Josh asked. Jake shrugged. "Big guy, as tall as me but heavier," he said. "Oh, and his ears really stuck out. Looked like he had two overgrown mushrooms glued to his head."