garage, his bike wasn’t there, either. Anger bubbled inside him like water boiling in a pot. Alex had bought the bike with his own money, saved from his birthday, and from pulling weeds, and doing extra chores. Now those thieves had taken it.
Alex sprinted down the driveway, then ran down Elm Lane to the empty lot on the corner. “Benjie!” he yelled as he approached the clump of bushes where Benjie liked to hide. “Benjie!”
The spy hideout was empty.
13
A s soon as Alex and Mary left, Pete went outside, too. He needed a nap, but he wasn’t taking a chance of getting shut in the house.
Lizzy started to follow him, but Pete hissed at her, to tell her to stay in. He would be busy showing the sheriff where the van had stopped; he couldn’t be bothered watching after a kitten. Lizzy turned when he hissed, and ran under the table.
As Alex rushed back home he heard the rise and fall of sirens coming up the hill toward Valley View Estates. He waited at the end of his driveway until he saw the sheriff’s car, then waved to let them know where to turn. The siren faded to a stop as the car headed down the driveway toward the Kendrills’ house.
Sheriff Alvored and Deputy Flick got out of the car. Alex had met them at Mary’s house, the night he saw the van. Mary and Mrs. Sunburg hurried toward them.
“Your dad called,” Mary told Alex. “He’s on his way home.”
Rocky rode up on his bike. “I heard the sirens,” he said. “What’s happened?”
“The burglars broke into our house,” Alex said, “and Benjie is missing.”
“Missing?” Rocky said. “You mean, the burglars took Benjie?” Disbelief made his voice squeak.
Alex’s throat was so tight with fear, he could barely answer. “We don’t know if they took him,” he said. “We only know he’s gone.”
* * *
Benjie’s head hurt, and his nose was stuffed up from crying. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. From where he was, hunched on the floor beside the bearded man’s feet, he couldn’t see out. He couldn’t tell which direction the van was headed, but he knew it was going fast.
“A fine pickle you got us into,” the driver of the van said.
“Me?” the other man said. “What did I do?”
“You insisted on keeping that cat. You should have tossed him out as soon as we found him. If the cat hadn’t been howling, the kid wouldn’t have run after us.”
“How was I to know the boy would come home and hear the cat?”
“Not only does the boy see us, but he takes our license number and threatens to call the cops. If I hadn’t been smart enough to lock the house when we left, he probablywould have gone inside and called them. They could have caught us red-handed right there in the driveway.”
“So what are we gonna do with him?” the bearded man said.
Benjie wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and listened. If the bad guys were going to talk about their plans for him, he needed to pay attention.
“You remember that old hunting cabin we went to last fall?”
“I remember.”
“We’re going there again.”
“Forget it. That place was no good. I walked my legs off and never saw a deer.”
“We aren’t going to hunt for deer,” the tall man said. “We’re going to drop off the kid.”
“We’re taking him there? To that cabin?”
“As soon as we unload this stuff into the storage unit, we’ll drive up there.”
“That cabin’s way up in the mountains. There’s probably five feet of snow up there this time of year. How are we going to drive up that road?”
“We’ve got chains for the van.”
“There’s no heat in the cabin. There isn’t even a wood-stove.”
“We won’t be staying. Only the kid stays.”
“You mean, leave him there? He’ll freeze.”
“That’s the point.”
There was a brief silence before the bearded man said, “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea, Vance.”
“Do you have a better plan?”
“No, but—”
“I didn’t think
Alex sprinted down the driveway, then ran down Elm Lane to the empty lot on the corner. “Benjie!” he yelled as he approached the clump of bushes where Benjie liked to hide. “Benjie!”
The spy hideout was empty.
13
A s soon as Alex and Mary left, Pete went outside, too. He needed a nap, but he wasn’t taking a chance of getting shut in the house.
Lizzy started to follow him, but Pete hissed at her, to tell her to stay in. He would be busy showing the sheriff where the van had stopped; he couldn’t be bothered watching after a kitten. Lizzy turned when he hissed, and ran under the table.
As Alex rushed back home he heard the rise and fall of sirens coming up the hill toward Valley View Estates. He waited at the end of his driveway until he saw the sheriff’s car, then waved to let them know where to turn. The siren faded to a stop as the car headed down the driveway toward the Kendrills’ house.
Sheriff Alvored and Deputy Flick got out of the car. Alex had met them at Mary’s house, the night he saw the van. Mary and Mrs. Sunburg hurried toward them.
“Your dad called,” Mary told Alex. “He’s on his way home.”
Rocky rode up on his bike. “I heard the sirens,” he said. “What’s happened?”
“The burglars broke into our house,” Alex said, “and Benjie is missing.”
“Missing?” Rocky said. “You mean, the burglars took Benjie?” Disbelief made his voice squeak.
Alex’s throat was so tight with fear, he could barely answer. “We don’t know if they took him,” he said. “We only know he’s gone.”
* * *
Benjie’s head hurt, and his nose was stuffed up from crying. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. From where he was, hunched on the floor beside the bearded man’s feet, he couldn’t see out. He couldn’t tell which direction the van was headed, but he knew it was going fast.
“A fine pickle you got us into,” the driver of the van said.
“Me?” the other man said. “What did I do?”
“You insisted on keeping that cat. You should have tossed him out as soon as we found him. If the cat hadn’t been howling, the kid wouldn’t have run after us.”
“How was I to know the boy would come home and hear the cat?”
“Not only does the boy see us, but he takes our license number and threatens to call the cops. If I hadn’t been smart enough to lock the house when we left, he probablywould have gone inside and called them. They could have caught us red-handed right there in the driveway.”
“So what are we gonna do with him?” the bearded man said.
Benjie wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and listened. If the bad guys were going to talk about their plans for him, he needed to pay attention.
“You remember that old hunting cabin we went to last fall?”
“I remember.”
“We’re going there again.”
“Forget it. That place was no good. I walked my legs off and never saw a deer.”
“We aren’t going to hunt for deer,” the tall man said. “We’re going to drop off the kid.”
“We’re taking him there? To that cabin?”
“As soon as we unload this stuff into the storage unit, we’ll drive up there.”
“That cabin’s way up in the mountains. There’s probably five feet of snow up there this time of year. How are we going to drive up that road?”
“We’ve got chains for the van.”
“There’s no heat in the cabin. There isn’t even a wood-stove.”
“We won’t be staying. Only the kid stays.”
“You mean, leave him there? He’ll freeze.”
“That’s the point.”
There was a brief silence before the bearded man said, “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea, Vance.”
“Do you have a better plan?”
“No, but—”
“I didn’t think
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