The Lucky Lottery (2 page)

“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:

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?”

Hector closed his eyes, then
snapped them open again. “Yep, I remember now. A bunch of people were standing around gabbing about the snow. Buying candy and gum. Some were behind me in line to buy lottery tickets.”

“Could one of them have seen the numbers you picked?”

“I suppose it’s possible,” Hector said. “I wrote all my grandkids’ birthdays down and handed the slip to the clerk. Then she typed the numbers into the lottery machine, and out popped the seven tickets. Anyone could have seen the numbers as I wrote them down.”

Dink thought for a minute. “And did you mention that you were going to send them to your grandkids?”

Suddenly, Hector’s face turned white. “I guess maybe I did,” he said, “while I was addressing the envelope
and putting the tickets inside. Never thought it would do any harm ’cause I never expected them to win.”

Hector sighed and shook his head. “Me and my big mouth! I just can’t help bragging about ’em. How I eat supper at their house, how Lucky’s doin’ in college, stuff like that.”

Blue Boy left Ruth Rose’s head and zipped across the room. He landed on one of the hanging pots.

“Rats,” Josh muttered. “I hardly got started.”

“Let me see,” Ruth Rose said, reaching for the paper.

Josh grinned and folded the drawing in half, then slipped it into his pocket. “Nope. Not till it’s done.”

Dink stood up. “Thanks a lot, Mr. O’Leary,” he said. “I think we’ll go talk to the lottery clerk. Do you know her name?”

“Sure do,” Hector said. “It’s Dorothy. She’s new, but she’ll remember me. And if you catch the snake who stole those tickets, there’ll be something extra in your Christmas stockings this year!”

“Great,” Josh said. “I usually just get boring underwear!”

The kids said good-bye and left the atrium. Pal was sleeping under a potted palm tree with his leash on his paws. Josh woke him up, and the kids got back into their hats and coats.

Outside on Main Street, the wind blew snow into the kids’ faces.

“Do you guys think Zelda Zoot is the thief?” Josh asked. “She looks like my grandmother!”

“If the old folks at the Atrium know that Hector sends lottery tickets to his grandkids every Christmas,” Ruth Rose said, “they’re all suspects!”

“Guys,” Dink said, “you heard what Hector said. He likes to talk about his grandkids.
Anyone
in Green Lawn could be the thief!”

The kids trudged up Main Street. Two minutes later, they bustled into the supermarket and headed toward the lottery counter.

“Heel,” Josh told Pal, who waddled along next to him.

“I wonder if that’s Dorothy,” Ruth Rose said. She pointed at a young blond woman behind the counter. On the wall above her head hung a small security camera.

Dink approached the counter. “Excuse me,” he said. “Are you Dorothy?”

The woman looked up, chomping on a wad of gum. “That’s me,” she said, pointing to her name tag. It said
DOROTHY CALM
.

“People call me Dot. Who are you?”

“I’m Dink,” he said, “and this is Josh and Ruth Rose.”

Dot Calm blew a small pink bubble, let it pop, and then continued chewing. “Nice to meetcha,” she said.

“We were wondering if you remember selling a bunch of lottery tickets on Friday morning,” Ruth Rose said.

The woman laughed. “Kiddo, I sell hundreds of tickets every day.”

“This was seven tickets together,” Dink explained. He told Dot Calm about Lucky’s grandfather, and how the tickets had been stolen from Lucky’s house.

Dot stared at Dink for a moment, then smiled fondly. “Yeah, I remember him,” she said. “Nice old gent, loves to blah, blah, blah. He told me all about his grandkids and how he sends them lottery tickets every year.”

“Do you remember who was hanging around here when he bought the tickets?” Josh asked.

Dot Calm unwrapped a piece of gum and popped it into her mouth. She chewed for a few seconds, then said, “Lots of people were standing around.”

“Did you notice anyone real close who could have overheard what Mr.
O’Leary was saying?” Ruth Rose asked.

Dot Calm squinted and looked into the distance. “Yeah,” she said finally. “There
was
one guy I remember special.” She shuddered. “He was pretty creepy-looking.”

“Can you describe him?” Ruth Rose asked.

Dot Calm smiled. “I can do better than that,” she said. “I know his name!”