The Mystery of the Stolen Dinosaur Bones Read online

  “As I live and breathe,” said Dinosaur Dan. “Will you look at that!”

  CHAPTER 7

  A New Suspect

  They all stared at the nearly complete dino­saur skeleton emerging from the rock. Watch sniffed and scratched at the dirt.

  “Hey there, Watch! You be careful!” said Dinosaur Dan. Dan petted Watch on the head. “Kids, I’ll bet Bones Hogan is smiling right now. This may be my best find ever.”

  “And we helped!” said Benny.

  “Yes, you did. Thank you very much,” said Dinosaur Dan. “I’ll get a tent over this old boy and start working on it this afternoon when I get back from meeting with Mr. Gordon.” He chuckled. “I’m going to be chiseling on this thing for a very long time!”

  “We’re very happy about your find,” said Jessie.

  “Don’t forget our secret,” said Dinosaur Dan.

  “We won’t forget,” promised Benny.

  “We’ll see you again soon,” said Henry.

  “Sure, you bet,” mumbled Dinosaur Dan. He stood staring at the huge skeleton embedded in the rock.

  “He’s already intent on his new find,” whispered Henry as they returned to the cave. “No wonder they call him Dinosaur Dan!”

  They headed back to the cavern where the stolen bones were stored. Sweet Pea fol­lowed them.

  “What do we know about these missing bones so far?” asked Henry. “Do you think that Dan took them and put them here?”

  “He said he was going to meet Mr. Gordon today,” said Jessie. “If it’s to sell these stolen bones, he’ll be here soon to get them!”

  “Wait,” said Violet. “I think that Dinosaur Dan is innocent.”

  “Why?” asked Jessie. “Dinosaur Dan could have made his way from his end of the cave to the ranch side and stolen the bones. Then he could have stashed them in this cavern.”

  “I know!” cried Benny. “Dan can’t fit through the narrow passage!”

  “Oh, that’s true,” said Henry. “Dan is a tall man.”

  “Okay,” said Jessie. “If Dinosaur Dan isn’t the thief, then who is?”

  “We’ll have to keep looking!” said Henry. “Let’s go.”

  Henry grabbed the bag with Elliot’s missing bones and they made their way back to the ranch.

  “I was just thinking that it’s time for lunch,” said Elliot when he saw the children approaching the shop. “Oh! Is that my bag?”

  “We found your dinosaur bones!” said Benny.

  Elliot ran to meet them as Henry set the bag on the ground.

  “Wow! Thank you so much!” Elliot exclaimed. “Where did you find it?” He rummaged through the bag and examined the fossils.

  “The bag of bones was deep inside the cave,” said Jessie.

  “Sweet Pea showed us the way!” said Benny.

  Elliot looked at Benny curiously. “Who or what is Sweet Pea?” he asked.

  “Sweet Pea is Dinosaur Dan’s pet emu,” said Violet.

  “Dinosaur Dan sounds like an interesting fellow,” said Elliot. “Well, this is the best news I’ve ever had. Let’s go to the diner to celebrate!”

  “Sure!” said Benny.

  Grandfather had work to do, so he stayed back at the house with Watch, while the children rode with Elliot to Hogan’s Museum and Diner. As the jeep drove along, Jessie thought about finding the bag of bones. If Dan wasn’t the thief, who was?

  At the diner they sat down and looked at their menus. A young man introduced him­self as Mickey.

  “Let’s have pizza!” said Benny. “Half pepperoni and half vege…vege…”

  “Vegetarian,” said Violet. She smiled at her little brother.

  Mickey took their order and a few minutes later brought the pizza.

  “Oh, look,” said Jessie. “Isn’t that Mr. Gordon?”

  Elliot turned to look as the buyer headed toward the museum door. “Yes, it is,” he said. “Let’s go and say hello when we’re finished eating.”

  When Elliot and the children entered the museum, they saw Jolanda sorting through a blue crate. Mr. Gordon was talking to her. When she looked up and saw the children approaching, she quickly stashed the crate behind the counter. Mr. Gordon turned and smiled.

  “Hello there, Elliot,” he said. “I see you still have visitors.”

