by Judy Delton
“Hey, where’s his skin?” shouted Roger. “He’s nothing but bones!”
“This is a model,” said Mr. Duff. “These are man-made bones created in the exact size and shape of the real thing.”
“Are the mummies man-made too?” asked Kevin in a disappointed voice.
“No,” said Mr. Duff. “The Egyptian artifacts are real.”
“This claw is the real thing,” said a woman attendant next to a glass case. “This is the claw of a real Apatosaurus that lived more than a million years ago.”
The Pee Wees gathered around the glass case. There, on a little platform inside the case, rested the claw. A real claw was better than a whole fake dinosaur, thought Molly.
“That’s right out of some old dead dinosaur’s foot,” said Tracy in amazement.
It was about four inches long. It looked sharp.
“Wow!” said Kevin. “That must be very valuable.”
“It is,” said the attendant.
“Do you know what?” said Tim. “Dinosaurs lived on earth longer than human beings have been here.”
“Really?” said Mrs. Duff.
The attendant nodded. “He’s right,” she said. “We often think of them as dumb animals because they had such large bodies and such small heads, but they were very smart.”
“Tim knows more than we think,” said Mary Beth to Molly.
Molly nodded. “About a lot of things,” she said, thinking of the man from the hotel lobby.
“Can we touch the claw?” asked Patty.
“I’m afraid not,” said the attendant. “We can’t remove the artifacts and fossils from the cases. They could get broken or even stolen. I’m sorry.”
The children studied the claw some more and then moved on to an exhibit of Egyptian jewelry.
“Look at that!” said Kenny, pointing at something very sparkly on a red velvet cushion. The cushion was on a big table, and the table was inside a big glass case.
“That’s the prize of our collection,” said the attendant. “It’s a gold necklace worn by an Egyptian queen. It’s our most valuable treasure.”
The Pee Wees gazed at the necklace. It was a large, round ring of gold with gold loops hanging from it. On each loop were three precious stones. Molly closed her eyes and tried to picture an ancient Egyptian queen wearing it around her neck.
“Hey, my aunt has one of those,” said Roger.
“She does not,” said Rachel. “There’s only one like it in the entire world.”
“I’d like to give one of those to my mom for Mother’s Day,” said Tim. “She’d like it.”
“If she had one, she’d be the richest person in the world,” said Kevin.
“If she had that one, she couldn’t wear it,” said Jody. “Someone would steal it. She’d have to put it in the bank and wear a fake one.”
The Pee Wees moved on to an exhibit of Greek urns. From there they went to look at more pictures that had been scratched onto cave walls.
“I don’t know what to write about to earn my badge,” said Lisa. “There are so many things.”
“The necklace would be fun to draw,” said Mary Beth. “I’ll bet everybody draws that or writes about it. Or maybe the genuine dinosaur claw.”
Molly hadn’t made up her mind what to write about, but she took notes in her little notebook at every exhibit. That way she would have information. She could decide later what to write about.
When a voice on the loudspeaker announced closing time at the museum, the Pee Wees moaned.
“We’ll come back tomorrow,” said Mrs. Peters, leading them toward an exit.
On the way out, Tim poked Molly. “Look!” he said.
Tim was pointing to the case where the necklace had been. The cushion was still there, but the necklace was gone! The door of the case was wide open!
And standing nearby, putting something into his coat pocket, was the man from the hotel.
As Molly and Tim watched, the man walked rapidly out the door.
“Did you see that?” yelled Tim. “The necklace is gone! And so is that guy!”
But it was too late to do anything. They had to get out of the building with the others. And when they did, the man was nowhere in sight.
On the way home, Molly and Tim told everyone what they had seen.
“We have to be very careful not to let our imaginations run away with us,” said Molly’s mother. Her mother was starting to act like her mother again, thought Molly.
“Sometimes Molly can’t tell the difference between storytelling and reality,” said Mr. Duff, laughing.
Now it came back to her why she had not wanted her parents along on this trip. I may have a wild imagination, thought Molly, but I know what I saw.
