by Ron Roy
Here’s what kids and parents
have to say to Ron Roy about
the A to Z Mysteries series:
Whenever I go to the library, I always get an A to Z Mystery. It doesn’t matter if I have read it a hundred times. I never get tired of reading them!—Kristen M.
I love your books. You have quite a talent to write A to Z Mysteries. I like to think I am Dink. RON ROY ROCKS!—Patrick P.
I love your A to Z Mysteries. They’re really good. I love reading and hope to write books myself someday.—Eva Z.
I could not put The Absent Author down!—Mandy G.
Nothing can tear me away from your books!—Rachel O.
Every time I have a free minute I sit down and read your books.—Emily C.
Thank you for your wonderful books, Mr. Roy. Ryan has always enjoyed reading, but this is amazing. In one day he read all of D and E and got a good start on F. He just can’t put them down.—Mrs. V.
This book is dedicated to kids everywhere
who love to read.
—R.R.
To my father-in-law, Vic, lifelong lottery lover.
—J.S.G.
“READY, AIM, FIRE!” yelled Ruth Rose.
She and Dink hurled snowballs at Josh’s fort.
Josh’s grinning face popped up. “Missed by a mile!” he yelled. “You throw like a girl, Ruth Rose!”
“I am a girl!” Ruth Rose yelled back. She whipped another snowball, catching Josh in the face.
The sides were uneven, but no one cared. It was Dink, Ruth Rose, and her little brother, Nate, against Josh and his dog, Pal.
Nate was in charge of making snowballs for his sister and Dink. Pal raced around barking and trying to catch the snowballs in his mouth.
More snowballs flew at Josh’s fort. Suddenly, Dink yelled, “Stop!”
Two little kids in lumpy snowsuits had wandered into Dink’s backyard.
“Who’re they?” asked Ruth Rose.
Dink shrugged. He and Ruth Rose dropped their snowballs and walked over to the newcomers.
The taller one was a boy. He wore a dark blue parka and a green ski hat. The shorter one was a girl. Her red hair framed blue eyes and pink cheeks.
“Hi,” Dink said. “Who’re you?”
“I’m Josephine!” the girl said.
“And I’m Ben,” the boy said. “We brought you a message from our big brother.”
Josh climbed out of his fort and walked over. “Who’s your brother?” he asked.
“Lucky O’Leary!” Josephine said.
“Oh, now I recognize you,” Ruth Rose said. “You live over on Robin Road.”
Ben O’Leary unzipped his parka pocket and pulled out a crumpled note. “Here, Lucky said to read it right now.” He handed the note to Dink.
Dink flattened out the paper.
Guys, I need you.
Come to my house now. Urgent!
Lucky
“Did Lucky say what this is about?” Dink asked.
“It’s a secret!” Josephine said, her eyes wide.
Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose looked at each other.
“Let’s go!” Ruth Rose said. She pointed her brother toward their house. “Nate, please go stay with Mom. Tell her I had to go on a secret mission!”
Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose followed Ben and Josephine. With Pal at their side, they headed for the west side of Green Lawn.
It was Christmas vacation, and the store windows on Main Street were decorated with tiny white lights. Snow covered the grass, but the streets and sidewalks had been cleared.
“Is your brother home from college?” Dink asked Ben.
Ben nodded. “He came home a couple days ago.”
“We bought a Christmas tree and presents!” Josephine added.
The kids crossed Main Street and headed up Bridge Lane. They turned left and stopped at 33 Robin Road.
The house was tall and blue. Kids’ toys and sports stuff were scattered across the yard and front porch.
The five kids tromped up the steps. Josephine threw open the front door and clumped down the hall, leaving snow tracks on the floor.
Dink and the rest of the kids knocked the snow off their boots before stepping inside. Josh told Pal to wait on the front porch.
“Lucky’s in the kitchen,” Ben said, leading the way.
Lucky was making lunch for his six brothers and sisters. Lined up on the counter were six grilled-cheese sandwiches, six glasses of milk, and six bananas.
“We brought ’em!” Josephine said. She and Ben hung up their jackets and sat at the table with the rest of their sisters and brothers.
