traffic on Aurora Avenue or North 50th Street. He shuddered.
“Damn thing bit me.” The man shook one hand several times and then put his mouth briefly on his wrist. He spat.
Corey stepped backward but the man quickly gripped him again. His fingers dug into Corey’s arms as he leaned closer, staring at Corey. “Maybe,” he said slowly, “there’s more than one way to collect a ransom.”
Corey twisted, trying to wriggle loose. The strap on his camera broke and the camera fell to the ground. “You’re hurting me,” he said.
“You think that hurts? You don’t know what it is to get hurt.”
Corey remembered the knife.
He didn’t say anything else.
8
E LLEN was lost. She didn’t understand how it could have happened, but she didn’t know where she was or which way to go to find the monkey house. How could she be so turned around in a place she had visited so many times?
She should have taken a map. Maybe the maps show where telephones are located. But she hadn’t known she’d be alone, searching for Corey. And she hadn’t known how scary the zoo would seem at night.
The moon disappeared behind some clouds; it was even darker now than it had been earlier. The path seemed endless and she had no idea whether she was still on the shortcut or whether she had somehow followed another path by mistake. When she waved her light around, nothing looked familiar.
She saw another food stand and moved cautiously toward it. When she was next to it, she stopped and listened in case the thief was inside. She heard nothing.
This, she decided, was the most horrible night of her life. She had looked forward to it so much and now everything had gone wrong. If only she had waited at home until Mom and Dad got there, instead of rushing away in a cab.
“You can’t solve a problem by saying,
if only.
” That’s what Mom always said. Ellen trudged onward.
The beam from her flashlight hit fencing. Ellen stopped and raised the light higher; the fencing continued. She recognized the Aviary. That isn’t where she had thought she was, but at least she had her bearings now. The Aviary was close to the monkey house. She had just taken the long way to get there.
Relieved, she walked faster. With any luck, Corey would be in the monkey house. He was probably jumping on one of the benches, scratching his armpits, or hanging by his knees from a railing, pretending to be a monkey in a tree. She would insist that he return to the tent with her and stay there until morning. No more wandering around the zoo in the dark.
Just ahead, she heard a shrill chattering. A monkey?
Yes. There it was again, even louder this time, and she was sure it was a monkey. The monkey didn’t sound very happy. It sounded upset, as if someone were teasing it.
The closer she got to the monkey house, the more distressed the monkey sounded. It seemed to be only one monkey and it sounded like it was in pain. Was it hurt? If so, she knew Corey wasn’t responsible. Her brother was silly and made up wild stories but he was basically a good kid and he loved the monkeys. He would never hurt one of them.
Light from the monkey house shone out through the glass doors. Ellen saw it and began to run. By the time she got to the monkey house, the chattering had stopped.
The monkey house was locked. Ellen looked through the glass doors. In the first cage, she recognized one of the rare golden lion tamarins that Grandma and Grandpa had brought her to see, when a baby monkey was born. The monkey was clearly upset, rushing frantically back and forth in its cage.
When she looked closer, she could tell it was the mother monkey, Sunshine, the one Ellen had watched as it nursed her baby. What could have happened to distress her so? Was her baby sick? Ellen could not see the baby monkey. It must be in the far corner, she thought, where she couldn’t see.
Although she was certain the monkey was making noise, the soundproof glass of the cages and the thick doors of the
“Damn thing bit me.” The man shook one hand several times and then put his mouth briefly on his wrist. He spat.
Corey stepped backward but the man quickly gripped him again. His fingers dug into Corey’s arms as he leaned closer, staring at Corey. “Maybe,” he said slowly, “there’s more than one way to collect a ransom.”
Corey twisted, trying to wriggle loose. The strap on his camera broke and the camera fell to the ground. “You’re hurting me,” he said.
“You think that hurts? You don’t know what it is to get hurt.”
Corey remembered the knife.
He didn’t say anything else.
8
E LLEN was lost. She didn’t understand how it could have happened, but she didn’t know where she was or which way to go to find the monkey house. How could she be so turned around in a place she had visited so many times?
She should have taken a map. Maybe the maps show where telephones are located. But she hadn’t known she’d be alone, searching for Corey. And she hadn’t known how scary the zoo would seem at night.
The moon disappeared behind some clouds; it was even darker now than it had been earlier. The path seemed endless and she had no idea whether she was still on the shortcut or whether she had somehow followed another path by mistake. When she waved her light around, nothing looked familiar.
She saw another food stand and moved cautiously toward it. When she was next to it, she stopped and listened in case the thief was inside. She heard nothing.
This, she decided, was the most horrible night of her life. She had looked forward to it so much and now everything had gone wrong. If only she had waited at home until Mom and Dad got there, instead of rushing away in a cab.
“You can’t solve a problem by saying,
if only.
” That’s what Mom always said. Ellen trudged onward.
The beam from her flashlight hit fencing. Ellen stopped and raised the light higher; the fencing continued. She recognized the Aviary. That isn’t where she had thought she was, but at least she had her bearings now. The Aviary was close to the monkey house. She had just taken the long way to get there.
Relieved, she walked faster. With any luck, Corey would be in the monkey house. He was probably jumping on one of the benches, scratching his armpits, or hanging by his knees from a railing, pretending to be a monkey in a tree. She would insist that he return to the tent with her and stay there until morning. No more wandering around the zoo in the dark.
Just ahead, she heard a shrill chattering. A monkey?
Yes. There it was again, even louder this time, and she was sure it was a monkey. The monkey didn’t sound very happy. It sounded upset, as if someone were teasing it.
The closer she got to the monkey house, the more distressed the monkey sounded. It seemed to be only one monkey and it sounded like it was in pain. Was it hurt? If so, she knew Corey wasn’t responsible. Her brother was silly and made up wild stories but he was basically a good kid and he loved the monkeys. He would never hurt one of them.
Light from the monkey house shone out through the glass doors. Ellen saw it and began to run. By the time she got to the monkey house, the chattering had stopped.
The monkey house was locked. Ellen looked through the glass doors. In the first cage, she recognized one of the rare golden lion tamarins that Grandma and Grandpa had brought her to see, when a baby monkey was born. The monkey was clearly upset, rushing frantically back and forth in its cage.
When she looked closer, she could tell it was the mother monkey, Sunshine, the one Ellen had watched as it nursed her baby. What could have happened to distress her so? Was her baby sick? Ellen could not see the baby monkey. It must be in the far corner, she thought, where she couldn’t see.
Although she was certain the monkey was making noise, the soundproof glass of the cages and the thick doors of the
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