Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4 Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose ran toward Tyrone. "What happened?" Dink asked. "Our money got stolen—that's what happened!" Scoop said. "The money you just collected?" Josh asked. Jud shook his head. "No, I still have that." He held up two thick stacks of bills with rubber bands around them. "I was going to add it to the rest of the money, but it's gone!"

Dean pointed to the floor inside Tyrone's belly. The table, chair, and carpet had been moved. Where the table and chair had stood was a square hole cut into the flooring. A hinged door was open, revealing a compartment. It was empty.

"I built that as a hiding place," Dean said. "That's where we kept the money, in a duffel bag. We've been putting it in there since we left Montana." "How much money was there?" Josh asked. Jud's face was white. "All the money we've made so far," he said in a shaky voice. "Almost five thousand dollars." Six pairs of eyes stared into the empty compartment. "I don't see when anyone could have gotten in there," Scoop said. Jud closed his eyes for a second. "I put the duffel bag in there yesterday," he said, "after we got Tyrone all set up." "So someone stole it between yesterday afternoon and this morning," Dean said. "And it couldn't have happened last night, because I slept out here." "I'm going to get Officer Fallon!" Ruth Rose said. "He's the chief of police."

"What can he do now?" Jud asked. "The money is long gone." "Officer Fallon catches a lot of crooks," Dink said. Josh glanced down at the ground, dry-now from the sun. "He might find some clues around here." "They're right about bringing the police in, Jud," Dean said. "We have to do everything we can to find our money." "I'll be right back!" Ruth Rose said as she took off running. "Well, no one's getting this money," Jud said. He opened his shirt and stuffed the bills inside. Dink felt Josh pinching his arm. When Dink looked at him, Josh motioned with his head for Dink to walk away with him. He followed Josh away from the three men. "I hate to say this," Josh whispered, "but I think one of them stole the money." He tipped his chin toward Jud, Dean, and Scoop.

"Why would they do it?" Dink asked. "Jud and Dean really want to build the museum. And Scoop's going to work there. They wouldn't steal their own money Josh." "But who else has a key to the door or knows about that hiding place inside Tyrone?" Josh insisted. Dink shook his head. He kicked a small stone. "No one can make me believe Jud would do such a rotten thing," he said. Just then Ruth Rose and Officer Fallon came hurrying across Center Park. Dink and Josh walked back to the dinosaur. Officer Fallon introduced himself and pulled his notebook and pen from a shirt pocket. "Ruth Rose told me what happened," he said. He looked at the three men. "May I have your names, please?" He wrote down each name. "Scoop?" he asked. "Is that a nickname?" Scoop grinned. "Yeah, I was the editor of my college newspaper. I got the name because I was always first with a news scoop. My real name is Michael Raker." Officer Fallon wrote it down. "Can you show me where the money was when you fellas last saw

it?" Dean pointed through the door at the empty compartment. "It was in there, except when we were on the road. Then we kept it with us in the truck." "I put the duffel inside that compartment yesterday afternoon," Jud said. "That's the last time I saw it." "Wouldn't it be safer to keep your money in a bank?" Officer Fallon asked. "We thought the money was safe inside the dinosaur," Jud said. "No one but us knew about the hidden compartment. And I was planning on taking the money to my bank back in Montana." "Was that compartment locked?" the police chief asked, writing in his notebook. Jud shook his head. "No, but we always keep this outer door locked." Officer Fallon examined the keyhole. He removed the rubber wedge and swung the door