A to Z Mysteries: The Bald Bandit (5 page)

“We found it!” he said.

Josh handed over the soccer video.

Just then the front door flew open. Ruth Rose was standing there with Officer Fallon and Officer Keene from the Green Lawn Police Department.

Dink was never so happy to see anyone.

“That’s him!” Ruth Rose declared. She pointed at the man holding the videotape. “He robbed the Green Lawn bank!”

The officers stepped into the living room.

The man smiled. “I’m a private detective, officers,” he said.

“Mind showing us some identification, sir?” said Officer Fallon.

The man patted his mustache. “I
don’t have my wallet with me.”

“You don’t?” Officer Keene said. “Detectives are required to carry their identification at all times.”

“Sure, and normally I do. But I left my wallet in the car. I’ll get it and be right back.”

“His mustache is fake!” Ruth Rose said, stepping in front of the officers. “And so is that wig!”

Everybody stared at the man.

Suddenly, he grabbed Ruth Rose and held her in front of him.

“Outta my way!” he yelled. “I’m leaving, and the girl’s coming with me!”

Ruth Rose took a deep breath.

Then she let out the loudest scream of her life.

“AIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!”

Josh, Dink, and the officers covered their ears.

“Ouch!” cried the bank robber.

He stumbled backward, clapping his hands over his ears.

The minute he let go of Ruth Rose, Officer Fallon grabbed him.

“It’s all over, fella,” Officer Fallon said. He snapped handcuffs on the man’s wrists.

Officer Keene pulled off the thief’s fake mustache and wig. Now the man looked just the way he did in the video. He had a shiny bald head and a surprised look on his face.

Officer Keene took him outside.

Officer Fallon put his hand on Ruth Rose’s shoulder. “Ruth Rose, are you all right?”

Ruth Rose nodded. “I’m fine, Officer Fallon.”

“So where’s this videotape you told me about?”

Josh ran upstairs and got Lucky’s video. He came back and slid it into the VCR. While they watched, Dink told Officer Fallon how it all happened.

Officer Fallon laughed. “Pretty clever of our thief. He hired you to find
the video with his own face in it. If he got rid of the tape, no one could prove he was in that bank.”

“He couldn’t look for the tape himself,” Ruth Rose explained. “The kid who taped him might have recognized him, like I did.”

“How did you kids get hold of this video?” Officer Fallon asked.

Dink remembered their promise to Lucky. “We can’t tell where we got it. We promised.”

Officer Fallon smiled. “Well, whoever caught that guy on tape deserves a reward. Speaking of which, I believe you kids will be sharing a five-thousand-dollar reward from the bank.”

“Five thousand dollars!” Josh jumped out of his seat. He and Dink did a little dance around the living room.

Officer Fallon laughed. “Ruth Rose here is a brave girl. She snuck over to
her house and called the police station.”

Ruth Rose turned her favorite shade of pink.

When Officer Fallon left, Ruth Rose did some math on Dink’s calculator. “After we give Lucky his half, we’ll each get $833.33,” she said. “With a penny left over.”

“We’re rich!” said Josh. “Let’s spend it!”

Dink laughed. “Mine’s going into my savings account.”

“Mine, too,” Ruth Rose said. “I’m saving for a computer.”

Josh slumped into a chair. “Yeah, you’re right. My folks would kill me if I blew eight hundred bucks on pizza and ice cream.”

On Monday, Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose ran to the high school as soon as Green Lawn Elementary let out. They sat on a
bench in front of the high school, out of breath.

“What did Lucky say when you told him he’s getting half of five thousand dollars?” Josh asked.

“Nothing,” Dink said, smiling. “I didn’t tell him.”

Just then the bell rang. A few seconds later, kids came streaming out of the high school.

“There he is!” Ruth Rose ran to meet Lucky O’Leary. She brought him over to the bench. He was smiling.

“Ruth Rose says you got paid. Did you bring my hundred and fifty?” he asked.

Dink shook his head sadly. “Not exactly.”

“What do you mean, ‘Not exactly’?”

The three friends burst out laughing.

“We don’t have a hundred and fifty
dollars, but we do have this,” said Dink.

He handed Lucky a check for $2,500.

Lucky’s mouth and eyes popped open. “Twenty-five hundred bucks!” he yelled. “Where did
this
come from?”

“That’s your half of the reward from the bank,” Dink said. “We looked at your tape when we got home. Ruth Rose recognized the robber. He turned out to be the detective, only he wasn’t really a detective. He was just pretending to be one so he could find you to get your video.”

Lucky blinked. “So you guys nabbed him?”

“Yeah, right in Dink’s house!” Josh said. “Ruth Rose snuck out and called the cops.”

“It was exciting!” said Ruth Rose.

Lucky stared at his check again. He shook his head and grinned. “This is my
lucky day. Now my mom can get the kids all their school stuff and have the car fixed.”

“What about college?” Dink asked. “I thought that’s what you were going to do with your money.”

Lucky shook his head. “College is out for now. I’ll have to work for a while till Mom and I can save more.” Lucky looked at his check. “Maybe next year.”

He shook hands with the three kids. “Anyway, thanks a lot for this check. I can’t wait to see my mom’s face when I give it to her!”

Dink watched Lucky walk away. Only he wasn’t limping as much today.

“I wonder how many college courses Lucky could buy with my $833.33,” he said.

Ruth Rose smiled at Dink. “I wonder how many college books he could
buy with mine,” she said.

Josh stared. “What? You’re giving
your
money to Lucky? But you earned it!”

Dink shook his head. “No, we didn’t. We just ran around talking to people. Lucky really earned the reward money.”

“That’s right,” Ruth Rose said. “He’s the one who caught the robber on videotape.”

Dink and Ruth Rose started walking toward Main Street.

“Hey where you guys going?” Josh yelled.

“To the bank,” Dink said over his shoulder. “And then to Lucky’s house.”

Ruth Rose turned around and looked at Josh. “You coming with us?”

Josh grinned, then caught up with Dink and Ruth Rose. “I wonder how many college
meals
Lucky can buy with
my $833.33,” he said.

“Race you to the bank!” said Ruth Rose.

And the three friends took off.