running a place where animals could be bought and sold for body parts for profit. I had to know.”
I didn’t know what to say. Maybe he was right. Perhaps he hadn’t done anything that different from what I had done. “I guess I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to trick you.”
Anthony laughed. “No fear there. I figured out what you were up to the moment you opened your mouth. You’re not, how should I say this, a very good actress.”
“I never said I was.”
“Some people just aren’t meant to lie,” he said.
“Big girl Sarah is very,
very
bad liar,” Vladimir said.
“I’d hate to rely on your ability to lie to anybody,” Anthony said.
“I guess I’m not a very good liar because I haven’t had much practice,” I said defensively. “Usually, I just tell the truth.”
“Sometimes there’s no choice,” Anthony said. “I had to lie to find out the truth. There was no way I was going to invest unless I was one hundred percent certain.”
“Invest?”
He smiled. “Here, in Tiger Town. You asked why I was here. I’m still here because I’m the newest partner.”
“I … I don’t understand,” I said.
“It is easy to understand,” Vladimir said. “Anthony gives money to run the place, build more pens, get more animals.”
“Why would he want to do that?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“Because by becoming a partner I get a percentage of the profits from Tiger Town,” Anthony said.
“Profits? What profits?” I said before I could even think to stop myself. I shouldn’t have said that.
“There will be profits,” Anthony said. “It will take a lot of work and a lot of money, but once I get this place up and running the right way, it will make money. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money.”
“Is it not wonderful news?” Vladimir asked enthusiastically.
“Yeah, great news, great,” I said. It did sound like good news. That’s what my head said. My stomach gave a different answer.
Chapter 8
I wandered between the rows of new pens. It was the Tiger Town I knew and loved, but it was different, so very different. The changes had been sudden, shocking and surprising. We’d been studying alliteration at school, and I found it fascinating, fun and phenomenal — did that last one count because it made the
f
sound, even though it started with a
ph
? Maybe Nick was right. I
did
like school too much.
It had been non-stop construction for a week. The work had started the day after Anthony arrived and hadn’t stopped, or shown any signs of stopping. Stacks of construction materials were still lying around, and there were lots of men — people I’d never met — converting these materials into pens, reconstructing the snack bar, repairing the barn and generally improving the grounds. There was a constant barrage of pounding hammers punctuated by the roaring, squealing sound of saws ripping into wood. I wondered if all the noise disturbed the animals as much as it bothered me. Mr. McCurdy said they’d get used to it. He was probably right, but either way it was happening.
So far eight new pens had been constructed. The new lion had one, while a second was home to our latest leopard. A third was home to a tiger that had just sort of magically appeared one day when I was at school. I hadn’t heard anything about it coming and then it was just there. A fourth pen was waiting for the kangaroos — who were now living in the spare bedroom in the farmhouse — to get old enough to be outside and on their own. The others were empty, though I suspected they wouldn’t stay vacant for long. At least that’s what Anthony had said. “Trust me,” he’d told me. “There’ll be animals in them soon.”
I
believed
him, but I certainly didn’t
trust
him. There was something about somebody saying
trust me
or
honestly
that made me
not
trust them and think that something
dis
honest was happening.
So far there was nothing I could really put my finger on. He’d done
I didn’t know what to say. Maybe he was right. Perhaps he hadn’t done anything that different from what I had done. “I guess I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to trick you.”
Anthony laughed. “No fear there. I figured out what you were up to the moment you opened your mouth. You’re not, how should I say this, a very good actress.”
“I never said I was.”
“Some people just aren’t meant to lie,” he said.
“Big girl Sarah is very,
very
bad liar,” Vladimir said.
“I’d hate to rely on your ability to lie to anybody,” Anthony said.
“I guess I’m not a very good liar because I haven’t had much practice,” I said defensively. “Usually, I just tell the truth.”
“Sometimes there’s no choice,” Anthony said. “I had to lie to find out the truth. There was no way I was going to invest unless I was one hundred percent certain.”
“Invest?”
He smiled. “Here, in Tiger Town. You asked why I was here. I’m still here because I’m the newest partner.”
“I … I don’t understand,” I said.
“It is easy to understand,” Vladimir said. “Anthony gives money to run the place, build more pens, get more animals.”
“Why would he want to do that?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“Because by becoming a partner I get a percentage of the profits from Tiger Town,” Anthony said.
“Profits? What profits?” I said before I could even think to stop myself. I shouldn’t have said that.
“There will be profits,” Anthony said. “It will take a lot of work and a lot of money, but once I get this place up and running the right way, it will make money. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money.”
“Is it not wonderful news?” Vladimir asked enthusiastically.
“Yeah, great news, great,” I said. It did sound like good news. That’s what my head said. My stomach gave a different answer.
Chapter 8
I wandered between the rows of new pens. It was the Tiger Town I knew and loved, but it was different, so very different. The changes had been sudden, shocking and surprising. We’d been studying alliteration at school, and I found it fascinating, fun and phenomenal — did that last one count because it made the
f
sound, even though it started with a
ph
? Maybe Nick was right. I
did
like school too much.
It had been non-stop construction for a week. The work had started the day after Anthony arrived and hadn’t stopped, or shown any signs of stopping. Stacks of construction materials were still lying around, and there were lots of men — people I’d never met — converting these materials into pens, reconstructing the snack bar, repairing the barn and generally improving the grounds. There was a constant barrage of pounding hammers punctuated by the roaring, squealing sound of saws ripping into wood. I wondered if all the noise disturbed the animals as much as it bothered me. Mr. McCurdy said they’d get used to it. He was probably right, but either way it was happening.
So far eight new pens had been constructed. The new lion had one, while a second was home to our latest leopard. A third was home to a tiger that had just sort of magically appeared one day when I was at school. I hadn’t heard anything about it coming and then it was just there. A fourth pen was waiting for the kangaroos — who were now living in the spare bedroom in the farmhouse — to get old enough to be outside and on their own. The others were empty, though I suspected they wouldn’t stay vacant for long. At least that’s what Anthony had said. “Trust me,” he’d told me. “There’ll be animals in them soon.”
I
believed
him, but I certainly didn’t
trust
him. There was something about somebody saying
trust me
or
honestly
that made me
not
trust them and think that something
dis
honest was happening.
So far there was nothing I could really put my finger on. He’d done
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