7. Bunny in a Boat

Chapter 7 Bunny in a Boat The kids hiked on River Road, along Indian River. The sun shone brightly on the snow and the water. "How far is it to the bait shop?" Lucy asked. "It's just up the river, past the middle school," Bradley said. Soon they saw the bait shop. It was a small wooden building with windows facing the river. Smoke came from a chimney. A black pickup truck sat next to the shop. "I hear a noise," Nate said. They all did. THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! The kids walked around the building to the entrance. A tall man with a beard was chopping wood. His nose was red and his breath was white.

"Hi, Mr. Pinkowski," Bradley said. The man looked up and smiled. He set his ax down and wiped his face with a handkerchief. "Hi, kids." He smiled at Lucy. "Have we met?" "This is Lucy," Bradley said. "She's Dink's cousin from California." Ron put out his hand and they shook. "You kids want to buy some bait?" he asked. "No, but we have a question for you," Bradley said. "Do you know anyone with a black-and-white rabbit?" He handed Ron the pictures.

"Well, he's sitting in one of my boats, all right," Ron said. "But I've never seen the bunny before." The kids told Ron about finding the rabbit in the closet at school. They explained that Douglas wouldn't eat and told him what the vet said.

Ron pulled on his nose. "I wish I could help," he said. "Have you tried asking at the pet shop on Main Street?" "Yes, but they don't know the rabbit, either," Lucy said. "Wait a second," Ron said. "My wife might have rented out the boat." He pulled out a cell phone and punched in some numbers. "Honey, it's me at the shop. Do you remember renting one of the boats to a guy with a rabbit? You did? Who was it, do you remember? The Pinto twins and their friends are here trying to find the rabbit's owner." Ron listened for another minute, then said good-bye. "My wife says it was an older man with white hair," he told the kids. "He rented the boat last summer." "Did your wife write down his name?" Bradley asked. He had his fingers crossed. Ron nodded his head. "Yep, we always take names when we rent boats," he said. "But it's tax time. We sent all our paperwork to our accountant.

The slip of paper with his name on it is in a box with hundreds of others." The kids thanked Ron Pinkowski and left. A cold wind blew off the river. A few small snowflakes flew into their faces. Bradley felt his stomach sink. They were running out of clues and time. Someone in this town has to know who owns Douglas, he thought. Then he realized there was a person in town who knew everyone! "Come on, we're going to Ellie's Diner!" Bradley yelled into the wind. "I don't have any money," Nate said. "We're going there to talk to Ellie," Bradley said. "She knows everyone, so maybe she knows rabbits, too!" Cutting across the school grounds, it took them only a few minutes to reach the diner. The inside was warm and smelled like doughnuts. They sat in a booth by the window and took off their mittens. "Hi, kids," Ellie said. She was wiping a shelf where she kept doughnuts, cookies, and bagels.

She placed some cookies on a plate. "Here, eat these. They're left over. If you don't want them, I'll feed them to the squirrels." The kids thanked Ellie and each took a cookie. Bradley pulled out the pictures again. "This is Douglas. We're looking for his owner," he said. He explained how they had found Douglas at school the morning before. "He misses his owner and won't eat," Bradley said. "We think the owner is an older man with white hair," said Nate. Ellie studied the pictures. "I've seen this rabbit," she said.