by Bill Doyle
Write before you leap, Mal. This time my dad’s advice might do more good than he ever intended.
I slid the paper with the message I’d written under door #1 and waited. Nothing happened.
I wrote something else on a new page and slipped that through the cracks as well.
Still nothing.
I was writing my third message, when I heard a bolt slide back.
Ah… someone had taken the bait!
I quickly stashed my journal in my backpack. The door opened, and Mr. Tall Guy stood there. He was holding my two notes in his hand. They read:
“Where’d she go?” he demanded, hovering over me. His radio crackled from its holster on his belt.
Pointing to door #2, I stammered, “She managed to pick the lock on that door. And then she left me here!”
“That’s impossible!” Mr. Tall Guy said, and strode toward door #2. I followed closely behind. Just as he approached the door, he unsnapped his walkie-talkie radio and brought it up toward his ear.
Placing my hands on his back, I gave him a push. At the exact instant he fell forward, Jackie reached down like a monkey swinging from a tree grabbing for a banana.
Only instead of a piece of fruit, she plucked the walkie-talkie out of Mr. Tall Guy’s hands. She dropped to the floor and rushed out the door. The whoosh of air caused the door to start closing.
I was right on her heels when I felt Mr. Tall Guy’s hand grab my jacket and yank me back. Jackie was a few feet outside the door—when she noticed it was about to shut. She moved back toward me, but I knew she’d never make it in time.
I would be locked in here with Mr. Tall Guy!
NO!
I pulled with all my might away from Mr. Tall Guy. The fabric of my denim jacket tore. As it did, Mr. Tall Guy lost his balance and fell.
I drove and my hand made it through the crack just before the door clicked shut. I tumbled out and slammed it behind me. Almost immediately, there were dull thuds as Mr. Tall Guy started pounding on the other side. Without a keyhole, he wouldn’t be able to unlock the door and without his radio, he couldn’t call for help.
We were out!
Jackie turned off the walkie-talkie and tossed it in a nearby trash bin. We crouched against the wall to catch our breath.
“Good job, Mal!” Jackie said. “Just like a real Venus flytrap, you used a false message to trap your prey!”
“We’re a good team,” I told her.
She said, “If only we had the camera, we could show the world what they’re up to here!”
“Why do we need the camera…” I reached into my pocket and held out my hand to her, “when we have the film!”
She stared down at roll of film in my hand. “But how…?” she asked. “They took the camera away!”
I explained to her that my great uncle G. Codd had taught me a few tricks when I was little. I had used sleight of hand to sneak the film out of the camera before Mr. Newkirk could swipe it.
We had the evidence that we’d come for. We had photographic proof that country Girl kitchen was using DDT.
“But what about Teddy?” Jackie said. “He could be in serious danger!”
“You get that film out of here, and I’ll find Teddy,” I said. “You can duck out the way we came in. Then run as fast as you can back to campus.”
“No I want— ” Jackie started to protest.
I held up a hand, interrupting her. “Once they see we’re not in that room, they’ll start searching for us. There’s no time to argue. This is a good plan.”
She nodded. But we didn’t move for a second.
“Listen…,” Jackie muttered, and then looked away.
“I know,” I said. “I feel the same way.”
Jackie looked me in the eye and gave me a little smile. Then she headed toward the outside—and I walked into the unknown.
11:15 PM
Tracking a person or an animal on concrete is tricky but not impossible. I went to the spot where we had seen Teddy through the window and picked up his trial there. His paw prints made the tiniest depression in the dirty floor of the factory. It’s good to think of the floor as kind of a giant marshmallow. Everything is going to leave an impression of some kind.
The prints looked like this:
I followed them down the hallway where I’d seen Teddy disappear earlier. It led to an open steel door, which was open just a crack. Turning sideways, I inched inside.
The smell hit me first—my nose filled with the odor of a poorly run kennel. The scent of fear and animal waste slammed against me and almost pushed me back out the door. But what I saw much worse.