Lucky had grown taller since Dink had last seen him. His hair was longer, too.
“Hey,” Lucky said, nodding at Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose. To his brothers and sisters, he said, “Okay, you guys eat your lunches. Be good, and no fighting! Ben’s in charge.”
“Why does he get to be in charge?” Josephine piped up.
“Because I said so,” Lucky said. Then he smiled at Josephine. “You can be Ben’s assistant, okay?”
Lucky beckoned for Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose to follow him. Stepping over soccer balls, mittens, books, and hockey sticks, they trailed after Lucky into the living room.
A tall Christmas tree stood in one corner, half decorated. Ornaments and strings of lights covered the floor.
Lucky threw himself into a chair and rubbed the top of his head. “Someone robbed us,” he said.
Dink looked around the room. “What did they take?” he asked.
“Lottery tickets,” Lucky said. “Every year, my grandfather sends us kids a Christmas card with seven lottery tickets inside. Every year, he uses our birthdays for the numbers. And every Christmas morning, we open the card while he’s here. It’s a big ritual in my family. Nobody ever wins, but Gramps gets a kick out of it.”
Lucky pointed to a row of Christmas cards propped up on the fireplace mantel. “This year, a burglar got in here and stole his card. I hadn’t even opened the envelope!”
“But how did the burglar know there were lottery tickets inside?” Josh asked.
“I don’t know,” Lucky said. “My grandfather called me this morning, all excited. He said he’d been reading his Sunday newspaper and saw that the winning lottery number was my birthday! But when I ran in here to get the card, it was gone.”
“So the burglar must have learned the winning number before your grandfather did,” Ruth Rose said.
Lucky nodded. “Lottery winners are announced on TV every Saturday night,” he said. “The crook must’ve heard about it then.”
“So he snuck in here last night,” Josh said, “after he saw it on TV. Did he break a window or anything?”
“Wouldn’t have to,” Lucky said. “The back-door lock hasn’t worked in years. The guy walked right in!”
“Um, how much was the ticket worth?” Dink asked.
Lucky drooped lower into his chair. “Seven big ones,” he said.
“Seven thousand dollars?” Josh squeaked.
“No,” Lucky said, shaking his head. “Seven million.”
Dink stared at Lucky. No one moved or spoke. Giggling and eating-lunch noises came from the kitchen.
“Seven m-million dollars!” Josh said, finally finding his voice.
Lucky nodded. “Gramps was so happy he could hardly talk,” he said. “But when I told him the card was gone, I thought he was going to cry.”
Lucky scooted forward in his chair. “Do you guys think you can find the crook and get my ticket back? I can’t leave the house because I have to watch the kids.”
“What if it’s too late?” Ruth Rose asked. “Maybe the thief cashed in the ticket already!”
Lucky shook his head. “He can’t. Today’s Sunday,
so the lottery place is closed. But he could do it when they open again tomorrow morning.”
Just then they heard a crash from the kitchen. Whispering followed the crash, then a chorus of giggling.
“Guess I better get back in there,” Lucky said. “I promised I’d take them sledding after lunch. So do you think you can help?”
“Sure we’ll help!” Dink said.
Lucky grinned. “Great, I—”
A three-foot-tall redhead whirled into the room. “Stuart mushed my banana!” the kid wailed. “And I didn’t do nothin’ to him!”
“Don’t cry, Freddie. We’ll make Stuie clean up that mushy banana,” Lucky said. He took Freddie by the hand and headed for the kitchen. “Call me, okay?” he said over his shoulder.
The kids let themselves out. Pal was asleep on the front porch, making little snoring sounds.
“So how are we supposed to find this crook?” Josh asked. “Where do we even start?”
From the porch, Dink looked over the front yard. The snow had been trampled where the O’Leary kids had been playing.
“If the crook was here last night, maybe he left a trail,” Dink said. “Let’s check out back.”
The kids tramped around to the back of the house. The O’Leary kids had played only in the front yard, so the snow in the back was fresh and smooth. The yard was surrounded by tall pine trees.
