The Quicksand Question (5 page)

The kids stood looking down at the name tag.

“I’ve seen an apron and name tag like this before,” Dink said. “In the supermarket!”

“Martin must
work
there!” Josh said. “Let’s go arrest him!”

“We can’t arrest anybody,” Ruth Rose said. “We have to tell Officer Fallon!”

Ruth Rose scooped up the apron and wrung out the water. Then the kids raced up the grassy slope and across River Road. Pal loped alongside Josh.

On the firehouse driveway, they saw Jake, Lenny, and a couple of other firefighters. The jeep was standing in a puddle of river water.

“Have you seen Officer Fallon?” Dink asked one of the firefighters.

“You just missed him,” the man said, pointing to the jeep’s open glove compartment. “He grabbed some papers and left.”

“Do you know if he went to the police station?” Ruth Rose asked.

The firefighter shrugged. “He didn’t say.”

Dink looked at Josh and Ruth Rose. “What should we do?” he asked.

“If Martin is the crook, we need to let Officer Fallon know,” Ruth Rose said.

“But it might be too late,” Josh said. “If Martin works next door, he might have seen the jeep being dragged over here.”

Josh quickly glanced toward the
supermarket. “He could be watching us right now!”

Dink thought for a minute. “We saw Martin in a rowboat a while ago, so maybe he isn’t working at the market today,” he said. “He might not know we found the jeep.”

Ruth Rose was still holding the damp apron. She looked across the lawn toward the supermarket. “Come on,” she said. “If Martin isn’t working today, maybe we can find out where he lives. And even if he is working, we’ll tell Officer Fallon.”

They crossed the lawn that separated the fire station from the supermarket. Josh left Pal tied to the bike rack again, and the kids hurried inside.

“Keep your eyes peeled for a big guy with mushroom ears,” Josh whispered.

But the store was packed with
Sunday shoppers. Dozens of workers in green aprons scurried around. Many of the male employees were pretty big.

“How will we ever find him?” Ruth Rose asked. “Martin could be anywhere!”

“I have an idea,” Dink said. “When we were here before, I saw a bunch of pictures of employees. Let’s check ’em out.”

Josh and Ruth Rose followed Dink toward the back of the store. They cut through the pet food aisle, took a right at the dairy department, and stopped in front of the wall of photographs.

“There he is,” Dink said, pointing. The man they’d seen in the rowboat was in the bottom row of pictures. He was the only one with huge ears.

“Martin Fleece,” Dink said, reading the name under the picture.

“What should we do?” Josh asked.

Ruth Rose held up the apron. “We have to find out if he’s here,” she said. “Let’s see if Mr. Robb is in his office.”

The store manager’s office was only a few yards from the wall of pictures. The door was open, and Dink could hear Mr. Robb’s voice.

“Someone’s in there with him,” Dink whispered to Josh and Ruth Rose. They stood just outside the door.

“Marty, I just don’t understand,” Mr. Robb was saying. “Yesterday you were happy to work here, and today you want to quit.”

“I’m sorry,” a deep voice responded.
“But I have to go out of town. My … my grandmother is in the hospital, so I have to leave today. And I’ll need my paycheck, too.”

Josh peeked around the corner. When he looked back at Dink and Ruth Rose, his eyes were huge. “Martin Fleece!” he whispered.

“What can we do?” Ruth Rose asked.

“Let us take it from here,” a quiet voice said, this time from behind Ruth Rose.

It was Officer Fallon with Officer Keene. “Did this come from the jeep?” Officer Fallon asked, pointing at the wet apron.

Ruth Rose nodded.

He took the apron and walked into Mr. Robb’s office. Officer Keene followed and closed the door.

Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose stepped closer and listened.

“Martin Fleece, you are under arrest
for theft,” they heard Officer Fallon say.

One hour later, the kids were sitting in Officer Fallon’s office. Martin Fleece was in jail.

“How did you know where to find him?” Dink asked Officer Fallon.

“The jeep’s registration was in the glove compartment,” Officer Fallon said. “His name and address were on it. One phone call told me he worked in the supermarket.”

“How come he didn’t get caught in the quicksand like I did?” Josh asked.

