Chapter 7

Chapter 7 After the kids had finished their milkshakes, they left Ellie's and walked back up Main Street to Green Lawn's supermarket. Josh tied Pal's leash to a bike rack. "We'll be right back," he told his dog. Inside, Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose walked through the fruit and vegetable section. Tall pyramids of oranges and apples gleamed under the lights. They stood next to a mountain of watermelons and glanced around the store. A lot of people were shopping, and a lot of workers were scurrying

about. All the store employees wore dark pants, green aprons, and white shirts. Dink walked over to a woman with curly brown hair. She was arranging bags of grapes into a display. A name tag pinned to her apron said HI! I'M JUDY. Dink asked her where the manager's office was. "Go to the rear of the store," Judy said, pointing. "It's the red door just left of the meat department." The kids followed her directions, and Dink knocked on the door. "Come in!" a voice boomed. Ruth Rose opened the door and the kids walked in. The office was cluttered with filing cabinets, boxes of damaged canned goods, and a wooden desk covered with papers. Behind the desk sat a smiling man in a shirt and tie. DEREK ROBB was printed on a nameplate on his desk.

"Hi there," the man said. "How can I help you kids?" "Someone set a fire in the meadow behind my barn last night," Josh said. "We think whoever set it used pallets from this store." Ruth Rose showed Mr. Robb the chunk of burned wood. Mr. Robb examined the letters ET CO. "Yep, looks the same," he said. "A lot of our merchandise comes stacked on these things." "Did you give any pallets to a tall man a couple of days ago?" Dink asked. Mr. Robb smiled. "People who want pallets usually just take them," he said. "Come on, I'll

show you." Mr. Robb led the kids out of his office. They passed a long wall covered with framed photographs of employees. Dink recognized Judy, the woman who'd given him directions. "Right through here," Mr. Robb said, pushing through a wide pair of swinging doors. "Watch out for the forklifts!" The kids found themselves in a giant room filled with workers, boxes, and noise. Men and women were unpacking crates and loading stuff on carts. "Look," Josh said. A yellow forklift stopped near a bunch of boxes stacked on a pallet. The driver pulled a lever, and the forklift's two arms lowered. The truck moved forward, and the arms slid under the pallet. The driver moved the lever again, and the arms raised the pallet of boxes off the floor. Suddenly the forklift began to back up, beeping. The kids and Mr. Robb stepped back as the forklift carried the pallet to the other end of the room. "Cool!" Josh said. "I wish I had one of those things."

Mr. Robb chuckled. "They're pretty expensive, kiddo. Now follow me." He led the kids to a tall, wide opening like a garage door. "If you go down those steps," Mr. Robb said, pointing, "you'll see a stack of pallets on the ground. Folks stop by and take them all the time. They break 'em up for firewood, whatever." "So anyone could just come and take one," Dink said, "at any time?" "That's right," said Mr. Robb. "Even in the middle of the night."