what to do, Dr. Tweed hurried back into the tomb. âQuiet, please,â he said. âUm, it seems Mummy Monday will have to be postponed. Weâll have it tomorrow.â
âBut tomorrow is Tyrannosaurus Tuesday!â someone said.
Dr. Tweed looked flustered. His tanned face had turned pale, and one of his eyelids was twitching. âYes, of course, youâre right,â he said. âIâll schedule another mummy day for next week. Now youâll have to leave the tomb. Iâm very sorry.â
Kids mumbled, âNo fairâ as theyfiled out. Dr. Tweed stepped aside to let them pass.
âWhy would anyone steal a mummy?â Josh asked as he, Dink, and Ruth Rose followed the other kids.
âI read somewhere that gold and jewels were wrapped up with the bodies,â Ruth Rose said. âMaybe that mummy has valuable stuff inside the cloth.â
âYou mean that woman is gonna unwrap the mummy?â Josh asked. âGross!â
Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose were the last kids out of the tomb. A moment later, Dr. Tweed hurried past. Behind them, the tomb door closed with a rumble.
âThis is so bogus,â Josh said. âShould we just go home?â
âI have to use the rest room first,â Ruth Rose said.
The kids found the rest roomsaround the corner from the tomb. The door to the ladiesâ room opened, and a smartly dressed woman with short dark hair stepped out. She was carrying a briefcase and talking on a cell phone.
âWeâll wait for you here,â Dink said as Ruth Rose slipped into the rest room.
âI wonder what the thief did with the mummy,â Josh said. âI mean, she couldnât exactly carry it down Main Street!â
Suddenly, the rest room door crashed open. Ruth Rose stood there looking as if sheâd seen a ghost.
âRuth Rose, whatâs the matter?â Dink said.
âG-get Dr. Tweed,â she answered. âItâs in the rest room!â
âWhatâs in the rest room?â Josh asked.
Ruth Rose took a deep breath. âThe missing mummy!â she said.
Dr. Tweed was standing by the front doors talking with two police officers. Dink dashed over to them. âExcuse me,â he said, his mouth suddenly dry.
âCan we help you?â one of the officers asked. The name tag on her shirt read S. WASHINGTON .
âMy friend found the mummy in the ladiesâ room!â Dink said.
âShow us,â said the other officer. His name tag read P. PETERS .
Everyone rushed over to where Josh and Ruth Rose were standing outside the rest rooms.
âWill you come inside with me?â Officer Washington asked Ruth Rose.
Ruth Rose and the officer walked into the rest room. A few seconds later, they both came out again.
âDr. Tweed, will you step in with me, please?â Officer Washington said.
Dr. Tweed followed the officer back inside the rest room.
âSo where was it?â Josh asked Ruth Rose.
âYou know those tables they have so parents can change a babyâs diaper?â she said. âIt was right there on the table!â
âIn plain sight?â Dink asked.
Ruth Rose nodded. âAt first I thought it was a big doll, so I took a closer look.â¦â
âYuck!â Josh said.
The rest room door opened again. Officer Washington walked out, with Dr. Tweed behind her. He was carrying the child mummy in his arms.
âThe mummy seems to be undamaged,â Dr. Tweed said. âBut Iâll have to examine it in my office.â
Dr. Tweed and the two police officers crossed the lobby and disappeared through the door behind the counter.
âI guess we might as well go home,â Dink said.
âSome Mummy Monday,â Ruth Rose grumbled.
âLook, thereâs a cafeteria,â Josh said. âLetâs get something to drink.â
The kids entered the large room, paid for cold drinks, and sat at a round table.
âI wonder where the
Stephen E. Ambrose, David Howarth
Paul Auster, J. M. Coetzee