The kids looked down at the tracks. “These could be from a bear,” Ruth Rose said. “Black bears eat fish, and fish live in ponds like this.”
“I’m going home,” Josh said.
“It’s a long walk to Connecticut,” Dink said.
Ruth Rose stepped a few feet away. “Guys, check this out,” she said.
Dink and Josh joined her. “What?” Dink asked.
“More tracks,” Ruth Rose said. “Only these are human.”
A couple of feet from the water were several shoe prints. “I wonder who was walking here,” Dink said.
“Maybe Kenny and Hanna,” Ruth Rose suggested.
“Or the burglars!” Josh said.
Dink stared at the footprints. “Why would anybody hang out here, where it’s muddy and smelly?” He swatted at a mosquito. “And buggy!”
“Maybe they got too close, and the alligator got them!” Josh said.
“Well, we came out to look for arrowheads,” Ruth Rose said. She walked away with the rake and began scraping the dirt next to the barn.
Dink and Josh started digging holes with their shovels.
Ten minutes later, they had a small pile of treasures they’d dug up: three tin cans, the broken handle of a coffee mug, a green bottle, a horseshoe, and seven rusty nails.
“Not one arrowhead,” Dink said.
“Maybe Wallis’s uncle found them all,” Josh said. “Anyway, it’s getting dark. We can try again tomorrow.”
They put the shovels and rake inside the toolshed and closed the door.
“I need to wash my hands,” Ruth Rose said. The kids headed around the corner of the barn, toward the bunkhouse. Kenny and Hanna were sitting at the picnic table with books in front of them, but they weren’t reading.
“Hey,” Kenny said when he noticed the kids. “What’s going on?”
The kids walked over to say hi. “We were looking for arrowheads,” Dink said.
Kenny sprayed himself and Hanna with a can of Bug Off! The smell was strong and made Dink’s eyes water. “Find any?” Kenny asked.
“Just a lot of junk,” Josh said.
“Bummer,” Kenny said. He was tapping his fingers on the cover of his book. Botany was printed on the front.
“What are you reading about?” Josh asked, pointing at the title.
“The study of plants,” Kenny said. “Trust me, there are a zillion kinds of plants in Florida.”
“What about algae? We saw a lot of algae on the pond,” Dink said.
“Man, I wouldn’t go near any of the ponds!” Kenny said. “I saw rattlesnakes near them last week. And I’m pretty sure there’re gators, too.”
“How many ponds are there?” Dink asked. “We only saw one.”
“There are more back in the jungle,” Kenny said. “But I wouldn’t go out there, either.” He grinned. “Unless you like snakes and spiders.”
“Did you really see a mountain lion here this morning?” Josh asked.
“Yup,” Kenny said.
“Auntie Alice said you took a picture,” Ruth Rose said. “Could we see it?”
Kenny opened his phone and tapped a few buttons. “Here it is,” he said. He held his phone so all three kids could see the screen.
In the photo, a tan-colored mountain lion lay stretched out in the middle of the driveway. Its long tail was curled near its back legs. Behind the animal, Dink could see the barn.
Dink looked closer. “Where are the cars?” he asked. “They’re not in the driveway.”
“Cars? Oh, Howie was going to wash the cars, so I guess he moved them out front, near the hose,” Kenny said.
Just then, they all heard someone calling. “It’s Wallis,” Ruth Rose said.
“I hope it’s suppertime!” Josh said.
The kids ran to the house and into the kitchen. The table was set with five places. Platters of food were lined up on the counter. Bear was under the table, slapping his tail against the floor.
“Grab a plate and help yourselves,” Alice said. “After you wash your hands!”
Alice and Wallis served fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. For dessert, there were three flavors of ice cream.
After the table was cleared, they played Scrabble. Then the kids headed back to the barn.
Two hours later, the kids were in their bunks. They had left the bunkhouse windows up to let breezes come through the screens. Crickets and frogs made chirping and cheeping noises.
“My stomach hurts,” Josh said from his bottom bunk. He was wearing Spider-Man pajamas.
“You ate seconds of everything,” Ruth Rose said. “Like a hungry badger.”
“Guys, did you notice anything weird about Kenny’s picture of the mountain lion?” Dink asked. He was lying on his upper bunk, gazing out the window.
“Weird how?” Josh asked.
“Well, for one thing, this morning Kenny told us the lion was near the station wagon in the driveway,” Dink said. “But I didn’t see any cars in that picture he took.”
“He told us Howie probably moved the cars to wash them,” Ruth Rose said from her bunk. “Maybe the lion got there after he moved them.”
Dink sat up. “Okay, but he said the hose was out front,” he said. “The hose isn’t there, though. It’s behind the bunkhouse.”
No answers came.
“Another thing,” Dink continued. “The picture shows the barn in the background. But in the picture, the barn door isn’t painted with that cool space shuttle. Auntie A. told us Howie painted it last week. So if Kenny took the picture this morning, how come the barn door wasn’t painted?”
“Maybe Auntie Alice is confused about when the lion was in the driveway,” Ruth Rose said. “Or Kenny got it mixed up.”
Dink shook his head. “They both said the lion was there this morning,” he said.
“Why would Kenny lie about that?” Josh asked.
Dink thought. “Maybe he was lying to Auntie A.,” he said.
“But why?” Josh asked.
“Remember I thought the note on the fridge signed by H. had the same handwriting as that postcard Auntie A. got today?” Dink asked. “If I’m right, it might mean that either Hanna or Howie wrote the note and the postcards. And then if Kenny is lying about the mountain lion, it could mean the three of them are trying to get Auntie A. to sell her house.”
“But the postcard was signed M.K.,” Ruth Rose said. “Who’s that?”
“I know,” Dink muttered. “I mean I don’t know.”
“It does seem weird that it’s all happening at the same time,” Josh said. “Postcards and phone calls trying to buy her house, rattlesnakes and mountain lions in her yard, and a burglar taking her husband’s stuff.”
“It feels like someone is trying to scare Auntie A.,” Ruth Rose said.
“Well, they’re scaring me!” Josh said.
“Whatever’s going on,” Dink said, “my Dink brain is telling me someone’s really anxious to get this place away from Auntie A.”
“But Howie and Kenny and Hanna are Auntie’s friends,” Ruth Rose said.
“I know they are,” Dink said, getting under his covers. “And they all know where she keeps her key to the barn.”
Just as Dink was dropping off to sleep, he felt Josh kick the bottom of his bunk. “Dink!” Josh whispered. “Are you awake?”
“I am now,” Dink said. “What do you want?”
“My Josh brain just asked me a question.”
Dink grinned. “What did your Josh brain ask you?” he said. “And why does it have to ask right now?”
“It asked me why the burglar didn’t steal anything valuable from the barn,” Josh said. “Like those moon rocks and those signed pictures of the astronauts. They must be worth something, right?”
Dink thought about that. Josh was right. All the burglars took were a diary and some old letters. “See you in the morning,” he told Josh.