by Ron Roy
“I can’t even see the river,” Dink muttered.
“It’s right here,” Josh said, splashing the water with his shovel.
“Yeah, but where’s the island?” Ruth Rose asked.
The kids gazed out to where they thought Squaw Island should be. All they could see was more fog. One patch looked a little darker than the rest.
“That must be it,” Josh said, stepping into the water. “Come on, guys, I can almost smell the money!”
“Like a hound dog,” Dink muttered.
The river was quiet. No birds sang. The kids’ legs splashing through the water was the only sound.
Dink began to imagine some fog monster creeping toward him. It had slimy green tentacles and six-inch-long teeth!
Dink was glad when the water became shallower. Suddenly his foot struck dry land. They were on Squaw Island again!
The kids stopped and looked around. Wisps of fog hung over everything. Dink could barely make out the mound of boulders in the center of the island. He remembered yesterday’s sun on his back and shivered.
“This place is creepy in the fog,” Ruth Rose said. “I hope the sun comes out soon!”
“Okay, Joshua,” Dink said. “You got us out here. Now what?”
Josh dropped to his hands and knees. “Help me find the big footprints again,” he said.
The kids quickly found the prints and followed them to the squat, vine-covered boulder.
“So where’d Bigfoot go from here?” Josh muttered.
“It looks like the guy walked right into this big rock,” Dink said.
“Maybe he climbed over it,” Ruth Rose said.
Josh poked his shovel into the poison ivy vines covering the boulder. The shovel clinked against stone. Josh tried another spot. This time the shovel went straight in.
“Hey, guys!” Josh said. “I think I found something!”
Using the shovel to keep the vines back, Josh peered into a dark space.
“There’re two boulders here!” he said.
“And look,” Ruth Rose said. “A little path goes right between them!”
The path was hidden, covered with poison ivy leaves and vines.
“He must have gone through there,” Dink said.
“But it’s all poison ivy!” Ruth Rose said.
“Wait a sec,” Josh said. He chopped at the poison ivy with his shovel until he had cleared a passage. “Just be careful,” he said.
Single file, the kids walked down the narrow path. Enormous boulders loomed over them on each side.
Soon they came to a small, sandy clearing in the middle of the rocks. The rocks were thick with poison ivy. The dew-covered leaves were dull green in the fog.
“I feel like I’m in some jungle!” Ruth Rose said.
“More prints!” Josh said, dropping down on his knees.
Dink got down next to Josh. “They look like they’re from the same guy” Dink said. “But there are so many! And they walk all over each other.”
“Now what, Josh?” Ruth Rose asked.
“Now we search for treasure,” Josh said. “We’ll take turns and dig all over this place!”
They began digging hole after hole. Ruth Rose found a rusty nail, but no treasure.
Soon the kids were sweaty and covered with sand. Josh started filling the holes back in so no one would step in them.
Dink flopped down against one of the boulders.
“WATCH OUT!” Ruth Rose yelled.
Dink jumped away from the rock. Something was sticking him through his shirt!
“Ouch! What’s poking me?” he asked. He turned around so Josh and Ruth Rose could see his back. “Can you see anything?”
Josh grinned. “Just a hunk of poison ivy,” he said.
“Stop grinning and get it off me!” Dink yelled.
“I’ll get it,” Ruth Rose said. She brushed at the twig with the shovel handle.
“Is it gone?” Dink asked, trying to see over his shoulder.
“This is amazing!” Ruth Rose said. “Look, Josh!”
“I don’t believe it,” Josh said.
“What’s amazing?” Dink cried. “What’re you guys doing back there?” He was already feeling itchy.
“This poison ivy is fake!” Ruth Rose said.
“Huh?” Dink turned around. Ruth Rose handed him a green sprig. The leaves were plastic and the stem was made of brown wire.
“I don’t get it,” Dink said. “Why would anyone…”
“This is too weird,” Josh said. He placed the shovel blade between the boulder and the fake poison ivy. Then he twisted the shovel and pried off a section of vines. It came away from the face of the boulder in a sheet and fell flat on the ground.
“The whole rock is covered with plastic poison ivy,” Ruth Rose said. “Tied to a wooden frame!”
“Forget that,” Josh said. “Look what was under this stuff!”
The “boulder” wasn’t a boulder at all. The kids were staring at a large square cement slab.
“What is it?” Dink and Ruth Rose asked at the same time.
“It looks like a cement refrigerator!” Josh said.
Ruth Rose laughed. “Gee, Josh, I wonder if there’s food in it!”
“Very funny!” Josh climbed up on some smaller rocks and hoisted himself to the top of the slab.
“It’s flat up here, too,” he said. “This thing is a big cement box!”
“Is this front part a door?” Ruth Rose asked. She poked the flat slab with the shovel.
Dink ran his fingers along the sides. “I can’t find any hinges,” he said. He tugged at it, but it didn’t budge.
“Maybe there’s a secret lock somewhere,” Ruth Rose suggested. She began digging around the bottom of the slab. All she found was stones and poison ivy roots.
“Ouch!” Josh said, still on top. “There’s something sharp up here!”
He poked his head over the top. “Climb up here, guys. I think I found the key to this thing!”
Dink and Ruth Rose scrambled up next to Josh.
“Look at this,” Josh said. He pointed to a metal rod poking out of the cement.
“Try pulling on it,” Dink suggested.
Josh grabbed the rod and yanked.
“Doesn’t come out,” he muttered.
“Does it wiggle back and forth?” Ruth Rose asked.
She put her foot against the rod and shoved. It still didn’t budge.
“Well, it has to do something,” Dink said.
He climbed down off the cement box, grabbed the shovel, and handed it up to Josh.
“Try hitting it with that,” he said.
Josh held the shovel over his head, braced himself, and gave the rod a good smack.
Suddenly they heard a scratchy noise, like fingernails on a chalkboard.
“Whoa, that did it!” Dink yelled, jumping back. “It’s moving!”
The cement door swung open, revealing a damp, musty closet.
Dink took a step forward, then stopped. His jaw dropped.
“What’s in there?” Josh asked, staring down at Dink.
Dink didn’t answer.
“Dink?” Ruth Rose said. “What’s going on?”
Dink gulped and tried to speak. “Muh-muh-muh…”
“What the heck is ‘muh’?” Josh said. “Mud? Mummies? Muffins?”
Dink could barely breathe, let alone talk.
“Money!” he finally said.
Josh and Ruth Rose scrambled down and stared into the opening.
Inside, it was like a vault. Metal shelves had been attached to the cement walls with thick bolts. And every shelf held money.
Stacks of green bills were piled one on top of another. Everywhere Dink looked, he saw wads and wads of money.
“There must be millions of dollars in here!” Josh said. He closed his eyes. “I think I’m gonna throw up.”
“But whose money is it?” Ruth Rose asked. “Who put it here?”
Dink stepped inside the vault. On t
he bottom shelves were cardboard boxes with HAPPY HEART DOG FOOD written on the sides.
“Dog food?” he said.
Josh and Ruth Rose crowded into the vault. Ruth Rose peeked into two of the boxes.
“More money,” she said.
Suddenly Dink looked back over his shoulder. “Shhh!” he whispered. “I think I heard something!”
The kids stood perfectly still and listened.
“There it is again!” Dink said.
A muffled squeaking sound came through the fog. Then there was silence, then another squeak.
Dink gulped, frozen to the spot. “It’s coming closer!” he whispered.
“M-maybe it’s the p-pirate!” Josh said.
“It could be the guy with big feet!” said Ruth Rose. “Maybe this is his treasure!”
“Let’s get out of here!” Dink said. “Help me close this thing!”
The kids swung the cement door shut. Josh grabbed his shovel while Dink and Ruth Rose lifted the plastic poison ivy back into place. Now the cement safe was hidden again.
Dink quickly led the way back through the boulders to the water.
On the narrow beach, they stood in the fog and listened.
Dink heard the squeaking sound again, then a soft thud, then silence.
