The Panda Puzzle (2 page)

CHAPTER 3

“I’m hungry,” Nate announced. “Can we go home?”

“Okay,” said Ruth Rose. “I’ll make us some sandwiches.”

“And I’ve got to get to my office and check these things for fingerprints,” Officer Fallon said. “But unless this guy was stupid, he’d have worn gloves.”

They separated at the police station. Dink, Josh, Ruth Rose, and Nate headed for Woody Street.

At Ruth Rose’s house, the kids made lunch. Nate took his sandwich to
the living room to watch a dinosaur video.

Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose ate theirs at the kitchen table. Pal snoozed at Josh’s feet.

“It’s almost one o’clock,” Dink said. “Eleven hours till midnight.”

“So where do we start looking for a panda kidnapper?” asked Josh.

“It could be anyone!” Dink said.

Ruth Rose chewed slowly. “Not anyone,” she said after a minute. “If that knife really was the kidnapper’s, maybe he’s a fisherman.”

“Or a fisherwoman,” said Josh.

Ruth Rose nodded. “Good point.”

“Whoever it was either has a key to the gate or can climb over tall fences,” Josh went on. He reached for another sandwich. “So who does that narrow it down to?”

“Anyone,” Ruth Rose said glumly.

Nate screeched from the living
room. “Dinosaur fight! Come see, you guys!”

Josh ran to the living room, with Dink and Ruth Rose following.

On the TV screen, a Tyrannosaurus and a Stegosaurus were circling each other. Their tails lashed back and forth. The Tyrannosaurus roared and snapped his enormous teeth.

Then the dinosaurs were gone, and the scene switched to a museum. A man’s face appeared on the screen. “Hello, I’m Dr. Paleo,” he said, “and I’d like to talk to you about what you just saw in this video.”

An idea popped into Dink’s head. “Ruth Rose, didn’t you tape what happened at Panda Park this morning? Why don’t we watch your video? Maybe we’ll see some clues.”

“Good idea,” Ruth Rose said. “Do you mind, Natie?”

Can I have a cookie? Nate asked, grinning at his sister.

“Sure. Bring the box in here so we can all have some, okay?”

“O-kay!” Nate said, racing toward the kitchen.

Ruth Rose ejected the dinosaur video, then plugged the camcorder into the VCR.

Nate came back with the cookie box. Josh reached for one as Ruth Rose hit the Play button.

The kids watched as Tom Steele, Irene Napper, and Flip Frances came on the screen. Seconds later, Ping emerged from her cave.

Ping looked around, froze, then turned her head sharply. Suddenly she rushed forward and began throwing herself against the fence.

“She sure looks angry,” Dink said.

“You’d be mad, too, if someone stole
your baby,” Josh said. “It looks like she’s trying to attack someone outside the fence.”

“Someone in the crowd?” Ruth Rose asked.

“She’s not looking at the crowd,” Dink said. He put his finger on the TV screen. “Remember, the microphone was there, off to the side. That’s where she’s looking.”

“She’s mad at the microphone?” Josh asked, grabbing two more cookies.

“Dink’s right!” Ruth Rose said. “Ping is looking at the people standing at the microphone.”

Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose stared at the TV screen.

Finally, Ruth Rose unplugged the camcorder and put Nate’s dinosaur tape back into the VCR.

“I think one of those three people kidnapped Winnie,” she said, “and Ping knows which one.”

CHAPTER 4

“You think Winnie’s kidnapper was standing right there at the microphone?” Dink asked.

Ruth Rose nodded. “Yes, and I think Ping recognized him or her. That’s why she charged the fence!”

“But the guy probably stole Winnie at night,” Dink said, “so how could Ping have seen him?”

“Maybe she didn’t see him,” Ruth Rose said, “but she might have smelled him.”

“Right,” Josh said. “Most animals
can smell a lot better than humans.”

Dink stared at the TV screen. “So how do we figure out who Ping was growling at?” he asked.

“Too bad pandas can’t talk,” Josh said. “We could just ask her!”

“Pandas can’t talk,” Ruth Rose said, “but
people
can. I say we interview the three people who were standing at the microphone, starting with Irene Napper.”

“You think she did it?” Dink asked.

“I don’t know,” Ruth Rose said. “But she
does
have a key to the gate.”

“If she thinks we suspect her, she might clam up,” Josh said.

Ruth Rose pointed at Dink’s notebook. “We’ll tell her we’re writing a story for
The Panda Paper.
”

“Good idea,” Dink said.

Josh stood up and patted his stomach. “I have to be home by four to watch the twins for an hour,” he said.

Ruth Rose grabbed the cookie box. It was empty! “Joshua, I didn’t get a single cookie!” she said.

Josh grinned. “Detective work makes me hungry!”

Josh woke up Pal, and the kids left Ruth Rose’s house. They took a shortcut through the rose garden in Center Park. Pal barked at a swan being trailed by three cygnets.

They passed the Book Nook and waved at Mr. Paskey in his window.

At the petting zoo, they passed under a wooden arch. A honeysuckle vine climbed the arch, filling the air with a sweet smell. A hummingbird darted away.

They found Irene Napper surrounded by ducks. She was feeding them pellets that she pulled from one of her uniform pockets.

“Hi, Ms. Napper,” Ruth Rose said.

“Well, hi,” Irene said. “Say, weren’t you kids at Panda Park this morning?”

“Yeah. We’re sorry about the kidnapping,” Josh said.

Irene’s smile disappeared. “I’m so angry I don’t know what to do!” she said. “Who would steal a baby panda?”

No one knew what to say. “Good thing Winnie’s old enough to eat bamboo,” Irene said. “If she still needed her mother’s milk, I don’t think she’d make it.”

Ruth Rose nudged Dink.

“Um, we’re writing a story for
The Panda Paper,
” Dink said. “Could we ask you some questions?”

The woman looked at Dink for a moment. “Yeah, I guess,” she said finally.

Just then, Pal barked, and the ducks scattered.

“But first let’s move your dog away from my ducks,” Irene said.

The kids followed Irene to a shady bench. She sat and stretched out her long legs.

“Shoot,” Irene said.

Pal sighed and dropped to the ground. Irene started stroking his ears. Dink noticed that Irene’s hands were large and strong-looking.

Everyone was waiting for Dink to ask a question. But Dink’s mind was suddenly blank.

“Who takes care of Ping and Winnie?” Ruth Rose asked, coming to Dink’s rescue.

“I do,” Irene said. “I feed them, clean out their area, all that stuff. Ping even let me hold her baby.”

Dink wrote down what Irene said. Then he asked, “When did you last see Winnie?”

“Last night,” Irene said, “when I added fresh water to their pool. That was about eight o’clock.”

“So someone snatched her between then and ten o’clock this morning,” Ruth Rose said.

Irene nodded. Dink thought she might cry.

Dink had his next question all ready. “How many people have keys to the gate?” he asked.

Irene looked at him. “Only me,” she said finally. She patted a key ring hanging from her belt. “And trust me,
this was
never
out of my sight. Whoever took Winnie didn’t unlock that gate.”

A duck waddled over and pecked at Irene’s boot. She reached into her pocket, found a few more pellets, and flung them to the ground.

“I’ve got to get back to work,” she said, standing up. She glanced down at Dink’s notebook. “Good luck with your story!”

“Thanks,” Dink said. “By the way, do you know where Tom Steele lives?”

Irene shook her head. “No, but you’ll probably find him in his office.”

Dink looked blank. “His office?”

“It’s in the senior community center,” Irene said. She gave him a suspicious look. “I’m surprised you don’t know that, since you’re writing a story for him.”