A to Z Mysteries: The Deadly Dungeon (6 page)

“What’s Operation Game Thief?” Dink asked the next day.

“It’s an 800 number you can call in Maine to report poachers,” Wallis explained. She brought more hot pancakes to the table.

No one had gotten much sleep. After locking the trapdoor, Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose had run back to wake up Wallis. She’d called 911 and reported poachers on her property.

The police had come and arrested Rip. The officers gave Wallis the Operation Game Thief phone number.

Wallis had then driven Walker’s Jeep to his house and brought him back to the castle.

“The Maine Fish and Game Department will have plenty of questions for Rip,” Walker said. “Trading in endangered animals is a federal crime.”

“How did Rip get the parrots?” Josh asked.

“He must have contacts in the countries where they were captured,” Walker said. “The police will be checking his phone bills to see whom he called.”

“He probably used his own lobster boat,” Wallis said, shaking her head. “No wonder it always looked so clean.”

“Why did he have your Jeep?” Josh asked.

Walker speared another pancake. “Rip’s car conked out a few days ago, so I let him borrow mine.”

“It was a perfect set-up,” Wallis said. “Rip needed money, and he had contacts who would pay a lot for rare parrots.”

“I wonder if he sold any other animals,” Josh said, “like monkeys or snakes.”

“We may find out yet,” Walker said. He winked at Josh. “What made you decide to shut the trapdoor on Rip?”

“I got mad!” Josh said. “I wanted him to see how it felt to be in a cage.”

“So that green feather on Josh’s sneaker came from Rip, right?” Dink asked.

Walker nodded. “He probably brought it into the Jeep on his foot. And the one you found on my boat got there the same way.”

Josh blushed. “For a while we thought you were the poacher,” he told Walker.

“Well,
I
never did!” Ruth Rose said.

Walker grinned at Ruth Rose. “Thanks! What made you so sure?”

“You’re too busy,” she answered. “And you wouldn’t be mean to parrots. You threw those little crabs back in the water yesterday.”

“What will happen to the parrots?” Dink asked.

“I assume they’ll go back to where they came from,” Walker said. “And Rip will most likely go to jail.”

“And thanks to you kids, I won’t have to hear any more strange noises,” Wallis said.

She grinned shyly “But to tell the truth, I think I’ll miss the ghost of Emory Scott. I kind of liked living in a haunted castle!”

Just then a loud screech came from the mud room.