“Look,” Josh said. A trail of footprints led to the back door from across the yard.
“The guy must’ve come out of those trees!” Dink said.
“And gone back the same way,” Ruth Rose said. “These footprints go in both directions.”
The kids followed the tracks into the trees. The footprints veered off to the right, and the kids went with them.
With his nose in the snow, Pal sniffed each footprint. Suddenly, he let out a woof.
Josh stooped down and picked something shiny out of the snow.
“What is it?” Ruth Rose asked.
Josh held out his mitten. He was holding a piece of tinfoil that had been twisted into the shape of a small bow tie.
“Do you suppose the burglar dropped this?” Josh asked.
“Keep it,” Dink said. “It’s our first clue.”
A few minutes later, they walked out of the woods onto Bridge Lane.
“No more footprints,” Josh said, glancing up and down the lane. “The thief could’ve walked anywhere from here.”
“Or driven,” Ruth Rose said. “Maybe the guy parked a car here, then hiked into the woods.”
The day was growing colder. A few big snowflakes started to fall. All three kids had pink cheeks and runny noses.
“Let’s get some hot chocolate at Ellie’s,” Dink suggested. “Then we can plan what to do next.”
It was a short hike down Bridge Lane to Ellie’s Diner on Main Street. The kids pushed through the door and stomped their snowy boots on Ellie’s rubber mat. Pal waddled along at Josh’s heels.
“Hey, kids. Hey, Pal. What’ll it be?” Ellie asked from behind her counter.
The kids slid into a booth. “Hot chocolate,” Josh said, struggling out of his down jacket. “With about a mile of whipped cream on top!”
While they waited, Dink thought about what Lucky had told them.
“Guys, anyone watching TV Saturday night would know the winning numbers, right?” he said. “But how did the thief know that the winning ticket was inside Lucky’s Christmas card?”
Just then Ellie came over. “Hot stuff!” she said, setting three tall mugs on the table. Each was topped with a small mountain of whipped cream and dotted with chocolate sprinkles.
“Don’t burn that cute nose, Josh,” Ellie added as she turned away.
Josh blushed, then licked the top of his whipped cream.
Dink blew on his hot chocolate. “Anyone got an idea?” he asked.
“Somehow, the thief knew Lucky’s grandfather mailed that ticket to Lucky,” Josh said.
“But how?” asked Ruth Rose.
“Maybe the thief knows Lucky’s grandfather,” said Josh. “Maybe they’re friends!”
“That’s a great idea, Josh!” Ruth Rose said. “Why don’t we talk to Lucky’s grandfather?”
Dink fished in his pocket for a quarter. “Let me out, guys,” he said. “I’m gonna call Lucky.”
Dink climbed over Josh’s legs. “Drink fast,” he said, “but don’t burn that cute nose!”
“Got it,” Dink said when he returned a few minutes later. “Lucky’s grandfather is Hector O’Leary. He lives at Atrium, the elderly-housing building. Let’s go see him.”
“My mom says it’s not good to drink too fast,” Josh muttered. He licked his whipped-cream mustache and slid out of the booth. “Makes you burp,” he added with a burp.
The kids headed down Main Street. Snow was falling steadily, and the sidewalk was turning white. Pal tried to bite the flakes as they fell past his nose.
The windows of the elderly-housing building were decorated with wreaths. A sign on the door said:
WELCOME TO ATRIUM—
GOOD LIVING
FOR GOOD PEOPLE
Inside the lobby, a Christmas tree stood in the center of the floor. Christmas carols came from a CD player.
“Can I help you?” A white-haired woman in a wheelchair came wheeling up to them.
“We’re here to see Mr. O’Leary,” Dink said.
The woman smiled. “Hector’s in the atrium,” she said, pointing. “Just go through the swinging doors and look for a guy wearing a yellow baseball cap. But your doggy has to wait here. I’ll watch him for you.”
“Thanks,” Josh said, handing over the leash. “His name’s Pal, and he’s real friendly.”
The woman leaned down and patted Pal’s head. “I could tell that just by looking at him,” she said.
The kids headed for the swinging doors. A note on one door said DON’T LET THE BIRDS OUT!
