Chapter 8

Chapter 8 "Well, at least we know where the thief got the wood for the fire," Ruth Rose said. The kids were outside again, standing between the supermarket and the fire station. "So where did the guy take the duck bank in his jeep?" Josh asked. "Mr. Pocket said he was on Main Street, but we don't know which direction he was going." "Yes, we do," Ruth Rose said. Josh looked at her. "Ruth Rose, the guy could have been heading north or south."

“好吧，至少我们知道小偷从哪里弄来生火的木头了，”露丝·罗斯说。 孩子们又出来了，站在超市和消防站之间。 “那家伙开着他的吉普车把鸭子银行带到哪里去了?”杰克问。 “朴凯特说他在主街，但我们不知道他往哪个方向去了。” “是的，我们有，”露丝·罗斯说。 乔希看着她。“露丝·罗斯，那家伙可能往北或往南走。”

Ruth Rose shook her head. "He couldn't have been heading south," she said. "Mr. Pocket told us the jeep passed him on the corner of Indian Way Road. If it was coming from the fire station, the jeep had to be going north." "She's right," Dink said. "And north is toward River Road." Josh looked in that direction. "So when he got to River Road, he either turned right toward Blue Hills, or left toward Hartford." "Let's go talk to Mr. Pocket," Ruth Rose suggested. "He might remember which way the jeep turned." "Where do we find him?" Dink asked. "He lives at number 10 Indian Way Road," Ruth Rose said. Josh laughed and shook his head. "How can you remember stuff like that?" he asked. Ruth Rose just smiled. The kids collected Pal from the bike rack, and then they cut behind the fire station to Indian Way Road. Number 10 was a small gray-shingled house behind a white fence. Rosebushes filled the yard and drooped over the fence. A stone path led from

露丝·罗斯摇了摇头。“他不可能是往南走的，”她说。 “朴凯特先生告诉我们，吉普车在印第安路的拐角处从他身边驶过。 如果是从消防站来的，那吉普车一定是往北开的。” “她说得对，”丁克说。“北边是河路。” 乔希朝那个方向望去。 “所以当他到达河路时，他要么向右拐去蓝山，要么向左拐去哈特福德。” “我们去和朴凯特先生谈谈吧，”露丝·罗斯建议道。 “他可能记得吉普车往哪个方向拐了。” “我们到哪儿去找他?”丁克问道。 “他住在印第安路10号，”露丝·罗斯说。 乔希笑了，摇了摇头。 “你怎么能记住那样的东西?”他问。 露丝·罗斯只是笑了笑。孩子们把帕尔从自行车架上接走，然后从消防站后面抄近道来到印第安路。 10号是一幢灰色的小房子，后面有一道白色的篱笆。 院子里长满了蔷薇丛，从篱笆上垂下来。 一条石径从

the gate to the porch, where Mr. Pocket was sitting in a rocking chair. Randolph was on his lap. "Well, hello again," the elderly man called out. "Hi," Dink said, standing at the gate. "We had some questions about the jeep you saw last night. Could we talk to you?" "Of course," Mr. Pocket said. "Come on in! Mind the roses—those thorns love arms and legs!" Dink opened the gate and the kids stepped through. "Would you mind closing it behind you?" Mr. Pocket called. "Randolph thinks he can go exploring without me!" Ruth Rose smiled at Mr. Pocket. She pulled the gate shut and made sure the latch snapped into place. The kids walked carefully past the rosebushes and joined Mr. Pocket on his porch. Pal looked up at Randolph and wagged his tail. "Okay Randolph, you can visit your friend," Mr. Pocket said. He set his dog on the porch near Pal. Then he stood and removed a bunch of newspapers from a long bench. "Please sit," he told the kids.

门廊的大门，朴凯特先生正坐在摇椅上。 伦道夫坐在他的腿上。“好吧，又见到你了。”老人喊道。 “嗨，”丁克站在门口说。 “我们对你昨晚看到的那辆吉普车有些疑问。 我们能和你谈谈吗?”“当然，”朴凯特说。 “进来吧!”小心那些玫瑰——那些刺爱胳膊和腿!”丁克打开大门，孩子们走了进去。 “你介意把身后的门关上吗?”口袋先生打来电话。 “伦道夫认为他可以不带我去探险!”露丝·罗斯朝朴凯特先生微笑。 她把门关上，确保门闩啪的一声插到位。 孩子们小心翼翼地走过玫瑰丛，来到朴凯特先生的门廊上。 帕尔抬头看着伦道夫，摇了摇尾巴。 “好吧，伦道夫，你可以去看你的朋友了，”朴凯特说。 他把狗放在帕尔附近的门廊上。 然后他站起来，从长板凳上取下一叠报纸。 “请坐。”他对孩子们说。

