The Cat's Paw Read online

  “Okay, don’t panic,” Vishal said quietly. “We just need to find a place to hide.”

  “Don’t panic?!” Zach whispered fiercely. “How am I not supposed to panic?! That guy has an eyepatch! That’s, like, Villains 101!” He ducked down and peeked over the edge of the boat. “They’re gonna be here any second, and Eyepatch Guy is gonna make shark bait out of us!”

  “Zach, this is the Mississippi River. There aren’t any sharks,” Sophia said. “Besides, I already spotted the perfect place for us to hide.”

  CHAPTER

  26

  Sophia led the others over to the dinghy hooked to the back of the boat. “Quick! Climb in before they see us!” she instructed. They crammed in and pulled the tarp over themselves just before the smugglers reached the boat. Eyepatch Guy untied the moorings and climbed into the captain’s chair while the others disappeared into the hold below. The thrum of the engine grew louder as the boat pulled out of the slip and picked up speed.

  “Okay, we can assume that Eyepatch Guy is definitely Sergei, since he’s driving the boat,” Vishal said, the roar of the engine keeping his voice from carrying too far. “But who are the others? And where are they from? I wish it weren’t so dark under here so that we could check out that captain’s license.”

  “I’m sorry that the conditions of our hiding spot don’t meet your needs,” Zach whispered sarcastically. “Isn’t anyone else worried about where we’re going or how to get out of here? We can’t stay here forever, you know. What if we have to pee?” He grimaced. “Oh, great. Now that I said that, I have to pee.”

  “Every boat has to stop eventually, right?” Vishal said. “We’ll just wait until the boat ties up for gas or something, and then sneak off.” He lowered his voice. “And if you really have to go, just pee in your pants. I won’t tell.”

  “Perfect,” Zach muttered. “We’ll all just stay under here peeing our pants until we get to New Orleans or wherever. Great plan, Vish.”

  “Wait a minute,” Evie said. “We’re in a dinghy, right? Why don’t we just wait until they’re asleep, cut the ropes and let the dingy drop into the water? They’ll keep going, and it will be hours before they realize anything is wrong. In the meantime, we’ll have Marvin.” She felt around the tiny dinghy. “Where is Marvin, anyway?”

  “I had to leave his carrier on deck,” Sophia whispered back. Her voice was heavy with regret. “If they had seen he was missing, they would have searched the boat and we’d all be caught for sure.”

  Evie squeezed her friend gently. “Got it. Okay, we can regroup. Don’t worry. We’ll figure out how to get him back and find a way off this boat. No problem.” Evie tried to sound calm and reassured. Inwardly, though, her heart was sinking. She had no idea where they were headed or when they might stop. She wished she knew anything at all about boats, but the only experience she could remember was riding the Staten Island Ferry on a family trip to New York City.

  Beside her, Zach sighed quietly. “I wish Detective Bermudez were here. I should have called him when we had the chance.”

  Evie nudged him. “Zach, of course! That’s it! Your phone! Take it out and call him now!”

  Zach’s voice was barely a whisper. “I can’t. I lost it.”

  “You lost it? When?”

  “I don’t know, but I think I dropped it when I was pretending to look for my retainer.”

  Evie briefly closed her eyes and struggled to maintain her composure. After a moment, she spoke. “Does anyone else have Bermudez’s number?”

  Vishal sounded equally despondent. “My phone is dead.”

  “Dead? How?” Evie asked.

  “I forgot to charge it,” Vishal admitted.

  Evie felt a headache coming on. “Sophia?” she asked.

  “I didn’t bring mine,” Sophia answered.

  “You didn’t bring yours?” Evie repeated. “Sophia, you’re practically glued to your phone. How did you not bring it?”

  “I was undercover, remember?” Sophia said. “Sophia Boyd always has her phone, but Penelope Boodakian hates technology.”

  “And who is Penelope Boo—” Evie struggled to complete the last name.

  “Boodakian.”

  “Right. Who is Penelope Boodakian, exactly?”

  Sophia straightened the red wig she still wore and adjusted the rhinestone-studded glasses. “She was my undercover character. I made a whole backstory for her. Ask me anything about her.”

