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PROLOGUE
It was a dark and stormy night. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled as sheets of rain fell on the Victorian mansion nestled high in the hills overlooking Greendale. Suddenly, a misshapen figure burst through the mansion’s main entrance from the inside, literally knocking the door off its hinges. A flash of lightning revealed gray fur, red eyes, and a row of sharp teeth. The figure looked around itself, as if getting its bearings, then shambled off in the direction of the small town.
Moments later, two men appeared in the gaping doorway. One tall, almost emaciated, with a shock of white hair atop his head; the other shorter, rounder, and bald. Both wore white lab coats. The smaller man shone a flashlight around. “There’s no sign of him, Herr Doctor,” he reported, speaking with a thick German accent.
“What happened?”
“Obviously the subject is stronger than we thought,” the bald man replied, indicating the smashed door. “His restraints were torn to bits.”
“Hm ... well, we won’t find him in this weather. You can look for him tomorrow. Find something to block up this door,” the tall man instructed, heading back inside the house.
“Yes, Herr Doctor.” The bald man was already trying to lever the door shut, as the storm continued to rage.
CHAPTER 1
Jeeps, that was some thunderstorm last night, Toby Robin O’Keefe thought as she rode her bicycle through the puddle-filled streets of Greendale toward Terry Blair’s house. Good thing it’s cleared off now. It’s bad enough having to get up early on a Saturday for a BlueJays meeting; I’d hate to get soaked, too.
She reached the Blair residence, parked her bike, and rang the doorbell. Terry opened the door moments later. “Are you ready to go?” Toby greeted her best friend.
“Just a minute,” Terry replied. “I gotta get the money from Denny. Mom ‘n’ Dad won’t be back from Dad’s convention until tonight, so they left it with him.”
Sometimes, very rarely, but sometimes, the Blair and O’Keefe parents allowed their daughters to buy their breakfast at Alderman’s Bakery. Today was such a day. Toby could already taste one of their world-famous sweet rolls, slathered with strawberry preserves, served piping hot from the oven ...
She followed Terry into the house and down the hall to Dennis’ room. Terry was about to knock on the door when Toby stopped her. “He’s not still sleeping, is he?”
Terry shrugged. “Probably. He likes to sleep late on weekends.”
“Well ... maybe we better not wake him up.”
“Why not?”
“’Cause last time we did, he threw a shoe at us!”
“He was just in a bad mood, that was all. Besides, he missed.”
Before Toby could say anything else, Terry rapped on her brother’s door. No answer. She knocked again, harder. A faint voice came from inside. “Go away!”
“Denny? It’s Terry!”
“Terry who?”
Terry started getting exasperated. “Terry, your sister!”
“I don’t have a sister. Go away!”
“Denny, c’mon. I need my breakfast money!”
“Start a lemonade stand or something. Just leave me alone!”
Terry opened the door and stepped inside, Toby right behind her. From the light peeking in through the curtains, they could just make out a blanket-covered lump on the bed. “Dennis,” Terry addressed the lump, “I need the money, and I’m not leaving until I get it.”
“I’m having a nightmare, aren’t I?” the lump answered.
“Where’s the money?”
The blankets stirred, and a hand emerged, pointing at the nightstand, where Dennis’ wallet lay. “About time,” Terry grumped, picking up the wallet and extracting a few bills.
“Don’t take too much, or I’ll sit on your neck,” the lump threatened.
“One more thing,” Terry said. “Since you’ve made us late, I’m sure you won’t mind driving us to the bakery, and then to our meeting –“
The girls fled the bedroom, closely pursued by an airborne sneaker.
After their adventure in Dennis’ bedroom, the bike ride to the bakery was tame by comparison – until they saw Mr. Alderman out front, sweeping up glass from a broken window.
“Jeeps, Mr. Alderman,” Toby exclaimed, hopping off her bike. “What happened?”
“Good morning, Toby, Terry,” the bakery owner greeted his longtime customers. “I’m afraid things are a bit of a mess this morning. Someone broke in last night.”
“Jeeps!” Terry said. “A break-in! Have you called the police?”
“They left just before you got here,” Mr. Alderman replied.
“What was stolen?” Toby asked.
“Nothing, so far as I can tell.”
The girls exchanged glances. A break-in, without anything stolen? That was a new one on them.
