The Falcon's Feathers by Ron Roy Page A

“They weren’t ready to leave their parents yet.”
    â€œCould they have fallen out?” Dink asked. He glanced at the ground.
    â€œI doubt it,” said Josh. “If they had, the parents would still be here, watching over them.”
    He frowned. “I think something took those birds,” he said.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Ruth Rose asked. “What kind of something?”
    â€œAnimals,” Josh explained. “Owls and snakes like to eat baby birds.”
    â€œBut wouldn’t the parents protect the little falcons?” Dink asked.
    â€œYeah,” Josh said. “Unless something happened to them, too.”
    â€œMaybe something scared the parents away,” Ruth Rose said.
    Josh shook his head. “The parents wouldn’t leave their babies.”
    â€œThen what could have happened to them?” Dink asked. “Five falcons can’t just disappear!”
    â€œI don’t know,” Josh said. He looked worried. “Come on, let’s get outof here. I want to report this.”
    â€œReport it to who?” Ruth Rose asked. She and Dink followed Josh back toward the path.
    â€œI’m not sure. But we can ask Mrs. Wong,” said Josh. “She knows a lot about animals.”
    Twenty minutes later, the kids walked into Furry Feet, Mrs. Wong’s pet shop. She was cleaning a large goldfish tank.
    â€œHi, kids,” Mrs. Wong said. “What’s up? I was just about to close for the day.”
    Josh explained about the missing falcons. “They were there yesterday,” he said, “but today they’re gone!”
    Mrs. Wong wiped her hands on her jeans. “That does seem odd,” she said.
    â€œPeregrines are an endangered species,” Josh said. “Should I report this to someone?”
    â€œThat’s a good idea, Josh,” said Mrs. Wong. She went over to her desk and pulled open a drawer.
    â€œHere you go,” she said, handing Josh a card. “That’s the number for the Department of Environmental Protection—the DEP, for short. They have an office over at the fire station.”

    â€œThanks, Mrs. Wong,” Josh said. “May I use your phone?”
    Josh dialed the number while Mrs. Wong went back to cleaning the goldfish tank.
    Dink and Ruth Rose listened as Josh explained about the nest and the missing falcons. He thanked whomever he was speaking with and hung up.
    â€œSomeone is gonna go out there and take a look,” he told Dink and Ruth Rose. “But the guy I talked to said an owl probably got the babies.”
    Ruth Rose shuddered. “Those poor falcons!”
    The kids thanked Mrs. Wong and left the store.
    Outside, it was starting to get dark. Ruth Rose, Josh, and Dink crossed Main Street and cut through Center Park. A family of ducks was swimming in the pond. When the parents noticed the humans, they quacked loudly totheir babies. The ducklings quickly swam over to their mother and father.
    Josh stopped walking. “I don’t think an owl could have taken those baby falcons.”
    â€œYou don’t?” Dink asked.
    Josh shook his head. “Mother and father falcons are fierce! They wouldn’t let an owl within ten feet of their nest.”
    â€œCould a snake climb that high?” Ruth Rose asked.
    Josh smirked. “Yeah, a human snake!”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Dink asked. “You think a
person
stole the falcons?”
    Josh nodded.
    â€œBut who would do something like that?” Ruth Rose asked.
    â€œI don’t know,” Josh said. “But we’re going to find out!”

The next morning, Dink rang Ruth Rose’s doorbell. She came to the door wearing a green jogging suit. Even her sneakers and headband were green.
    â€œYou look like a bush,” Dink said.
    Ruth Rose grinned and yelled into the house, “MOM, I’M LEAVING!”
    She and Dink headed up Woody Street to pick up Josh. They were going back to