Chapter 9

Chapter 9 "You have to tell Officer Fallon!" Ruth Rose said. "He has to let your brother out of jail now!" "Okay. Let me lock up the trailer," Buddy said. A few minutes later, the three kids headed over to the police station with Buddy. Pal led the way, snuffling his nose along the ground. "Why did you and Pete leave Maine?" Josh asked Buddy. The teenager shrugged. "After I got in trouble with Fizzo, Pete decided we should move to someplace new. We're headed south."

第九章“你必须告诉法伦警官!”露丝·罗斯说。 “他现在必须把你哥哥放出来!”“好吧。 让我把拖车锁起来。”巴迪说。 几分钟后，三个孩子和巴迪一起去了警察局。 帕尔走在前面，用鼻子在地上嗅来嗅去。 “你和皮特为什么离开缅因州?”乔希问巴迪。 少年耸耸肩。“在我和菲佐闹矛盾之后，皮特决定我们应该搬到一个新的地方。 我们往南走。”

"What about school?" Dink asked. "Pete's homeschooling me," Buddy said. "He's real smart." "Why did you stop in Green Lawn?" asked Ruth Rose. "We ran low on cash, so we stopped here for a while so Pete could earn more money," Buddy said as they walked. "He got a job painting a house about ten miles from here. Soon as he's done, we're supposed to head to Florida. Have you guys ever been there?" "Yes, my grandmother lives in Florida," Ruth Rose said. She told Buddy about the gold mystery they solved the last time they visited her grandmother. Soon they were standing in front of the police station. "Don't worry about Officer Fallon," Josh said. "He's a nice guy." The kids climbed the steps. Josh tied Pal to a railing. "Stay and behave," Josh told his dog. Pal woofed as the four kids walked into the building. Ruth Rose knocked on Officer Fallon's door. "Come in!" a voice said, and they trooped inside.

“那学校呢?”丁克问道。 “皮特在家教我，”巴迪说。 “他真的很聪明。”“你为什么停在绿草坪?”露丝·罗斯问。 “我们的钱不够用了，所以我们在这里停了一会儿，让皮特多赚点钱。” “他在离这儿大约十英里的地方找到了一份粉刷房子的工作。 他一结束，我们就该去佛罗里达了。 你们去过那里吗?”“是的，我祖母住在佛罗里达，”露丝·罗斯说。 她告诉巴迪，上次他们拜访她祖母时，他们解开了黄金之谜。 很快，他们就站到了警察局门前。 “别担心法伦警官，”乔希说。 “他是个好人。”孩子们爬上台阶。 乔希把帕尔绑在栏杆上。 “留下来，守规矩，”乔希对他的狗说。 当四个孩子走进大楼时，帕尔大声叫了起来。 露丝·罗斯敲了敲法伦警官的门。 “请进!”一个声音说，他们蜂拥而入。

The police chief was sitting at his computer. He was staring at the screen and sipping from a mug of tea. Officer Fallon glanced up. "Hello again. Who's this?" he asked, nodding at Buddy. "This is Buddy Unkenholz," Dink said. "He's Pete's brother." "Hello, young man," Officer Fallon said. He stood up and reached a long arm across his desk to shake hands. "Is my brother okay?" Buddy asked. "Yes, but he won't talk to me," Officer Fallon said. He pointed to the long sofa. "Have a seat, kids." When they were lined up on his sofa, Officer Fallon smiled at Buddy. "You and your big brother look a lot alike," he said. "Pete didn't take those baseballs," Buddy said. "Oh? He insists he did," Officer Fallon said. "How do you know otherwise?" "Pete must think I took those balls," Buddy said. "He's saying he did it so I won't get in trouble." Officer Fallon tapped a pencil against his teeth and stared at Buddy. "Pete says he took the balls.

警察局长正坐在电脑前。 他盯着屏幕，喝着一杯茶。 法伦警官抬起头来。 “你好了。他朝巴迪点了点头，问道。 “这是Buddy Unkenholz，”丁克说。 “他是皮特的弟弟。”“你好，年轻人，”法伦警官说。 他站起身来，伸出一只长长的手臂，隔着桌子和他握手。 “我弟弟还好吗?”朋友问。 “是的，但他不跟我说话，”法伦说。 他指着那张长沙发。 “请坐，孩子们。”当他们在他的沙发上排成一排时，法伦警官对巴迪笑了笑。 “你和你哥哥长得很像，”他说。 “皮特没有拿那些棒球，”巴迪说。 “哦?他坚称是他干的，”法伦说。 “你怎么知道不是这样?”“皮特一定认为是我拿了那些球，”巴迪说。 “他说是他干的，这样我就不会有麻烦了。” 法伦警官用铅笔敲了敲牙齿，盯着巴迪。 皮特说他拿走了蛋蛋。

You say he's lying to protect you. Who should I believe?" he asked. "But my brother is honest!" Buddy blurted out. "He wouldn't steal anything. You can call anyone back home. They all call Pete 'Honest Abe'!" Officer Fallon nodded. "I already made a phone call, to the police chief in Penobscot, Maine," he said. "He told me about that van, and he said he's pretty sure your brother had nothing to do with it. Thing is, Pete insisted he was the one driving the van that night." Buddy blushed. "That was me and Fizzo Martin," he said, looking at his feet. "Pete wasn't even there." Officer Fallon stared at the unhappy boy. "So Pete lied to the Maine police about the van to protect you," he said. "And now you tell me he's lying again." "Yes, sir," Buddy said. "But neither of us took those baseballs! Why can't you let him out of jail?" Officer Fallon shook his head. "The baseballs are still missing. I'm sorry, son, but until they're returned and the thief is caught, Pete has to stay where he is."

你说他说谎是为了保护你。 我该信谁呢?”他问。 “但我哥哥是诚实的!”巴迪脱口而出。 “他不会偷任何东西。 你可以给家里的任何人打电话。 他们都叫皮特‘诚实的亚伯’!”法伦警官点点头。 “我已经给缅因州佩诺布斯科特的警察局长打了电话，”他说。 “他告诉了我那辆货车的事，他说他很确定你哥哥和那件事无关。 问题是，皮特坚持说他是那晚开货车的人。” 哥们脸红了。“那是我和菲佐·马丁，”他看着自己的脚说。 “皮特根本不在那儿。”法伦警官盯着这个不高兴的男孩。 “所以皮特为了保护你，在货车的事上对缅因州警方撒了谎，”他说。 “现在你告诉我他又在撒谎了。” “是的，先生。”巴迪说。“但是我们俩都没拿那些棒球!”你为什么不能让他出狱呢?”法伦警官摇了摇头。 “棒球还是不见了。 我很抱歉，孩子，但在他们回来，小偷被抓住之前，皮特必须呆在原地。”