Detective Camp (8 page)

“So where’s the copy?” Josh asked.

Dink remembered the stack of framed paintings on the sofa.

“I think it’s in the great room, waiting to be hung on the wall,” he said. “When the Darbys see it, they’ll think it’s the real one.”

“They’d never even know the difference!” Ruth Rose said. “They’d just think she did an excellent job of cleaning it.”

Dink nodded. “Remember how Mademoiselle Musée told us Grandma
Moses painted on fiberboard?” Dink asked. “Well, my dad uses fiberboard for projects. It’s really hard stuff. He has to cut it with a power saw. The painting we saw under the towel had really smooth edges, like it was cut with a modern saw. But the painting inside the trunk door had rough edges. Like they were cut by an old person with a handsaw.”

“What a scam!” Josh said. “I’ll bet she looked up all the Darbys’ paintings in that book of hers. When she found ones that were valuable, she made copies and hid the real ones in the trunk door!”

Detective Robb walked out of the kitchen with a fresh mug of coffee.

“You three look like you’re up to something,” he joked.

Dink made up his mind. “Detective Robb, can we tell you something?” he said. “It’s, um, pretty bad.”

The detective nodded and sat on the kids’ bench. “Of course. What’s bothering you?”

Dink repeated everything he, Josh, and Ruth Rose had talked about. When he got to the part about finding the paintings inside the hollow trunk door, Detective Robb raised his eyebrows.

“Have you told anyone else your suspicions?” he asked Dink.

Dink shook his head. He felt better now that he’d told someone, but his heartbeat was still racing.

“This is a serious accusation,” the detective went on. “Still, I can see how it’s possible. Mademoiselle Musée told me she was a painter first, then turned to art restoration. When she realized that the Darbys owned some valuable paintings, maybe she couldn’t resist the chance to make some easy money.”

“Do you think she was planning to sell the paintings she hid?” Josh asked.

Detective Robb nodded. “More than likely. There are plenty of art buyers who don’t care where paintings have come from,” he said, standing up. “Don’t tell anyone else what we’ve talked about. I have to make a call and put some things in place. Then I’ll have a talk with Mademoiselle Musée.”

Detective Robb looked down at the kids. “And stay out of the lodge,” he said.

The kids watched Detective Robb pull out a cell phone as he walked away.

“This is creepy,” Josh said. “Should we go back to the cabin?”

“We eat lunch in fifteen minutes,” Dink said. “We might as well wait here.”

Just then Remote the goat and Ronald the rooster came around the corner of the barn. Remote headed right for the kids, but Ronald stopped to scratch in the dirt.

The goat rested his chin on Josh’s knee.

“My dog does that when he wants to
be scratched,” Josh said, stroking the goat’s silky ears.

“Oh my gosh!” Ruth Rose cried, making the goat back up. “Josh, your
M
stands for
Mote
!”

“
M-O-A-T
, like surrounding a castle?” Josh asked.

“No,
Mote
is Buzzy’s nickname for Remote, remember?” she said. “And Buzzy made up some of these clue cards. So maybe the
M
stands for
Mote
, and those are goat hairs on your card!”

“Ruth Rose, you’re a genius!” Josh said. He pulled out his clue card and compared the hairs on the back to the goat’s hairs.

“They’re the same!” Dink said.

“So do you think the map piece is hidden on Mote?” Josh asked.

“Luke said the clues would lead us to a place,” Ruth Rose said. “Where’s Mote’s place?”

“I know!” Dink said, bolting toward the barn. He showed Josh and Ruth Rose the doghouse where the goat slept. “I’ll bet the map piece is in there.”

Josh got down on his knees and peered through the opening. “I hope he didn’t eat it,” he said, crawling inside.

Josh began turning over the straw bedding. After a minute, he backed out holding a flat tin box. “Ta-da!”

Josh opened the box and found a piece of paper that looked like the ones Dink and Ruth Rose had found.

“We found it!” Ruth Rose said.

“Just in time for lunch,” Josh said, grinning.

The kids ran around to the picnic tables. Most of the other campers were there, but a few stragglers were just arriving.

Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose sat together just as Buzzy, Luke, and Angie
came out through the kitchen door. Buzzy stood on a bench and blew his whistle.