“Whoever it was, they made a real mess,” the bakery owner continued. “There’s fruit and flour and stuff scattered all over, but, so far as I can tell, nothing was stolen and, other than the window here, nothing was broken.”
“Do you mind if we look around inside?” Toby asked.
Mr. Alderman thought for a few seconds, then shrugged his shoulders. “Couldn’t hurt, I guess. Go ahead. Just be careful, okay? I’d hate to see you mess up your outfits.”
Toby scanned the interior of the bakery from the front door. A mixture of flour, banana peels, strawberries, blueberries, and other assorted ingredients covered the floor, but the display cases and cash register were intact.
“We’d better get going, Toby. I don’t want to be late,” Terry prompted.
Not wanting to risk Mrs. Schneider’s ire, Toby reluctantly turned away from the bakery and climbed back aboard her bike. She was following Terry out of the parking lot when the other girl skidded to a stop. “Jeeps, Terry, what’s going on? I nearly ran right over you!”
“Toby – look at that!” Terry said, pointing at the ground. There lay a flattened banana, which had been shaped into a footprint.
“Good eyes, Terr! Whoever broke into Alderman’s must have dropped it and stepped on it.”
“Yeah, but ... why would the robber be barefoot?”
Toby shrugged. “Dunno.”
“He sure has big feet, too. Look how wide it is.”
“Well ... his foot may have slipped. Banana peels are awful slippery, y’know!”
Terry glanced at her watch. “Oh, jeeps. We’re really late. C’mon, Toby, we gotta get going.”
Toby took one last look at the footprint before pedaling off after her fellow Bluejay. This is a real mystery, she thought. Maybe it can keep me from being too bored at this meeting – or from thinking about how hungry I am, as her empty stomach growled in protest.
CHAPTER 2
A week went by. Toby had no leads as to the break-in at Alderman’s Bakery. She and Terry had stopped in on their way to this morning’s meeting. Mr. Alderman said he hadn’t heard anything from the police, but the thief (or thieves) hadn’t come back. At least I got breakfast this time, she thought as she settled in for Bluejay business. Then her ears caught what a girl in her group was saying.
“Yes, it happened again last night, for the third night in a row.” Vanessa Lamora, whose father owned one of Greendale’s finer dining establishments, was speaking. “All the trash cans knocked over and garbage scattered everywhere. Dad’s furious. He says if the police won’t help, he’ll sit out there tonight with a baseball bat and teach whoever’s doing it a good lesson.”
“Wow,” the girl next to her said. “Who does he think is doing it?”
“He thinks it’s a gang of punks, out for thrills,” Vanessa replied. “Whoever it is, I hope he catches them. He’s been such a grouch these past few days.”
Mrs. Schneider called the group to order, and Toby turned her attention to the Nest leader. Still, the matter nagged at her all through the meeting. She talked it over with Terry as they walked to their bicycles afterwards, Jodie Fitzgerald, Toby’s Nestling, following along unnoticed.
“What happened at Lamora’s Restaurant sounds an awful lot like what happened at Alderman’s Bakery,” Toby said.
“Jeeps, Toby, I hadn’t really thought about it, but, y’know, you’re right.”
“I wonder what the connection is. Alderman’s Bakery ... Lamora’s Restaurant ...”
“My grandma’s vegetable garden,” Jodie contributed.
The two older Bluejays turned to stare at the younger girl. “What about your grandma’s vegetable garden?” Toby asked.
“Someone snuck in a couple of nights ago and messed it up. Stole a bunch of stuff and trampled the rest. Left footprints all over.”
Toby and Terry exchanged glances at the mention of footprints. “Did ... did you see the footprints?” Toby inquired.
“Sure did,” Jodie replied proudly. “I helped Grandma clean up. They were real big.”
Toby’s breath caught. “Were they ... were they ... barefoot?”
“Yeah. Yeah, they were. How did you know that?”
“Jodie, can you come over to Terry’s with me? We gotta check something out.”
The nestling shrugged. “I suppose so. I just gotta call home and let them know where I am.”
“You can do that from Terry’s house. Um, Terr ... will Dennis be up by now?”
“He should be.”
“Good ... I don’t feel like dodging shoes today. C’mon, let’s go.”
