The Cat's Paw

by Kat Shepherd

  Suddenly the voices sharpened and got louder. “What do you mean you have it with you? Are you crazy? You were supposed to sell that thing! Do you realize how much trouble you could bring down on our heads if it’s found on this boat?” The voice was familiar, but Zach couldn’t place it.

  “Why did you not tell us this animal was famous? It is all over news! We cannot sell here. We tried. Nobody will buy! So we bring it here to you.” Zach recognized Sergei’s voice immediately.

  “And just what the hell am I supposed to do with it?” the other voice said.

  “Not my concern. Is your problem now.” Sergei slammed something down on a table. “But we are businessmen and deal is deal. Here is your cut of profit for other animals.” Zach heard something click open. He figured it must be the metal briefcase; Sophia said they always had money in them. “We give you twenty percent.”

  “Wait a minute, that wasn’t what we agreed on! You said thirty percent!”

  “You bring us much trouble with this creature. Police raided caves and arrested Dmitri and Maximilian. We had to leave animals behind.” There was a long pause. “Even Tibetan mastiff.” The briefcase closed, and when Sergei spoke again, his voice was smooth. “I think twenty percent from now on, yes? Twenty percent is more than generous.” His voice grew ominous. “Unless you no longer wish to be in business?”

  The other speaker cleared his throat nervously. “No, no, you’re right. Twenty percent is fine.”

  “I thought so,” Sergei answered. Zach heard the door open, and he prayed Vishal and the girls weren’t still in the hallway. He heard footsteps retreat down the back stairs, but he waited until it had been quiet for several minutes before he opened the bathroom door and hurried farther down the hall.

  A door opened next to him, and Zach let out a scream.

  “Relax, it’s us,” Evie said.

  “I thought we agreed we wouldn’t go into any rooms,” Zach said reproachfully.

  “We heard someone coming, and we needed a place to hide.”

  “Then why did you open the door when you heard me walk by? I could have been the bad guys!”

  Evie snorted. “Oh, please. You think I wouldn’t recognize my own brother’s walk?”

  Zach’s voice softened. “Aww, you recognized my walk?”

  “Of course I did. You’d recognize mine, wouldn’t you?”

  Zach rubbed his chin. “I don’t know; I’ve never thought about it.”

  Sophia shoved past the twins into the hallway. “This family reunion is very touching, but can we please get back to searching the boat?”

  “We don’t have to anymore. I heard the whole entire deal go down!” Zach filled the others in on everything he heard. “Whoever was meeting with Sergei has Marvin and the money.” He frowned. “But whoever it was didn’t want Marvin.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense. Sergei complained that Marvin was too famous to sell. So why have Marvin stolen if nobody will buy him?”

  “Maybe the guy didn’t know that. Maybe he thought Marvin would sell at a higher price because he’s so well-known,” Evie suggested.

  “It didn’t seem like that,” Zach said. “It was almost like the guy didn’t even care whether Marvin was sold or not.”

  “What about the gorilla? Did anyone mention that?” Sophia asked.

  “No,” Zach answered.

  “Did you see the guy’s face?” Sophia asked. “Could you describe him to cops?”

  Zach shook his head. “I was in the bathroom, remember? I didn’t see anyone.” He looked up at the ceiling, thinking. “But I know I recognized the voice from somewhere. I’m certain it’s someone I’ve met before.” He grunted in frustration. “But I can’t remember where.”

  Sophia took Zach by the shoulders and steered him toward the main staircase at the front of the boat. “Let’s head down to the party and see if we can jog your memory.”

  The group took a moment to tidy up before they walked into the party. The glass doors were frosted, but the movements inside were glittery enough that they could tell it was fancy. Evie straightened her hat, and Sophia pulled off a few accessories and shoved them behind a plant. Vishal did his best to smooth down his hair, which had begun to stand up in several different places. Zach looked down at his sailor suit and sighed. “What am I supposed to do?”

  “Take off the hat, maybe?” Sophia plucked it off his head. “And here. Wear this.” She pulled off Vishal’s jacket and helped Zach into it. The shoulders slumped, and the sleeves hung well below Zach’s hands. “Never mind,” Sophia said. “You look like a sad scarecrow.” She handed Vishal back his jacket and put Zach’s hat back on his head. “I say go with the sailor-boy thing. Maybe everyone will just think you work on the boat.”

