toward the door that leads to the viewing walkway. She pushed it only until she could hear clearly through the crack. It was light inside, to make it seem like daytime for those animals.
“What’s a kid like you doing here alone in the middle of the night?” The man’s voice was angry. “What’d you do, run away from home?”
“I’m on a camp-out,” Corey said.
“Sure, you are. And I’m the Boy Scout leader.”
“My grandparents bought the camp-out at a charity auction.”
“Your grandparents are here, too?” The man sounded alarmed.
“Yes,” Corey said, without hesitation. He was so convincing that for a moment Ellen wondered if Grandpa and Grandma had come to the zoo while she was off looking for Corey. “My sister’s here, too,” Corey continued, “and both my brothers and my mother and father, and all of my aunts and uncles and cousins. Even some of our neighbors.”
“You’re lying,” the man said. “If all those people were camping out at the zoo, I would have heard them.”
“You’ll hear them soon,” Corey said, “because they’ll be looking for me.”
There was a brief silence. Then the man muttered, “Well, they won’t find you. You and I are going on a little camp-out of our own and we’re going to stay there until all those relatives of yours cough up twenty grand.”
“You mean you’re going to hold me for ransom?” Corey’s voice was higher than usual and the question ended with a little squeak.
“Smart kid. Now shut up and let me think.”
“But my parents don’t have any money,” Corey said. “My father is crippled and blind and my mother has AIDS from a blood transfusion that she got. Neither of them can work. There’s no way they can pay you a ransom.”
Ellen’s jaw dropped. She had heard Corey tell some crazy stories before but this one topped them all.
“People who go to charity auctions have money. Now shut up!”
Silence.
Ellen eased the door closed and stood outside in the darkness. Her throat felt tight. She wanted to burst intotears and run back to the tent and hide, but she knew she couldn’t do that. Somehow, she had to help Corey. She had to get him away from the man.
I’ll climb the fence, she decided. I take gymnastics lessons; I’m strong. I’ll go back to the south gate, climb the fence, and call the police.
She hurried along the path, walking as quickly as she could in the dark. When she was past the house where the great apes live, she turned on her flashlight again and began to run. Past the Family Farm, past the open-air theater, past the food stand. By the time she reached the south gate, she was out of breath. She stood for a moment, panting, and looking up. There were brick walls on both sides of the entrance. Wooden lattice, covered with vines, made a canopy overhead for several feet in front of the walls. There was no way she could get through that.
She went toward the exit turnstile until the brick wall ended and a chain link fence began. She would have to climb the chain link fence.
You can do it, she told herself. You MUST do it. It’s the only way to save Corey.
She stretched up and grasped the fence above her head. Wedging the toe of her right shoe into the fence, she pulled herself up. She tried to get her left foot positioned, too, but when she put her weight on her right foot, it slipped out of the wire fencing. The holes in the fence were not big enough to allow her to get a solid foothold.
She dropped back to the ground. Quickly, she tried again. This time, she managed to lift herself onto her right foot but was unable to put her left foot in the fence. She clung to the fence, leaning into it, unwilling to jumpdown and start over but unable to continue. She held on tightly with her right hand, leaned over, and untied her left shoe. She kicked her heel against the fence until the shoe came off and fell to the ground. Now she could curl her toes around the fencing. Through her sock, she could feel the wire
“What’s a kid like you doing here alone in the middle of the night?” The man’s voice was angry. “What’d you do, run away from home?”
“I’m on a camp-out,” Corey said.
“Sure, you are. And I’m the Boy Scout leader.”
“My grandparents bought the camp-out at a charity auction.”
“Your grandparents are here, too?” The man sounded alarmed.
“Yes,” Corey said, without hesitation. He was so convincing that for a moment Ellen wondered if Grandpa and Grandma had come to the zoo while she was off looking for Corey. “My sister’s here, too,” Corey continued, “and both my brothers and my mother and father, and all of my aunts and uncles and cousins. Even some of our neighbors.”
“You’re lying,” the man said. “If all those people were camping out at the zoo, I would have heard them.”
“You’ll hear them soon,” Corey said, “because they’ll be looking for me.”
There was a brief silence. Then the man muttered, “Well, they won’t find you. You and I are going on a little camp-out of our own and we’re going to stay there until all those relatives of yours cough up twenty grand.”
“You mean you’re going to hold me for ransom?” Corey’s voice was higher than usual and the question ended with a little squeak.
“Smart kid. Now shut up and let me think.”
“But my parents don’t have any money,” Corey said. “My father is crippled and blind and my mother has AIDS from a blood transfusion that she got. Neither of them can work. There’s no way they can pay you a ransom.”
Ellen’s jaw dropped. She had heard Corey tell some crazy stories before but this one topped them all.
“People who go to charity auctions have money. Now shut up!”
Silence.
Ellen eased the door closed and stood outside in the darkness. Her throat felt tight. She wanted to burst intotears and run back to the tent and hide, but she knew she couldn’t do that. Somehow, she had to help Corey. She had to get him away from the man.
I’ll climb the fence, she decided. I take gymnastics lessons; I’m strong. I’ll go back to the south gate, climb the fence, and call the police.
She hurried along the path, walking as quickly as she could in the dark. When she was past the house where the great apes live, she turned on her flashlight again and began to run. Past the Family Farm, past the open-air theater, past the food stand. By the time she reached the south gate, she was out of breath. She stood for a moment, panting, and looking up. There were brick walls on both sides of the entrance. Wooden lattice, covered with vines, made a canopy overhead for several feet in front of the walls. There was no way she could get through that.
She went toward the exit turnstile until the brick wall ended and a chain link fence began. She would have to climb the chain link fence.
You can do it, she told herself. You MUST do it. It’s the only way to save Corey.
She stretched up and grasped the fence above her head. Wedging the toe of her right shoe into the fence, she pulled herself up. She tried to get her left foot positioned, too, but when she put her weight on her right foot, it slipped out of the wire fencing. The holes in the fence were not big enough to allow her to get a solid foothold.
She dropped back to the ground. Quickly, she tried again. This time, she managed to lift herself onto her right foot but was unable to put her left foot in the fence. She clung to the fence, leaning into it, unwilling to jumpdown and start over but unable to continue. She held on tightly with her right hand, leaned over, and untied her left shoe. She kicked her heel against the fence until the shoe came off and fell to the ground. Now she could curl her toes around the fencing. Through her sock, she could feel the wire
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