The trio made their way to the Blair residence. They found Dennis in the garage, working on his car. “Hi, Terry, Toby, Jodie,” he greeted them. “Hey, Toby, I just heard something that sounds like it’s right up your alley. Somebody broke into City Hall last night and stole all the toilets. The mayor and the chief of police say they’ve got nothing to go on.”
“Oh, hardy-har-har,” Toby retorted while Jodie giggled. “Can we look at the Greendale map in your room?”
“Sure,” Dennis replied. “Just don’t mess anything up, okay?”
“We won’t ... any more than it already is.”
Toby led the other two girls to the map of Greendale displayed prominently behind the door of Dennis’ room. “Jodie,” she said, “can you point out where your grandmother lives?”
The young girl scrutinized the map carefully. “She lives ... right ... here,” she said, indicating the proper spot.
“Okay,” Toby instructed, “keep your finger there. Now, let’s see. Alderman’s Bakery is here, and Lamora’s Restaurant is ... here. Terry, look at this!”
The three pointing fingers formed the apexes of a rough triangle. Located almost dead-center in the triangle was Greendale City Park.
“Let me guess,” Terry said. “We’re going to the park to look for clues.”
“That’s right!” Toby replied. “Everything centers around the park, so that’s the natural place to look. Jodie, do you want to come with us?”
“Sure do! Just let me call my mom!”
“You can use the phone in the kitchen,” Terry said.
Jodie left the room. “Just tell her you’re going to the park for a Bluejay project!” Toby called after her.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to let her come with us?” Terry asked.
“Why not?”
“Well ... we don’t really know what we’re going to find there.”
“Oh, come on, Terr! Whoever’s doing this has made some messes and stolen some food, but he hasn’t hurt anybody! It’s probably just some hobo or something who’s looking for something to eat. Besides, we’ll be in Greendale City Park in broad daylight. What could possibly happen?”
Terry rolled her eyes. “Toby ... did you even read the title of this story?”
Toby glanced up the page at the title. “Yeah, well, I’m still going.”
“I figured as much. Okay, let’s go.”
CHAPTER 3
Toby and Terry met up with Jodie in the Blair kitchen. “Did you get hold of your mom?” Toby asked.
“Sure did,” the nestling replied. “She said it was fine with her.”
“Great! We’re all set!”
Terry led the other girls back to the garage. “Denny,” she addressed her brother, “Toby, Jodie, and me need to go to the park for a BlueJay project. Um … okay?”
“Sure,” Dennis said. “Would you like me to drive you?”
“No, that’s okay,” Toby jumped in. “We’d like to get there sometime today.”
“Suit yourself. Just be back by lunch.”
“And miss one of your world-famous bologna and cheese sandwiches?” Terry said in mock horror. “We’d never dream of doing that!”
“Just for that, it’ll be bread and water!”
“Oh, goody! Do you think you can manage not to burn the water this time?”
“Away with thee, foul wenches! And you, too, Jodie.”
Still chuckling, the girls climbed aboard their bikes and pedaled away.
Greendale City Park, just a short ride away, included a picnic area, a couple of athletic fields, a playground, and a couple of wooded areas popular for tree-climbing and games of hide-n-seek. “Where do you want to look first?” Terry asked as the intrepid trio locked up their bicycles.
“Hmm ... “ Toby mused. “Well, well, whoever it is is probably sleeping in here, so he’d want someplace sheltered and out of the wind and rain. He’d also want to stay hidden as much as possible, to stay away from the police. So that sorta rules out the fields, the picnic area, and the playground. Leaving only the woods.”
“Figures,” Terry muttered.
“Okay, let’s split up.”
“Split up?” Terry protested. “Why? Shouldn’t we stick together?”
Toby rolled her eyes at her reluctant friend. “Terr, I told you, there’s nothing to worry about! We can cover more ground that way, and we’ll be in sight of each other the whole time! Now, you go look over there,” (she indicated a clump of rhododendron bushes surrounding a spreading chestnut tree) “and Jodie and I will look over here,” (pointing to a group of maple trees) “and we’ll meet back here in ten minutes or so.”
“All right, I guess,” Terry sighed, slowly making her way to her assigned search area.
“So what are we looking for, Toby” Jodie asked as the two headed for the maples.
“Clues,” Toby answered.
“What kind of clues?”