  They pushed open the glass doors and entered the throng of people. “Remember, Sergei’s contact was definitely a man, so don’t waste time trying to recognize women,” Evie said. “Try to remember everything you can about where you heard that voice.”

  “I am,” Zach said. He scanned the room and tried to find someone he recognized, but the room was a sea of silver-haired men. “It’s hard when they’re all in tuxedos. Look at them! They might as well all be the same man!”

  “Let’s walk around, try to get a closer look,” Evie suggested. The group cruised the perimeter. As they reached the far side of the room, someone stepped backward and bumped into them.

  “Oh, excuse me!” The man turned around, and Sophia let out a gasp of dismay.

  It was Darwin Chang.

  ***

  “Oh, Sophia, I didn’t know you were here,” Dr. Chang said with a smile. His expression changed to confusion. “Why are you wearing a wig?”

  Sophia stared at him speechlessly, her jaw hanging open. Her skin was as white as cheese, and she looked like she was about to throw up.

  Vishal stepped in front of Sophia and smiled brightly. “It’s for a school project,” he explained.

  Darwin’s face relaxed, and he gave a nod of understanding. “Ah, of course,” he said. “I see.” He stretched his neck and looked around the room. “Where are your parents? I haven’t seen them.”

  Sophia finally found her voice. Her horror turned to anger, and she could hear her blood pounding in her ears. “How could you?” She spat out each word as if it were poison.

  Zach plucked at Sophia’s sleeve. “Sophia!” She shook him off.

  “You’re supposed to love animals. You’re supposed to take care of them!”

  Dr. Chang stared at her, and a slow comprehension spread across his face. “I think I understand what this is about. But I can explain. It’s all in the name of helping the zoo.”

  “Sophia!” Zach said again. “Listen to me!”

  But Sophia was too angry to hear. “Is that what you call it? Helping the zoo?” She shook her head. “Everyone said I was wrong, but I stuck up for you anyway!” She clenched her hand into a fist, and tears streamed down her face. “I believed in you!”

  Zach grabbed Sophia and turned her around to face him. “Sophia! That’s not the voice! It’s not him!”

  Sophia stared at him, uncomprehending for a moment. Then she blinked her eyes as if she had just come out of a trance. “What? It’s not?”

  “No,” Zach said. “It’s not.”

  “But didn’t Dr. Chang just confess?” Sophia asked.

  “He did, but I think it was for something else,” Vishal said.

  “Well, what was it, then?” She narrowed her eyes. “What did you do?”

  Dr. Chang put out his hands in a placating gesture. “I understand that you are very upset right now. A lot of people are. B-17 is a cherished part of our city. But I think if we can work together, we can find a solution that’s best for everyone. That’s why I’m here tonight.”

  That’s when Sophia really looked at where she was. She had been so busy focusing on faces that she hadn’t noticed the rest of the room. “Of course,” she whispered. “The gorilla.”

  “The gorilla
?” Evie asked.

  “The gorilla,” Sophia answered. “I know who has Marvin.”

  CHAPTER

  28

  Big Tommy Brown strode onto the stage and pulled the microphone out of the stand. It squealed in protest, and there was a burst of jolly laughter. “Sorry about that, folks!” Tommy pulled out a handkerchief and mopped his wet face. “Thank you all for joining me tonight as we celebrate my campaign for mayor. And thank you especially for all the generous donations I know you’re going to make tonight!” Another burst of jolly laughter came from the audience.

  Sophia pulled her friends away from Dr. Chang. “It’s Big Tommy Brown, isn’t it?” Sophia said softly. “Sergei wasn’t talking about an actual gorilla; he was talking about Tommy. The Golden Gorilla Award. That’s how he got his nickname.”

  Zach nodded. “That’s the voice I heard with Sergei.”

  “But I don’t get it,” Evie said. “He’s already getting a cut of all the animal smugglers’ profits, right? So why did he want Marvin stolen so badly?”

