Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 Dink, Josh, Ruth Rose, and their teacher walked back into the classroom. "Now we have another mystery to solve," Mrs. Eagle told the class. "Josh, why don't you and Dink and Ruth Rose tell the class what you've been up to?" The three kids told their classmates about the first footprint and showed them Josh's drawing. Then they explained how they had traced and measured each teacher's shoe to try and find the one who had left the footprint.

第七章丁克、乔希、露丝·罗斯和他们的老师走回教室。 “现在我们又有一个谜要解开了，”伊格尔夫人对全班同学说。 “乔希，你和丁克还有露丝·罗斯为什么不告诉同学们你们在做什么?”三个孩子把第一个脚印告诉了他们的同学，并给他们看了乔希的画。 然后，他们解释了他们是如何描画和测量每位老师的鞋子，试图找到留下脚印的老师的。

Josh's drawing, Ruth Rose's list, and the eight shoe outlines were on Mrs. Eagle's desk. Also on the desk were the drawing of the skeleton and the key that Josh had found in his locker. "One more thing," Mrs. Eagle said. "Someone sprinkled powder on the floor near Josh's locker, then made another footprint." She looked at the class. "Any ideas?" Bobby raised his hand. "I think the same person who took the skeleton put the key in Josh's locker," he said. "But why?" asked Ruth Rose. "We don't know what the key goes to." Mrs. Eagle took the key and walked over to the classroom door. She slipped the key into the keyhole and tried to lock the door. "It doesn't work in this one," she said. Then she tried the key in her desk lock. "Nor this one."

乔希的画、露丝·罗斯的清单和八种鞋的轮廓都在伊格尔夫人的桌子上。 桌子上还有骷髅的画像和乔什在储物柜里找到的钥匙。 “还有一件事，”鹰太太说。 “有人在乔什储物柜附近的地板上撒了粉末，然后又留下了一个脚印。” 她看着全班同学。“什么想法?”博比举起了手。 “我认为拿走骷髅的人把钥匙放进了乔什的储物柜里，”他说。 “可是为什么呢?”露丝·罗斯问。 “我们不知道钥匙的作用。” 鹰夫人拿了钥匙，走到教室门口。 她把钥匙塞进锁孔，试图锁门。 她说:“这在这里行不通。” 然后她试着用钥匙打开书桌的锁。 “这个也不行。”

"We could try all the locks in the school," Frankie suggested. Mrs. Eagle nodded. "Good idea, Frankie, but there are dozens of doors and desks." "Could the key go to a suitcase or a safetydeposit box?" Dink asked. Mrs. Eagle smiled at Dink. "Good thinking." "Maybe it's the key to someone's house," Tommy said. "These are all good ideas," Mrs. Eagle said. "But it's not practical to go around Green Lawn trying the key in every keyhole." "What I can't figure out is why he's doing this," Dink said. "Why leave footprints and a key that he knew we'd find?" Josh raised his hand. "And why did the guy pick my locker to leave it in?" he asked. "Maybe he didn't," Ruth Rose said. "The lockers don't have our names on them. The guy might have just picked any third-grade locker."

“我们可以试试学校里所有的锁，”弗兰基建议道。 鹰太太点点头。“好主意，弗兰基，但这里有几十扇门和桌子。” “这把钥匙能开手提箱或保险箱吗?”丁克问道。 鹰太太对丁克笑了笑。 “好主意。”“也许这是别人家的钥匙，”汤米说。 “这些都是好主意，”伊格尔夫人说。 “但在格林草坪上到处试钥匙，在每个钥匙孔里试钥匙，这是不现实的。” “我不明白的是他为什么要这么做，”丁克说。 “为什么要留下他知道我们会找到的脚印和钥匙呢?”乔希举起了手。 “那家伙为什么要打开我的储物柜，把它留在里面?”他问。 “也许他没有，”露丝·罗斯说。 “储物柜上没有我们的名字。 那家伙可能随便挑了一个三年级的储物柜。”

"You're right," Mrs. Eagle said. "Maybe the key was meant to be found by anyone in this room!" Everyone looked at each other and started whispering. Mrs. Eagle made a pile of all the evidence on her desk and handed it to Josh along with the key. "But now we have to get back to work," she said. It was windier and colder as Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose walked home after school. "Let's go to my house," Ruth Rose said. "I'll make hot chocolate." "With whipped cream?" Josh asked. "Marshmallows," Ruth Rose said. "The big, fat ones?" "No, Josh, the little, bitty ones," Ruth Rose answered. "I like the big ones," Josh mumbled. A few minutes later, Ruth Rose let them in with her key. She found a note from her mom, saying she'd taken Ruth Rose's little brother, Nate, to the dentist.