“Well ... footprints would be good. Maybe something that could have been taken from Alderman’s Bakery, or Lamora’s Restaurant, or your grandmother’s vegetable garden. We need to find something that we can tie to the break-ins and stuff.”
“What do we do when we find it?”
“We show it to the police and tell them,” Toby replied.
“And what will they do?”
“Well ... it’s up to them. If the evidence is good enough, they may arrest the person for breaking into Alderman’s, trespassing on your grandmother’s, and vandalizing Lamora’s. At the very least, they should be able to stop him from committing any more crimes.”
Meanwhile, Terry was scrutinizing the rhododendron bushes. Toby was right, she thought. We’re in the middle of Greendale City Park, in broad daylight. Even if we do find some evidence of the hobo, or whatever he was, nothing will happen to us. We’re perfectly safe.
So why, she wondered, did she feel so nervous?
Then she caught sight of something that made her momentarily forget her apprehension. A bit of white paper lay on the ground, almost under the rhododendrons. She squatted down, reached under, and retrieved what turned out to be part of a paper bag. On the bag, in fancy script writing, were the letters L-a-m-o ... the rest was torn off.
“Lamo ... Lamora’s!” Terry realized. She spun around to summon the rest of her team. “Hey, T –“ But that was as far as she got, for at that same moment she was seized from behind and snatched back into the bushes.
Terry fought desperately. Her captor had a hand over her mouth and the other arm clamped securely around her waist, squeezing the very breath out of her. Gray fur covered everything. She twisted her head around, to try to get a better look at him; two red eyes peered back at her, and two yellowed fangs loomed mere inches from her head. The frightening sight, combined with her lack of oxygen, produced the inevitable effect: she fainted.
Over by the maple trees, Jodie said, “I don’t see anything, Toby, do you?”
“No, Jodie, I don’t. Looks like there’s nothing here. Let’s go back to Terry.”
They turned back toward the rhododendrons and the chestnut tree. “Um ... where is Terry?” asked Jodie.
“Dunno. I don’t see her. C’mon, let’s find her.”
The two made there way back to where they’d last seen the blonde girl. “Terry, where are you?” Toby called.
“Terry? Terry!” Jodie shouted.
Something rustled deep within the bushes. “Maybe that’s her. C’mon.”
Toby and Jodie followed the rustling sound to the base of the chestnut tree. There was still no sign of their missing friend. “Terry? Where are you? Come out, come out, wherever you are! C’mon, Terry, this isn’t funny! Terry?”
Something fluttered down through the air, landing at the feet of the two girls. A beret ... a dark blue beret ... a BlueJays beret.
Toby and Jodie looked up. What they saw astonished them.
CHAPTER 4
Crouched in the lower branches of the chestnut tree was a massive gray gorilla. He peered balefully down at the two girls and snarled, revealing an impressive set of fangs. Tucked under one arm was Terry’s limp body.
“What – what is it?” Jodie breathed.
“It looks like a gorilla,” Toby answered. “And it’s got Terry!”
“Wh-what do we do?”
Toby thought hard. “I’ll stay here and watch it. You go get help.”
“But –“
“Don’t argue! Just go!”
Jodie sped off. Toby waited nervously, watching the gorilla, which stared back at her. She felt a little better when she noticed that Terry was breathing. Still, that left the problem of how to get her friend away from the ape.
After what seemed like an eternity, Jodie came running back with a couple of young men in tow. “See? See? There it is, just like I told ya!” she shouted.
“Well, I’ll be ...” one of the men said. He turned to the other man. “Fred, go call the police. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on it.”
“Sure thing, Dan!” Fred replied, racing off again. Meanwhile, the gorilla watched impassively.
“Where did that thing come from?” Dan mused aloud.
Toby took it upon herself to answer. “Dunno. We were out here looking for – um, looking for stuff – and we noticed that Terry was missing, and we found her here.”
“That’s Terry up there?” Dan asked.
“Yes,” Toby replied. “Um – what do you think we should do?”
Dan took a deep breath. “Wait, and hope the police get here before that animal does anything else.”
That sounded like good advice to Toby. Terry, although still unconscious, didn’t seem to be hurt, and probably wasn’t in any danger as long as the gorilla stayed calm. Still, though, it seemed to her that she should be doing something. After all, she was the one who insisted they come down here. Her words to Terry seemed to come back and haunt her. What could possibly happen, indeed!
