Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Later in Dink's room, Ruth Rose laid the Green Lawn newspaper across Dink's desk. There was a large photograph of Penelope Gwinn and a drawing of her penguin necklace. Under the pictures, the caption read: "PENELOPE'S PENGUIN PENDANT PURLOINED!" "What's 'purloined'?" Josh asked. He was flopped on Dink's bed with Dink's guinea pig,

Loretta, on his chest. "I don't know," Dink said, reaching for his dictionary. He flipped to the P section and ran his finger down the page. "Purloin means 'to steal,'" he said after a minute. "Duh," Josh said. "I could have figured that out!" "Then why didn't you?" Dink asked, grinning at Josh. "Listen to what Penelope told the reporter," Ruth Rose said, reading the paragraph under the pictures. I always sign autographs during my intermission. I was signing and thanking my fans when suddenly someone grabbed my necklace. It all happened so fast. Before I could react, the thief was running away. "We were almost witnesses!" Josh said. "Except that the necklace didn't get stolen until we were on the carousel," Dink reminded him. Josh aimed a crooked smile at Dink.

"Actually, only two of us were on the carousel," he said. "You were falling off!" "I didn't do it on purpose, Josh," Dink said, rubbing his arm. Ruth Rose was still reading. "It says Penelope stood by the gate as each person left the park," she said. "But she didn't recognize the thief." "Maybe the guy split right away," Josh said. "He purloined the necklace, then boogied out of the park before they closed the gates." Dink told Ruth Rose about the missing hot-dog cart. "You mean it just disappeared?" asked Ruth Rose. Dink shrugged. "It was gone when we all left the first-aid tent," he said. "I was right!" Josh said. "Just think, the same fingers that served our hot dogs stole Penelope

Gwinn's necklace!" "Might have," Dink said. "But do you guys remember that woman sitting in front of me during the concert?" Ruth Rose and Josh shook their heads. "Well, there was this woman with an autograph book," Dink said. "As soon as Penelope Gwinn announced the intermission, she ran up to the stage. Then when the cops were stopping everyone at the exit, she got all mad at them. Maybe she stole the diamond penguin!" "Penelope never said it was a man," Ruth Rose commented. She glanced back at the newspaper. "She just told the reporter someone stole her necklace." "So it could have been a man or a woman," Dink said. "Even a tall kid!" "Maybe Penelope Gwinn remembers something else about the thief today," Ruth Rose said. "She was so upset yesterday, she could have forgotten something important. Why don't we go talk to her?" "Just like that?" Josh said. "This big star isn't gonna talk to three kids, Ruth Rose."

Ruth Rose grabbed her newspaper. "Well, I think she will. Meet me at my house in five minutes!" "But I'm hungry!" Josh said. "Don't you people ever eat?" But Ruth Rose was already out the door. Dink took Loretta from Josh and put her back in her cage. "Come on downstairs," he said. "Mom made some peanut butter cookies last night." Josh jumped off the bed. "Finally someone thinks of me!" he said, following Dink out of the room. Dink found a note on the kitchen table: GONE WITH DAD. BE BACK LATER.—MOM. Dink turned the note over and wrote a message of his own: GONE WITH JOSH AND RUTH ROSE. BE BACK LATER.—DINK. He and Josh each ate two cookies with milk. Dink took the last two as they headed out the door. "Can I have one of those?" Josh asked. "Oink, oink," Dink said. "These are for Ruth Rose and Nate." They walked across the lawn to Ruth Rose's house. Dink rang the bell, and Ruth Rose's four-year-old brother, Nate, opened the door.

"Hi, Nate," Dink said, and handed him a cookie. "Wow, thanks!" Nate said. He turned and raced away. A minute later, Ruth Rose showed up. She was holding the photograph of Penelope Gwinn with the singer's signature on the bottom. "When Penelope sees what I wrote on the back, she'll talk to us," Ruth Rose said. She flipped the picture over. Ruth Rose's note said: