by Ron Roy
Then Dink heard someone whistling. The tune was coming from under a banged-up red pickup truck.
“Mr. Holly?” Dink said. “Is that you?”
A round, grease-smudged face popped out from under the truck.
“Howdy,” Mr. Holly said, grinning at the kids. “You got car trouble?”
“Sort of,” Ruth Rose said. “Do you know who owns a car with BENT on the license plate?”
Mr. Holly stood up and wiped his hands on a rag. “Why, is the car bent?” he said, winking at Dink.
Dink laughed. “No, but we need to find the driver,” he said.
“I found some money,” Ruth Rose said. “We think it might be his.”
“Sounds like those new folks,” Mr. Holly said, “Mr. and Mrs. Warden Bent. Few weeks ago, they rented a small house on Fox Lane. I put a set of spark plugs in that snazzy Lincoln of theirs.”
“Fox Lane!” Dink said, giving Josh a look. “That’s over by the river!”
“Right-o,” Mr. Holly said. “Nice view of the water. Now if you’ll excuse me, this old truck needs my help!”
The kids thanked Mr. Holly and left the gas station.
“We know who the guy is now,” Dink said, “but we still can’t prove he or Mr. P is a counterfeiter.”
“But the box—” Josh started to say.
“We don’t know what was in it,” Dink reminded him.
“Right,” Ruth Rose said. “Why don’t we go to Mr. Bent’s house and wait for him to come home? Maybe we can get a peek at the box when he goes in his house.”
“Okay, but let’s be careful,” Dink said. “I don’t want to end up locked in that vault on Squaw Island!”
The kids crossed Thistle Court and headed toward Fox Lane.
There were only three small houses on the narrow lane. The last one was a cottage nearly hidden in trees and thick bushes. Somewhere, a bird let out a single chirp.
Josh nudged Dink. “The car!” he whispered, pointing.
The same black car was parked under a tree. The license plate said BENT.
The kids snuck up to the car. All three peered through a rear window.
There was no Happy Heart Dog Food box on the car’s seats or floor.
“He must’ve taken it into the house,” Dink said, crouching down next to Josh and Ruth Rose.
“Now what do we do?” Josh asked.
“We could try getting inside the house,” Ruth Rose said.
Josh looked at her. “How?”
“What if we ring the bell and say we’re selling Girl Scout cookies?”
Josh rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right, two boys selling Girl Scout cookies!”
“Okay then I’ll do it alone,” Ruth Rose said.
“No way,” Dink said. “No one’s going into that house. If the Bents are the counterfeiters, they’re dangerous!”
“So what do we do?” Josh asked. “I sure could use a sandwich!”
Suddenly, the front door opened. A short-legged hound dog with floppy ears waddled out onto the porch. The dog was brown and white, with big, sad eyes.
“Stay near the house, Shorty,” a voice said.
“Uh-oh,” Josh whispered.
“Let’s get out of here before he smells us!” Ruth Rose said.
The kids melted into the thick shrubbery growing wild on both sides of the cottage. They crept toward the backyard, trying to be as quiet as possible.
“Look,” Dink said, pointing to a small garage at the very back of the property. Except for the door, the garage was surrounded by bushes. “We can hide there!”
Just then, the dog let out a howl.
Ruth Rose looked over her shoulder. “Oh, no! He’s after us!”
The kids sprinted behind the garage. Dink found a low window.
“In here!” he said, shoving the window sash up.
The dog came loping around the corner with its nose to the ground.
“Nice doggie,” Josh whispered.
The hound looked at Josh and let out another howl.
“Quick, inside!” Dink said. He dove through the open window.
Josh and Ruth Rose piled into the garage on top of Dink. Outside, the dog started barking. Dink saw its black snout and eyes peeking over the sill. He shoved Josh off him and closed the window.
The dog was still barking. It scratched at the window with its big feet.
“We have to hide!” Dink said. “The Bents are bound to hear all that noise!”
The kids quickly looked around.
Against one wall, a workbench was piled with junk. Dink noticed a tarp-covered mound opposite the bench.
