The Falcon's Feathers (3 page)

“Peregrines mostly eat other birds,” Josh said. “But they'll eat fish and other stuff, too.”

“Let's find out!” said Mrs. Wong. She opened a small refrigerator and pulled out some raw hamburger. She pinched off a chunk and held it under the falcon's beak.

“Come on, take it,” Josh murmured.

Suddenly, the falcon's head shot forward. In one quick gulp, the meat was gone.

“Boy, I guess he was hungry!” Ruth Rose said. “We should name him Flash!”

Flash began making a loud, piercing call. He shrieked over and over until Mrs. Wong fed him another piece of hamburger meat. After the second
helping, he stopped fussing and closed his eyes.

“What should we do with him?” Josh asked Mrs. Wong.

She reached for the phone. “For starters, we should ask Doc Henry to look him over.”

The kids listened as Mrs. Wong told the veterinarian about Flash. She hung up the phone and said, “He'll take a look if you kids bring the bird to his office. He's right over on East Green Street.”

Josh bundled Flash into his shirt again, and the kids hurried to Doc Henry's office.

While Josh washed his hands, Doc Henry examined Flash. “And you found this guy where?” Doc Henry asked.

“Out in the woods,” Josh said, pulling his shirt back on. He explained
how they'd gone to see the young falcons, only to find the nest empty.

“Well, this is a young peregrine, all right,” the vet said. “Pretty rare around here.”

Doc found the band on Flash's leg and cut it off. Then he gently spread the falcon's wings and probed for broken bones.

“He seems healthy enough,” Doc said. “Probably just starting to fly. But lookee here. Someone's trimmed his wing feathers!”

The kids crowded around.

“See?” the vet continued. “Peregrines normally have long, pointy wings. These have been rounded off with scissors.”

Just then, a tall woman with black hair came up to the table. “What's everyone looking at?” she asked.

“Oh, hi, Grace,” Doc said. “Kids,
this is my new assistant, Grace Lockwood. Grace, these kids brought in a young peregrine.”

The woman gave the kids a long look. Her eyes were piercing. They reminded Dink of an eagle's eyes.

She turned and ran her hands over the bird's back. Suddenly, Flash bit her finger. “Ouch!” she said.

The vet chuckled. “Better wear your gloves, Grace.”

“What should we do with him?” Josh asked.

“I'll keep him here for a couple days,” Doc said. “We'll make sure he's okay. Then we can decide what to do.”

The kids said good-bye and headed back to Main Street.

“Well, at least he'll be safe there,” Josh said. “I wonder where the other two are.”

“Wherever Flash was before he escaped!” Ruth Rose said.

“What I want to know,” Dink said, “is why someone would trim Flash's wings.”

“Why don't we ask Curt?” Josh said. “He knows a lot about falcons.”

A small sign on the side of the fire station said
DEP—DOWNSTAIRS
. A green arrow pointed the way. At the bottom of the stairs, the kids came to a door that said
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
.

No one was in the office. There were a few desks and a bunch of file cabinets against one wall. A stuffed owl in a glass case stood on a counter.

Just then, the door opened and a
woman dressed in a T-shirt and tan shorts walked in. “Can I help you?” she asked the kids.

“We're looking for Curt,” Josh said.

“Mr. Striker usually goes home to eat lunch,” she said. “Do you want to come back later?”

“It's kind of important,” Josh said. “Does he live in Green Lawn? We could walk over.”

The woman pointed to a map of the town on the wall. “He's new here, but I think he's renting a cabin out on Bridge Lane. Do you know where that is?”

“Sure,” Dink said. “He must live near the river, right?”

The woman nodded. “That's right. Just look for his brown pickup truck.”

The kids left the fire station and hiked over to Bridge Lane. There were only a few houses in this part of town. Most of them were surrounded by trees and thick shrubbery.

“That must be it,” Josh said. They were standing in front of a wooden fence near a group of pine trees. A gravel driveway cut through the trees, leading to a small cabin.

“Look, there's a brown truck,” Dink said.

When the kids walked through the gate, they saw Curt Striker sitting on the cabin's small porch. He was eating a sandwich.

Curt jumped down off the porch and headed toward them. “Hi, kids,” he said. “What brings you way out here?”

Josh told him about how they'd found one of the baby falcons in the woods.

“Not only that,” Ruth Rose said, “someone put a tag on his leg and clipped his wings!”

“Really?” Curt said. He looked thoughtful. “Sounds like I owe you an apology, Josh. A person
did
take that falcon.”

Josh grinned shyly.

“Why would someone clip his wings?” Dink asked.

“Well,” Curt said, “the most likely reason is that someone was training him to do something.”

“Like what?” asked Ruth Rose.

Curt shrugged. “Could have been a lot of different things.”

While they talked, Curt walked them back toward Bridge Lane. “Where is this falcon now?” he asked.

“We took him to the vet,” Josh said. “Doc Henry said he'd take care of him.”

Curt nodded. “Thanks for letting me know. I'll be sure to check in with Doc Henry.”

The kids said good-bye and headed back toward Main Street.

“I hope he catches whoever took those falcons,” Ruth Rose said. “Cutting a bird's feathers off is just plain mean!”

Josh nodded. “Yeah, but at least it doesn't hurt. I think it's like cutting your toenails.”

They walked past Ellie's Diner. Grace Lockwood was sitting at the window, reading and eating lunch. When she noticed the kids watching her, she stared back at them through the glass.

Her face was blank, but her eyes made the kids hurry away.

“She looks upset about something,” Ruth Rose said.

“Maybe she just doesn't like kids gawking at her while she eats,” Dink said.

“Did you guys see what she was reading?” Josh asked.

“Some magazine,” Dink said.

“Not just some magazine,” Josh said, looking at Dink and Ruth Rose. “I recognized the cover. It was
Falconry Today.
”

“I think Josh is sick,” Ruth Rose whispered to Dink.

“I am not sick,” Josh said. He took another bite of his tuna sandwich.

The kids were eating lunch at Dink's picnic table.

“Then why are you so quiet?” Ruth Rose asked. “You haven't insulted me all day!”

Josh chewed his sandwich. “I'll insult you later,” he said. “Right now
I'm thinking about those missing falcons.” He looked at his friends. “I think Grace Lockwood took them.”

“Grace Lockwood!” Dink said. “Why do you think it was her?”

“You saw that magazine she was reading,” Josh said. “It was all about falcons.”

Ruth Rose nodded. “She
was
acting a little strange at Doc Henry's.”

“Yeah, and remember how she looked at us at Ellie's,” Josh said. “She was staring right at me.”

“Staring at you?” Dink said. “Josh, she stared at
us
because we were staring at her!”

Josh snitched one of Ruth Rose's carrot sticks. “Let's go back to the vet's and talk to her,” he said. “Maybe she'll say something that'll be a clue!”

Dink got up to go. “Okay, but I think you're wrong, Josh. Just because
Grace Lockwood reads magazines about falcons doesn't mean she goes around robbing nests.”

At the vet's, the kids peered through the window at Grace Lockwood.

“Look!” Josh whispered. “She's wearing long leather gloves! Falconers wear gloves like that!”