After another interminable delay, Fred returned, with news that the Greendale police force had been summoned. Some other curious onlookers joined the small party at the base of the chestnut tree. The gorilla, seeing the crowd forming, grew agitated. He rose to his feet, slung Terry lightly over his shoulder, and started climbing up. The movement brought the girl back to consciousness. “Ohhhh,” she moaned, then, realizing her situation, panicked. “No! No! Let me go!” she shrieked, flailing about wildly.
“Terry!” Toby shouted, realizing her friend’s predicament. “Don’t fight him, please! The police are on their way! Please, just calm down!”
Toby’s voice penetrated Terry’s blind panic; with a great deal of effort, she regained control over herself. “Toby? Jodie?” she called down. “Wh-what’s happening?”
“We’re here, Terry!” Toby shouted in reply. “We won’t leave you!”
“Terry, please, just stay calm!” Fred joined in. “The police are on their way! They’ll get you down as soon as they can!” Some of the other onlookers added their reassurances.
The gorilla reached the highest limb that would support his weight. He sat Terry on the branch, next to the trunk, and crouched down next to her. He ran his hand slowly down the side of her head, to her neck, before concentrating on the crowd below. Terry, seeing his attention focused elsewhere, started slowly edging away from him – only to be stopped by his hand on her arm. The gorilla wagged a forefinger in her face, then again turned his gaze below, not relinquishing his grip.
To Toby, it seemed like hours had elapsed; in reality, though, only a few minutes passed before a contingent of Greendale police arrived, led by Detective Hank Morgan (see “The Menace of the Minotaur” and “Feast of All Saints”). They took a long look at Terry and the gorilla. “How’d that thing get here?” one of the officers asked.
“We’ll figure that out later,” Detective Morgan said grimly. “Right now, we’ve got more important things to worry about.” He snapped out orders. “Call the fire department and have them send over their tallest ladder truck and some nets. Then get hold of the zoo and tell them we need a tranquilizer gun – with the strongest tranquilizer they’ve got. The rest of you, get this crowd back!”
The police officers scurried about, carrying out their assigned tasks. The detective turned to the onlookers. “Does anyone know how this happened?” he asked.
“Well, sir, this young lady seems to know as much as anybody,” Dan volunteered, indicating Toby.
The detective did a double take. “I might have guessed,” he muttered under his breath, then folded his arms, awaiting an explanation.
Taking a deep breath, Toby described how she’d connected the incidents at Alderman’s Bakery, Lamora’s Restaurant, and Jodie’s grandmother’s vegetable garden, what the map had shown her, and how she’d come to the park with Terry and Jodie to look for more clues. Detective Morgan listened with interest. Neither one noticed the short, rotund, bald man who stood nearby, also listening intently.
“Very impressive work, young lady,” Detective Morgan commented when Toby finished. She couldn’t help but beam at the compliment.
Up in the tree, Terry watched the activity below with renewed hope. Suddenly the grip on her arm tightened. “Ow! You’re hurting me!” she complained, turning to look at the gorilla. His eyes opened wide, then narrowed. Releasing the girl, he jumped to a standing position on the branch, bared his fangs, raised his arms, and began bouncing up and down, shrieking and barking. Terry wrapped both arms around the tree trunk and held on for dear life, her terror back at full force.
“He’s gone mad!” Detective Morgan exclaimed. Some of the policemen drew the weapons, sighting in on the gorilla. “Hold your fire!” the detective ordered. “He’s too close to the girl!”
Momentarily pausing his histrionics, the gorilla looked long and deep into Terry’s eyes. Then he scrambled out as far as he could on the branch, several feet from her, and resumed his aggressive display.
The policemen’s weapons blazed. The gorilla’s body jerked as several bullets struck home. He took a few staggering steps towards Terry, causing the police to stop shooting, then feel to his knees. Raising his head, he again locked eyes with her. “Ter ... ry,” he groaned.
Terry couldn’t believe her ears. Had the gorilla just spoken to her?
“Ter ... ry,” the ape repeated. Then his eyes glazed over. “No!” Terry screamed, but before she could move, he toppled off the branch, landing on the ground far below with a sickening thud.
Detective Morgan slowly approached the body. He tentatively probed it. “He’s dead, all right,” the detective finally confirmed. “If the bullets didn’t kill him, the fall certainly did.” He looked up into the tree. “Terry, are you all right?”