“Tim saw it too!” said Molly.
“It’s easy to be swept up in all the excitement,” said Mrs. Peters, “and see things that aren’t really there.”
Rat’s knees, thought Molly. Now Mrs. Peters is doing it too!
“We have to be careful not to judge others rashly,” Mrs. Peters went on.
What did this have to do with a rash? thought Molly. This wasn’t a time to discuss rashes. This was a crime the police should handle!
“We have to get this guy,” Tim whispered to Molly. “We have to find him, by hook or by crook. He’s probably back at our hotel. That’s where he’s staying.”
But back at the hotel, things were quiet. There was no sign of the man. And of course Molly and Tim didn’t know his name. No one was looking for crooks. People were getting ready for dinner. Soft music was playing in the lobby, and the rest of the Pee Wees wanted to go for a swim.
Maybe her mother was right—maybe Molly had been overexcited. How could a crook be staying in this nice, quiet, fancy hotel? She was being silly about the whole thing.
The Scouts headed for the pool. It was big, and the water was very, very blue.
“Here I go!” shouted Roger, holding his nose and jumping off the edge with a big splash.
“It smells funny,” said Mary Beth.
“That’s the chlorine,” said Rachel. “It kills germs.”
“Maybe I’ll write about this pool to get my badge,” said Tim. “It might be old.”
“Ha, like one year old!” said Roger. “This pool’s not historical.”
“No, but I wish you were,” said Rachel as Roger tried to duck her head under the water.
All the Pee Wees laughed except Roger. They swam and played water games, and then took showers and went back to their rooms and got dressed for dinner.
“I hope they have hamburgers and not just all that green salad stuff. I hate vegetables,” said Roger.
“I’ll bet vegetables hate him too!” whispered Mary Beth.
On the way to the dining room they went through the lobby. The TV was on, and Molly caught a glimpse of the picture. It looked like the museum where they had been that afternoon!
“Hey, what did that guy say about the museum?” asked Tim. “I heard him. He said something about that necklace!”
“Maybe he said it was stolen,” said Sonny. “That would be on the news because it’s so valuable. They probably want help finding the thief.”
“I told you so!” said Tim. “I told you that guy in our hotel stole it.”
Mr. Duff frowned. “Even if you’re right, you need proof. To accuse someone of a crime, you have to have proof. And we don’t have any. Let’s just leave that up to the police.”
Molly wished she could tell the police what she had seen. But her dad was right, as usual. You couldn’t point fingers and tell on someone without proof. Even if you were sure he did it. It was the law.
“I think we should scout around and explore the hotel for clues,” Tim said to Molly. “We have to find real proof to back us up. And we have to do it fast, before the guy gets away.”
Tim was right. There was no time to waste. In a way it was their duty. It was what Scouting was all about: helping others, doing good deeds. And if they caught a
thief, it would be one giant good deed! Molly couldn’t wait to finish dinner and start collecting evidence.
Then, before they knew what was happening, the evidence came to them.
Just as the Pee Wees were served their chocolate sundaes, the crook walked in. He was with the woman the Pee Wees had seen on the elevator—the woman who was dressed like her dog. They sat down together and ordered dinner. The little dog sat on the man’s lap.
“I wonder if they’re married,” said Mary Beth. “Maybe she’s Mrs. Crook.”
While the couple waited for their dinner, the dog began to growl and dig in the man’s pocket.
“Bad dog, Roger!” cried the woman.
“Hey, the dog is named after you, Roger!” shouted Sonny, pointing. All the Pee Wees began to laugh. Roger turned red and looked embarrassed.
The man tried to pull Roger the dog away from his pocket, but it was too late. Roger had dug his little feet and nose firmly in and was now pulling something out of the pocket. It looked like a jewelry box! A long jewelry box that could hold a necklace! The necklace! Here it was, right in front of them, thought Molly. Evidence, proof! And it had come right to them. It must be a sign that they were on the right track.
“Get him!” shouted Tim, standing up and tipping over his chair. “Roger found the proof we need! That’s the missing necklace!”