  “Yes, we were just having lunch,” said Elliot. He smiled at Jolanda, but she looked away. “I’m glad to find you here,” Elliot continued. “I still want to tell you about that recent find.”

  “Yes, Elliot, of course, let’s sit down and discuss your find,” said Warren. “I can’t wait to hear all about it!”

  Elliot and Warren headed back to the diner to talk.

  “It’s nice to see you again,” said Jolanda to the Aldens. She reached under the counter and brought out a handful of small items. “You might like these trilobite fossils for your collection,” she said, spreading the little fossils out on the counter.

  “Trilobites are sea creatures,” said Henry. He handed one to Benny. “We should get one for your fossil collection, Benny!”

  “It looks like a monster centipede,” said Benny. “I like this trilobite!”

  “Great! Let’s go ring up your purchase at the diner,” said Jolanda.

  Henry and Benny followed Jolanda. Violet and Jessie stayed behind. They both peeked behind the counter and spotted the blue crate.

  “That crate looks like the crates we saw in Dinosaur Dan’s collection,” said Jessie.

  “Yes, it does,” said Violet. “And look, there’s something written on the side.”

  “Bambi,” said Jessie. “How funny.”

  “I wonder why Jolanda hid the crate when she saw us?” asked Violet. “Mr. Gordon probably got the crate from Dinosaur Dan at their meeting today.”

  Violet pulled out her camera and took a photo of the crate. Then she looked at the wall behind the counter.

  “Look,” she said. Violet pointed to a photo of a group of people. There was a red arrow on the photo that pointed to a young woman. Someone had written: Me graduating!

  “That must be Jolanda when she graduated from college,” said Jessie, studying the photo. “This man in the back row looks familiar too.” She pointed to a red-haired man smiling at the camera. “I can’t figure out who he is though.”

  “Hey kids, time to head back,” said Elliot from behind where they stood. He was excited. “Mr. Gordon is coming to the ranch later. I need to get back to my shop right away!”

  “Then let’s go!” said Jessie.

  “Maybe we can help you get ready to meet with Mr. Gordon,” Jessie offered.

  Elliot pulled the jeep into the driveway of the ranch. “Sure, you can help me get things ready,” he said. “That would be very helpful. Thanks to you four, I now have almost a complete dinosaur to show him!” He smiled.

  The children helped Elliot arrange the bones.

  Benny proudly added the toe bone that he had found. “Now it looks like a whole dinosaur!” he said.

  “Well, there are a few parts still missing,” said Elliot. “I hope to find more. We’ll see what Mr. Gordon says about what I have so far.”

  “Here he comes,” said Henry.

  A truck pulled up next to the shop and Mr. Gordon got out. The children greeted him and then walked back to the house.

  “I wonder what Mr. Gordon and Jolanda were talking about,” said Jessie. “And why she hid the blue crate when she saw us.”

  “If Mr. Gordon bought whatever is in the blue crate from Dinosaur Dan, there would be nothing to hide,” said Henry. “It seems that Mr. Gordon might be up to something.”

  “Jolanda seems like she is up to something too,” said Jessie.

  “She doesn’t seem to like Elliot very much,” said Violet.

  “Oh!” said Jessie.

  “What is it?” asked Violet.

  “I think I know who that man was in the graduation photo, the one who looked familiar,” said Jessie. “It’s Elliot!”

  “S
o, Jolanda was in Elliot’s graduating class,” said Henry. “That is very interesting.”

  “Everything about Jolanda is interesting,” said Jessie.

  “Let’s go back and visit Dinosaur Dan,” suggested Violet. “Maybe he can tell us more about Jolanda Hogan and Mr. Gordon.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Big Discovery

  Dinosaur Dan was outside when the children returned to his side of the cave. He was happily chipping away at the newly found dinosaur.

  “I’m so glad you came back!” he said when he saw the Aldens.

  “How is your excavation coming along?” asked Henry.

  “Very well, thank you, Henry,” said Dinosaur Dan. “And I have some very exciting news about this dinosaur!”

  “Oh, what is the news?” asked Benny.

  “This dinosaur is an ornithomimid like none ever found before,” said Dinosaur Dan. “I checked all my books and journals.”

  “They’re called ornithomimids because they remind us of ostriches and emus,” said Henry. “People call them bird mimics.”