“Detective Robb is busy, but he wanted us to ask if anyone is still missing his or her map piece,” the tall teenager said.

No hands went up.

“That’s awesome!” Buzzy said.

Luke went around and collected all twenty-six map pieces.

“Now, since there are so many of you, each cabin should select one person,” Buzzy went on, “and those three kids will meet and assemble the map.”

“Why can’t we all do it together?” one girl asked.

Angie laughed. “Have you ever tried to put a jigsaw puzzle together with twenty-five other kids helping? That’s two hundred sixty fingers altogether!”

Everyone laughed.

“Can they put the map together right now?” Duke asked.

“Sure,” Luke said. “The three you choose can work on it while we eat lunch. So get in a huddle with your cabinmates and vote for who you think would do a good job on the map.”

The kids scrambled around and formed into three groups by cabin.

“I nominate Dink,” Josh said to the rest of his group. “He’s really good at puzzles and stuff.”

Dink was chosen.

A minute later, he found himself sitting with Jade from Fox Cabin and Stanley from Bear Cabin. Luke came over and piled the map pieces on the table in front of them. “I’ll give you a hint,” Luke whispered. “The edges have a dark blue line.”

The three kids went to work. Many of the pieces had blue lines, so it took
only a minute to assemble the four edges. Then they worked on the inside. As the map took shape, the kids saw a picture of the lake, the dock, and the ring of stones around the campfire. There was a big
X
drawn at one spot, on a flat rock. An arrow pointed from the dock to the
X
. Dink realized that the
ET
and
FR
he’d seen on Ruth Rose’s map piece were part of a sentence:
MEASURE TEN FEET FROM THE DOCK
.

“The treasure must be under that rock!” Stanley said.

Just then the three counselors came over to their table. “Guys, your lunch is waiting,” Buzzy said. “How’re you doing with the map?”

“We finished!” Jade said.

“You guys are amazing!” Angie said. “Now go back to your tables and tell the other kids what you learned. After lunch, you can all run down to the lake and get your well-earned treasure.”

Mario had heaped platters with rolls, cheese and tomato slices, and three kinds of sandwich meat. The kids built their own sandwiches. They gulped them down with milk, then took off for the lake.

The fastest runners were already moving the rock when Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose got there. Everyone gathered around as Jade began digging in the sand under the rock.

A minute later, she held up a plastic baggie. Inside was a folded sheet of paper. Jade unzipped the baggie and read the note:
“Congratulations! Your treasure is a lobster feast tonight. Come here at five o’clock, and wear your bathing suits!”

The note was signed by Angie, Buzzy, and Luke.

“Lobsters! Awesome!” Josh said.

Angie and Luke had walked up behind the group.

“Good work, kids,” Angie said. “Now it’s time to head back to your cabins for a while. At one-thirty, meet at the barn to choose an activity. Luke will take some of you canoeing if you choose that. I’ll be with the kids who want archery or crafts.”

“Where’s Buzzy?” Campbell asked.

“He’s … he’s busy,” Angie said. “Okay, we’ll see you all later.”

The kids started to head toward the path. Angie stopped Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose. “They want you three in the lodge,” she said quietly.

“Who does?” Dink asked.

“The Darbys,” she answered. “And Detective Robb.” Then she followed the rest of the kids toward the cabins.

Dink had eaten too fast. Now his stomach felt like he’d swallowed marbles. “What if Mademoiselle Musée is there?” he asked. “What if I was all wrong, and she’s going to sue me or something?”

“Let’s just go and find out,” Josh said. “And if you go to jail for breaking and entering her trunk, I’ll bring you a lobster claw.”

Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose walked toward the lodge. The first thing they saw was a police cruiser parked in front of the porch.

“They must be here to arrest Mademoiselle
Musée!” Ruth Rose whispered.

“Or Dink,” Josh teased.

Dink found that his mouth was too dry to say anything back to Josh.

The front door of the lodge opened. Two police officers escorted Mademoiselle Musée out of the building and down onto the driveway. Her hands were handcuffed in front of her.

With Mademoiselle Musée in the backseat of the cruiser, the officers drove away.