The Talking T. Rex (4 page)

CHAPTER 6

As they walked home, the kids talked about the theft.

Josh stopped walking. A sly look shone from his green eyes. “I figured it out,” he whispered. “I know who stole the money.”

“Who?” Dink said.

“It was Tyrone!” Josh said. “While everyone was asleep, he walked to the bank and made a dino deposit!” Dink shoved Josh, and Ruth Rose rolled her eyes.

Before splitting up, they agreed to meet and walk to the fireworks together.
“Drop off your sleeping bags at my house,” Dink said. “My folks said we could sleep outside after the fireworks.”

“And wear dark clothes,” Josh said.

At eight-thirty, Josh, Ruth Rose, and their families met at Dink’s house. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose piled their sleeping bags on the picnic table. The adults carried blankets, bags of popcorn, and bug spray. Nate, Brian, and Bradley had each brought their favorite stuffed animals.

The three families walked to Main Street and turned left. They took another left at Holly’s Gas Station. From there it was only a short walk down East Green Street to the swimming pool, where the fireworks were set up.

“Why are you three dressed in black?” Ruth Rose’s dad asked. “You look like ninjas.”

“We’re hoping the mosquitoes won’t
see us in the dark,” Ruth Rose said, glancing at Dink.

Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose walked ahead, leaving the others behind.

“Good thinking,” Josh said when he was sure he couldn’t be overheard.

A few minutes later, they all arrived at the town pool. Hundreds of people were already there. Blankets and chairs covered the lawns near the pool, tennis courts, and baseball field.

The fire truck was parked nearby in case it was needed.

“I see Jud, Scoop, and Dean,” Josh said. The three men sat leaning against the fence that surrounded the baseball field. “Let’s go sit with them.”

“We can’t,” Ruth Rose said. “If we do, they’ll see us sneak away later.”

“Well, let’s at least go over and say hi,” Dink said.

“Yeah, and we can see if Dean looks guilty,” Josh commented.

The kids wove their way through the blankets and chairs. Jud noticed them first and stood up.

“Howdy,” he said, waving. “You guys want to sit with us?” Scoop and Dean said hi, too, but didn’t stand up.

“Can’t,” Josh said. “We have to stay near our parents.”

“Officer Fallon is a nice guy,” Jud said. “I sure hope he can find our money. We’re taking Tyrone down tomorrow and leaving.”

“Where are you going?” Ruth Rose asked.

“New Haven first, then a bunch of other towns,” Scoop said. “We have a lot more money to earn.”

Dean didn’t join the conversation. His dark eyes stared straight ahead.

“Good evening,” a voice said. It was Mr. Linkletter, the Shangri-la Hotel’s manager. He was sitting on a lawn chair a few feet away. Everyone said hi.

“I hope your room is comfortable,” Mr. Linkletter said to Jud and Scoop.

“It’s great,” Jud answered.

Just then a circle of blue light lit the sky over their heads. “Oooh!” cried hundreds of people.

“They’re starting!” Ruth Rose said. “We’d better go find our parents.”

“How about breakfast at Ellie’s tomorrow?” Jud asked. “I don’t want to leave without saying good-bye.”

“Sure,” Dink said. “What time?”

“We’re getting up real early to load Tyrone onto the truck,” he said. “So how about nine o’clock?”

“We’ll be there,” said Dink. The kids walked away toward their families. They picked a spot near the tennis courts where they could still keep an eye on the three men by the fence.

“Guys, did you hear what Jud said?” Ruth Rose asked. “They’re taking Tyrone apart tomorrow!”

“So if that’s where Dean hid the money, he needs to get it before then,” Josh said.

“Or whoever,” Dink added.

“Trust me, it’s Dean,” Josh went on. “Did you guys notice how he just sat and didn’t say a word to anyone? In my book, that spells G-U-I-L-T-Y.”

Volunteer firefighters had built a low barricade around the fireworks. The police had placed detour signs on River Road to keep cars away. Firefighters in white T-shirts went through the crowd, handing out tiny American flags.

For a few minutes the kids watched fireworks bursting over their heads. The sky went from black to red, white, and blue. The crowd clapped and whistled and yelled.

“When the next really big one goes off, let’s boogie,” Josh whispered.

A second later, the sky blossomed
into a giant yellow flower. While every eye was looking up, Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose slipped away in the dark.

They darted across East Green Street and raced to the high school lawns.

A nearly full moon cast the dinosaur’s shadow halfway across the playing field. Behind the kids, the sky was still lit with fireworks. A breeze swept across the field, making the yellow tape rattle against the stakes.

“Now what?” Dink asked. “I really don’t like being here, guys.”

“I don’t, either,” Ruth Rose said. “But if the duffel bag is still inside Tyrone, we have to find it tonight!”

CHAPTER 7

“Let’s just do it,” Josh said. “It’ll take us five minutes. If we don’t find the money, we go back to watch the fireworks.”

The kids crept under the yellow tape. They were concealed in Tyrone’s dark shadow. The rubber wedge was holding the door open an inch. Josh removed it and swung the door open.

