Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 Dink set the flashlight on the floor and tied one end of the rope to the folding steps. Josh formed a loop in the other end, big enough for Ruth Rose to step in. He stood on the table and handed her the loop. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Dink asked. "It'll be easy" Ruth Rose said. "I climb down the rope ladder from my cousin's tree house all the

丁克把手电筒放在地板上，把绳子的一端系在折叠台阶上。 乔希在另一端围成一个圈，大到足以让露丝·罗斯介入。 他站在桌子上，把那个环递给她。 “你确定要这么做吗?”丁克问道。 “这很容易，”露丝·罗斯说。 “我每天都从我表弟的树屋绳梯上爬下来

time." "We'll hold the rope till you're ready to go down," Josh said. He added, "Be careful of those teeth!" "Okay, give me a minute." Ruth Rose's face disappeared. Some of the slack rope went with her. "All right!" she yelled. "Just lower me real slow." The boys felt the rope tighten with Ruth Rose's weight. They let the rope slip slowly through their fingers. Dink felt the friction making his palms burn. Then the rope went totally slack. "Is she down?" Josh asked. They both heard someone banging on the door in Tyrone's side. "I'll be right back!" Ruth Rose yelled. Dink and Josh sat and leaned against a curved wall. Ruth Rose's flashlight was growing dim, so Dink shut it off.

时间。”“我们会抓住绳子，直到你准备好下去。”乔希说。 他补充说:“小心那些牙齿!”“好吧，给我一分钟。” 露丝·罗斯的脸消失了。 一些松弛的绳子随她一起走了。 “好吧!”她喊道。“把我慢慢放下来。” 男孩们感到绳子被露丝·罗斯的体重拉紧了。 他们让绳子慢慢地从指间滑过。 丁克感到摩擦使他的手掌发烫。 然后绳子完全松了。 “她倒下了吗?”杰克问。 他们都听到有人在泰龙这边敲门。 “我马上回来!”露丝·罗斯喊道。 丁克和乔希靠在一堵弯曲的墙上坐着。 露丝·罗斯的手电筒越来越暗，所以丁克把它关掉了。

"Wish this place had an air conditioner," Josh said after a minute. He wiped sweat off his face with his T-shirt. "Why not wish for a full refrigerator while you're at it," Dink said. Josh grinned. "Or a microwave and a pizza. But I'd settle for a big fan." The boys sat in the dark. Dink felt sweat trickling into his eyes. "I'm cooking," Josh moaned. "Don't be such a baby" Dink said. "Imagine what it would be like inside a real Tyrannosaurus!" Josh giggled in the dark. "Did dinosaurs eat kids?" he asked. "No, Josh, because humans didn't live then," Dink said. "Besides, if a T. rex got one taste of you, he'd spit you out." Josh poked Dink in the ribs. Dink poked him back. Just as Josh put a wrestling hold around Dink's neck, they heard something thump outside. Josh gulped. "Do you suppose it's Dean, coming to get the money?"

“要是这地方有空调就好了。”过了一会儿，乔希说。 他用t恤擦去脸上的汗水。 丁克说:“为什么不在冰箱装满的时候许愿呢?” 杰克笑了。“或者微波炉和披萨。 但我愿意做一个超级粉丝。” 男孩们坐在黑暗中。丁克感到汗水流进了眼睛。 “我在做饭。”乔希呻吟道。 “别那么孩子气，”丁克说。 “想象一下在真正的暴龙体内会是什么样子!”乔希在黑暗中咯咯地笑。 “恐龙吃小孩吗?”他问。 “不，乔希，因为那时还没有人类，”丁克说。 “而且，如果霸王龙尝了你一口，它会把你吐出来的。” 乔希戳了戳丁克的肋骨。 丁克戳了戳他。正当乔希扭住丁克的脖子时，他们听到外面有什么东西砰的一声。 杰克一饮而尽。“你认为是迪安来拿钱的吗?”

Dink crawled to the door and put his ear against it. The door opened, and Dink nearly fell on top of Jud. Behind Jud stood Officer Fallon and Ruth Rose. "You sure get yourself in some pickles," Officer Fallon said, shining his flashlight in Dink's eyes. "Good thing I found Jud at the fireworks." Jud lowered the steps so Dink and Josh could climb down to the ground. "Thanks," Josh said. "We were melting in there!" "I don't suppose you found the money," Jud said. "Ruth Rose told us what you were up to." Dink shook his head. "Sorry," he said. "I'm afraid that whoever took that duffel bag disappeared with it," Officer Fallon said. Jud nodded. "It must have happened last night after we went to bed," he said. "I just don't see how."

