2. The Limping Man

Chapter 2 The Limping Man The scary face disappeared. The kids ran to the window. They saw two guys running across Dink's yard next door. The runners disappeared behind the house. "Did they have sneaky eyes?" Brian asked Nate.

"I couldn't tell," Nate said. "I only saw one face, and it was wearing a ski mask!" "But why were they peeking in here?" Lucy asked. "Maybe this house is their next burglary!" Brian said. "They were checking to see if anyone was home, and Nate's scream chased them away." "Look, there they are again!" Brian said. The kids watched the two strangers creep around the side of Dink's house. One of the men was limping. He wore a cowboy hat, partly covering a long ponytail. The lower half of his face was hidden by a red bandana. A backpack hung from one shoulder. The other stranger wore a ski mask. It had holes for his eyes and mouth. Now the strangers were standing on the Duncans' snowy sidewalk. Then they walked up onto Dink's porch and peered through the window. The one in the ski mask said something to the one in the cowboy hat. The kids could see the men's breath as they talked.

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"We should call your aunt and uncle," Brian said to Lucy. "Those guys are going to rob Dink's house!" "Dink's parents aren't home," Lucy said. "They're at your house with your parents, getting ready for the party tonight. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are there, too." "Burglars always break in while people aren't home," Nate whispered. "Like at Mrs. Wong's house." "Maybe we should tell Officer Fallon," Brian said. "But we don't know if those are the guys who took her laptop," Lucy said. "They could just be tourists who got lost." Nate laughed. "Tourists don't come to Green Lawn," he said. "There's nothing here for them to see! Besides, tourists don't put on masks and peek in people's windows." The strangers started walking away. They left big footprints in the snow. Bradley grabbed all their coats. "Come on. Let's follow them!" he said.

The four kids hurried out the door. The sun was behind the trees. It would be dark soon. They stayed well behind the strangers. Up ahead, the two men were leaning together, talking. The one with the limp was tall. The other one was short. Their breath made little clouds. They walked down Woody Street, then Silver Circle, then passed Green Lawn Elementary School. "Where do you think they're going?" Lucy whispered. "They're headed down Main Street," Nate said. "Maybe they're planning to rob the bank!" "Or Mrs. Wong's pet shop!" Brian said. "They already robbed her house!" The bank and most of the shops were closed on New Year's Eve. The two strangers passed the fitness center, then stopped in front of Ellie's Diner. Her lights were on, and a big sign in her window said OPEN ON NEW YEAR'S EVE. The four kids hid behind a mailbox and a lamppost.

"They'd better not try to rob her!" Bradley said. "I heard that Ellie knows karate!" "Maybe they're just going in for a hot chocolate," Lucy said. The guy in the ski mask took a small camera from his pocket. He snapped a picture of Ellie's, and they both walked inside. "Uh-oh," Bradley whispered. "Why do they need a picture of Ellie's?" "Crooks like to study a place before they break in," Nate said. "They'll probably come back after she's closed." "I'm going in," Bradley said. "I want to check out these guys up close." "But they probably saw your face when they looked through Nate's window," Brian said. "If