Read Online Panther Mystery by Charles Tang - Free Book Online

him. The man did not fight back.
    “Good job,” said Grandfather when he caught up to them.
    “It’s the bushy-haired man!” Violet exclaimed. “The one who’s been following us!”
    “And me, too,” said a strange voice.

CHAPTER 10
Benny’s Second Wish
    A second man stepped into the clearing, his slim figure striped by shadows. He clasped a plastic box with a short antenna in both hands. He was younger than the other man and his hair was blond and straight.
    Benny stared at the two men. The bushy-haired man also had a plastic box. The men glared at each other.
    “I bet you’re Andrew Beldon,” Benny said to the younger man.
    The blond man grinned. “You’re right! And who might you be?”
    “I’m Benny Alden,” he replied. “We came to find you.”
    As Grandfather came forward, Andrew’s face lit up. “Mr. Alden!” he cried. “What are you doing here in the Everglades?”
    “Just what my grandson said,” Grandfather answered. “Your father called me. He said he hadn’t heard from you and he was worried. So he asked me to come down and look around. These are my grandchildren. You’ve already met Benny. This is Henry, Violet, and Jessie.”
    “We thought something had happened to you,” Jessie said. “Melanie Harper wouldn’t tell us anything.”
    Andrew wrinkled his nose. “That’s a long story. Didn’t think I’d notice you, did you?” he said to the bushy-haired man.
    The other man tried to slip away, but tripped over a mangrove root. He fell, dropping his plastic box in the muck. Andrew crossed the clearing and picked up the box.
    “It’s almost like yours,” Benny commented. “How come you both are out here with those boxes?”

    Henry knew. “Those are electronic receivers. Andrew and this other guy were tracking a panther.”
    “Cat Number Twenty-seven,” Violet finished.
    Andrew stared at her in astonishment. “That’s right, but how did you know?”
    “Gus Hummer gave us the paper with the numbers on it,” Violet said. “The one that listed the cats and their signals. You had circled Number Twenty-seven in red.”
    “Good old Gus. I told him, if I didn’t come back in a week, to take the paper to the park authorities,” Andrew said. “But why would he take it to you kids instead?”
    “Melanie kept giving us the runaround,” Jessie said. “So we found out where you lived and met Gus.”
    “Obviously Gus trusted you kids. But how did you know about the signal collars?” Andrew was clearly impressed.
    Jessie replied, “We talked to your partner, Nelda Pearson. She told us how you felt about the panthers.”
    “Your grandchildren are very smart,” Andrew said to Grandfather.
    “Yes, they’ve solved quite a few mysteries,” Grandfather said. “But I wish you had called your father, Andy. He’s been very worried.”
    “I know and I’m sorry. I was away longer than I intended.” The ranger kept one foot on the bushy-haired man’s leg so he couldn’t get up and run away.
    “Because of this man?” Benny asked.
    “Yes, we were both tracking the signals of Cat Number Twenty-seven,” said Andrew. “Twenty-seven — I call him Runner because he’s fast — is a healthy male cat. I started to worry about him a few weeks ago, when I noticed his movements were becoming erratic.”
    “Err-what?” Benny asked.
    Andrew explained. “The cats wander within their own territories. Those territories can cover up to two hundred square miles. Runner kept invading other panthers’ areas. He acted like he was lost. Or like something was after him. I figured he was in some sort of trouble. So I decided to track him and make sure he was okay.”
    “Why didn’t you tell anyone?” asked Henry.
    “I didn’t have time,” said Andrew. “And I had a suspicion I wanted to keep to myself until I had proof.”
    “What were you suspicious of?” Violet wanted to know.
    “I believed Runner was being hunted — and not by another animal.” Andrew frowned at the