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ticked. “They said they wouldn’t be able to get to it today,” he said. “Something’s going on over there.”
    Dylan came out of the bedroom carrying his blanket, rubbing his eyes, and yawning. “How did I get down here?”
    Dylan could sleep through anything. Mom said Ashley and I had been the same way when we were his age, but I couldn’t believe it.
    “They don’t have time for a prowler?” Ashley said. “Whoever it was could have . . .” She glanced at Dylan and stopped.
    “What’s a prowler?” he said.
    Sam poured a cup of coffee and started the stove. “Okay, it’s time for fun. We have fresh snow out there, and we’re taking advantage of it. There’s a great slope at a resort not far from here. We’ll rent some skis or snowboards for you two, and we’ll use the tubes.”
    Dylan’s face lit up. “Can I go?” He was used to being left behind.
    Sam flashed a smile and nodded.

Chapter 27

    I don’t like lots of greasy food, but the bacon and sausage Sam made that morning went so well with the eggs and pancakes that I had to stop myself before I got sick. Bryce pushed his plate back too, his mouth full of pancakes and syrup. Sam found plastic bags, and we saved the rest for the next morning.
    Bryce and I helped Dylan get dressed in several layers of clothes. Just when we got his boots and gloves on he said he had to go to the bathroom. Sometimes life’s like that.
    Sam handed us our walkie-talkies, but after the night before, I didn’t want to go off on our own. I wanted to stay near Sam.
    He wanted to hear the news, so he found a crackly radio station playing country music. Bryce gave me a look like he was going to die. We both hated country music back in Illinois, but I had to admit that some of the singers were starting to grow on me now.
    The music ended and a man with a voice like a frog told the song titles. He identified himself as Tiny Woods and said he’d be on the air until noon. “And if you haven’t heard, the big news this morning is the robbery last night at Gold Town. We have the sheriff on the line now.”
    I glanced at Sam with my mouth open.
    He just shook his head.
    “What do you think they took?” Bryce said from the backseat.
    The radio squealed until Tiny flipped a switch. “Sounds like somebody struck it rich last night, Sheriff.”
    “That’s right, Tiny,” the sheriff said in a cooing voice that let us know he knew the man well. “At about six o’clock last night, as they were shutting down for the evening, the owner of the gold nugget noticed something strange. It was a lot lighter than the original.”
    Sam pulled to the side of the road and turned up the radio.
    “Bathroom,” Dylan said.
    Sam put up a hand. “In a minute. I want to hear this.”
    “So someone replaced the real one with a fake?” Tiny said.
    “It appears so, Tiny.”
    “I imagine you’re pretty busy with this,” Tiny said.
    “We have all our people on it, and we’re going to catch the person who’s responsible.”
    “Any leads?”
    “No. We don’t even know when the switch took place. But there’s a reward for anyone with information that leads to an arrest.”
    “You mean we were looking at fake gold?” Bryce said.
    Sam stroked his chin. “Let’s head over to Gold Town. Dylan can use the restroom, and we’ll tell them we were there.”

Chapter 28

    I was glad to see police cars when we pulled into Gold Town. I took Dylan to the outside toilet near the building while Ashley went with Sam to the front.
    Through a vent in the back, I glimpsed someone walking through the brush behind the bathroom. I wondered if it might be an officer hunting for clues.
    When Dylan said, “Done!” I helped him wash his hands, and we walked outside. Behind the bathroom I saw the kid who had handed me the camera’s memory stick the day before. I guessed he was the shop owner’s son. They looked a little alike. I was wearing the same pants as the day before, so I patted my pocket and