丁克爬到门口，把耳朵贴在门上。 门开了，丁克差点儿摔在朱迪的身上。 裘德身后站着法伦警官和露丝·罗斯。 “你肯定给自己惹上麻烦了，”法伦警官一边说，一边用手电筒照着丁克的眼睛。 “还好我在烟花晚会上找到了贾德。” 裘德放低了台阶，这样丁克和乔希就可以爬到地上了。 “谢谢，”乔希说。“我们都快融化了!”“我想你没有找到钱，”贾德说。 “露丝·罗斯告诉了我们你在干什么。” 丁克摇了摇头。“对不起，”他说。 “我担心拿走那个行李袋的人带着它消失了，”法伦说。 Jud点点头。“这一定是昨晚我们上床睡觉后发生的，”他说。 “我只是不知道该怎么做。”

Officer Fallon shined his light at the ground. "It rained last night, so even if the crook left footprints, they'd have washed away." Footprints, Dink thought. "I saw wet footprints in that garden shed," he said. Dink pointed through the darkness toward the rose garden. "I went in to get the wheelbarrow for Mr. Pocket." "That means someone went in there after it rained," Ruth Rose said. "And that was in the middle of the night!" "Maybe the footprints were left by our thief," Officer Fallon said. He put a hand on Dink's shoulder. "Show me." Dink led the way across the dark lawn. "There it is," he said when they reached the small garden shed. "You folks please stay out here," Officer Fallon told Josh, Ruth Rose, and Jud. His flashlight beam found the screwdriver. He removed it and opened the door. He played the light over the floor. Dried muddy footprints led from the door to the back of the shed.

法伦警官用灯照着地面。 “昨晚下雨了，所以即使那个坏蛋留下了脚印，也会被冲走的。” 脚印，丁克想。“我在花园的棚屋里看到了湿脚印，”他说。 丁克在黑暗中指着玫瑰园。 “我进去给朴凯特先生拿小推车。” 露丝·罗斯说:“这意味着下雨后有人进去了。” “那是在半夜!”“也许这些脚印是我们的小偷留下的，”法伦说。 他把手放在丁克的肩膀上。 “给我。”丁克带路穿过黑暗的草坪。 “在那儿，”当他们来到花园的小棚子时，他说。 “你们请留在外面，”法伦警官对乔希、露丝·罗斯和朱迪说。 他的手电筒光束找到了螺丝刀。 他把它取下来，打开了门。 他把灯照在地板上。 干泥脚印从门口一直延伸到棚屋后面。

"Hold this for me," Officer Fallon said, handing his flashlight to Dink. "Stand by the door so I have light." Officer Fallon stepped inside and kneeled to examine the footprints. Then he walked through the shed, checking inside, under, and behind anything large enough to hide a person. At the back of the shed, he moved the wheelbarrow. He poked at the stack of burlap sacks with a toe. Then he peeled off several of the bags and set them on the floor. Dink saw him bend over and pull something from under the remaining bags. "Jud, would you come in here?" Officer Fallon yelled. Jud stuck his head in the door. "Is this what you've been looking for?" Officer Fallon was holding a dark brown duffel bag. It was fat, as if stuffed with something. A long zipper ran along one side.

“帮我拿着这个，”法伦警官说着，把手电筒递给丁克。 “站在门边，这样我就有光了。” 法伦警官走进去，跪下来检查脚印。 然后他穿过棚子，检查里面、下面和后面任何大到能藏人的东西。 在小屋的后面，他推着手推车。 他用脚趾戳了戳那堆粗麻袋。 然后他剥下几个袋子，把它们放在地板上。 丁克看见他弯下腰，从剩下的袋子下面掏出什么东西。 “贾德，你能进来一下吗?”法伦警官喊道。 裘德把头伸进门里。 “这就是你一直在找的东西吗?”法伦警官手里拿着一个深棕色的行李袋。 它很肥，好像塞满了什么东西。 一边有一条长拉链。