  Tommy paced the stage, working the crowd with jokes and folksy sayings. Then his voice dropped and grew serious. “Little Marvin was a symbol of our great Twin Cities. He was beloved by all. And mark my words, if I become mayor, I will not let his death be in vain. My opponent, our current mayor, did nothing to protect our city from the bloodthirsty predator that roams our streets. In fact, she wanted to host a festival celebrating this vicious killer! And while little Marvin was stolen from his bed and torn to pieces, what did our current mayor do? Why, she just sat back and did nothing. She may as well have given that bobcat a key to the city.”

  “That filthy liar,” Sophia spat.

  “Well, not on my watch,” Tommy continued. “If I am elected, I guarantee that never again will vicious wildlife be able to take the lives of our precious zoo animals. Or our pets, like my beloved Peaches. Rest in peace. And certainly not our children!” There was roaring applause. “There are many city council members here this evening, and I hope you’ll let them know that we’re counting on their support as we work to make this city safe again.”

  “So that’s why Marvin was stolen,” Evie said bitterly. “To help his campaign.”

  “Create a problem, blame it on your predecessor; it’s the oldest trick in the book,” Zach said.

  “Listen to everyone cheering for this garbage,” Sophia said.

  “Not for long, if we can help it,” Zach answered. “Let’s find Marvin and that briefcase so we can add a little surprise ending to Big Tommy’s party.”

  Vishal gave his friend a sideways glance. “What?” Zach asked.

  “Nothing,” Vishal answered.

  “It was that line, wasn’t it?” Zach said. “I thought it sounded cool. Didn’t it sound cool?”

  “Sure,” Vishal said noncommittally.

  Zach’s shoulders slumped. “It wasn’t cool, was it?”

  “Don’t worry; you’ll get there,” Vishal reassured him.

  “We’re looking for a silver briefcase and some kind of bag or small animal carrier,” Evie said. “Tommy was already in the room when we got down here, so it has to be close by. Spread out and look.”

  The group was just about to split up and search when Sophia felt a hand on her shoulder. “Sophia Elizabeth Boyd, what are you doing here?” Sophia looked up to see her parents, their expressions steely.

  “Evelyn and Zachary Mamuya, I’d like to ask you the same thing.” Evie and Zach cringed when they heard their mother’s voice.

  Vishal started to creep away when a hand grabbed the collar of his jacket. “Vishal Ramesh Desai, don’t think you’re going to slink away from this.”

  Vishal looked into his father’s brown eyes and tried to smile. “We can explain.”

  Next to him Mrs. Desai’s voice was ice. “Really? And what, pray tell, is your explanation for your presence at this event, to which you were most definitely not invited, and at which there are no other children?”

  The four kids shrugged and looked at one another. “School project,” they said in unison.

  Their parents were unmoved.

  “It’s for a civics unit,” Vishal said quickly. “Learning about how campaigns work and all that.” He scanned the room. “In fact, our chaperone is probably looking for us. We should go find him!” He tried to dart away, but his father held his collar in a death grip.

  “Wait a minute. Just what, exactly, are you doing here?” Sophia asked her parents. Her voice was hot and angry. “You know I’ve been working on the Wildlife Festival for months, and tonight you just stood there and applauded while Tommy Brown trashed it in front of everyone? You know what he’s been saying about B-17. He wants to kill her. How could you still support him?” She turned to look at the other parents. “How could any of you?” She burst into tears and ran away.

  The parents all stood, arms at their sides, stunned into silence. “Sophia, wait!” Evie and the boys ran after her.

  They found her at the rear of the boat, staring out into the black water. “Are you okay?” Evie asked softly.

  Sophia turned around. The tears were gone. “Oh, I’m fine. We just needed a way to get out of there, and Vishal certainly wasn’t going to be able to pull it off.”

  “You sly dog,” Evie said with a grin. “You are one heck of an actress, because I could have sworn you meant every word.”

  “Oh, I did,” Sophia said. “I’m furious; I’m never speaking to my parents again.” She pointed to the back staircase. “That’s where they came down after the meeting, right? So I’m guessing Marvin and the money must be stashed back here, where it’s quiet. That way if Marvin rustled around or made a bunch of noise or something, nobody would notice.”