No response from the girl.
“Terry?”
Still no reply.
CHAPTER 5
Detective Morgan muttered something under his breath. “Where’s that fire truck at?” he demanded. “We gotta get her down from there. Now!”
One of the police officers ran to check on the fire truck. “What’s the matter, detective?” Toby asked, picking up on the man’s obvious concern. “You – you don’t think she was shot, do you?”
“No,” the man answered. “The gorilla was far enough away from her. My men wouldn’t have fired if there was any chance of hitting her. She may have fainted, though, or gone into shock. If that’s the case, then she could slip off the branch.”
Toby gulped. Another patrolman approached. “Detective, I think I can climb that tree,” he stated.
The detective eyed the officer carefully. “Landry, are you sure?” he asked.
“I’m positive,” Officer Landry replied. “I used to love to climb trees as a kid. Drove my mom crazy. She kept saying I’d fall out of one and break my neck, but I never did.”
“All right. Go ahead, just be careful.”
Toby watched as Officer Landry started up the tree. Please, she prayed, please let him make it up there. Terry’s got to be okay, she’s just got to be!
A few heart-rending moments later, the policeman reached the branch where the young girl sat, still hugging the tree. “Terry? I’m Officer Landry. Terry? Are you all right?” She didn’t reply, staring at where the gorilla had been. He checked her pulse; rapid, but steady.
“How is she?” Detective Morgan shouted up.
Officer Landry gave the girl a quick once-over. “No apparent injuries, pulse and respiration both strong” he called down, “but she’s completely unresponsive.”
“Can you bring her down?”
“Not when she’s like this. She’d have to hold on to me, and right now she can’t do that.”
“Okay. We’ll have to wait on the fire truck. Try and keep her warm, okay?”
“Will do.” Officer Landry took off his jacket and wrapped it around the girl. If she noticed, she gave no sign.
Toby was nearly beside herself with worry. She was about to ask, again, if there was any word about the fire department, when she heard sirens in the distance. Soon (but not soon enough for her liking), a fire truck pulled up to the tree, followed closely by an ambulance. After a quick conversation between the fire chief and Detective Morgan, the firemen raised their extension ladder to where Officer Landry and Terry waited. The policeman climbed onto the ladder, gently pried Terry’s arms loose from the trunk, and maneuvered her over his shoulder before descending.
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief when they reached the ground safely. Toby rushed over to where Terry, now lying flat on her back on a gurney, was being attended to by paramedics. “Terry! Terry!” she said anxiously. “It’s me, Toby! Can you hear me? Terry!”
For the first time since the gorilla’s demise, Terry showed some signs of life. She swiveled her head slightly, fixing her gaze on her friend. “T ... T ... Toby?” she said faintly.
“I’m here, Terry! I’m here!”
“He ... he ... spoke ... to me ...”
“What?” Toby couldn’t understand what Terry meant.
“He ... sp –“ Exhausted by her ordeal, Terry closed her eyes and let her head sink down onto the gurney.
“Terry –“ Toby started, but one of the paramedics cut her off. “She’ll be okay,” he explained. “She just needs to sleep. We’ll take her to the hospital and keep her under observation for a while, but with a little rest she should be as good as new.”
The paramedics started loading the gurney into the ambulance. “Can I ride with her?” Toby asked.
“Sure, hop in. Just keep quiet!” the paramedic replied.
“I’m going too!” Jodie demanded.
Toby turned to the Nestling. “No, Jodie, I need you to go back to Terry’s house and tell Dennis what happened. Can you do that for me, please?”
“Oh ... all right,” Jodie said grudgingly.
“Thanks, Jodie, you’re a big help,” Toby replied. She looked at Detective Morgan. “Can you get somebody to drive her? It’s not very far.”
“Certainly.” He beckoned to one of the police officers.
Toby climbed into the ambulance, which set off for Greendale Memorial Hospital. The crowd slowly dispersed, the short, rotund, bald man among them.
Some time later, in a room in Greendale Memorial, Terry lay sleeping while Toby sat watching. Dennis and Jodie appeared in the doorway. “How is she?” Dennis asked.
“She’s still sleeping,” Toby replied. “I talked to the doctor a little while ago. He wants to check her again after she wakes up, but he said she’ll probably be able to go home after that.”
