Chapter 7

Chapter 7 "What're we gonna do?" Ruth Rose asked. "That guy looks mean!" "Maybe we should just give them the letters," Josh said. "We can't!" Dink said. "The three sunflower stamps are still in Ruth Rose's house. They'll know we found the stolen stamp!" "And we can't go home," Ruth Rose said. "They might grab us. Then they'd search us, and they'd find the stamp on Dink." "Let's cut through the backyards to my house," Josh said. "We can call Officer Fallon and tell him we're being followed!"

"Okay" Dink said. "We can't just stay here." The kids crawled across Miss Alubicky's lawn on their hands and knees. Suddenly her dog started barking at them. Dink glanced back at the car. The driver's door flew open. The man in the green suit climbed out of the car and hollered at the kids. "Let's go!" Josh yelled. They jumped up and raced through Miss Alubicky's backyard. The man shot after them, crashing through Miss Alubicky's hedge. "He's coming after us!" Dink cried. "Faster!" The kids tore across Eagle Lane and cut into the woods. They hid in some thick bushes to catch their breath. The man stopped at the edge of the woods. The kids watched as he bent over, catching his breath. "Come on!" Josh whispered. The minute they started running again, the man plunged into the trees after them. They were faster than the man. A minute later, they raced through Josh's yard.

"Run into the barn and climb up to the loft!" Josh yelled. "But we'll be trapped up there!" Dink said. "Just do it!" Josh said. "I have an idea!" The three kids sprinted into the barn. Dink and Ruth Rose scrambled up Josh's rope ladder into the loft. Below him, Dink watched Josh shove open the rear door of the barn. But instead of running outside, Josh dove into a pile of hay. Dink couldn't believe his eyes! "He's staying down there!" he said to Ruth Rose. "Quick! Get the ladder!" Ruth Rose whispered.

Dink grabbed the ladder and pulled it into the loft. Seconds later, the man in the green suit barreled through the barn door. Up in the loft, Dink could hear him gasping. The man looked around the dim barn, then raced out the open rear door. Dink almost laughed with relief. He started to get up. Suddenly Ruth Rose yanked him back down. The man ran back into the barn. He stood in the middle and swiveled his head around like a snake. Dink and Ruth Rose froze and carefully peered over the edge of the loft. After a minute, the man kicked a pail across the floor and stomped out of the barn.

Dink swallowed and let himself breathe again. He closed his eyes until he heard Josh whisper, "He's gone," from the hay pile. Dink looked down and saw Josh's head pop up. With hay stuck in his red hair, he looked like a scarecrow. Dink lowered the rope ladder. He and Ruth Rose climbed down. His legs felt like rubber. They flopped down in the hay next to Josh. "What should we do?" Dink asked. "That jerk will just go back and sit outside my house." The kids sat in the cool barn and thought. Then Ruth Rose sat up straight. "I think I know how we can prove Doris Duncan and O. Bird stole the stamp," she said. "If I'm right, Officer Fallon will arrest them at the same time!" "How?" Dink and Josh both said. "I need a telephone," she said. "Can we go in your house, Josh?" Josh crawled out of the hay and peeked out the barn door. "I don't see anyone," he said. He quietly opened the door. The kids raced across his backyard and into the kitchen. "What's your plan?" Dink asked Ruth Rose.

She told him. Josh threw his arms into the air. "That is so excellent!" he cried. Dink's eyes got big, then he grinned. "It's perfect! If it works, the stamp goes back where it belongs and those two crooks go to jail!" Ruth Rose's first call was to Officer Fallon. The boys listened as she explained about the letters, the stolen stamp, and her plan. Ruth Rose listened, then started nodding. "Uhhuh. Got it. Right. Okay, bye!" "What'd he say?" Dink asked. Ruth Rose gave Dink a thumbs-up. Then she called information and got the number for the Shangri-la Hotel. She dialed, then asked, "Is Doris Duncan there, please?" Ruth Rose grinned at Dink and Josh. She mouthed the words "They just walked in!" When Ruth Rose started talking, she used a tough-guy voice. Dink and Josh listened with their mouths open. "Hello, Ms. Duncan? My name is Ruth Rose. I'm a friend of Dink's, and I got those letters you want!"