The Peterses and the Duffs tried to calm the Pee Wees down. But it was too late. With Tim in the lead, the rest of the Pee Wees raced over to the man’s table. Molly wondered what they would do when they got there. Could the Pee Wees really capture the thief and tie him up? But no one had thought to bring any rope!
Roger the dog got excited and bounced to the floor, and when the thief stood up, he tripped over the dog and fell.
“Get him!” shouted Tim again.
“Poor Roger!” cried Mrs. Crook, scooping her dog into her arms. “Are you hurt?”
“She seems more worried about the dog than about her husband,” murmured Mary Beth to Molly.
“Unless he isn’t her husband,” said Molly.
When the man looked up from where he’d fallen, he saw that he was surrounded by twelve Pee Wee Scouts, all glaring down at him. Twenty-four eyes stared at a hairy face and two shifty eyes.
By now the Duffs and Peterses had arrived at the table. They began to apologize and pull the Pee Wees away. The noise had attracted the waiters and the hotel manager.
“Nothing like this has ever happened before,” said the manager, wringing his hands. “Are you hurt, Mr. Ross?” He looked at the Pee Wees. “Why are you doing this to Mr. Ross?”
“This man just robbed the museum. It was on the news, and we saw him,” said Kevin.
All of a sudden Mr. Ross began to laugh. He lay on the floor and laughed and laughed and laughed. Finally he got to his feet and brushed himself off. Then he held his hands up over his head.
“He’s surrendering,” whispered Mary Beth to Molly. “That’s what criminals on TV do when they’ve been caught.”
But Mr. Ross was not surrendering. Still laughing, he said, “I’m no crook. I’m an actor. I was at the museum studying Egyptian customs and decoration. I’m in a historical play, and this is the leading lady, Betsy Wright.” Mr. Ross motioned toward Roger the dog’s owner. “I was hoping Betsy would become my wife. I was just about to present her with this engagement gift, a gold necklace, when you all descended on us like a swarm of hornets!”
The Pee Wees were speechless. This might be the most embarrassing thing they had ever done as a group, thought Molly. She was sure people were arrested for things like this.
“Not so fast,” said Roger. “You may be a fast talker, but how do we know you aren’t the crook? Maybe you’re lying. Maybe you’re a con man. Let’s see that necklace.”
Leave it to Roger to make a bad situation worse, thought Molly. Mr. Peters and Mr. Duff quickly took Roger aside and held on to him while they gave him a private lecture.
“What in the world can we do to make up for this?” Mrs. Peters was saying to Mr. Ross. She was straightening the tablecloth.
“The manager might throw us all out of the hotel,” said Mary Beth worriedly. “I just hope it’s not on the news tonight, or in the newspaper: ‘Pee Wee Scouts Cause Trouble in Center City.’”
Mr. Ross was very kind about the mistake, but the hotel manager did not look pleased.
“The Scouts meant well,” said Mr. Ross. “After all, it is a good thing for them to try to rid the city of crime.”
“I think we have learned a valuable lesson here,” said Mr. Duff. “We must not jump to conclusions, and if there is trouble, it is best to let the authorities handle it. It is not good to take matters into our own hands.”
Mr. Duff glared at Tim and Roger. Molly felt just as much at fault. After all, she had trusted Tim’s feeling. Tim had been right so often. But it just proved that no one was right all the time. Molly would have to write that down in her notebook and remember it.
Mrs. Duff picked up the gift box that had fallen onto the floor. She brushed it off and set it on the table. “I can’t tell you how sorry we are,” she said. “And now I think we should just get out of your way and let you try to go on with your dinner and your evening.”
“I think you should all join us,” said Mr. Ross. “It would be more festive that way. It will be an evening Betsy and I will never forget.”
“And Roger,” said Sonny. “He won’t forget it either.”
Now everyone was laughing. Mr. Ross ordered another dessert for all the Pee Wees because their sundaes had melted. Then he handed Betsy the gift box with teeth marks in it. “Will you marry me?” he asked.