“That’s a relief,” said Dennis. “Toby, what happened? Jodie said Terry got grabbed by a gorilla?”
Taking a deep breath, Toby explained (again) the events leading up to this point, starting with the break-in at Alderman’s Bakery and ending up with Terry getting carried down the firemen’s ladder by Officer Landry. When she’d finished, Dennis shook his head. “You’ve gotten yourself into some real scrapes, Toby, but this time I guess I can’t blame you. Who would have thought there’d be a gorilla in Greendale Park?”
Not us, that’s for sure, Toby mentally replied.
Terry stirred in her sleep. “She’s coming to!” Jodie exclaimed.
Everyone watched anxiously as Terry forced her eyes open, squinting against the light. “T-Toby?” she asked hesitantly.
“I’m here,” Toby reassured her. “So’s Dennis, and Jodie.”
“How are you feeling, kid?” Dennis asked.
“Tired ... but okay.”
“Well, it’s about time you woke up,” her brother declared. “Your snoring was bothering the rest of the patients.”
“DEN-ny, ” Terry said, but she chuckled. Jodie was giggling like mad, and even Toby hid a smile.
“Seriously, it’s good to see you feeling better,” Dennis said.
“Thanks, Denny. Um ... could I talk to Toby alone for a while?”
“Sure. Jodie, what say we see what kind of dessert they’ve got in the cafeteria?”
“Okay!”
“All right, hop on!” Dennis gave the still-giggling Nestling a piggyback ride out of the room.
“Terry ... are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, Toby, I’m fine,” the blonde girl replied, sounding rather subdued.
“Jeeps ... I wonder where that gorilla came from? The zoo doesn’t have any gorillas. Do you suppose it escaped from a circus? I haven’t heard of any in the area, but there could be one passing through –“
“That wasn’t a gorilla,” Terry said flatly.
“What? What are you talking about? Of course it was a gorilla –“
“No, it wasn’t,” Terry insisted.
“What makes you think it wasn’t a gorilla?”
“It spoke to me.”
“It what?”
“It said my name. Twice.”
“Jeeps, Terr, are you sure?”
“It was as close to me as you are now. I’m sure.”
“Well ... jeeps ...” Toby was momentarily at a loss for words.
“That’s not all,” Terry continued. “It understood everything everyone was saying. And, just before ... just before ... it – it looked at me ... just like it was human ... like it knew it was about to – to die ...”
“Jeeps,” Toby said again. “Well, if it wasn’t a gorilla, what do you suppose it was?”
“I don’t know,” answered Terry. “And, now, I suppose we’ll never find out.”
“We probably never will,” Toby agreed.
EPILOGUE
In the Victorian mansion in the hills above Greendale, the thin, shock-haired scientist sat, his fingers steepled before him. “There’s no doubt that he’s dead?” he asked his assistant.
“The subject is quite deceased, Herr Doctor.”
“The authorities don’t suspect us?”
“No, Herr Doctor. Their plans are to check zoos, circuses, and collectors of exotic animals.”
“Well, at least that’s something.” The doctor shook his head. “All my hard work, wasted.”
Yes, Herr Doctor, the assistant thought. All your hard work – and mine. After all, you were not the one who procured animals for your experiments, who toiled endless hours in the lab distilling serum, who scoured the soup kitchens and back alleys to locate a suitable subject – then, when the subject escaped, was on the verge of recapturing him, only to be beaten to the punch by a mere slip of a girl and her friends...
“How much serum do we have left?” the scientist interrupted his assistant’s reverie.
“There is sufficient serum to perform several more treatments, Herr Doctor.”
“Excellent. We’ll need another subject, Heinrich. Get right on it.”
“Herr Doctor, if I may make a suggestion –“
“Yes?”
“If we utilize another adult subject, we may have the same problems as we had with this one. A juvenile subject, besides being physically weaker, should also prove more docile and easier to control.”
“A juvenile subject – you mean a child?”
“Yes, Herr Doctor, a child.”
“Hmmm ... very well, Heinrich. Do as you think best.”
The doctor rose to his feet and headed for his laboratory. Heinrich smiled. As he’d hoped, he’d obtained permission to procure a juvenile subject – a child – for the next experiment – and he knew just where to find the ideal subject.
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Usikujumba, Lord of the Night
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