The Stolen Bones by Carolyn Keene Read Free Book Online Page A

sauntered toward the ATV. She stood at the base of the cliff and looked up at it.
    The younger brother walked over to her and they spoke for a minute. Then he led her toward the end of the hollow, and helped her scramble up a path to the top of the cliff. A minute later she was examining the vehicle.
    I knew Bess was doing her best to find out everything she could about the vehicle. George, meanwhile, had pulled out her digital camera and was casually taking a few pictures. I turned my attention back to the first brother, who was asking about the fossils. Kyle still looked unhappy, but I guess he couldn’t do much. He had no real reason to think that these men were thieves.
    The older brother crouched and examined the bones Russell and George had partially uncovered. “How do you know what’s what?” he asked. “I mean, how do you know when you’ve found something valuable?”
    “Experience,” Kyle said brusquely. “And we’re not treasure hunters. We’re looking for scientific evidence.”
    The young man looked up and grinned. “Sure. I meant valuable to scientists. Who else would care about a bunch of old bones?”
    Kyle’s expression almost made me laugh. Finally he said, “That’s right. They’re not much use to anyone else. No value at all. But we should get back to our pointless work. And I’m sure you have other things to do.”
    This time the guy took the hint. “I guess so. Thanks.” He gave a cheerful wave and joined his brother by their vehicle. Bess exchanged a few laughing words with him, then headed back downthe path. Kyle watched them all solemnly. The ATV backed up and pulled away in a cloud of dust.
    When Bess joined us, Kyle hissed, “Did you see anything in their car? Anything that might be a fossil?”
    “No,” Bess said. “They have a toolbox in the back, but I couldn’t get a look inside it. I’ll know the tire tracks, though, if I see them again.”
    Kyle’s eyes widened. I suppressed a chuckle. Guys are always fooled by Bess’s girly exterior. It’s fun to watch when they realize that there’s a sharp mechanical mind inside the pretty, model-like exterior.
    George was oblivious to the exchange of smiles. She stepped up to Kyle and said, “So, can we switch places? I’m ready to try something different.”
    Kyle looked around, noticing for the first time that everyone had been waiting and watching him for the last ten minutes. He took off his hat and ran his hands through his hair. “Right. Let’s see what needs to be done.”
    He started at the damaged fossil, where Steffi and Grayson had been plastering. He crouched, poked at the plaster, and then bent to look under the edge. “Nice work, you guys. This one’s ready for flipping. Let’s do that first, so everyone can watch.”
    He looked around. “Where’s Abby?” She had disappeared. Kyle frowned. “Didn’t she come back with us after lunch?”
    “I’m sure she did,” I said. I’d checked for everyone.
    “Maybe she forgot something and went back,” Bess said.
    “She worked on this, so I don’t want her to miss it,” Kyle said. “We’ll give her a few minutes. But I want to get the other side plastered today.”
    He stood and looked at the other fossils under excavation. He deemed Russell and George’s ready for plastering.
    Tom and I hadn’t been quite so successful. Kyle pointed out areas between the bones where we could remove more rock. Plus, he wanted us to go a little deeper into the ground. “This leg bone is going to be thick. We’ll want to dig down at least six inches underneath it.”
    I paced restlessly. How could I stay interested in bones when I had a mystery to solve?
    Bess sidled over to me. “What’s up?”
    “I want to look for clues, but I’m not even sure what kind of clues to look for.” I gazed around the hollow. “What kind of clues would a fossil thief leave behind?”
    “If it’s Tom, probably nothing. Since he’s supposed to be here, footprints or dropped items