Josh and Ruth Rose dove under the bench. Dink headed for the tarp. He lifted one edge, crawled underneath, and let the tarp drop over his back.
It was dark under the tarp. Dink couldn’t see a thing. He found himself sprawled on top of several hard boxes with sharp edges.
Suddenly, the dog stopped barking. Dink thought he heard a human voice.
He lifted a corner of the tarp and peeked toward the window. Through the dirty glass, Dink saw a woman’s legs. She bent down, picked up the dog, and carried him out of sight.
Barely breathing, Dink waited until he felt sure the woman wasn’t coming back. Then he crawled out from under the tarp. On the other side of the garage, Josh and Ruth Rose came out from under the bench.
“That was close!” Ruth Rose said.
Dink looked around. They were standing on a cement floor. The air was cool and dry. In one corner stood gardening tools and a few fishing poles.
Then Dink spotted something. “Look!” he said.
On top of the workbench sat a Happy Heart Dog Food box.
“Maybe it’s the one Mr. Bent had in his car!” Dink said. He yanked open the box flaps. Inside, he found only a paint can with green smears on its sides.
Dink thought for a minute. “Guys, remember that boat Mr. P was working on? It was green, right?”
He held up the paint can. “Maybe the boat belongs to Mr. Bent, and Ron painted it for him. This could be the leftover paint.”
“Then the check Mr. Bent gave him was to pay for the paint job!” Ruth Rose said.
She reached into the box and pulled out a wadded ball of paper. She flattened it on the workbench.
“It’s a receipt from the pharmacy,” Ruth Rose said. “For three bottles of calamine lotion!”
Dink stared at the receipt. It was from a credit card. Neatly printed on the bottom of the piece of paper was the name Ronald W. Pinkowski.
“Hey, guys, check this out!”
Josh had been poking around the other side of the garage. Hanging on wall pegs were two pairs of long green wading boots.
Josh unhooked one pair and took it down. “Look at the size of this foot!” he said.
Dink walked over for a closer look.
“These must be what made those big footprints!” he said.
Ruth Rose examined the bottom of one of the boots. Wedged into the treads were tiny pebbles and sand.
The kids stared at each other.
“Now what do we do?” Josh asked.
“Now we go tell Officer Fallon what we found,” Dink said.
He tiptoed over to the garage door and peeked through a crack.
“Uh-oh,” Dink said. “We’re in trouble, guys. Mrs. Bent just brought out some food. She’s lighting the grill!”
“Great,” Josh muttered. “And I’m stuck in here, starving to death!”
He and Ruth Rose joined Dink at the crack.
“Look!” Ruth Rose said.
A tall man walked up to the grill. It was the man they’d seen at Ron’s Bait Shop. But now he was wearing shorts and a T-shirt.
His long arms and legs were blotched with calamine lotion.
Ruth Rose let out a small gasp. “He’s the one who got poison ivy on Squaw Island! The calamine lotion was for him!”
“But Mr. Pinkowski bought it,” Josh said. “I still say they’re in it together!”
Dink
peeked through the garage door crack again. “Mr. Bent’s reading a newspaper,” he whispered. “Mrs. Bent’s cooking hamburgers.”
“Is the dog there?” Josh asked.
“Yep.”
“If we try to leave, the dog will probably start barking again,” Ruth Rose said.
“Those hamburgers smell so good!” Josh said. He let out a little groan.
“Don’t think about food,” Dink said. “Think about a way to get us out of here!”
“Okay I will!” Josh said. He shoved Dink aside and put an eye to the crack. “I have a plan,” he said after a minute.
“Tell us!” Ruth Rose said.
Josh grinned. “Let’s invite the Bents into the garage!”
Ruth Rose shook her head. “The poison ivy has finally gotten to his brain,” she said to Dink.
“No, listen,” Josh said. “We’ll make a lot of noise. The Bents and poochie will hear it. They’ll come flying in here to find out what’s going on and—”
“And catch us in their garage!” Dink interrupted.
