by Ron Roy
Dink’s mother looked at the kids with concern in her eyes.
“How could a boy just disappear without a trace?” she asked.
“Sammi left a trail, Mom,” Dink said.
“He what?”
Dink explained about the pieces of yellow glass.
“Oh, my goodness!” Dink’s mother grabbed the phone, dialed quickly, and handed the phone to Dink. “Tell Officer Fallon,” she said.
Dink talked and Officer Fallon listened. “But when we got to Ron’s Bait Shop, we didn’t find any more glass,” Dink said into the phone.
He nodded, said, “Uh-huh,” then hung up.
“Officer Fallon wants all the glass we found,” Dink said. He pulled the four little pieces out of his pocket.
His mother picked up the phone. “I think I’ll go visit Joan Klinker,” she said. “She must be frantic, and she’s all alone there at the hotel.”
She dialed another number. “Hello, Joan? This is Dink’s mom, Mrs. Duncan,” she said into the phone. “Would you like some company? May I come over?”
Dink couldn’t hear Joan’s answer, but his mother smiled. “Okay, fine. I’ll be there in five minutes,” she said before hanging up.
She glanced into the mirror, then headed for the door. “We’re meeting for coffee at Ellie’s,” she said. “Oh, let me have the pieces of glass. I can take them to the police station after I meet Joan.”
Dink dropped the yellow glass into his mother’s hand. She smiled weakly at the kids, then hurried out the back door.
Dink stared at the door, thinking.
“Earth to Dink,” Josh said, snapping his fingers in front of Dink’s nose.
Dink shook his head. “Something my mother said made me think of something else, but now I forgot!”
“You forgot what your mother said, or you forgot what it made you think of?” Ruth Rose asked.
“Both!” Dink said, giving Josh a look. “I was just getting it when you snapped your fingers!”
“Sorry,” Josh said. “Why don’t we have a snack? Maybe your memory needs some ice cream.”
Ruth Rose laughed. “Better feed him, Dink. You know how he gets when his tummy is empty.”
Dink sighed. “We finished the ice cream last night,” he said, heading for the kitchen. He pulled open the refrigerator. “But we’ve got Cool Whip and cherry Jell-O.”
He grabbed the bowl and handed it to Josh. “Here, are you…”
Then Dink stopped. He stared at the bowl of Jell-O. “That’s it!” he yelled. “It’s yellow!”
Josh shook his head. “Dinkus, this is red Jell-O, not yellow Jell-O.”
“No—I mean, yes, I know. But Jell-O made me think of yellow!” Dink said.
“Can I eat while you talk?” Josh asked.
Dink got bowls and spoons and put them on the table. Then he continued. “After you guys left yesterday, Sammi’s tutor came over and gave me and Sammi a French lesson,” he said.
Josh grinned. “Say something in French,” he said.
“Just eat, Josh, and let me finish!”
“Sorry,” Josh said, plopping a gob of Cool Whip onto his Jell-O. He let Pal lick his spoon.
“Remember a few minutes ago when my mom said she was going to see Sammi’s tutor?” Dink asked. “She called her Joan, remember?”
Josh and Ruth Rose nodded.
“That made me think of the French lesson yesterday. She taught me to say yellow in French. The word for yellow is jaune, only I pronounced it ’Joan,’ like her name.”
“Um, Dinkus?” Josh said. “What’s this got to do with anything?”
“Don’t you guys see?” Dink said. “The French word for yellow sounds just like ’Joan.’ That’s Sammi’s tutor’s name. Sammi could have left a trail of red or blue, but he chose the yellow glass. I think Sammi was trying to say ’Joan’!”
“Maybe Sammi thinks Joan knows who the kidnappers are,” Ruth Rose said.
“Maybe,” Dink said. “Or maybe Joan is the kidnapper!”
Josh and Ruth Rose looked up from their Jell-O.
Josh had Cool Whip on his nose. “His tutor?” he asked.
“Think about it,” Dink went on. “Sammi wakes up in the middle of the night. Someone’s in his room. He recognizes Joan and grabs a pile of glass. Yellow glass, because he remembers how much her name sounds like the French word for yellow. And he knows I know that!”