Betsy leaned over, gave Mr. Ross a kiss, and said, “Of course I will.”
Tracy and Lisa had tears in their eyes. “It’s just like in a play or a movie,” said Lisa.
The necklace that Mr. Ross fastened around Betsy’s neck was gold, but it was not the museum necklace. It was smaller and had gold links and one little diamond hanging in the middle.
“It’s wonderful!” said Betsy. “And I’ll remember this night always.”
Then the Pee Wees dug into their dessert.
“I wonder who really did take the necklace at the museum,” said Tim.
“I don’t think anyone did,” said Mr. Ross.
“But it was gone,” said Molly.
“Maybe they took it out to clean it,” said Betsy.
“But it was on TV,” said Tim.
“That was just an announcement about some new artifacts that arrived at the museum,” said Mr. Ross. “I saw that on the way into the dining room.”
The Pee Wees groaned. It seemed to Molly they hadn’t been right about anything on this trip!
“i wonder why Roger the dog tried to get that box out of your pocket,” said Kevin to Mr. Ross.
“Well, it is sort of bone-shaped,” said Betsy. “And it made a bulge in his pocket that probably attracted Roger’s attention. He’s a curious dog, and he probably had to find out what it was.”
Finally, after more apologies from the Duffs and the Peterses and the Pee Wees, they all went to their rooms and left the couple to celebrate their engagement in peace.
On the elevator, Mr. Peters told the Pee Wees, “We’re lucky that Mr. Ross didn’t press charges. This whole incident could have been much worse.”
The Pee Wees hung their heads. They realized they were lucky. They deserved some kind of awful punishment, Molly knew.
“I think all of you have learned a lesson here,” said Mrs. Duff. “You don’t need any punishment to help you remember.”
Her mother was reading her mind. Something like the way Molly had read Tim’s. But of course Molly had been wrong. This time, anyway.
“Hey,” said Jody, wheeling down the hotel hallway. “If Betsy marries Mr. Ross, she’ll become Betsy Ross!”
Most of the Pee Wees looked puzzled. Lisa said, “So what?”
“Betsy Ross made the first flag,” said Kevin.
“I knew that,” said Rachel.
“So did I,” said Mary Beth.
“Hey, they should get married on Flag Day!” said Roger.
“She should have a red-white-and-blue dress!” said Tracy.
“Or a cake in the shape of a flag!” said Molly.
“They could decorate it with stars and stripes,” said Patty.
“A lot of women don’t take the man’s name anymore,” said Rachel. “I’ll bet Betsy will just stay Betsy Wright.”
That ended the Pee Wees’ wedding talk. There were no funny Betsy Wright stories. And no historical stories about that name.
Mrs. Peters clapped her hands together and said, “Tomorrow is a big day. We have to see the rest of the museum and then come back here and pack up and get the train to go home. Right now we all need a good night’s sleep.”
Most of the Pee Wees were yawning. It had been a full day. A lot had happened, thought Molly. Trains and museums and bones and necklaces and mistaken identity. No matter what tomorrow brought, it couldn’t be as eventful as today had been.
Molly slept soundly and didn’t wake up until the sun came streaming through the hotel window. The sun looked brighter and seemed to rise earlier here in Center City than at home.
Before long there was a noise in the hall. It was Roger chasing Sonny with a rubber spider he had bought in the gift shop at the museum.
“When do we eat?” asked Sonny when Mrs. Duff put the spider in her pocket.
“Right now,” said Mrs. Peters. “Let’s get down to the dining room before the rush.”
When the Pee Wees were seated, they noticed Mr. Ross and Betsy across the room. They waved. It was hard to believe that the scene the night before had really happened, thought Molly. Everyone looked so respectable in the morning. Even Mr. Ross, who had looked like a crook just yesterday. Molly wondered why they had ever thought he was a crook. He still had the hat and the tattoo, but he did not look sinister. He looked like a nice, friendly man eating breakfast.
Sonny and Roger each ate six pancakes and then wanted more.