Josh smiled devilishly. “Nope, because we’ll be hopping out the window. They’ll never see us!”
Dink nodded thoughtfully. “It could work,” he said. “But I think we need to figure out a way to keep them in here long enough for us to get away.”
“I have an idea!” Ruth Rose walked over to the workbench. “There must be something to write with,” she muttered.
“What’re you gonna write?” Josh asked.
“Aha!” Ruth Rose pulled a hunk of carpenter’s chalk out of a toolbox.
She kneeled on the floor and printed in large letters:
I know about your counterfeit money. Let’s talk on I go to the cops. Meet me on Squaw Island in an hour.
“Oh, my gosh!” Josh yelped.
“But what if they just go out to the island, take the money and leave town?” Dink asked.
“Exactly! When they do, Officer Fallon will be waiting for them!” Ruth Rose said.
Josh found a hammer in the toolbox. “Find me something to bang on,” he told Dink. “Then get ready to move!”
“I’ll keep an eye outside!” Ruth Rose said, heading for the garage door.
Dink glanced around the garage, then walked over to the tarp he’d hidden under. He yanked the tarp away and let out a low whistle. “Guys, look!”
Josh and Ruth Rose hurried over. Dink had uncovered four Happy Heart Dog Food boxes.
Dink tore open one flap and peeked inside.
“Just cans of dog food,” he said.
“He must use the empty boxes to carry the fake money,” said Ruth Rose.
Josh spotted an empty pail. “I bet I can get their attention with this!” he said.
Dink opened the window. Ruth Rose came over to stand beside him.
“Okay, Josh,” Dink said. “Do it!”
Josh took a deep breath, then started pounding the bottom of the pail with the hammer.
The noise boomed through the garage like thunder.
“Now!” Josh said. He dropped the hammer and pail and bolted for the window.
The kids hopped out and crouched in the weeds.
A few seconds later, they heard the garage door creak open and Mr. Bent say, “Stay, Shorty!”
Then Dink heard Mrs. Bent say, “Warden, someone’s been in here. Something’s written on the floor!”
That was all the kids needed to hear. They raced toward the trees on the other side of the house. In two minutes, they had crossed the high school playing field and were heading down Main Street.
“I sure hope Officer Fallon is in,” Dink said, out of breath.
He was. The kids burst through his door with red faces.
Officer Fallon looked up. “What are you—”
“We found the counterfeiter!” all three kids yelled.
Interrupting each other, the kids told Officer Fallon about the Bents.
Even before Officer Fallon heard about the Happy Heart Dog Food boxes, he was shouting orders into his telephone.
“Don’t go back to Fox Lane!” were his last words before he leaped for the door and disappeared.
“Now what?” Dink asked.
“Why should we be left out?” Ruth Rose asked. “Let’s go watch!”
“Go where?” Josh asked. “He said to stay away—”
“Not Fox Lane,” Dink interrupted. “The action is gonna be on Squaw Island!”
Minutes later, they were catching their breath next to Officer Fallon’s cruiser on River Road. The fog had lifted and they had a better view of Squaw Island.
Dink peered across the river but saw only sand and rocks.
Out of breath, Josh sank to the ground. “I think I’m having a heart attack!” he moaned.
“Do you think Officer Fallon is out there?” Ruth Rose asked, squinting. “I don’t see anyone.”
The kids sat in the shade of the cruiser and watched the island.
Suddenly, Josh jumped to his feet. “There they are!” he shouted.
Three figures had come around the island’s other side. It was too far away to tell who they were, but Dink thought he could see Officer Fallon’s dark uniform.
Then a fourth person came into view. He was pulling a small flat-bottomed boat behind him.
“It’s Officer Fallon and Officer Keene!” Dink said. “They’ve got the Bents!”
The kids watched the group come closer. The water was nearly up to Officer Fallon’s knees. He led the Bents, who were handcuffed. Officer Keene waded behind, pulling the boat. It was green!
“Look what’s in the boat!” Josh said. “It’s piled with money and dog food boxes!”