“But how could she be the kidnapper?” Ruth Rose asked. “She’s Sammi’s friend. She came here to help him.”
“Yeah, and you saw how upset she was this morning,” Josh said. “That couldn’t be an act. I still think Sammi just grabbed the first pile of glass his hand landed on in the dark.”
Ruth Rose stood up. “There’s one way to find out,” she said. “Let’s go to the hotel and talk to her.”
“Okay,” Dink said. “But she’s not at the hotel. My mom said she was meeting Joan at the diner.”
“Good!” Josh said, gulping down the last of his Jell-O. “I can get an ice cream while we talk!”
The kids took Pal and hurried to Ellie’s Diner on Main Street. Dink glanced through the window, but he didn’t see Joan Klinker or his mom.
“I wonder where they are. Mom’s car isn’t here either,” Dink said, looking up and down Main Street.
“Let’s ask Ellie,” Ruth Rose suggested.
Josh pushed the door open and the kids stepped inside. Two teenagers were eating scrambled eggs, but no one else sat in the booths or at the counter.
“Hey there, kids,” Ellie said. “Hi, cute poochie!” She bent down and patted Pal, then stroked his ears. “Shall I scoop up three cones?” she asked.
Dink shook his head. “No, thanks, I’m looking for my mom,” he said. “Have you seen her? She was supposed to meet someone here a little while ago.”
Ellie shook her head. “Nope, haven’t seen your mother in a few days,” she said.
“Maybe they’re at the hotel,” Ruth Rose said.
Dink nodded. “I guess it’s worth a try,” he said.
They thanked Ellie and headed for the Shangri-la Hotel, two blocks up Main Street.
“Why couldn’t we at least get cones to go?” Josh asked. He placed one hand dramatically across his forehead. “I think I feel faint.”
“Later,” Dink said. “After we find Sammi.” And after we find my mom, he thought.
Three minutes later, they walked into the hotel. Mr. Linkletter was sitting on one of the lobby chairs, eating a doughnut and sipping coffee.
“Well, hello there,” he said when the trio approached him. He glanced at Pal. “Joshua, I assume your dog is, um, house-trained?”
Josh grinned as Pal flopped down at Mr. Linkletter’s feet. “Yep, and he’s hotel-trained, too!”
Mr. Linkletter twitched an eyebrow. “Well, then,” he said, “how can I be of service today?”
“I’m looking for my mom,” Dink said. “She was supposed to meet Joan Klinker at Ellie’s, but they’re not there. Have you seen them?”
Mr. Linkletter set his coffee down. “I didn’t see your mom, but Ms. Klinker left the hotel a short while ago.”
“Did she say where she was going?”
Mr. Linkletter shook his head. “Not a word.”
Dink glanced around the hotel lobby. Where could his mother be? She always let him know if she had to change her plans. Always!
“She didn’t leave a note or anything?”
“I’m sorry, Donald,” Mr. Linkletter said. “Perhaps she’s gone back home. Would you like to call her?”
Suddenly, Dink felt sick. He blinked back tears. Something was wrong! First Sammi disappeared, and now his mother was gone! And she’d been on her way to see Joan Klinker with the yellow glass!
Mr. Linkletter wiped his fingers on his napkin and stood up. “Come, you can use my phone,” he said. He took Dink over to the counter. Pal followed Mr. Linkletter, sniffing at his heels.
Dink dialed and listened for his mother’s voic
e on the other end. But no one answered.
He set the phone down and looked up at Mr. Linkletter. “Where could she be?” he asked.
Just then, Pal began growling and biting at Mr. Linkletter’s left shoe.
“What on earth?” Mr. Linkletter said, pulling his foot away.
But Pal wouldn’t give up. Using his paws and teeth, he tried to pull Mr. Linkletter’s shiny black loafer right off his foot.
“Joshua!” Mr. Linkletter said. “Please teach your dog some manners!”
“Take it off!” Ruth Rose suddenly said.
Mr. Linkletter glanced down at Ruth Rose. “I beg your pardon?”
“I think I know what Pal wants,” she said. “Please take off your shoe!”
Mr. Linkletter let out a big sigh. “Very well. If that will bring peace!”
The tall man leaned over and removed his left shoe. He showed it to Pal. “There, satisfied?” he asked.
