Chapter 6

Chapter 6 The kids thanked Jake and left. "That guy could have been the robber!" Ruth Rose said. "I think so, too," Dink said. "The thief would have to be big to carry that duck filled with coins." "Now can I get a milkshake?" Josh asked. "Please? I'm starving!" "If you promise not to slurp and embarrass us," Dink said. With Pal tugging on his leash, they walked to Ellie's Diner. They sat in a booth by the windows.

孩子们谢过杰克就走了。 “那个人可能就是抢劫犯!”露丝·罗斯说。 “我也这么认为，”丁克说。 “小偷必须很大，才能带着那只装满硬币的鸭子。” “现在我可以喝杯奶昔了吗?”杰克问。 “请吗?我饿死了!”丁克说:“如果你保证不发出声音让我们难堪的话。” 帕尔拉着他的皮带，他们走向埃莉餐厅。 他们坐在靠窗的小隔间里。

Pal crawled under the table and rested his head on Josh's feet. "Hi, kids," Ellie said. She brought Pal a bowl of water and patted him on the head. Then she pulled out her pad. "What'll it be? Our specials are slug stew and spider spaghetti." "Yum," Ruth Rose said, "but Josh simply has to have a milkshake." She pulled the ET CO wood from her back pocket and laid it on the table. "What's that?" asked Ellie. "It's a clue," Ruth Rose said. "Did you hear about the duck bank? It got stolen last night!" "Go on!" Ellie said. She sat next to Dink. "Tell me everything!" The kids told Ellie about the fire, the speeding jeep, and what they'd learned from Jake at the firehouse. "This came from the fire," Ruth Rose said, touching the chunk of wood. "We've been trying to figure out what ET CO stands for." Ellie picked up the wood and examined the letters. Suddenly she smiled and handed it back to Ruth Rose. "Well, that part of the mystery I can solve. Come on out back," she said.

帕尔爬到桌子底下，把头靠在乔希的脚上。 “嗨，孩子们，”艾莉说。她端来一碗水，拍了拍他的头。 然后她拿出她的笔记本。 “会是什么呢?”我们的特色菜是炖鼻涕虫和蜘蛛意面。” “真好吃，”露丝·罗斯说，“但乔希一定要来杯奶昔。” 她从后口袋里拿出外星人的木头，放在桌子上。 “那是什么?”埃莉问。 “这是一条线索，”露丝·罗斯说。 “你听说鸭子银行的事了吗?” 它昨晚被偷了!”“继续!”艾莉说。 她坐在丁克旁边。“把一切都告诉我!”孩子们告诉艾莉关于那场火灾、那辆疾驰的吉普车，以及他们在消防站从杰克那里学到的东西。 “这是从火里来的，”露丝·罗斯摸着那块木头说。 “我们一直在试图弄清楚ET CO代表什么。” 艾莉拿起木头，仔细检查那些信。 突然，她笑了笑，把信还给了露丝·罗斯。 “好吧，这部分谜团我可以解开。 到后面来吧，”她说。

"Stay," Josh told Pal. Then the kids followed Ellie behind the counter, through the kitchen, and out the back door. Ellie walked over to a small wooden platform lying on the ground. It was made of narrow boards that had been nailed across thicker ones. "I've seen those before," Josh said. "When my dad ordered a bunch of bricks, they came loaded on one of these things." "It's called a pallet," Ellie said. "Look!" Ruth Rose said. She pointed to words stamped into the pallet boards: EASTERN PALLET COMPANY. Ruth Rose held her partly burned piece of wood next to the words. The black printing was identical. "Where do they make these things?" Dink asked.

“留下来，”乔希对帕尔说。然后孩子们跟着艾莉走到柜台后面，穿过厨房，走出后门。 艾莉走到一个躺在地上的小木平台前。 它是用窄木板钉在厚木板上做成的。 “我以前见过，”乔希说。 “当我爸爸订购一堆砖时，它们装在其中一辆车上。” “这叫托盘，”埃莉说。 “看!”露丝·罗斯说。她指着压在托盘板上的字:东方托盘公司。 露丝·罗斯把她那块烧了一半的木头放在那几个字旁边。 黑色的印刷是一样的。 “他们在哪里制造这些东西?”丁克问道。

"Beats me," Ellie said. "This one came from the supermarket. I'm using the wood to build a fence around my garden." "Could anyone get one?" Ruth Rose asked. Ellie shrugged. "I guess. I talked to the store manager, a guy named Derek Robb. So do you still want milkshakes?" "Yes!" Josh said. He led the way back into the diner.

“我不知道，”艾莉说。“这个是从超市买的。 我要用这些木头在我的花园周围筑一道篱笆。” “谁能得到一个?”露丝·罗斯问。 艾莉耸耸肩。“我猜。我跟店长谈过了，一个叫德里克·罗伯的人。 你还想要奶昔吗?”“是的!”杰克说。 他带路回到餐厅。

The kids gave Ellie their orders, then slid back into the booth. Ruth Rose leaned toward Dink and Josh. "I'll bet the crook used pallets from the supermarket to start the fire!" she said. "If he did, maybe Derek Robb remembers him!" Dink said. "So let's go ask," Ruth Rose suggested. "Can we please drink our milkshakes first?" Josh asked.

孩子们给埃莉点了餐，然后溜回摊位。 露丝·罗斯靠向丁克和乔希。 她说:“我敢打赌这个骗子是用超市的货盘来放火的!” “果真如此，或许德里克·罗柏还记得他!”丁克说。 “那我们去问问吧，”露丝·罗斯建议道。 “我们能先喝奶昔吗?”杰克问。