The Kidnapped King (5 page)

Ron Pinkowski walked over. “What’re you kids looking for?” he asked.

Dink explained about the trail of yellow glass. “You didn’t see any, did you?”

“Nope. Just that tassel thing, and I gave it to Officer Fallon.”

“Did you hear a car last night?” Ruth Rose asked.

Ron grinned. “The way I snore? A
tank could drive down here and I’d snooze right through it!”

“Let’s go back and see if my mom is home,” Dink said. “She might have found out something. Thanks, Mr. P.”

The kids and Pal hurried back to Dink’s house. His mom was on the phone, looking worried. She made a motion for the kids to sit.

They did, with Pal at their feet. A minute later, Dink’s mother hung up the phone.

“That was Officer Fallon,” she said. “The police are searching everywhere. They’re checking the train station, the airport, and every boat on the river, but so far, they aren’t having any luck.”

Dink’s mother looked at the kids with concern in her eyes.

“How could a boy just disappear without a trace?” she asked.

“Sammi left a trail, Mom,” Dink said.

“He what?”

Dink explained about the pieces of yellow glass.

“Oh, my goodness!” Dink’s mother grabbed the phone, dialed quickly, and handed the phone to Dink. “Tell Officer Fallon,” she said.

Dink talked and Officer Fallon listened. “But when we got to Ron’s Bait
Shop, we didn’t find any more glass,” Dink said into the phone.

He nodded, said, “Uh-huh,” then hung up.

“Officer Fallon wants all the glass we found,” Dink said. He pulled the four little pieces out of his pocket.

His mother picked up the phone. “I think I’ll go visit Joan Klinker,” she said. “She must be frantic, and she’s all alone there at the hotel.”

She dialed another number. “Hello, Joan? This is Dink’s mom, Mrs. Duncan,” she said into the phone. “Would you like some company? May I come over?”

Dink couldn’t hear Joan’s answer, but his mother smiled. “Okay, fine. I’ll be there in five minutes,” she said before hanging up.

She glanced into the mirror, then headed for the door. “We’re meeting for
coffee at Ellie’s,” she said. “Oh, let me have the pieces of glass. I can take them to the police station after I meet Joan.”

Dink dropped the yellow glass into his mother’s hand. She smiled weakly at the kids, then hurried out the back door.

Dink stared at the door, thinking.

“Earth to Dink,” Josh said, snapping his fingers in front of Dink’s nose.

Dink shook his head. “Something my mother said made me think of something else, but now I forgot!”

“You forgot what your mother said, or you forgot what it made you think of?” Ruth Rose asked.

“Both!” Dink said, giving Josh a look. “I was just getting it when you snapped your fingers!”

“Sorry,” Josh said. “Why don’t we have a snack? Maybe your memory needs some ice cream.”

Ruth Rose laughed. “Better feed him, Dink. You know how he gets when his tummy is empty.”

Dink sighed. “We finished the ice cream last night,” he said, heading for the kitchen. He pulled open the refrigerator. “But we’ve got Cool Whip and cherry Jell-O.”

He grabbed the bowl and handed it to Josh. “Here, are you …”

Then Dink stopped. He stared at the bowl of Jell-O. “That’s it!” he yelled. “It’s yellow!”

Josh shook his head. “Dinkus, this is red Jell-O, not yellow Jell-O.”

“No—I mean, yes, I know. But Jell-O made me think of yellow!” Dink said.

“Can I eat while you talk?” Josh asked.

Dink got bowls and spoons and put them on the table. Then he continued. “After you guys left yesterday, Sammi’s
tutor came over and gave me and Sammi a French lesson,” he said.

Josh grinned. “Say something in French,” he said.

“Just eat, Josh, and let me finish!”

“Sorry,” Josh said, plopping a gob of Cool Whip onto his Jell-O. He let Pal lick his spoon.

“Remember a few minutes ago when my mom said she was going to see Sammi’s tutor?” Dink asked. “She called her Joan, remember?”

Josh and Ruth Rose nodded.

“That made me think of the French lesson yesterday. She taught me to say
yellow
in French. The word for
yellow
is
jaune
, only I pronounced it ‘Joan,’ like her name.”

“Um, Dinkus?” Josh said. “What’s this got to do with anything?”

“Don’t you guys see?” Dink said. “The French word for
yellow
sounds just like ‘Joan.’ That’s Sammi’s tutor’s name. Sammi could have left a trail of red or blue, but he chose the yellow glass. I think Sammi was trying to say ‘Joan’!”

“Maybe Sammi thinks Joan knows who the kidnappers are,” Ruth Rose said.

“Maybe,” Dink said. “Or maybe
Joan
is the kidnapper!”

