Chapter 8

Chapter 8 At noon the next day, Dink and Josh peeked out of Mrs. Mackleroy's office. Ruth Rose was sitting at a table, reading a book. The library was nearly empty. An old woman sat reading a newspaper. A man was snoozing near the door with his cap pulled over his eyes. Mrs. Mackleroy was on her lunch break. "Ruth Rose looks so calm, "Dink whispered. "I feel like I'm gonna be sick!" "If you throw up, I'll kill you," Josh said. He grinned. "And Mrs. Mackleroy will rip up your library card!"

第8章第二天中午，丁克和乔希从麦克勒罗伊太太的办公室往外偷看。 露丝·罗斯正坐在桌旁看书。 图书馆几乎是空的。 一位老妇人坐着看报纸。 一个男人在门边打盹，他把帽子拉到眼睛上。 麦克勒罗伊太太正在午休。 “露丝·罗斯看起来很平静，”丁克低声说。 “我觉得我要吐了!”“如果你吐出来，我就杀了你，”乔希说。 他咧嘴一笑。“麦克勒罗伊太太会撕掉你的借书证的!”

A minute later, Doris Duncan walked into the library. The man in the green suit followed her. He had long, strong-looking arms and a thick neck. Dink shuddered. It was the man who had chased them! He nudged Josh as the two walked across the room. "Are you Ruth Rose?" Dink heard Doris Duncan ask. Ruth Rose nodded. She held up the five blue envelopes. "The stamp is in here," she said, showing Doris Duncan the empty one. "I hope Ruth Rose gets the money first," Josh whispered. Ruth Rose looked at the man and raised her eyebrows. "Who's he?" she asked in her bad-guy voice. "This is my associate," Doris Duncan said. "Mr. Otto Bird." "Aha!" said Dink in the office. "Did you bring the cash?" asked Ruth Rose. The woman snapped her fingers. Otto Bird yanked some bills from hispocket and handed them to Doris Duncan.

一分钟后，多丽丝·邓肯走进了图书馆。 穿绿衣服的人跟着她。 他的胳膊又长又壮，脖子很粗。 丁克战栗。就是那个追他们的人!两人走过房间时，他轻轻地推了推乔希。 “你是露丝·罗斯吗?”丁克听到多丽丝·邓肯问道。 露丝·罗斯点点头。她举起那五个蓝色信封。 “邮票在这里，”她说着，把空邮票拿给多丽丝·邓肯看。 “我希望露丝·罗斯先拿到钱。”乔希低声说。 露丝·罗斯看着那个男人，扬起了眉毛。 “他是谁?”她用坏人的声音问道。 “这是我的同事，”多丽丝·邓肯说。 “奥托·伯德先生。”“啊哈!”丁克在办公室里说。 “你带现金了吗?”露丝·罗斯问。 女人打了个响指。 奥托·伯德从口袋里掏出几张钞票，递给多丽丝·邓肯。

"Lemme see da stamp foist," he croaked. Josh started to giggle. Dink clapped a hand over his mouth. Ruth Rose slid the stamp out of the envelope. "See, there's the upside-down airplane," Dink heard her say. Otto Bird snatched the stamp out of Ruth Rose's fingers. With his other hand, he whipped out a magnifying glass. The man examined the stamp through bulging eyes. Then he smirked. "Dis is da one," he said.

“让我看看邮票。”他嘶哑地说。 乔希开始咯咯地笑起来。丁克用手捂住嘴。 露丝·罗斯把邮票从信封里抽出来。 “看，那架飞机倒过来了，”丁克听见她说。 奥托·伯德从露丝·罗斯的手指上抢过邮票。 他另一只手抽出一个放大镜。 那人用凸出的眼睛审视着邮票。 然后他傻笑了。“这是一个，”他说。

Ruth Rose smiled sweetly. "The money, please," she said. Doris Duncan dropped five one-hundred-dollar bills into Ruth Rose's hand. In the office, Dink and Josh high-fived. Ruth Rose counted the money. Out loud. When she finished, she looked at Doris Duncan and Otto Bird. Then she hollered, "OKAY, OFFICER FALLON!" The man snoozing by the door stood up. "Don't move, you two!" Officer Fallon said. "You're under arrest for theft and mail fraud!"

露丝·罗斯甜甜地笑了。“请把钱给我，”她说。 多丽丝·邓肯把五张一百美元的钞票扔到露丝·罗斯的手里。 在办公室里，丁克和乔希击掌。 露丝·罗斯数了数钱。 大声。说完，她看着多丽丝·邓肯和奥托·伯德。 然后她喊道:“好吧，法伦警官!”在门边打盹的那个人站了起来。 “别动，你们两个!”法伦警官说。 “你因盗窃和邮件诈骗被捕了!”