Officer Fallon shrugged. “Most likely, when the jeep got stuck, he realized he was in some kind of deep mud. He must have leapt clear, or swum till he could walk out of the river.”

“Did the firefighters open the bank yet?” Ruth Rose asked.

Officer Fallon stood up. He opened his drawer and took out the cookie tin
and his jar of money. “Why don’t we go find out?” he asked.

Three weeks later, the duck bridge was completed. The high school kids had done a great job. The bridge was wooden and looked like a regular bridge, only it was much narrower than most. A small sign said
DUCKS WELCOME.

One end of the bridge was on the riverbank, and it curved gracefully over River Road. Cars would be able to pass under it, and the ducks would be safe.

The town decided to have a grand opening the day after the bridge was finished. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose packed a picnic lunch. With Pal, the twins, and Ruth Rose’s brother, Nate, they headed to the new duck bridge.

Officer Fallon was there with his grandson, Jimmy. Jake and Lenny both showed up, and Dink noticed Mr.
Pocket and Randolph.

While Nate, Brian, and Bradley kept Pal off the bridge, Ruth Rose unfolded a blanket. She looked for a flat place to spread it.

“Can you hurry it up, Ruth Rose?” Josh said. “Those sandwiches are calling me!”

“You
could
help out, Josh,” Dink said. He grabbed one end of the blanket from Ruth Rose and helped her spread it. Then he opened the picnic basket.

Pal and the three little kids came running when they saw the sandwiches, cookies, and watermelon slices.

As the kids ate their lunch, the girl who had first suggested the bridge sprinkled cracked corn all along it. Everybody waited.

Some little kids began running around, playing tag. People started to chat with each other. Someone turned on a radio, and two big kids with a
Frisbee tossed it back and forth.

“Too much noise,” Josh muttered. “It’s like a party. A duck would have to be crazy to cross that bridge.”

Gradually everyone else got tired of waiting and went home.

“Where are the ducks?” Nate asked Ruth Rose.

“Maybe now that it’s quieter, we’ll see them,” she whispered.

“Okay, we’ll be
real
quiet!” Brian said. “Be quiet, Bradley!”

“I’m not talking!” Bradley argued. “
You
be quiet!”

Josh pulled his two brothers close to him. “If you want to see the ducks, you have to be as quiet as Pal,” he whispered.

Pal was lying on the blanket, sound asleep. Nate, Brian, and Bradley flopped down on both sides of the dog. They cuddled up to him like puppies.

“Good move,” Ruth Rose told Josh.

“Think the ducks will really come?” Dink whispered.

“They better,” Josh mumbled. “After I nearly drowned for them!”

The six kids waited all afternoon. The little ones fell asleep. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose played Monopoly. Pal snored peacefully between the twins.

Josh was just about to land on
Dink’s hotel when Ruth Rose whispered, “Look!”

A duck stood at the very top of the curved bridge. She turned her head in all directions, as if looking for danger. Seeing none, she quacked quietly. Five little yellow ducks waddled up to her.

Dink leaned over and woke Nate, Brian, and Bradley. Then they all sat like statues and watched the ducks cross safely over River Road.

Dear Readers
,

I hope you enjoyed reading
The Quicksand Question.
When I visit schools, many of you ask
I
this question: “Where do you get your ideas for your books?”

Story ideas come from many places, but mostly from just my daily life. When I read a book or a newspaper, I look for ideas. When I watch TV or listen to the radio, I keep alert for something that would make a good mystery. When I travel, I keep my eyes and ears open! And of course, many of you have sent me your ideas, which I love receiving.

For
The Quicksand Question,
I went back to when I was ten years old. I lived in a small town on a street
between a movie theater and a library. I spent a lot of time in both! In those days, my brother and I each paid ten cents for popcorn and a quarter to get into the theater. And we saw more than one movie for the price. Our favorites were the Tarzan movies. We loved it when Tarzan swung from vines, wrestled alligators, and pulled people out of quicksand.

As kids, we thought that quicksand was a slimy mud that could suck you down. Actually, quicksand is only sand and water mixed. If you step in it, you can get out by lying flat and floating.

Here’s a great picture of six-year-old Anastasia L., who can’t
wait
to learn to read A to Z Mysteries
^®
all by herself.

Happy reading!

Sincerely,