  “Really? Anything?” Vishal asked, intrigued. “Okay, how about—”

  “Nope,” Evie said. “Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Nobody is going to ask anything about Penelope Boo—whatever it is.”

  “Boodakian,” Sophia corrected. “I named her after my tennis coach.”

  “Your real tennis coach, or Penelope’s tennis coach?” Vishal asked.

  “My real tennis coach,” Sophia said. “He’s really nice.”

  “If you two don’t stop, I’m going to hurl you both into the water,” Evie warned as she reached into her pocket. “Apparently I’m the only one with any sense in this entire boat,” she hissed. “Seriously, we go undercover to track a group of dangerous animal smugglers and not one of you thinks to make sure you have a working phone?” She unlocked her phone with an angry slash. “Ugh. Of course there’s no signal under here! Whatever. You don’t need a signal to call 911. What’s the name of the boat again?” She squirmed partially out from under the tarp and peeked down over the edge of the dinghy to read it. “Got it! The Purloined Letter.” She quickly dialed the emergency number.

  “Nine-one-one. Please state your emergency.” Evie smirked at the others and held up the phone in triumph. She was just about to speak when the phone slipped from her hands and splashed into the river below. She watched the screen’s faint glow fade into the murk as the phone sank and disappeared from view.

  Nobody said anything for a while.

  Finally, Zach’s harsh whisper cut through the tense silence of the dinghy. “You guys, I still have to pee.”

  ***

  No one spoke again until the boat’s engine slowed and cut out. They could hear the men moving around the boat, calling to one another and tossing ropes. One of the kidnappers passed right by the dinghy, and the kids froze. “I tell you, if the gorilla gives me any trouble tonight, deal is off,” the man called out in a heavy Russian accent. “This animal is not like the others. It has caused us nothing but trouble!” The other men grunted in agreement, and the voices faded as the men walked away.

  Sophia gasped. “Oh, no! They have a gorilla?”

  “Don’t worry,” Evie said. “We’ll find a way to save it, too.”

  Off to one side they could hear another sound. The low, slow drone of an engine, and something else. It sounded like music, and people talking. A woman’s loud laugh carried across the water.

  “Is that a . . . party?” Sophia whispered. She lifted a tiny corner of the tarp and peered out before ducking her head back under. “It is! We’re tied up to one of those party riverboats that people rent out for cruises. There’s some kind of banner hanging off of it, but I can’t read what it says. It looks like three of the guys are climbing up the ladder onto the other boat, but I’m not sure where Sergei is.”

  “Who?” Zach asked.

  “Eyepatch Guy.”

  “Right.”

  “Listen, this is our chance to grab Marvin and escape,” Vishal whispered. “We need to get ready so we can make our move after Sergei’s gone. Does everyone have everything?”

  “Wait a minute, escape to where?” Zach asked.

  “Onto the party boat,” Vishal answered. “We can find the captain and call for help.”

  “Um, but didn’t Sophia say the bad guys are going onto the party boat?” Zach asked. “I’m pretty sure when people are escaping, they try to escape away from the bad guys.”

  “Look, there are a ton of people on that boat. We can blend in, and the bad guys won’t even know we’re there,” Vishal said.

/>   “Yeah, in case you haven’t noticed, Evie and I are wearing tap-dancing costumes, and Sophia looks like she wandered out of someone’s fever dream.” Zach eyed Vishal critically. “But I guess you might be able to pass if the party happens to be a convention of child accountants.”

  “Fine. We’ll just hop on the boat and duck into a side room before somebody sees us. Then we’ll find the captain and call the cops.”

  “Have you considered the other boat’s captain might be in on it? It’s not like these guys tied up to the party boat in secret,” Zach answered. “For all we know, that’s a party boat filled with bad guys, and then instead of hiding from four bad guys, now we have to hide from a hundred of them.”

  “So you’re saying it’s a bad-guy party boat,” Vishal said skeptically.

  “What I’m saying is that we can’t take that risk. We’re still trapped.”