The room was something out of my nightmares. Where WFL HQ had samples from nature, they were all treated with dignity and had a scientific purpose. But in this chamber of horrors, pelts were heaped carelessly on one shelf, teeth and claws had been tossed into a bin, and antlers had been stacked in the corner.
Most horrible of all was the near wall where about 25 cages were stacked on top of one another. Each was large enough to hold a small puppy. I couldn’t see inside them from here. But from the smell and sounds of scurrying, I knew they contained live animals.
Instinctively, I took a step toward the cages to help—
And just at that moment, I heard Mr. Newkirk talking to someone. He was in the room! Luckily, he must have been behind the tall bookshelf. Quickly and silently, I ducked behind a file cabinet in a corner near the door and tried to listen.
Mr. Newkirk was saying, “These animals will sell for very high prices to people who want exotic pets.”
Who was with Mr. Newkirk? I wondered. And instantly the name Bev Prokos popped into my head. She must be involved, I thought. She was the last person I’d seen with Teddy, and she was the one who discouraged us from investigating in the wilderness. Not to mention, she was one of the nastiest people I’d ever met.
Footsteps sounded as Mr. Newkirk and his companion walked closer to me. I dared a quick peek over the top of the file cabinet, fully expecting to see Bev Prokos standing there with Mr. Newkirk.
That’s why I was so surprised when I discovered…
Conrad Rusher.
No! My mind screamed. It can’t be you!
Conrad stood chatting with Mr. Newkirk. He had snipped his long hair into a crew cut, and he wore a tie. He looked like a businessman. Holding a clipboard, he made checks on a list, as if making an inventory of all the wildlife objects and animals in the room.
Everyone—president Roust, Bev Prokos—they’d all been right about Conrad. He was a criminal.
If I hadn’t been so frozen with shock, I might have moved and given myself away. As it was, I remained crouched behind the cabinet and watched.
Mr. Newkirk seemed nervous. “Listen,” he said to Conrad. “I’m still not sure if it’s a good idea for us to work together—”
Conrad suddenly wheeled on him. “No, YOU listen to ME!” His voice cut through the air like a blade. “You have no choice. You’re the one I caught using DDT.”
“No one can prove that I was using anything,” said Mr. Newkirk in a sing-songy tone.
Conrad said angrily, “We’ve been through all this!”
“People wouldn’t believe YOU.” Mr. Newkirk pointed a bony finger at him.
“Don’t be so sure, Mr. Newkirk. If I keep yelling my head off long enough, they’ll listen. They’ll run the same tests that I did and see what you’ve been doing to the environment.”
“Okay, okay,” Mr. Newkirk whined, holding up his hands. “It’s not like I’m a bad person. DDT is just a cheap way for me to kill the insects on our crops.”
“Well, now you have to pay the price,” Conrad told him. “And that means working with me. Since I’ve been fired from the school, I need a new way to get into the wilderness. I want to keep making money by selling what I find in there. Your farms are the perfect way for me to sneak in without anyone knowing.”
Like a selfish kid, Mr. Newkirk asked, “And what do I get?”
“As I told you,” Conrad said, “I don’t turn you in for using DDT near endangered animals. The bad press would shut your company down in a flash.”
Mr. Newkirk gestured to the wall of cages. “But why do we need you here? My men have already collected all these animals WITHOUT your help. We sneak out about twenty animals each week on our delivery trucks—”
Conrad interrupted him. “I know the wilderness better than anyone. I can fill these cages in a day. You send out twenty animals each week? How about forty?”
“Forty?” Mr. Newkirk’s eyes flashed with greed.
Conrad continued, “I can get you furs of endangered species or pelts of rare animals—more than you’re ever imagined. The wilderness is like an open treasure chest. I can just take whatever we want.”
Mr. Newkirk asked, “But how do I know I can trust you?
“Ask anyone,” said Conrad, shrugging. “I’m the teacher who was fired for stealing and selling animals from the wilderness. We’re in the same business. Why not work together?”
