Chapter 2

Chapter 2 "A ten-dollar bill!" Josh said, grabbing the bill and holding it up. "Wrong," Dink said, plucking it out of Josh's fingers. "Count the zeroes!"

Josh's mouth fell open. Ruth Rose's blue eyes got huge. Dink was holding a hundred-dollar bill! "A hundred bucks!" Josh squeaked. He reached for the bill, but Dink quickly handed the money to Ruth Rose. "She found it," he said. "But who lost it?" Ruth Rose asked, shoving the bill into a pocket. Dink pointed to the footprints in the sand. "Maybe he did." The kids stared at the footprints. "Maybe he lost more," Josh said. "Let's search!" The kids separated. With their eyes on the ground, they climbed over boulders and peeked under bushes. They found plenty of poison ivy, but no more hundred-dollar bills. "Hey, guys, look at this," Dink called from near the water's edge. Josh and Ruth Rose ran to where he was standing. Dink pointed to a long patch of sand that was perfectly smooth. It looked as if

someone had scraped a board over the sand, flattening all the little bumps. "I'll bet somebody came out here with a rowboat," Ruth Rose said. "This must be where they dragged it up on the beach." "I wonder if the same person who brought the boat made those footprints," Dink said, pulling his T-shirt back on. "And dropped that hundred-dollar bill," said Josh. Ruth Rose patted her pocket. "I don't know, but we have to try to find him." "Why?" Josh said, grinning. "Think of what we could buy with that money. Split three ways, of course!" "Forget it, Josh," Ruth Rose said. "The money isn't ours. We have to return it." "To who?" "To whoever lost it," Dink said. "And how are we supposed to find the guy?" Josh asked. The kids sat in the sand and thought. "I know," Ruth Rose said. "We can go to Ron's Bait Shop. Maybe Mr. P knows who was out here."

"Good idea," Dink said. "Boy," said Josh, getting to his feet. "You guys sure wanna get rid of that money fast." "How would you feel if you lost a hundred-dollar bill?" Ruth Rose asked Josh. He grinned. "Trust me, if I ever got one, I'd never lose it! Anyway let's eat the watermelon my mom packed. Those cookies made my mouth dry." They walked back to Josh's pack and slurped on sweet, juicy chunks of watermelon. They spit the seeds at each other as they packed up. Josh shrugged into his backpack. "Well, if we have to return the money, maybe we'll get our names in the paper," he said. He scratched his ankles. "Maybe we'll get a reward!" Ruth Rose giggled. "Josh, the only thing you're going to get is poison ivy!"