  “There is another idea,” Evie said. The others looked at her. “We get Marvin, unhook the dinghy, and take off while they’re gone.”

  “Evie, none of us knows anything about boats,” Zach said.

  “I do,” Sophia said suddenly. “We have a boat at our lake house. My parents let me drive it all the time.”

  “But we don’t know where we are,” Zach said. “How are we going to know where to go?”

  “We just steer toward any lights we see on the shoreline. With a small craft like this we don’t have to worry about running aground. Where there are lights, there are people, right? We’ll just follow the lights and go ashore for help.”

  The twins and Vishal nodded slowly. “I think this could work,” Zach said. “Okay, so we wait until Sergei’s off the boat, then we grab Marvin, and under the cover of darkness we untie the dinghy and escape.” A smile broke out on his face. “I like it. No bad guys. It’s the perfect plan!”

  The sound of footsteps moved across the deck, and the four kids held their breaths until the footsteps passed. A few moments later they heard Sergei climbing up the ladder. Sophia peeked out from the tarp and saw him disappearing into the boat’s cabin with a metal briefcase in his hand. “Oh, a metal briefcase,” she whispered. “I’ll bet anything there’s money in there. But for who?”

  “No time to worry about that,” Zach said. “Let’s grab the carrier and get out of here before he comes back.” He and the others slithered onto the deck. Vishal padded over to Marvin’s carrier, but when he got there he stopped in his tracks.

  “Come on, Vish!” Zach hissed. “Grab Marvin and let’s move!”

  “I can’t,” Vishal said.

  CHAPTER

  27

  “Why not? His carrier’s right there.”

  Vishal swallowed thickly. “His carrier might be here, but Marvin’s gone.”

  The kids crowded around the empty carrier. “They must have taken him with them when they boarded the party boat,” Sophia whispered. “Why didn’t I listen to Zach before? We should have just grabbed the carrier and taken off when we first found him. Marvin needed me, and I let him down.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. “What was I thinking?”

  “You were thinking about the other animals that could be in danger,” Evie said. “If I were an animal, I sure would feel lucky to have you on my side.”

  “Really?” Sophia asked.

  “Are you kidding?” Evie asked quietly. “Sophia, you’re amazing! We never would have gotten this far without you.”

  “And besides, you heard the kidnappers. They were talking about a gorilla! You were totally right to keep looking,” Zach added.

  “Thanks,” Sophia said, wiping her eyes.

  “Don’t worry,” Vishal said. “We got your back. That’s what friends do, okay? We’re all gonna get home safe, including Marvin and the gorilla.”

  “Definitely,” Evie said. She peered across the dark water. “I’m still not sure where we are, exactly, but I’m glad we’re all here together, at least.”

  “Me too,” Zach said. “Cool. I’m psyched we’re doing this. Everything’s fine and super-great.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his sailor pants. “So, what are we supposed to do now?”

  “We follow them,” Vishal answered. He leaped onto the rope ladder and started climbing.

  Zach grabbed his arm. “Vish, wait! We don’t know what we’re getting into. Boarding that riverboat is too big a risk!”

  “It’s a risk we have to take,” Vishal said. “We’re here to rescue Marvin. And one way or another, we’re gonna rescue him. Come on, Penelope!” He continued up the ladder, and Sophia followed.

  Evie climbed up onto the deck of the riverboat with Vishal and Sophia. Zach bit his lip in indecision for a moment before clambering up after them.

  The rear deck was empty, but it was set up for dining. Large, round tables, each covered in a white tablecloth, still bore the remnants of an earlier dinner. Most of the plates had been cleared, but a few china dessert plates remained along with half-empty glasses.

  “Chip chip and cheerio, mates, shall we search the boat, then?” Sophia asked.

  “Why are you talking like that?” Evie asked.

  “I’m undercover again,” Sophia explained. “Penelope has an Armenian father and a British mother. She grew up in London. Do you want to know what her favorite food is?”

  “No,” Evie answered. “Listen, Marvin’s kidnappers must be on this boat to meet someone. Maybe even more than one person. And unless this really is a bad-guy party boat, they probably won’t want to meet in public. Be on the lookout for any closed cabin doors, tucked-away spots, anywhere someone could have a secret meeting.”

