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.

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.

"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.

"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.

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.