Chapter 9

Chapter 9 All three kids were on their knees studying the stain. "You're right," Josh said. "And it looks like it came off someone's shoe." He traced a finger around the smudge. "See, this round edge looks like part of a heelprint." Josh looked at Dink and Ruth Rose. "Guys, someone stepped in those blueberries we saw yesterday," he said. "This could have been made by the same person!" "Right, the people who carried the cage down to the boat!" Ruth Rose said.

Dink glanced up. "And the awning kept last night's rain from washing it away." "Hey! What are you kids doing?" someone shouted. Startled, the kids looked up. A tall man and woman in shorts and T-shirts were hurrying down the dock toward them. The woman's blond ponytail flopped over one shoulder. "We … we wondered if we could have a picnic here," Ruth Rose said. Josh held up his pack.

"Do you know you're on private property?" the woman asked. "How did you get here, anyway? I don't see another boat." "The mailman dropped us off," Ruth Rose said. "He'll be back to get us in a half hour." Dink held out the mail. "Morris asked me to put this inside your gate," he said. "Thanks." The man took the mail and opened the magazine. "Okay, the boss is away, so I guess you can have your picnic," the woman said. She pointed toward the sandy beach. "Up there, please." The man and woman turned and strode back up the dock. The kids scrambled after them. When they reached the sand, the man walked through the gate, still reading his magazine. "Please don't leave any litter behind," the woman said. Then she stepped inside the gate, slammed it shut, and walked through the shrubbery. "They could be the wolf-nappers!" Ruth Rose said. "That woman had a blond ponytail!" "When we get back, we can call the game warden!" Dink said.

"Guys, we only have a half hour," Josh declared. "Let's eat!" He sat in the sand and opened his pack. Dink and Ruth Rose knelt as Josh brought out three juice cartons, a bag of cookies, and some grapes. High over their heads, a few gulls soared. "Look at all those seagulls," Ruth Rose said. "Watch out, Josh, they might zoom down and grab your cookie." "They'd better not," Josh said, glancing at the sky. "Why don't you turn on Abbi's tape recorder?" Dink said. "If they come closer, we can get some gull noises for her collection." "Good idea." Ruth Rose took the tape recorder out and set it on her flattened pack. She pushed the RECORD button. The kids began to eat. The only sounds were their munching and a few gull cries. "Guys, what are we going to do?" Ruth Rose asked. "If those are the people Abbi saw, the wolf pups could be here on this island!" Dink turned and looked through the fence into the thick shrubbery. "But we can't get in," he said.

Ruth Rose shook her head. "Why would anyone want baby wolves?" she asked. "I just don't get it." "The rich guy who owns this place must be their boss," Josh said. "He might have told them to steal the babies." "But why?" Ruth Rose asked. "For pets," Josh said. "I read about a movie star who had a leopard." "But that's cruel!" Ruth Rose said. "Wild animals should be left in the wild. And those babies should be with their mother. We have to rescue them!" "How, Ruth Rose?" Dink stood up and walked over to the gate. He tried to open it. "Locked," he muttered. Suddenly a bunch of gulls swooped down and landed on the sand. "Shoo!" Josh yelled, making the gulls take off again. Just then, they heard a toot. "There's Morris," Josh said. The mail boat was still a ways off, chugging toward the island. The kids packed their stuff and hurried onto the dock.

They stood waiting next to the blue motorboat. Josh glanced down. Suddenly he lay flat on his belly and leaned over the boat. "What are you doing?" Dink asked. "Looking for clues," Josh said. "If the baby wolves were in this boat, there might be some hairs." He peered beneath a seat. "Aha!" Josh reached under the seat, then yelled. He jumped to his feet, shaking his hands in disgust. "What did you see?" Ruth Rose asked. "A mouse!" Josh said. "Really?" Ruth Rose said. "We should catch it and set it free on land!" "Too late," Josh said. "It's all wet and slimy and dead."