“I can’t see anything!” Dink said. “How can we search in the dark?”

“Wait,” Ruth Rose said. She
pulled a small flashlight from her pocket. She flipped it on and aimed the beam past the folded steps, into Tyrone’s belly.

The table and rug were still off to one side. The compartment lid was up, and the space was still empty. Then Ruth Rose shut off the light.

Dink pulled down the steps, and they scrambled up into Tyrone’s belly. Dink folded the steps back while Josh eased the door shut.

They were in a dark, stuffy cave.

“It’s roasting in here!” Josh’s voice complained from the darkness.

Dink was on his knees. One arm rested against the small table. The compartment that once held the duffel bag was in front of him, but he couldn’t see it.

“Let’s get this over with,” Dink said. “I’d like to get back to the fireworks before my folks know we’re gone.”

Ruth Rose flipped on her flashlight
and shone it around the small space. “Okay, Josh, show us this secret hiding place,” she said.

“It wouldn’t be right out in plain sight,” Josh said. “Look for someplace no one would think of.”

On his knees, Josh shuffled around to face the rear legs. They were attached to the rest of the body with large bolts. “I’ll bet these legs are hollow,” he said.

Josh felt around and, sure enough, was able to stick his arm down inside one leg. “Nothing down there,” he said.

Dink examined the other leg, but there was nothing hidden inside that one, either.

“What about up inside his head?” Ruth Rose asked. Her light followed the cables up Tyrone’s chest and neck. At the top, only a dark hole showed where the head was.

“Let’s find out,” Dink said. He stood up and tried to reach his hand up to
Tyrone’s head cavity. “I’m not tall enough.”

“Wait a sec,” Josh said. He lifted the laptop computer off the table and set it on the floor. Then he slid the table over to Dink.

Dink climbed onto the table and reached again. This time his arm was inside Tyrone’s head. He moved his hand around in the space. “All I feel are the wires that come from the computer,” he said. “But my arm isn’t long enough to reach all the way.”

“Could I fit in there?” Ruth Rose asked.

“Probably,” Dink said. “The head is hollow.”

Josh giggled. “Like yours,” he said.

“Let me go up,” Ruth Rose said. “I’ll stand on the table, then you guys boost me.”

Ruth Rose and Dink traded places. Josh held the flashlight in his mouth as
he and Dink lifted Ruth Rose up Tyrone’s throat. She disappeared into the head, with only her feet sticking out. Then her feet vanished and they saw her face peering down at them.

“There’s nothing up here but a little speaker attached to those wires,” she said. “And a bunch of teeth.”

Josh flashed the light around the walls. “I don’t see anyplace else you could hide a pile of money,” he said.

“So what should we do?” Dink asked.

“First, get some air in here,” Josh said. He handed Dink the flashlight and reached for the door.

Dink shut off the flashlight. “Don’t open it too wide,” he said. “I don’t feel like getting arrested for breaking and entering a dinosaur!”

Josh shoved the door. It didn’t move. “Help me, Dinkus. It’s stuck.”

Both boys leaned their shoulders against the door and pushed.

“The door must have locked when we closed it,” Josh said. “We forgot to wedge it open with that rubber thing!”

Dink flipped on the flashlight and aimed the beam up at Ruth Rose. “If I hand this to you, can you shine it out through the mouth?” he asked. “If you yell, someone might hear you.”

She shook her head. “The mouth is closed.”

“We have to try something,” Dink said, waving the flashlight around. “I’m not staying in here all night!”

“Got it,” Josh said. “I think I know how to boot up Dean’s computer. If I can make Tyrone’s mouth open, we can yell for help through the microphone and speaker.”

“No one would hear us over the fireworks noise,” Ruth Rose said. “But
you gave me another idea, Josh. If you can open Tyrone’s mouth, maybe I can climb out that way!”

“Ruth Rose, Tyrone’s head is too high off the ground,” Dink said.

He looked at Josh. “Is there anything we can make a ladder out of?”

Suddenly Josh grabbed the flashlight from Dink’s hand. He shone it around the walls until the beam fell on the row of hooks. “I thought so,” Josh said.

“What?” Dink said.

Josh reached out and grabbed a coil of rope. “This,” he said. “We can use it to lower Ruth Rose out Tyrone’s mouth to the ground!”

Dink looked up at Ruth Rose. “Do you think you could?” he asked.

Ruth Rose nodded. “Tyrone’s mouth is pretty big,” she said.

“Like Josh’s,” Dink said, grinning at his friend.

“Very amusing,” Josh said. He passed
the flashlight to Dink, then sat in front of the laptop. He turned it on, then tapped a few keys.

Several icons appeared on the screen. One of them was labeled
TYRONE.
Josh clicked on it, and a window appeared showing a list of choices. One of the words was
MOUTH.

“Bingo,” Josh said. “Get ready, Ruth Rose!”

Josh clicked on
MOUTH.
A second later, Dink heard a grinding sound.

“It worked!” Ruth Rose yelled. “Tyrone’s mouth is opening!”