“Birds?” Josh said. “What birds?”
Dink shrugged. He pushed open one of the heavy wooden doors, and the kids entered the atrium.
The room felt warm and moist, like a tropical rain forest. Sunlight poured in through the glass ceiling and walls. In one corner, a fountain bubbled over smooth stones. Everywhere the kids looked they saw plants. Most were in hanging pots, but others stood in large tubs. One tree grew right through an opening in the floor. Its branches and leaves were like a huge green umbrella.
Among the plants flew scores of parakeets. With their green, blue, and yellow feathers, they looked like flying jewels.
“This is awesome!” Josh said, ducking as a parakeet flew past his head. He took off his jacket, hat, and mittens.
Dink removed his coat as he looked around the room. Elderly men and women were feeding the birds, playing cards, or just snoozing. He saw one man with a parakeet on his head!
“I see a yellow cap,” Ruth Rose said, pointing to a man standing at a workbench. The kids walked over.
Hector O’Leary wore a baggy sweatshirt and old jeans. He was nailing the roof onto a small bird-house. He looked up when the kids approached.
“Well, hello there!” Hector said. “Are you selling candy? I’ll buy one of each!”
Dink shook his head. “We’re friends of Lucky’s,” Dink said. “He told us about the lottery ticket you sent him.”
The man’s friendly eyes suddenly turned fiery. “I’m so mad I could spit!” he said. “What’s this world coming to when burglars steal Christmas cards! If I get my hands on that gangster, he’ll wish he never met Hector Francis O’Leary!”
“Lucky asked us to try to find out who stole it,” Ruth Rose said. “Can we ask you some questions?”
“Okey-dokey,” Hector said, laying down his hammer. “Follow me.”
Lucky’s grandfather led them to a circle of chairs around a low table. A blue parakeet landed on the table, carrying a small nail in his beak.
“Now, where did you get that?” Hector took the nail and put it in his pocket. �
�Blue Boy loves anything shiny,” he said. “Okey-dokey, ask away.”
“Someone knew that you sent lottery tickets to Lucky’s house,” Dink said. “We were wondering if you told anyone, like a friend.”
“Well, of course I told someone!” Hector said. He waved his arm toward the other people in the atrium. “I told everyone!”
Josh glanced around at the old folks. “Could one of them be the thief?” he whispered.
Hector nodded, then put his finger to his lips. “See that woman knitting?” He dipped his chin toward a white-haired woman sitting on a sofa.
“That’s Zelda Zoot,” he whispered. “She’s a real snoop! Has to know everyone’s business around here. I know for a fact that she snitches cookies off the snack cart!”
The kids followed Hector’s gaze. Zelda Zoot was a grandmotherly woman with a lap full of pink yarn and flashing knitting needles.
“Zelda hates me,” he went on, “’cause I told the chef about the cookies. If anyone in this place wants to get even with me, it’s Zelda.”
Dink tried to picture this elderly woman tromping through the snow to burglarize Lucky’s house. He couldn’t do it.
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Hector whispered. “If she starts acting rich, I’ll let you know!”
Blue Boy suddenly flew to the top of Ruth Rose’s head. He began pecking gently at her red headband.
“He likes bright colors,” Hector explained.
Josh pulled a pencil out of his pocket. “Do you have some paper I could borrow?” he asked. “I have to draw a picture of Ruth Rose with a bird on her head!”
Hector chuckled and got up to get some paper.
“Don’t move, Ruth Rose,” Josh whispered.
“What’s it doing up there?” Ruth Rose asked.
“I think he’s making a nest,” Dink said, grinning.
Hector came back with a sheet of paper. Josh began drawing while Ruth Rose sat like a statue.
While Josh was busy sketching, Dink thought about what Hector had told them. Any one of the Atrium’s residents could be the thief, but Dink didn’t think so.
“Mr. O’Leary, can you tell us where you bought the lottery tickets?” Dink asked.
“Sure,” Hector said, dragging his chair closer to Dink. “I got ’em at the supermarket Friday morning.”
“Were there any other customers around?”