Slowly, a small boat drifted out of the fog. A large, dark figure sat hunched in the stern. Dink didn’t dare move or say anything. It looked as if the figure was staring at them!
After what seemed like a year, the figure began to row away. Dink heard the oars squeak as the boat vanished back into the fog.
“Wh-who was that?” Josh croaked.
“I don’t know,” Dink said.
“Whoever it was, let’s get off this island!” Ruth Rose said.
The kids quietly stepped into the shallow water. Trying not to splash, they waded to shore. Dink kept watch for the boat and its silent passenger. But he couldn’t see anything through the fog.
Behind them, Squaw Island became invisible once more.
Ten minutes later, they flung open the door to Officer Fallon’s office.
Officer Fallon looked up from his computer. “What’s wrong, kids? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”
He stared at their soggy sneakers. “And you’re all wet!”
“We found more money,” Ruth Rose said. “Millions of dollars!”
Officer Fallon raised one eyebrow.
“Really, we did!” Josh said.
“Okay, sit down and talk to me,” Officer Fallon said, switching off his computer.
The kids perched on the edges of their chairs.
“We went back to the island,” Dink explained, “and found a cement safe. It had stacks of money in it!”
They told Officer Fallon about the secret path, the plastic poison ivy, and the hidden cement vault.
“Just before we left, we saw someone in a rowboat,” Josh said. “I think he was coming to the island, but then he turned around and left!”
Officer Fallon sat up. “Did you get a good look at him?” he asked.
“It was too foggy,” Dink said.
Officer Fallon frowned and nodded.
“Why would anyone keep money on Squaw Island?” Ruth Rose asked. “Why wouldn’t they just keep it in a regular bank?”
Officer Fallon looked at Ruth Rose. “Because it’s not real money” he said.
“It’s not?” Ruth Rose asked. “What is it, then?”
“I guess there’s no reason not to tell you,” Officer Fallon said. “After you left yesterday I remembered something I read a few weeks ago about counterfeit money. I took a closer look at the bill you found.”
He pulled the envelope from his drawer and removed the hundred-dollar bill. “This is counterfeit, kids. And I’m guessing the money in your cement safe is counterfeit, too.”
“Counterfeit?” Josh gasped. “You mean it’s all fake?”
Officer Fallon smiled. “Sorry, Josh.”
“But who put it there?” Dink asked.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Officer Fallon said.
He stood and walked the kids to the door. “Officer Keene and I will go out there for a look today. Starting now, we’ll be keeping an eye on that island.”
Officer Fallon opened his office door. “Off you go now. And promise me you’ll stay away from that island. Counterfeiters can be dangerous!”
The kids thanked Officer Fallon and left. As they walked up Main Street, Dink thought about the mysterious figure he’d seen in the boat. Was it the counterfeiter? Had he seen the three of them standing on the beach?
Dink swallowed. Were he and Josh and Ruth Rose in danger?
Josh scratched his knee, then his neck, then his left elbow.
“Guess I’d better buy some calamine lotion,” he said.
“We’re almost at the supermarket,” Dink said. He glanced over his shoulder.
“What’re you looking at?” Ruth Rose asked.
Dink shrugged. “Nothing, I guess. I just keep thinking about that creepy guy in the boat.”
“Do you think he recognized us?” Josh asked. “I mean, if we couldn’t see his face, maybe he couldn’t see ours.”
“I hope you’re right,” Dink said. “If the guy in the boat was the counterfeiter, he could be anyone, even someone we know!”
“Oh, great, Dinkus,” Josh said. “Now I’m going to have nightmares!”
The kids walked into the supermarket and headed for the pharmacy. Mrs. Hernandez looked up and smiled.
“Hi, kids, what do you need?” she asked.
Josh scratched his knee. “Do you have any calamine lotion?” he asked.
Mrs. Hernandez came out from behind her counter. She gave Josh a once-over.
“That’s poison ivy all right,” she said. She took a pink bottle from a shelf and handed it to Josh. “That’s my last bottle. Ron Pinkowski came in yesterday and bought up my other three.”