“你说得对，”鹰太太说。 “也许这把钥匙注定要被这个房间里的任何人找到!”大家面面相觑，开始窃窃私语。 伊格尔夫人把所有的证据都堆在桌子上，连同钥匙一起交给了乔希。 “但现在我们必须回去工作，”她说。 当丁克、乔希和露丝·罗斯放学回家时，风更大了，天气更冷了。 “我们去我家吧，”露丝·罗斯说。 “我要做热巧克力。” “加鲜奶油吗?”杰克问。 “棉花糖，”露丝·罗斯说。 “那些又大又肥的?”“不，乔希，是那些小的，小的。”露丝·罗斯回答。 “我喜欢大的。”乔希咕哝道。 几分钟后，露丝·罗斯用钥匙让他们进去了。 她发现了妈妈的一张纸条，上面说她带露丝·罗斯的弟弟内特去看牙医了。

In the kitchen, Ruth Rose's cat, Tiger, was lying on the table in a patch of sun. Ruth Rose shooed Tiger away, then made hot chocolate in the microwave. Dink and Josh sat at the table. Josh laid the key and the drawing of the skeleton on the sunny spot vacated by Tiger. "I think we're missing something," Dink said, looking down at the key and the drawing. "The guy steals a skeleton and leaves a footprint. Then he plants a key in your locker and leaves another shoe print in powder that he sprinkled on the floor. He's trying to tell us something, but what?" Ruth Rose brought three mugs and a bag of marshmallows to the table. They all floated marshmallows on their hot chocolate. "I just remembered something," she said. "Didn't Mrs. Waters tell us she was missing her powder?"

在厨房里，露丝·罗斯的猫“老虎”正躺在桌子上晒太阳。 鲁斯·罗斯赶走了老虎，然后用微波炉做了热巧克力。 丁克和乔希坐在桌旁。 乔希把钥匙和骷髅画放在泰格空出来的阳光下。 “我想我们漏掉了什么，”丁克低头看着钥匙和那幅画说。 “这家伙偷了一具骨架，留下了一个脚印。 然后他在你的储物柜里放了一把钥匙在粉里留下了另一个鞋印撒在地板上。 他想告诉我们什么，但是什么呢?”露丝·罗斯端来三个杯子和一袋棉花糖。 他们都在热巧克力上放棉花糖。 “我刚想起一件事，”她说。 “沃特斯太太不是告诉我们她丢了爽身粉吗?”

"But she didn't make that footprint outside my locker," Josh said. "I know," Ruth Rose said. "But someone could have stolen her powder to use it to make that footprint. Maybe the thief wants everyone to suspect Mrs. Waters of taking the skeleton." The kids sipped their hot chocolate and thought about that. "It would have to be someone who can get into her desk to get the powder," Dink said finally. "Like Mr. Dillon!" Ruth Rose said. "Yeah, but the footprints aren't his, either," Josh said. "Remember he was wearing those loafers with no tread on the bottom." "And why would Mr. Dillon steal something and blame it on his secretary?" Dink asked. "It doesn't make sense!" "I wonder if anything else has been stolen from the school that we don't know about," Ruth Rose said. "Well, if anyone would know, it's Mrs. Waters," Dink said. "We could talk to her again tomorrow." Josh picked up the skeleton picture that had been wrapped around the key. "What do you guys

“但她没有在我的储物柜外留下脚印，”乔希说。 “我知道，”露丝·罗斯说。“但有人可能偷了她的粉末，用它来制造那个脚印。 也许小偷想让大家怀疑沃特斯太太拿走了骷髅。” 孩子们啜饮着热巧克力，想着这件事。 “必须是一个能进到她桌子里拿粉末的人。”丁克最后说。 “像狄龙先生那样!”露丝·罗斯说。 “是啊，但脚印也不是他的。”乔什说。 “别忘了他穿的是那双鞋底没有花纹的便鞋。” “狄龙先生为什么要偷东西，然后把责任推给他的秘书呢?”丁克问道。 “这说不通啊!”露丝·罗斯说:“我想知道学校是否还有其他我们不知道的东西被盗。” “嗯，如果有人知道的话，那就是沃特斯太太了，”丁克说。 “我们可以明天再和她谈谈。” 乔希拿起包裹在钥匙上的骷髅照片。 “你们怎么。