Nobody spoke as Officer Fallon led the two counterfeiters to shore. The Bents were wearing their long wading boots. Their faces were angry as they stumbled up the riverbank.
Officer Keene pulled the boat ashore and loaded the counterfeit money into the trunk of the cruiser. Officer Fallon opened the rear door for the Bents, then locked it once they were inside.
“Good job,” he said to the kids. He looked at Josh. “Are your folks home?”
“I don’t know,” Josh answered.
“Meet me at your house in an hour,” Officer Fallon said. Then he and Officer Keene hitched up their wet pants and climbed into the cruiser.
The car sped away, leaving the air filled with dust and pine needles.
“Why does Officer Fallon want to talk to your mom and dad?” Dink asked, grinning. “Are you in trouble?”
“Gee, I wonder what jail food is like!” Ruth Rose said.
Dink patted Josh’s belly. “I heard they feed the prisoners worm waffles for breakfast!”
“Tee-hee,” Josh said. “You guys are so funny! He probably wants to give me a reward for catching the Bents.”
“You didn’t catch them,” Ruth Rose said. “The three of us did!”
“But we all know I’m the brains in this group,” Josh said, smiling.
They cut through a field to get to Josh’s house. Josh yanked open the back door and yelled, “Anybody home?”
No one answered. “Let’s eat,” Josh said. “I’ll make some sandwiches.”
They sat in Josh’s backyard with jelly sandwiches, paper cups, and a container of milk.
“I wonder where the Bents made the money,” Dink said. “Do you suppose they have a printing machine in that house?”
Josh put his sandwich down. “What would it be like to make money whenever you wanted?”
Dink heard a car roll into Josh’s driveway. A door slammed and Officer Fallon came around the house.
“Can you spare some of that milk?” he asked Josh.
“Sure!” Josh filled a cup and handed it to Officer Fallon.
He took a long sip, then looked at the kids. “The Bents are locked up, but they’re not talking. When they do, I expect we’ll find out they were just the middle guys. Whoever is printing all those hundreds is still out there somewhere.”
“But why did the Ben
ts hide the money on Squaw Island?” Josh asked.
“Easy to get to,” Officer Fallon said. “With their boat at the bait shop, they could get out to the island in a few minutes.”
“At first we thought they might be partners with Mr. Pinkowski,” Dink said.
Officer Fallon nodded. “I can see why you thought so. I talked to Ron. He kept their boat in his yard. Then after Bent saw you kids on the island, he asked Ron to paint it. I guess he was afraid you would recognize it if you ever saw it again.”
“Why did Mr. Pinkowski buy the calamine lotion?” Josh asked.
“Ron’s a nice guy” Officer Fallon said. “I guess he noticed Bent was itching, so he bought him the lotion as a favor.”
Officer Fallon glanced at Josh’s barn. “Keep any animals in there?” he asked Josh.
“No,” Josh said. “The twins and I want a pony but Dad says they’re too much work.”
“How about a dog?” Officer Fallon said. “I just happen to have a nice friendly basset hound who needs a good home.”
Josh’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Officer Fallon smiled. “Maybe you two should get to know each other.”
He whistled. Around the corner jogged Officer Keene, leading a short-legged dog with droopy ears.
“It’s Shorty!” Ruth Rose said.
“You kids already know this pooch?” Officer Fallon said.
“He was at the Bents’ house,” Dink explained. “He almost gave away our hiding place!”
Officer Fallon stroked the dog’s velvety ears. “Well, his owners are going to prison for a long time. He needs a new home.”
Josh kneeled down and patted the dog’s silky coat.
“Hey, doggie.” He said. “You wanna live here?”
The dog gave Josh a lick with his long pink tongue, then plopped to the ground and rolled over.
“He likes me!” Josh said.
“I was counting on it,” Officer Fallon said. He dropped the leash into Josh’s hand and headed for his car. “Have your folks call me!” he said as he left.
“Thanks, Officer Fallon!” Josh called.
“What should we name him?” Josh asked after a minute.
“He already has a name,” Ruth Rose reminded Josh. “Shorty.”