Mr. Newkirk thought this over for a moment and then let out a long sigh. “All right,” he said, seeming convinced. “What do you need from me now?”
“I want a full list of everything in this room and all the DDT before it’s taken out of the factory tonight.”
“Why?” Mr. Newkirk asked, growing nervous again.
“Because I’m not sure if I can trust YOU,” Conrad said with a cold smile. “I don’t want you to sneak anything past me. From now on, I get a piece of everything.”
This seemed to be language Mr. Newkirk understood, and he nodded.
Conrad headed toward the door, pointing to a small, completely enclosed wooden box. “Instruct your men to get the mountain lion kitten into that crate. Carefully. He is very valuable.”
TEDDY!
“Fine—” Mr. Newkirk started. But Conrad had already stormed out, and Mr. Newkirk scampered after him.
With them gone, I allowed myself to take in a lungful of air. I was having a tough time seeing and realized that I had tears streaming down my face.
I had to get a grip. I could deal with Conrad’s betrayal later. Right now I knew one thing: Teddy was in here somewhere. And I had to get him out before they shipped him off. I crept from behind the cabinet and went to the wall of cages.
“Teddy,” I whispered. “Teddy!”
There were cages stacked upon cages. Tiny little eyes gazed out at me desperately. Cages rattled as some animals tried to get out.
Then I heard the familiar mewing and felt the fear around my heart loosen. There he was! He was in a cage that would be too bulky for me to carry.
I opened the front of the cage. Teddy retreated to the back.
“It’s me,” I said. “Come on!”
He cocked his head at the sound of my voice. I held out my hands—
And he bounded into them. I held Teddy close. He nuzzled up against my chest.
I had to get us out of here. But how was I going to get us out of the factory undetected?
I decided to take advantage of a lesson I’d learned at my old school.
I SET THE RACCOONS LOOSE!
October 25, 1969
12:05 am
Chaos.
That’s the people perfect word to describe what I heard taking place on the factory floor. I was still inside the nightmarish room, forcing myself to wait just five more seconds…
Outside, the army of five raccoons I had just released raced around the floor, causing shouts of confusion and panic. I could hear Mr. Newkirk screaming high-pitched commands at Mr. Yellow Tie. “Get those animals back in their cages!”
I had wanted to free all the animals. But I was worried they would fight with each other—or get hopelessly lost in the factory. The raccoons were clever, and they were doing exactly what I’d hoped.
It was just the kind of distraction a kid with a mountain lion kitten tucked inside his jacket needs to escape from a factory.
Mr. Yellow Tie and Mr. Newkirk were still shouting at each other.
But I wasn’t listening anymore. I’d had enough of this place. With Teddy tucked under one arm like a furry football, I followed the EXIT signs and ran at a full sprint straight for the front door. No more messing around. I would scream my head off if anybody got near me.
“Hey—!” I heard a voice cry. It sounded like Conrad. But I wasn’t stopping.
My legs pumped, and I closed the gap between me and the door—and slammed into the release bar. The door jerked back with such force I thought it might fly off its hinges, and then it slammed closed behind me.
I ran for a few steps more into the now-dark parking lot.
I was out! We were free—
Light exploded all around me.
“Freeze!” someone shouted.
My feet ground to a halt. I raised my free hand against the bright light and could see it was coming from the headlights of three cars.
“Turn off those lights!” A voice commanded. The lights went out, and the first person I saw was Bev Prokos. She stood in front of one of the cars, looking grim. So she WAS involved, I thought.
Then judge was rushing toward me. “It’s okay! I know him!” she shouted, waving to six policemen who stood near the cars. “You men had better get in that factory,” she told them, and suddenly the cops were tearing by us in a blur of blue uniforms and jangling handcuffs.
“Mal,” Judge said into my ear. “I told you to stay at school!”
WHAT? WHAT WAS HAPPENING?
