The Poison Frog Mystery Read online

  “Really?” Jessie asked.

  “I’m afraid so. It doesn’t happen a lot, but it does happen.”

  “That’s awful,” Violet said.

  Henry crouched down, looking curiously at some little dents in the otherwise smooth cement floor. “Do these have anything to do with the theft?” He ran his hand over them. The surface of the floor was cold. “Were they here yesterday?”

  “No,” Lindsey answered. “The mammal keeper noticed them, too. She’s sure they weren’t there before. But no one has a clue as to how they got there or why.”

  “The thief could’ve dropped something heavy,” Jessie suggested. “No one would’ve heard it.”

  Lindsey nodded. “I suppose that’s possible.”

  “How many people knew the ferrets were here?” Grandfather asked.

  “Not many,” Lindsey answered quickly. “We were very careful about that. We wanted to advertise the breeding program, but we certainly didn’t want to make a big deal about where exactly the animals were being kept until today. There was no reason to.”

  “I noticed the zoo guards searching people’s bags at the exit when we first came in,” Henry mentioned.

  “Yes, I noticed them, too,” said Grandfather.

  “Actually, they’re not zoo guards,” Lindsey told them. “They’re the local police.”

  “The police!” Violet exclaimed.

  “Uh-huh.” Lindsey let out a long, weary sigh. “Boy, are we ever going to be in trouble if we don’t get those ferrets back. Big trouble.”

  Jessie went over and put her hand on Lindsey’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll help you find them.”

  “Of course we will,” Violet said.

  “That’s right,” Henry added.

  “Hasn’t been a mystery yet we couldn’t solve!” Benny assured her.

  Lindsey smiled. “I hope this one isn’t any different,” she said.

  Then her smile disappeared again.

  After the hectic day, Lindsey invited the Aldens back to her apartment for dinner. Grandfather Alden politely declined because he wanted to get some rest. He had a busy week of business ahead. Fortunately, Lindsey’s apartment was only a few blocks away from home, so the children were allowed to go without him.

  After dinner Lindsey showed the children her huge collection of nature books and the dozens of colorful paintings and photographs on her living room walls. Some were animal pictures but others showed plants, particularly flowers.

  After talking all day about the stolen ferrets, Lindsey was ready for more cheerful topics. So she told the children stories about funny things that had happened to her at the zoo. She started with one about a koala bear. The keeper had forgotten to lock the cage, and it found its way out. It was missing for three days, and for a while the zoo thought they’d never find it again. Then a woman visitor stopped by Lindsey’s office and told her how much she liked the “live outdoor exhibits in the lunch area.” Lindsey was speechless—the zoo didn’t have any live outdoor exhibits in the lunch area! Hurrying to the scene, she discovered the koala in a small tree. About a dozen visitors were standing around it, taking pictures.

  When listening to Lindsey’s funny story, Violet looked at the gorgeous framed pictures and the books. Certainly there were more beautiful pictures in each of them! Lindsey told Violet she could look through any book she wanted.

  When she spotted a book about small mammals, she thought of the black-footed ferrets. Sure enough, there was a section on ferrets at the back. Violet looked through it and was surprised at how much she already knew about black-footed ferrets from what Lindsey had told them today:

  Adults weigh about a pound and a half ... They live in burrows and are very secretive ... Light brown with black markings on their feet, giving them their name ...

  She kept reading, hoping maybe she’d come across something she didn’t know. It didn’t take long, and when she got to that information, her heart jumped:

  Black-footed ferrets are carnivores, which means they eat meat.

  “Oh, no,” she said to herself.

  “What’s the matter, Violet?” Jessie asked.

  “Huh? Oh, nothing, sorry.” She didn’t want to bring up the ferrets again, at least not today. She knew Lindsey was tired of talking about them.

  But she still looked worried, and Lindsey noticed this. “C’mon, Violet. What’s up?”

  “Um, well ... I don’t mean to bring this up again, but I read something here about the black-footed ferrets, and I don’t know if it’s important or not.”

  “What’s it say?”

  “It says that they only eat meat. They’re carnivores.”

  “So?” Henry asked.

  “You mentioned that the thief stole a bag of food. That was food for—”

  “Herbivores!” Lindsey said.

  “What are herbivores again?” Benny asked.