Josh paid Mrs. Hernandez and thanked her. Then the kids left the store. They sat on a bench while Josh dabbed calamine lotion on his itchy spots.
“I wonder why Mr. P needs this stuff,” Ruth Rose said. “Didn’t he tell us he stays away from poison ivy?”
“He wasn’t scratching when we saw him yesterday,” Dink said.
Suddenly Josh jumped to his feet. “Oh, my gosh! It’s him!”
Dink looked around. “Who’s him?”
“Mr. Pinkowski!” Josh said. “He bought the calamine lotion because he’s got poison ivy. And he’s got poison ivy because he was on Squaw Island hiding his counterfeit money!”
Dink shook his head. “If Mr. P has poison ivy, he could’ve gotten it anywhere.”
“Maybe he’s hiding a printing press in one of his empty fish tanks!” Josh said.
“Josh, what are you talking about?” Ruth Rose asked.
“It’s perfect!” Josh said. “He sells bait to fool people, but he’s really getting rich making phony money!”
“That’s crazy,” Dink said. “Just because Mr. P bought calamine lotion doesn’t mean he’s a counterfeiter.”
Josh screwed the bottle cap on and shoved the lotion into a pocket. “I’m not crazy!” he said. “He’s tall, so he’s probably got big feet, right?”
Ruth Rose opened her mouth, but Josh cut her off.
“And he lives right on the river,” Josh went on. “He’s got boats! He knows Squaw Island is the perfect place to stash money. It has to be him!”
Dink looked at Ruth Rose. “What do you think?” he asked her.
“It could have been Mr. Pinkowski in the boat,” Ruth Rose said. “But he’s our friend. I can’t believe he’s a counterfeiter!”
“I can’t either,” Dink said.
“Well, I can!” Josh said. He scratched his stomach. “Let’s go back to the bait shop and see if he has poison ivy.”
“But how will we know?” Ruth Rose asked.
Josh grinned. “He bought three bottles of calamine lotion,” he reminded her.
“He’ll be pink!”
Dink laughed. “Okay, let’s go back to the bait shop,” he said. “You look for poison ivy. I want to see if Mr. P’s feet are as big as those footprints!”
“Well, you were right about one thing,” Ruth Rose whispered to Josh. “Mr. Pinkowski does have big feet!”
“Yeah, but they still don’t look as big as those footprints we saw,” Dink whispered back.
The kids were hiding behind the bushes near Ron’s Bait Shop. Ron was standing in his yard, rubbing a cloth over a small green rowboat.
“Look at that boat!” Josh said. “It could be the one we saw out at the island!”
“But I don’t see any calamine lotion on him,” Dink said. “And he’s not scratching!”
Just then, a black car pulled into the driveway. Ron waved as a man in a dark suit stepped out of the car.
The man waved back, then leaned into the car and pulled out a box. On its side were written four words: HAPPY HEART DOG FOOD!
Josh gasped. “Do you see…”
“Shhh!” whispered Ruth Rose.
The kids watched as the man handed Ron the box. Ron turned and carried it into his shed.
When Ron came out, he handed the box back to the stranger. The man put it on the seat of his car, then took out a checkbook. Quickly, he scribbled out a check and handed it to Ron.
Finally, he climbed back in his car and drove away.
“Check out the license plate!” Ruth Rose said.
Dink read the plate, “B, E, N, T. BENT? What’s that mean?” he asked.
“Who cares?” Josh said. “Mr. P just sold that guy a boxful of counterfeit money! Let’s go tell Officer Fallon!”
“Josh, that box could have been full of dog food,” Dink said.
“Dinkus, think!” Josh said. “Someone hid fake money in those same dog food boxes on Squaw Island. I say one of those two guys is the counterfeiter!”
“Josh could be right,” Ruth Rose pointed out. “But before we go see Officer Fallon, maybe we can find out who that other man is.”
“How?” Dink asked.
“Let’s ask at the gas station,” Ruth Rose said. “Mr. Holly might know who drives a black car with BENT on the license plate.”
When the kids reached the gas station, Mr. Holly was nowhere in sight.