  Zach crawled around on the deck on his hands and knees. “I don’t see anything yet, do you?”

  “Nothing over here,” Vishal called.

  “Keep looking,” Sophia said. She ran her hands along the sides of the boat, searching for a secret compartment. “It’s got to be here somewhere!”

  Just then the back door opened and Sergei strode onto the deck. “Gorilla man’s speech is almost over. Time to go.” He walked to the edge of the deck, and when he looked down, he let out a cry of rage. “Where is boat?” he shouted.

  “It should be right there,” the auctioneer said. “Isn’t it?”

  Sergei grabbed him by the neck and forced his head down over the water. “Do you see boat?”

  “I . . . I swear it was there when we left,” the auctioneer stammered. “I tied it up myself!” He realized what he said and tried to back out of Sergei’s grip. “I swear I tied it tightly. Somebody must have untied it. Or . . . or . . . look!” He pointed at the neatly tied knots that were still wrapped around the cleats, the ends cleanly severed. “Someone must have cut it loose!”

  Sergei let out a roar of rage. He whirled around and pointed at Zach. “You! Sailor boy! Did you see anyone cut loose this boat?”

  Zach froze in place. “Um . . . uh . . . n-n-no! I was, uh, working over on the, uh . . . the poop deck all night.”

  “A riverboat does not have a poop deck!” Sergei bellowed. He raised his fists and closed in on Zach. “You lie, sailor boy!”

  Mr. and Mrs. Boyd burst through the back door, followed closely by the Desais and Mrs. Mamuya. Sergei dropped his fists and stepped back.

  “Sophia!” Mareva cried. “Where have you been? You can’t just run off like that! We were worried sick!”

  “Why was she worried?” Evie whispered to Vishal. “We’re on a boat; it’s not like there’s anywhere she could go.” Vishal snickered.

  “I don’t know what you have to laugh about, young man,” Mrs. Desai said. “Unless you think being grounded for the rest of your life is funny.” Suddenly she stopped and looked at Sergei and his henchmen, who were still standing menacingly over Zach. “Who are these men?”

  Sergei jabbed a finger into Zach’s face. “This sailor boy has cut ropes that hold my boat! Then he tells l
ies and cowers like dog! And now I will smash him like bug.”

  “Excuse me,” Mrs. Mamuya said, stepping between Sergei and the children. “You’re not smashing anyone, and certainly not my son.” She set her jaw and held out her arms protectively. “Now kindly step away from the children and go back to your business.”

  The Russian turned on Mrs. Mamuya and jabbed his finger in her face. “Nobody tells Sergei what to do!”

  “Uh-oh,” Vishal whispered. “Did he just refer to himself in the third person? That can’t be a good sign.”

  “Well, if Sergei is threatening to harm children, you better believe I’m telling Sergei what to do!” Mrs. Mamuya shot back. She stepped forward until they were eye to eye.

  Vishal covered his mouth with his hand. “Whoa, Evie, your mom is mad fierce!”

  Mr. Desai clapped sharply. “Vishal! Stop gaping and come over here this instant!”

  The auctioneer grabbed Mrs. Mamuya’s arm. “Ma’am, trust me, it’s better if you let this go.”

  Mrs. Mamuya whirled at him, surprised. She shook her arm out of his grasp. “Don’t touch me!”

  “Sophia, what on earth is going on here?” Dashiell cried.

  Sophia put her hands over her ears, closed her eyes, and let out the longest, loudest scream she had ever made in her life. “Why can’t everyone just leave me alooooooooone?!” She yanked open the door, winked at Evie, and ran inside.

  “Sophia!” Evie shouted. “Wait! We can work this out!” The twins and Vishal tore down the hallway after Sophia, the adults at their heels.

  They burst back into the party, where Tommy was winding down his speech. His fleshy red cheeks glowed like two suns, and he had unbuttoned his collar and loosened his tie. As Sophia and her friends ran to the stage, they bumped into a familiar figure.

  “Detective Bermudez!” Zach cried. “What are you doing here?”

  “Extra security detail for the fund-raiser tonight,” the detective said. “What about you? Is everything okay?” He looked at the stampede of angry adults behind them. “I’m guessing not. Wanna fill me in?”