The kids lined up on the bench and Mr. Pocket dropped back into his chair. A pair of eyeglasses lay on a low table next to the chair. Mr. Pocket put on his glasses and smiled at the kids. "Now, please tell me what's going on," he said. "Why all the interest in this jeep?" The kids told Mr. Pocket about the money being collected, the fire, and the theft of the duck bank. "That wasn't a passenger you saw in the seat next to the driver," Dink said. "It was the duck bank." "Well, I'll be pickled!" Mr. Pocket said. "I remember thinking it was strange how the moon reflected off his face. And all the time, it was a plastic duck!" "Um, you wouldn't happen to know which way he turned on River Road?" Dink said. "Did he have a blinker on?" Mr. Pocket shook his head. "Nope. Didn't have any lights on at all. That's why I didn't see him till he almost ran over my toes!"

孩子们在长凳上排好队，朴凯特先生又坐回椅子上。 椅子旁边的一张矮桌子上放着一副眼镜。 朴凯特先生戴上眼镜，对孩子们微笑。 “现在，请告诉我发生了什么事，”他说。 “为什么大家对这辆吉普车这么感兴趣?”孩子们告诉口袋先生钱被收了，失火了，鸭子银行被偷了。 丁克说:“你看到的不是坐在司机旁边的乘客。” “那是鸭子滩。”“好吧，我会被泡死的!”朴凯特说。 “我记得当时觉得月亮反射在他脸上的样子很奇怪。 一直以来，它都是一只塑料鸭子!”“嗯，你不会碰巧知道他在河路往哪个方向拐吧?”丁克说。 “他开了闪光灯吗?”朴凯特先生摇了摇头。 “不。根本就没开灯。 这就是为什么直到他几乎碾过我的脚趾头我才看见他!”

Mr. Pocket leaned forward. "And if you want my opinion, the driver never meant to turn on River Road," he said. "I truly believe he aimed his jeep straight for the river!" Dink gulped. "Right into the water?" he said. The old man nodded. "Yep. Unless that jeep knew how to fly." "That would explain why the guys in the fire truck didn't pass the jeep," Dink said. "I'd like to make a donation for your duck bridge," Mr. Pocket said. He fished a small leather pouch from his pocket and took out four quarters.

朴凯特先生向前倾了倾身子。 “如果你想听听我的意见，司机从来没有想过要在河路上转弯，”他说。 “我真的相信他把吉普车对准了那条河!”丁克一饮而尽。 “直接跳进水里?”他说。 老人点点头。“是的。除非那吉普车会飞。” 丁克说:“这就解释了为什么消防车里的人没有超过吉普车。” “我想为你的鸭子桥捐款，”朴凯特说。 他从口袋里掏出一个小皮袋，拿出四个25美分的硬币。

He leaned over and handed them to Josh. "Always liked ducks." "Thanks a lot, sir," Josh said as he accepted the money. "If we find the bank, I'll put it in for you." The kids and Pal left Mr. Pocket sitting on his porch with his dog. They walked to the corner of Main, then turned left and headed for the river. Between the edge of River Road and the water, there was a patch of weeds. Some of them were crushed flat, lying toward the river. When the kids were close enough, they realized that there were actually two flattened strips, side by side. Josh bent over the smashed grass. "They sure look like tire tracks to me," he said. "Mr. Pocket was right!" Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose sat and looked out over the river. Pal put his front feet in the river and began lapping up water. Josh held the leash so Pal couldn't go out any farther. "Could the jeep drive right across the river?" Ruth Rose asked. "Sure," Josh said. "On TV I've seen guys in jeeps plow right through water deeper than this."

他俯下身，把它们递给了乔希。 “我一直喜欢鸭子。”“非常感谢，先生。”乔希一边收钱一边说。 “如果我们找到银行，我就帮你放进去。” 孩子们和帕尔留下口袋先生和他的狗坐在门廊上。 他们走到美因街的拐角处，然后向左拐，朝河边走去。 在河路的边缘和水面之间，有一小片杂草。 他们中的一些人被压扁了，躺在河边。 当孩子们足够靠近时，他们意识到实际上有两条扁平的条带，并排在一起。 乔希俯下身去看着被压碎的草地。 “在我看来，它们确实像轮胎印，”他说。 “朴凯特先生是对的!”丁克、乔希和露丝·罗斯坐在那里眺望着河水。 帕尔把前脚伸进河里，开始舔水。 乔希拉着皮带，这样帕尔就不能再出去了。 “吉普车能开到河对岸吗?”露丝·罗斯问。 “当然，”乔希说。“在电视上，我看到有人开着吉普车犁过比这还深的水。”