The X'ed-Out X-Ray Read Online Free PDF Page B

jewel in this boy’s bandage so you could sneak it past the cops in Bushnell Park. You removed it at the hospital when you took X-rays.”
    George Shill nearly dropped his doughnut. His mouth opened and shut, but no words came out.
    “Nothing to say, Mr. Shill? Or should I call you Dr. Fleming?” Officer Fallon said. “Maybe
this
will help you find your tongue.”
    Officer Fallon nodded to Dink, who held up the X-ray.
    “Mr. Shill, if I searched your house, would I find Miss Gwinn’s pendant?” Officer Fallon asked. “Would I find the jacket you stole from Dr. Fleming’s office?”
    Georgie found his voice. “I—I can explain everything,” he stammered.
    “Yes, I’m sure you can, but let’s save it till we get to the station,” Officer Fallon said, pulling out his handcuffs.
    Officer Fallon handed Georgie over to the Hartford cops. Then, with the pendant safe in his shirt pocket, he drove the kids to the Parkview Hotel.
    Officer Fallon parked, then pulled the diamond penguin and its chain from his pocket. He passed it over to the backseat. “I called ahead, and she’ll be waiting in the lobby.”
    Dink took the pendant and the kids walked into the lobby. Penelope Gwinn and her manager were sitting together.
    “Here, you should give it to her,” Dink said, handing the pendant to Ruth Rose. “You found Georgie’s name in the autograph book.”
    Ruth Rose took the pendant, then she gave it to Josh. “You figured out how to find him,” she said. “Go ahead, Penelope is waiting.”
    Penelope Gwinn and Hans stood up and smiled. Josh gulped and handed the diamond penguin to Penelope.
    “Thank you so much!” she said. “How did you ever find it?”
    “We found a name inside the autograph book,” Ruth Rose explained. They told the whole story, and Dink showed her the X-ray.
    Officer Fallon was on his telephone. He hung up and stepped forward. “Georgie Shill got tossed out of medical school for cheating on exams,” he said. “And that wasn’t the first time he’d been in trouble. Anyway, he read aboutyour concert, Miss Gwinn, and he decided to be there. He used the autograph book to get close enough to steal your pendant.”
    Penelope handed the pendant to Hans, who fastened it around her neck.
    “Georgie went to the first-aid tent and told the medical student on duty that he was needed back at the hospital,” Officer Fallon went on. “Of course, Georgie was wearing Dr. Fleming’s stolen jacket and name tag, so the other guy believed him. After that, Georgie just waited for your intermission.”
    Penelope smiled. “That pendant means a lot to me,” she said. “Hans gave it to me when we were married.”
    Josh gaped at the big, fierce-looking manager. “He’s your husband?” Josh asked. “We saw him go into a jewelry shop. He looked all sneaky, so we thought he might have been the thief!”
    Penelope poked her husband. “Whywere you sneaking into a jewelry store?” she asked.
    Hans grinned. “I was trying to buy you a new penguin pendant,” he said.
    Penelope gave him a kiss. Then she kissed Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose.

I hope you enjoyed reading
The X’ed-Out X-Ray.
It was a lot of fun to write. Many of you ask if my stories are taken from real life. Yes, parts of these stories do come from things that happened to me or to people I know. Here’s one example:
    When I was Dink’s age, I once climbed up on a neighbor’s garage to watch his dad do some repair work. When my mom called me for lunch, I made the mistake of jumping down to the ground! I landed on my right arm instead of my feet, and my arm broke. I was in a cast for several weeks! This gave me the idea to have Dink hurt his arm, and the rest of the story came along after that.
    I think most writers get ideas from real-life situations. But we also make up a lot-that’s why these books are called fiction. I am also asked if I know real kids namedDink, Josh, and Ruth Rose. Nope. I made them up, but I have to admit that when I