  “That’s right,” said Dinosaur Dan. “Maybe this dinosaur is Sweet Pea’s ancestor!” He laughed. “Come on, kids. You can help me chip around this bone I’m working on. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

  The children followed Dinosaur Dan’s directions. They carefully picked at the delicate bones.

  “How was your meeting with Mr. Gordon?” asked Henry.

  “Oh, it was okay. He didn’t buy anything though,” said Dinosaur Dan. “To tell you the truth, I don’t trust him.”

  “Why not?” asked Jessie.

  “Oh, he’s just nosy, that’s all,” said Dinosaur Dan. “I met him at the old Hogan Museum last year. He asked too many questions about where I was working.”

  “How about Jolanda?” asked Jessie. “Do you trust her?”

  “Jolanda’s all right, I guess,” said Dinosaur Dan. “Not that Sweet Pea agrees with me!” He chuckled. Sweet Pea was pecking at the grass nearby. She looked up and grunted.

  Just then Dinosaur Dan’s cell phone rang. He fumbled around in his overalls and pulled out the phone.

  “Hello?” he said. “Oh, hey there, Jolanda. Say, I missed you yesterday but I was glad you could send somebody in your place. I was out of food for Sweet Pea!”

  The children worked and tried not to listen to the call. But it was hard not to hear what Dinosaur Dan was saying to Jolanda.

  “Okay, then I’ll see you next week. I might have something exciting to show you. Good-bye.” Dinosaur Dan chuckled. “That was Jolanda. It’s funny that we were just talking about her.” He looked around. “Now maybe you strong young people can help me move these crates back to my cave.”

  The children helped carry blue crates back to the cave. Dan and Henry carried the biggest one. They set the crates down and Dan looked around. He scratched his head.

  “Hey! Where are my bambiraptor bones?” he said. “They were in a crate right over there. I’ve been robbed!”

  “Was the crate also blue and marked Bambi?” asked Violet.

  “Yes, it was,” said Dinosaur Dan. “And I know who stole them!”

  “Who?” asked Henry.

  “Elliot Boyce. Who else?” cried Dinosaur Dan. “You said he just moved in nearby. He’s trying to frame me as a thief. He’s probably the one who upset Sweet Pea.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Violet.

  “When I got back from meeting Jolanda’s helper last evening, Sweet Pea was pacing around the cave,” said Dinosaur Dan. “She kept pecking at the ground and grunting. It was not her nice grunt, mind you. Sweet Pea has a grumpy grunt too.”

  “She must have seen the thief,” said Henry.

  “You mean she must have seen Elliot Boyce!” said Dinosaur Dan. “But, say, how did you kids know that the crate was labeled Bambi?” Dinosaur Dan looked at the Aldens. He was frowning again.

  “It’s a long story,” said Jessie, “but we saw Mr. Gordon with that crate earlier today.”

  Violet pulled out her camera and showed Dinosaur Dan the photo she had taken. He shook his head.

  “That’s my crate and those are my bones,” he said. “What was Mr. Gordon doing with them? I bet he got them from that thief, Elliot!”

  “We’ll get your bambiraptor bones for you,” said Henry. “Please don’t worry.”

  “Well, if you can, I’d be grateful,” said Dinosaur Dan. “I can’t leave my site with a thieving neighbor nosing around.” Sweet Pea walked over and nuzzled Dinosaur Dan.

  The children headed back through the cave.

  “I know the way by heart now,” said Benny.

  “We still need to be very careful,” warned Jessie. “Let’s stick together as always.”

  “Dinosaur Dan was sure Elliot stole his bambiraptor bones,” said Henry. “But I don’t see how.”

  “We saw Mr. Gordon with the crate,” said Violet. “Maybe we can ask him where he got it.”

  “Mr. Gordon could be the one who stole Elliot’s bones and Dan’s bones,” said Jessie.

  “Why did Jolanda hide the blue crate when we appeared?” asked Henry. “Did she know stolen bones were inside?”

  “I just thought of something,” said Violet. “We heard Dinosaur Dan tell Jolanda he was sorry to miss her yesterday.”

  “Dinosaur Dan left Sweet Pea behind. She was grumpy when he got back,” said Benny. “Sweet Pea doesn’t like Jolanda!”

