The Clue at the Zoo Read Free Page A

again too. We may find another clue.”

    Just then the woman with the rose raced by.
    The rose had fallen down over her ear.
    “Have you seen a boy?” Dawn began.
    The woman shook her head. “Have you seen a dog?”
    “No, sorry,” said Dawn.
    The woman turned the corner and disappeared.

CHAPTER SIX
    “A RRRR-NO,” DAWN SCREAMED at the top of her lungs. “It’s lunchtime.”
    She waited a minute. “Arrrr-no Eliot.”
    Jill tapped her shoulder. “Even Noni’s going to hear you screaming.”
    “That kid is the worst pest,” said Dawn. “Too bad about him.”
    They went down the path.
    Dawn carried the book with two fingers.
    Noni was still sitting on the bench. She was bent over her crossword puzzle.
    She looked up when she heard them.
    Dawn and Jill sank down on the bench. Dawn dropped the book underneath it and wiped her hands. Then she took a breath.
    Noni wasn’t going to be happy when she heard Arno was missing.
    “I have to tell you—” Dawn began.
    “I have your favorite sandwiches,” Noni said at the same time. “Peanut butter and jelly.”
    “Bll-ech,” said a voice behind them.
    “Arno,” Dawn said.
    He sat down on the end of the bench. “Sardine sandwiches are my favorite,” he said.
    “I think I’m going to be sick,” said Jill.
    Noni stood up and poured juice for everyone.
    “Too bad it’s not the red kind,” said Arno. “I’m not too crazy about orange.”
    Dawn crossed her eyes. “I’m not too crazy about him either,” she whispered to Jill.
    She took a bite of the sandwich Noni gave her. “Deee-licious.”
    She leaned back against the bench and tried to think. How was she going to solve this mystery?
    “I think I need some dessert now,” Arno said.
    Noni frowned. “You didn’t eat much of your sandwich.”
    Arno shook his head. “I’m saving it for my friend Fred. You don’t have any crackers, do you? Fred loves them.”
    Jill looked up. She had peanut butter all over her mouth. “Did he find his mother yet?”
    “Nope,” said Arno. “He’s hanging around the alligator pool, waiting.”
    “I hope he doesn’t go near—” Noni began.
    “Don’t worry,” said Arno. “He’s not as smart as I am . . . but he isn’t that dumb.”
    Dawn finished the middle of her sandwich. She hated crusts. “What does he look like?”
    “Fred?” Arno looked up in the air. “Brown hair. Runs around a lot. Kind of nasty till you get to know him.”
    Dawn rolled her eyes at Jill. “He’s not the only nasty one,” she said under her breath.
    Arno reached into the picnic basket. “Bananas? For dessert? I don’t even like bananas to begin with. I bet Fred will hate them.”
    He stood up, grabbed two, and stuck his sandwich in his pocket. “See you later.”
    “Whoa,” said Noni. “Wait a minute. You have to stay with the girls.”
    Arno took a step. “I’m just going to the alligator swamp. It’s safe as anything.”

    Noni closed her eyes. “It doesn’t sound safe to me.”
    “It is,” said Dawn. “Really. It has a high fence.”
    “Well . . .” Noni nodded.
    Arno took off down the path.
    “Now I can think,” said Dawn.
    She picked up the book. The only way to solve this mystery was to look inside.
    That’s what she had to do.
    Poison or no poison.
    “You don’t have any gloves,” she asked Noni, “do you?”
    “Gloves?” said Noni. “It’s eighty degrees in the shade. I’m dying of the heat. Why would I—”
    “Never mind,” said Dawn.
    “I know what you’re thinking,” said Jill. “I know exactly . . .”
    Dawn drew in her breath. She flipped the book open with one finger.
    She looked at the stop sign and the P-S-N bottle for a moment.
    Then she stared at the initials. R.L.
    Dawn squinched her eyes together. “Maybe his name is Richard.”
    “Or Robert?” Jill twirled a braid with one finger.
    “I went to school with a Ruth,” said Noni. “She had yellow boots and a silver bracelet.” She looked up at the trees. “What was her