  “What if they finish the meeting and get away before we find them?” Zach asked.

  “I’ll take care of that,” Vishal answered. He pulled a pocketknife out of his jacket and started sawing on the ropes that moored the Purloined Letter to the riverboat.

  “Wait a minute, you’ve had a pocketknife the whole time and you didn’t tell us?” Zach asked in a hurt voice.

  “Why would I tell you that I had a pocketknife?” Vishal asked.

  “I don’t know; we might have needed one.”

  “Well if we’d needed a knife, I would have told you that I had one.” Vishal finished cutting through the first rope. “You know, like I did just now.”

  “Well, still,” Zach said. “Maybe if I’d known you had a pocketknife with you earlier, I could have used it to come up with a plan.”

  “Really, Zach? What would the plan have been? Take the kidnappers out one by one like a commando?” Vishal cut through the second line, and the Purloined Letter slowly began to drift away down the river.

  “Gross! No,” Zach said. “Just, you know, in case we had to unlock something, or the bad guys put us in a bag and threw us into the river and we had to cut our way out.”

  “So, like, if we were Houdini?” Vishal folded his knife and put it back into his pocket.

  Zach threw up his hands. “Look, all I’m saying is, you know, maybe next time we’re in a situation like this and you have a valuable resource like a pocketknife, you could remember to tell the other people on your team.”

  “You got it, dude,” Vishal said, patting his friend on the back. “The next time we’re trapped on a boat with animal smugglers, I promise I will tell you right away if I have my pocketknife.”

  The sounds of the party grew louder as a door opened. “Someone’s coming!” Evie whispered. “Hide!” They dropped to the deck and crawled under one of the cloth-covered dining tables.

  “Man, I hate working these stupid fund-raisers,” a male voice said. “Nobody ever tips.” Glasses clinked as someone loaded them onto a tray.

  “Tell me about it,” a female voice answered. “But at least it beats those college graduation cruises. I’ve cleaned up enough puke on those things to last a lifetime!” Underneath the table Sophia made a disgusted face. The servers disappeared back inside, and the door to the party closed again.

  Evie popped back up. “Okay, let’s go!” She pointed a
t a set of stairs. “We’ll start upstairs. More private space up there where they could be meeting.” They hurried up the stairs and paused in the narrow hallway at the top. “Listen at the doors, but don’t open any of them. We don’t want the smugglers to know we’re looking for them.” Three of the detectives started down the hallway, but a fourth lingered behind.

  “Dude, let’s go! What are you waiting for?” Vishal whispered.

  “There’s a bathroom right here, and I still really have to pee,” Zach whispered back.

  “Fine. We’ll wait for you outside the door.”

  “No, that’s okay, just keep going,” Zach said, shooing Vishal back down the hall.

  “I don’t think we should split up. I’ll just call the girls back and we’ll wait right here outside the door.”

  “Seriously, Vish. It’s no big deal. I’ll catch up in a sec, okay?”

  “Not okay,” Vishal answered. “What’s the problem?”

  Zach lowered his voice. “Come on, man. You know I’m a shy pee-er. If I think the girls can hear me, I won’t be able to go.”

  “Dude, you and Evie share a bathroom. She’s heard you pee like a million times.”

  “Yeah, but this is different. Sophia’s here.”

  Vishal’s eyes widened. “Oh, my god, do you like Sophia?”

  Zach rolled his eyes. “No! Jeez, I don’t have to like someone to want a little privacy.” He pushed Vishal gently down the hall. “Look, I’m about to burst here, so just keep going, and try to stay out of sight. I’ll catch up to you in a sec.”

  Vishal joined the girls, and Zach shut himself in the bathroom. “Finally,” he groaned. “Whoo! That was a close call.” He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, certain that he had never peed so much in his entire life. The smooth surface of the wall felt cool against his cheek, and he let out a deep sigh of sweet relief. He could hear murmuring through the wall, and a man’s laughter. The party must have carried upstairs.