Pal grabbed the shoe in his mouth and dropped it at Josh’s feet.
“I WAS RIGHT!” Ruth Rose yelled. She picked up the shoe and held it upside down.
On the sole, stuck to a wad of gum, was a piece of shiny yellow glass.
“The dog was after a nasty piece of gum?” Mr. Linkletter asked.
“No,” Dink said. “That piece of glass is from Sammi’s kaleidoscope! This means the kidnappers brought Sammi here, to the hotel!”
“Donald, you’re giving me a headache,” Mr. Linkletter said, taking his shoe back. He pulled the gum off and slipped the loafer back on his foot. “Who is Sammi? What kidnappers?”
Dink told Mr. Linkletter about Sammi’s disappearing from his bed. Then he explained about Joan Klinker’s French lesson, Sammi’s kaleidoscope, and the trail of yellow glass.
“Now my mom’s missing, too,” Dink said. “And I think Joan Klinker kidnapped them both! She might be keeping them up in her room!”
“Um, Dink?” Josh said. “Officer Fallon said Sammi was taken away in a boat. How could he be in the hotel and in a boat at the same time?”
“I don’t know,” Dink said. “But I still want to check out Joan Klinker’s room. That piece of glass on your shoe proves Sammi was here!”
Mr. Linkletter sighed and set down his half-eaten doughnut. “Very well,” he said. “Ms. Klinker has room 301. I’ll take you up there, but you must be very quiet. Our guests don’t expect crowds of children parading about the halls.” He looked down at Pal. “But the hound has to stay down here. The Shangri-la does not permit animals upstairs!”
“But he can smell stuff,” Josh said. “We need him!”
Mr. Linkletter looked at Pal’s big brown eyes. “Oh, all right. What’s one more broken rule?”
The kids and Pal followed Mr. Linkletter into the elevator.
When it stopped on the third floor, they all walked quickly to room 301. A man in a white uniform was pushing a cart full of linens down the hall and around the corner.
Mr. Linkletter unlocked the door and pushed it open.
Joan Klinker’s bed was made and two suitcases stood on the floor.
“Do your thing,” Josh whispered into Pal’s ear.
Pal walked in a wide circle, sniffing the carpet. Suddenly, he made a beeline for the closet and began scratching at the door.
Josh opened the closet door and Pal rushed in.
Dink noticed that the closet was empty. Joan Klinker had packed everything.
“What’s in there, boy?” Josh asked, getting down on his hands and knees.
While Pal and Josh searched the closet floor, Dink and Ruth Rose looked under the bed and in the bathroom.
Suddenly, Josh backed out of the closet. “Look what Pal found!” he cried. In his hand, he held a small piece of yellow glass.
“You were right, Dink,” Ruth Rose said. “Sammi must have been in this room!”
Just then, Pal raced from the room with his nose to the floor. The next thing they heard was Pal barking and growling.
Everyone followed him, just in time to see Pal attack the white linen cart. He bit at the side of the cart and tried to pull it back along the floor.
The man in the white uniform pushed the cart in the other direction.
“Get outta here, mutt!” the man yelled, kicking at the dog.
That wasn’t a good idea. Pal grabbed the man’s pants cuff in his teeth and began thrashing and growling.
“Pal, no!” Josh shouted. He pulled Pal away, but the hound was still barking at the man.
Mr. Linkletter looked at the man. “Who are you?” he asked.
“Just collectin’ the laundry,” the man said, glaring at Pal.
Mr. Linkletter pointed to the words stitched into the man’s shirt. “But we don’t use Ace Laundry Service,” he said.
Suddenly, the man bolted for the elevator. But he tripped over Pal’s leash and fell on his face.
Mr. Linkletter moved spryly and sat on the man’s back. “What are you doing in this building?” he demanded.
“I ain’t talkin’!” the man mumbled with his face in the carpet.
“Help me, guys,” Dink said, grabbing the side of the cart. With a solid yank, the kids toppled it over.
A mountain of sheets and towels piled out onto the floor.
In the bottom of the cart lay Sammi, tied and gagged.
The three kids slid Sammi out of the cart and laid him gently on the floor. While Dink and Josh worked on the knots, Ruth Rose pulled away his gag.