Josh and Ruth Rose looked up from their Jell-O.

Josh had Cool Whip on his nose. “His tutor?” he asked.

“Think about it,” Dink went on. “Sammi wakes up in the middle of the night. Someone’s in his room. He recognizes
Joan and grabs a pile of glass. Yellow glass, because he remembers how much her name sounds like the French word for
yellow
. And he knows I know that!”

“But how could she be the kidnapper?” Ruth Rose asked. “She’s Sammi’s friend. She came here to help him.”

“Yeah, and you saw how upset she was this morning,” Josh said. “That couldn’t be an act. I still think Sammi just grabbed the first pile of glass his hand landed on in the dark.”

Ruth Rose stood up. “There’s one way to find out,” she said. “Let’s go to the hotel and talk to her.”

“Okay,” Dink said. “But she’s not at the hotel. My mom said she was meeting Joan at the diner.”

“Good!” Josh said, gulping down the last of his Jell-O. “I can get an ice cream while we talk!”

The kids took Pal and hurried to Ellie’s Diner on Main Street. Dink glanced through the window, but he didn’t see Joan Klinker or his mom.

“I wonder where they are. Mom’s car isn’t here either,” Dink said, looking up and down Main Street.

“Let’s ask Ellie,” Ruth Rose suggested.

Josh pushed the door open and the kids stepped inside. Two teenagers were eating scrambled eggs, but no one else sat in the booths or at the counter.

“Hey there, kids,” Ellie said. “Hi, cute poochie!” She bent down and patted Pal, then stroked his ears. “Shall I scoop up three cones?” she asked.

Dink shook his head. “No, thanks, I’m looking for my mom,” he said. “Have you seen her? She was supposed to meet someone here a little while ago.”

Ellie shook her head. “Nope, haven’t seen your mother in a few days,” she said.

“Maybe they’re at the hotel,” Ruth Rose said.

Dink nodded. “I guess it’s worth a try,” he said.

They thanked Ellie and headed for the Shangri-la Hotel, two blocks up Main Street.

“Why couldn’t we at least get cones to go?” Josh asked. He placed one hand dramatically across his forehead. “I think I feel faint.”

“Later,” Dink said. “After we find Sammi.”
And after we find my mom
, he thought.

Three minutes later, they walked into the hotel. Mr. Linkletter was sitting on one of the lobby chairs, eating a doughnut and sipping coffee.

“Well, hello there,” he said when the
trio approached him. He glanced at Pal. “Joshua, I assume your dog is, um, house-trained?”

Josh grinned as Pal flopped down at Mr. Linkletter’s feet. “Yep, and he’s hotel-trained, too!”

Mr. Linkletter twitched an eyebrow. “Well, then,” he said, “how can I be of service today?”

“I’m looking for my mom,” Dink said. “She was supposed to meet Joan Klinker at Ellie’s, but they’re not there. Have you seen them?”

Mr. Linkletter set his coffee down. “I didn’t see your mom, but Ms. Klinker left the hotel a short while ago.”

“Did she say where she was going?”

Mr. Linkletter shook his head. “Not a word.”

Dink glanced around the hotel lobby. Where could his mother be? She always let him know if she had to change her plans. Always!

“She didn’t leave a note or anything?”

“I’m sorry, Donald,” Mr. Linkletter said. “Perhaps she’s gone back home. Would you like to call her?”

Suddenly, Dink felt sick. He blinked back tears. Something was wrong! First Sammi disappeared, and now his mother was gone! And she’d been on her way to see Joan Klinker with the yellow glass!

Mr. Linkletter wiped his fingers on his napkin and stood up. “Come, you can use my phone,” he said. He took Dink over to the counter. Pal followed Mr. Linkletter, sniffing at his heels.

Dink dialed and listened for his mother’s voice on the other end. But no one answered.

He set the phone down and looked up at Mr. Linkletter. “Where could she be?” he asked.

Just then, Pal began growling and biting at Mr. Linkletter’s left shoe.

“What on earth?” Mr. Linkletter said, pulling his foot away.

But Pal wouldn’t give up. Using his paws and teeth, he tried to pull Mr. Linkletter’s shiny black loafer right off his foot.

“Joshua!” Mr. Linkletter said. “Please teach your dog some manners!”

“Take it off!” Ruth Rose suddenly said.

Mr. Linkletter glanced down at Ruth Rose. “I beg your pardon?”

“I think I know what Pal wants,” she said. “Please take off your shoe!”

Mr. Linkletter let out a big sigh. “Very well. If that will bring peace!”

The tall man leaned over and removed his left shoe. He showed it to
Pal. “There, satisfied?” he asked.