3. What’s Wrong with Douglas

Chapter 3 What's Wrong with Douglas? After school, Lucy and Nate went to the twins' house. Bradley and Brian each held an end of the cage as they walked home. The towel was draped over the cage so Douglas wouldn't get too cold. Lucy carried the jar of rabbit food. "I wonder who left him in the closet," Nate said. "Maybe it was a kid in another grade." "Why would a kid get rid of a rabbit?" Bradley asked. Nate shrugged. "Maybe the kid's parents made him do it," he said. "It had to be a kid or someone who works at the school," Brian said.

"Why?" Lucy asked. "Who else could get into Mr. Vooray's classroom?" Brian asked. "Bri, there were parents all over the building today," Bradley said. "Some of them came in to bring food and help with the parties." "You're right," Lucy said. "Some kid's mom or dad could have left Douglas." "Or what about the guy who brings the milk every day?" Bradley asked. "Or the woman who delivers the mail? And there was a plumber fixing a toilet in the boys' bathroom." "In other words, it could be anyone," Nate said. Ten minutes later, the kids trooped into Bradley and Brian's kitchen. Mrs. Pinto was sitting at the table, chopping vegetables. "Hi, kids. Leave your boots by the door, please," she said. The kids all removed their boots. "Mom, we got a rabbit!" Bradley announced. He and Brian set the cage on the floor.

Brian whipped off the towel. "His name is Douglas, and we get to keep him for the long weekend!" Mrs. Pinto walked over and peered into the cage. "Hello, Douglas," she said. Then she looked at her twin sons. "Where did you get him?" They explained about the mystery valentine at school. "How odd," Mrs. Pinto said. The kids yanked off their hats and coats. They all knelt around the cage. "Don't scare him!" Bradley said. "We're not!" Brian said. "Let's all just be quiet for a minute," their mother said. "Rabbits are timid animals." They all watched Douglas in the cage. He huddled in a corner, not moving a whisker. "He didn't move at school, either," Bradley said. "Maybe he's hungry," Lucy said.

Mrs. Pinto grabbed a slice of carrot from her cutting board. She pushed it through the cage bars. Douglas didn't even look at it. "What's the matter with him?" Brian asked his mother. "Is he sick?" "I don't know," Mrs. Pinto said. "Maybe he's just scared." Just then their dog, Pal, trotted into the kitchen. He stuck his nose up against the cage. "Woof!" he said. Douglas ignored Pal. Bradley petted his dog. "Douglas isn't feeling good," he explained to Pal. "Can we keep Douglas in our room, Mom?" "Sure," his mother said. "Maybe after a while he'll get more perky." The four kids lugged the cage and jar of food up the stairs. They bumped into Josh at the top of the stairs. Josh was Bradley and Brian's twelve-year-old brother.

"What's in the cage?" Josh asked. "A rabbit," Brian said. "We're keeping him for the weekend." "Cool," Josh said. He put his finger into the cage. "His name is Douglas," Lucy told Josh. "But he may be sick. He won't move or anything."

Josh stared into the cage. "Maybe he's just taking a nap," he said. Then he headed downstairs. The kids brought the cage into Bradley and Brian's room. They set it on Bradley's desk. Lucy filled the water bottle in the bathroom. Bradley put a handful of the rabbit food in the cage in front of Douglas's nose. When Bradley took his hand away, he felt something smooth under the newspapers. "I found something," he said. He felt around under the papers and pulled out a Baggie. Inside the Baggie were three photographs. Bradley laid them on his bed. "They're pictures of Douglas," Lucy said. The kids looked at the pictures. In one, he was just a small bunny sitting in a man's hand. Another picture showed Douglas in a yard somewhere. In the third picture, Douglas was sitting on a wooden bench. There was water in the background.