Before Sammi could speak, Pal waddled over and covered his face with wet dog kisses.
Sammi gave Pal a big hug. Then he sneezed.
They all jumped when the elevator door slid open and Joan Klinker stepped out. When she saw Sammi and the man on the floor, her face turned as white as the sheets.
“You—you’ve found Sammi!” Joan said, rushing to his side.
“Ain’t that cute!” the man on the floor said. “Well, I ain’t taking this rap alone! She’s the one planned the whole thing! We done it together.”
“What are you talking about?” Joan said. “I—I’ve never seen this man in my life!”
The man let out a cackle. “What a lousy thing to say about your own husband!” he said.
Just then, the elevator door slid open again. Dink’s mother and Officer Fallon stepped into the hallway.
“Well, well,” Officer Fallon said. “Good thing I brought two pairs of handcuffs!”
An hour later, Joan Klinker and her husband, Nick, were in jail.
Mr. Linkletter went back to finish eating his doughnut.
Dink, Josh and Pal, Ruth Rose, Sammi, and Dink’s mom joined Officer Fallon in the police station.
“You were pretty clever to leave that trail of yellow glass,” Officer Fallon told Sammi.
“Thank you,” Sammi said. “I hoped Dink would remember that the French word for yellow sounds like ’Joan.’”
“I did remember,” Dink said. “But Josh’s dog was the one who found most of the glass.”
Josh beamed and patted Pal’s head. “Good dog,” he said.
“Well, Ms. Klinker and her husband sang like little birds,” Officer Fallon said. “They planned this thing carefully. After they stashed Sammi in the closet upstairs, they brought one of his slipper tassels to the river to throw us off the trail.”
“I heard them talking in the car,” Sammi said. “They were going to take me back to Costra. I would have disappeared, just like my parents. Then my father’s enemies would have taken over our country.”
Dink looked at his mom. “How did you know we were at the hotel?” he asked.
“Well, I met Joan outside Ellie’s,” Dink’s mother said. “She said she was happy to be out of the hotel and suggested we go for a walk. Naturally, we talked about the kidnapping, and she mentioned Sammi’s slipper tassel being found at the river.”
“Which she shouldn’t have known about, right?” said Ruth Rose.
Dink’s mother smiled. “Right. And when I happened to mention the trail of yel
low glass, she suddenly hurried away. She said she had something important to do at the hotel. So I came right here to see Officer Fallon.”
Officer Fallon smiled at the three kids. “But by the time we got to the hotel, you three had everything under control.”
Just then, Officer Fallon’s computer said, “You’ve got mail!”
“Ah, I’ve been waiting for this e-mail,” he said.
He moved his computer mouse, clicked twice, and smiled. “You should all hear this, so I’ll read it aloud.
“The king and queen of Costra have been found, thanks to your tip. They are alive and well. Both send love to their son. Want him to come home immediately.”
Everyone in the office cheered. Sammi looked shocked, and then he beamed.
“But how did you find them?” he asked Officer Fallon.
“Your kidnappers spilled the beans,” he said. “They were hired by the same guys who kidnapped your parents. They gave me names and places, so I just e-mailed the Costran police.”
The next day, Dink, Josh, Pal, and Ruth Rose said good-bye to Sammi. Each of the kids gave him a wrapped gift. Pal’s gift for Sammi was a big, wet lick on the cheek.
Sammi smiled, then sneezed.
Three weeks later, a large package arrived at Dink’s house. It was from Costra and addressed to all three kids.
“Dibs on the cool stamps!” Josh said.
Dink opened the parcel and found four smaller packages labeled DINK, JOSH, RUTH ROSE, and PAL.
Dink and Josh found small gold kaleidoscopes in their packages. Their names were spelled on the sides with tiny rubies.
“What’d he send you?” Josh asked Ruth Rose.
“OH, MY GOSH!” she screamed and held up a dark blue robe just like Sammi’s.
“Here’s a picture and a note,” Dink said. He read the note aloud.
The picture showed Sammi wearing the gifts the kids had given him—Ruth Rose’s sweatshirt, Josh’s jeans, and Dink’s baseball cap.
Suddenly Pal let out a woof. “He wants us to open his package,” Josh said.