  “Maybe that was Jolanda in the cave entrance yesterday,” said Jessie.

  “And she saw us and had to hide!” said Benny.

  “It looks like Mr. Gordon and Jolanda are working together,” said Henry. “Let’s go tell Elliot about another dinosaur bone theft.”

  “That’s a good plan,” said Jessie. “And maybe it’s time for Elliot and Dinosaur Dan to meet face to face.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Old Friends

  “There you are,” said Grandfather when he saw the children approaching the sunny deck. “Elliot and I made hotdogs and beans for an early supper. We thought we were going to have it all to ourselves.”

  “Oh no! We love hotdogs and beans!” said Benny.

  Grandfather chuckled as they headed inside to eat. While they ate, Elliot told them that Mr. Gordon had been very interested in his find.

  “He took photos of everything,” said Elliot. “He said that he would be in touch.”

  “That’s very exciting,” said Grandfather. “I know you work hard to make a living as a paleontologist.”

  “I think we should celebrate,” said Benny. “Let’s get ice cream for dessert.”

  “Benny, that’s a good idea,” said Elliot. “There’s a little ice cream parlor in town. Let’s go!”

  “Watch and I will stay here,” said Grandfather. “Have fun!”

  “We’ll bring you a milkshake,” promised Benny.

  “Make that chocolate, please,” said Grandfather, smiling.

  On the way to town, Henry asked Elliot if he ever wondered what happened to his friend Dan.

  “I don’t know, and I don’t care,” said Elliot. “Why do you ask?”

  “Your neighbor Dinosaur Dan is your old classmate,” said Jessie.

  “Ha!” said Elliot. “I guess we know who stole my dinosaur bones now! Dan is still trying to ruin my life.”

  “There’s more to the story,” said Henry.

  When they got to the ice cream parlor, the children explained that Dinosaur Dan was too large to fit through the small passageway and steal Elliot’s bones.

  “Someone stole some of Dinosaur Dan’s bones too,” said Jessie. “When we told him you live next door, he figured it was you.”

  “You must be joking! He called me a thief after what he did in college?” said Elliot.

  “He says you tried to take all the credit for your project,” said Henry. “That’s why he left.”

  “Huh?” asked Elliot. “I did no such thing!”

  “We also found a small chisel next to your s
tolen bones,” said Jessie. “It’s marked B.H. for Bones Hogan.”

  “You’re kidding!” said Elliot. “I have one of the old handmade Bones Hogan chisels. I treasure it.”

  “Have you noticed that it was missing?” asked Violet.

  “Nope. It stays in a showcase in my house,” said Elliot. “And that case is always locked.”

  “Dinosaur Dan said that it wasn’t his either,” said Henry. “I wonder where that chisel came from.”

  “So you kids think that Dinosaur Dan couldn’t get to my side of the cave,” said Elliot. He finished his ice cream cone with a gulp. “But I’d like to chat with him anyway. I think my old friend and I have some catching up to do.”

  Jessie looked at Violet and nodded. Violet took out her notepad where she had written Dinosaur Dan’s phone number. She asked to borrow Elliot’s cell phone and dialed the number.

  “Hello, Dinosaur Dan!” she said. “It’s me, Violet. May we see you at your campsite? We have someone for you to meet.” She waited a few seconds. “Okay, we’re on our way!” Violet hung up and looked at everyone. “He’ll be there waiting.”

  “I guess we better head over there now,” said Jessie.

  “Don’t forget the milkshake for Grand­father!” said Benny. “Chocolate! And a bag of ice to put it in so it doesn’t melt on the way!”

  They ordered the milkshake and headed back to the jeep.

  Elliot drove them past his ranch. Henry noticed a truck pass by in the other lane. It looked familiar. Then Elliot turned into the next road. It was a dusty gravel drive that had obviously been used recently.

  They bumped along until they arrived at a campsite. Dinosaur Dan and Sweet Pea were waiting.

  “They call you Dinosaur Dan now, huh?” Elliot said.

  “Well, look who it is, a few years older but just as tiresome,” said Dinosaur Dan.

  Sweet Pea spotted Violet and started nuzzling her. “I don’t have the bag of corn with me,” Violet whispered. She petted the big bird on the neck.