Chapter 5

Chapter 5 A small sign on the side of the fire station said DEP—DOWNSTAIRS. A green arrow pointed the way. At the bottom of the stairs, the kids came to a door that said DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. No one was in the office. There were a few desks and a bunch of file cabinets against one wall. A stuffed owl in a glass case stood on a counter.

Just then, the door opened and a woman dressed in a T-shirt and tan shorts walked in. "Can I help you?" she asked the kids. "We're looking for Curt," Josh said. "Mr. Striker usually goes home to eat lunch," she said. "Do you want to come back later?" "It's kind of important," Josh said. "Does he live in Green Lawn? We could walk over." The woman pointed to a map of the town on the wall. "He's new here, but I think he's renting a cabin out on Bridge Lane. Do you know where that is?"

"Sure," Dink said. "He must live near the river, right?" The woman nodded. "That's right. Just look for his brown pickup truck." The kids left the fire station and hiked over to Bridge Lane. There were only a few houses in this part of town. Most of them were surrounded by trees and thick shrubbery. "That must be it," Josh said. They were standing in front of a wooden fence near a group of pine trees. A gravel driveway cut through the trees, leading to a small cabin. "Look, there's a brown truck," Dink said. When the kids walked through the gate, they saw Curt Striker sitting on the cabin's small porch. He was eating a sandwich. Curt jumped down off the porch and headed toward them. "Hi, kids," he said. "What brings you way out here?"

Josh told him about how they'd found one of the baby falcons in the woods. "Not only that," Ruth Rose said, "someone put a tag on his leg and clipped his wings!" "Really?" Curt said. He looked thoughtful. "Sounds like I owe you an apology, Josh. A person did take that falcon." Josh grinned shyly. "Why would someone clip his wings?" Dink asked. "Well," Curt said, "the most likely reason is that someone was training him to do something." "Like what?" asked Ruth Rose. Curt shrugged. "Could have been a lot of different things." While they talked, Curt walked them back toward Bridge Lane. "Where is this falcon now?"

he asked. "We took him to the vet," Josh said. "Doc Henry said he'd take care of him." Curt nodded. "Thanks for letting me know. I'll be sure to check in with Doc Henry." The kids said good-bye and headed back toward Main Street. "I hope he catches whoever took those falcons," Ruth Rose said. "Cutting a bird's feathers off is just plain mean!" Josh nodded. "Yeah, but at least it doesn't hurt. I think it's like cutting your toenails." They walked past Ellie's Diner. Grace Lockwood was sitting at the window, reading and eating lunch. When she noticed the kids watching her, she stared back at them through the glass. Her face was blank, but her eyes made the kids hurry away. "She looks upset about something," Ruth Rose said. "Maybe she just doesn't like kids gawking at her while she eats," Dink said. "Did you guys see what she was reading?" Josh asked. "Some magazine," Dink said.

"Not just some magazine," Josh said, looking at Dink and Ruth Rose. "I recognized the cover. It was Falconry Today."