In my panicked state, I started blurting out everything I knew. “Country Girl kitchen is killing animals in the wilderness with the DDT they spray on their crops—and they’re selling wild animals, too!”
Judge pointed to the backseat of a car, which I recognized as hers. Moonbeam and Harvey were there. They looked relieved to see me and waved. Judge gestured that they should stay put and turned back to me. “Your friends told me everything,” she said. “But I was already on my way.”
Before I could ask why, I thought of Jackie. Why wasn’t she in the backseat with the other? “Jackie… have you seen her? She left here with the film—”
“No one has left the factory,” Judge said. I started moving away. I had to find Jackie! “wait, Mal, I to have so much to tell you—”
But I didn’t want to wait. My friend could be in danger. “where is she?” I shouted and ran toward the factory.
Just as I approached, the doors to the factory opened, and people started to come out. The emerging figures were backlit by the inside Lights, so it was hard to make out their features.
Mr. Newkirk was first. He had been handcuffed and was being led out by a policeman. Behind them were Mr. Yellow Tie and Mr. Tall Guy—both cuffed.
Finally, I watched Conrad walk through the door. I couldn’t see his face, but I recognized his walk. There were two guards on either side, and my old teacher moved awkwardly as if his hands were cuffed in front of him.
The sense of betrayal I felt was so strong, I felt my knees start to quiver. I put a hand on Teddy’s head, move to comfort my self than him.
As Conrad got closer, I could see that someone was actually walking in front of him. His hands weren’t cuffed but resting on a person’s shoulders. A person with long brown hair.
Jackie!
“Get away from him, Jackie!” I shouted. “Run!”
Jackie’s head swiveled toward me, and she rushed over. She reached me just as Judge arrived.
“It’s okay, Mal” they both said at the same time.
Then Conrad walked over. “Hey, man,” and clapped me on the back.
This was too much. He was a bad guy!
Judge grabbed my arms and turned me toward her. “Listen to me, Mal. Conrad is not the villain. I know those dead animals in his lab were for scientific study, not personal gain. And someone planted that bear-claw necklace in Conrad’s desk to get him fired. I thought it was President Roust. That’s why I was sneaking around his office. But
I was wrong.”
Suddenly, I remembered the first day of the field trip and how Kyle’s jacket had been torn. The piece of cloth on the brambles outside of WFL HQ must have come from his jacket. He was probably creeping around WFL HQ just before we left on the trip, planting the bear claw necklace. Then I remembered something Kyle had said: “I have a lot to make up for …”
“I think it was my roommate. I think it was Kyle,” I said, my brain fuzzy from all the action. “He wanted to get rid of Conrad.”
“Okay, I’ll look into it,” Judge said. “But there’s so much more to tell.” She glanced at Conrad and indicated he should start talking.
“Mal,” Conrad said. “Once I got the boot from school, the police wouldn’t listen to me about what was happening in the Wilderness. They thought I was a criminal. I was desperate and mailed you that letter to use WLF HQ. After I sent it, I realized that now was the perfect time for me to go undercover. Even Mr. Newkirk thought I was a bad guy.”
Judge said, “Mal, that’s when you asked me to track down Conrad. I did as you asked.”
Conrad nodded. “Judge Pinkerton and I came up with a plan. I’d work here at the factory and find out what they were really up to. Form the inside, I could get a list of everything they had before they had a chance to hide it.”
“I agreed to have the police have tonight,” Judge told me.
I still felt bewildered. “Why didn’t you tell earlier, Judge?”
Her eyes met mine. “I promised your parents I would watch out for you. I couldn’t involve you in a dangerous mystery. I was going to tell you everything tomorrow. I’m sorry, Mal.”
I knew Judge didn’t like keeping things from me. I nodded and said, “That’s okay, Judge.”
Car doors slammed, and I saw that the police had tucked Mr. Newkirk and the two guards into their squad cars.
I turned to Jackie. “And what happened to you? Why were you in the factory for so long?”