  “Herbivores are plant-eaters,” Lindsey told him. “They only eat plant leaves, berries, nuts, and stuff like that.”

  “So if the thief took only a food bag for a herbivore,” Jessie cut in, “then that means—“

  “That means the ferrets don’t have anything to eat,” Lindsey said in almost a whisper.

  “Will they ... will they get sick?” Benny asked timidly.

  “I don’t think so,” Lindsey replied. “If you had gone to the trouble of stealing them, wouldn’t you make sure you knew how to take proper care of them? As soon as they see that the ferrets won’t eat any of the stolen food, they’ll probably check a book for more information. Just like you did.”

  The children still looked worried about the ferrets’ health.

  “Look,” Lindsey said, “whoever stole the ferrets obviously cares about them. If the thief didn’t care, he or she wouldn’t have bothered to take any food at all. Please don’t worry. They’ll be all right.”

  “Well, at least we have another little clue to build on,” Jessie said.

  “What’s that?”

  “The thief doesn’t know what ferrets eat.”

  This was a little clue. It certainly ruled out the possibility that one of the more experienced zookeepers in the mammal house was the thief.

  “Good point,” Lindsey said. “Very good point.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Partners

  The next morning Lindsey had a meeting with Jordan Patterson, one of the zoo’s two owners. They planned to meet in the ferret room at noon. Lindsey knew the Aldens planned to see the rest of the zoo that morning, so she asked them to stop by afterward so they could meet Jordan.

  As soon as the Alden children arrived at the zoo, they split up: Violet and Jessie went to the Bird Barn, while Henry and Benny stopped at the Reptile Range.

  The first floor of the Reptile Range was filled with exhibits of snakes and lizards. On the second floor they saw turtles and alligators. On the third and final floor was Amphibian Hall, where the zoo kept all the amphibians. Here Benny and Henry looked at frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts from all over the world.

  Benny thought snakes and lizards were neat. He was fascinated by all the different colors and patterns, and by how some snakes were so tiny while others were huge. Some were poisonous while others were harmless.

  Benny played a game with himself—he made a list in his head of his favorite snakes and lizards. He saw some pretty scarlet snakes and a shiny black indigo snake. Once they had seen all the snakes, Benny decided his favorites were the beautifully striped red, white, and black San Francisco garter snakes.

  He turned to tell Henry he had chosen his favorite, then stopped. The young man standing next to him wasn’t Henry! Benny was surprised and embarrassed and a little bit afraid. He turned quickly, all around, until he spotted Henry on the other side of the room still gazing at the scarlet snakes. Benny had been so interested in the animals that he hadn’t noticed he’d walked so far away from his brother. He hadn’t even heard the young man next to him come into the room. It was as if he had just app
eared.

  The young man had his hands deep in his jacket pockets, Benny noticed, and he stared into the enclosure with a hint of a smile on his lips. He was standing perfectly still, Benny thought, as if he’d fallen asleep with his eyes open. Even from the side, Benny could tell the young man had unusually bright blue eyes. Another thing Benny noticed was the Boston Red Sox baseball cap. It was easy to recognize—red with a blue B at the front. But it was hard to get a better look at him without being rude.

  “Aren’t these beautiful animals?” the stranger asked. He looked and sounded like an older teenager, or maybe twenty at most.

  “Er ... yeah, they really are. And rare, too. They’re part of the zoo’s endangered-species program!” Benny liked to hear him-self use such big words.

  The young man nodded. “I know. I’ve been following the story in the newspapers. Boy would I love to have an animal collection like this. I love reptiles and amphibians most of all, but I love all animals, really. They’re doing really wonderful things here at the zoo.”

  “They sure are. Snakes are my favorite,” Benny said.

  “Are they?”

  “Yeah, although I like all animals a lot.”

  The stranger nodded. “So do I. I like everything about nature. The animals, the plants, the fresh air.”

  “Me, too,” Benny replied.

  The young man never took his eyes off the snakes, never really moved a muscle.

  “Well, have a nice day,” Benny said finally.

  “You, too.”

  Benny turned away to look for Henry. The young man seemed friendly enough, but Grandfather wouldn’t have been very happy if Benny spent too much time talking to strangers.

  Just then Benny’s eye was caught by some movement in the next enclosure. It was a fat brown cricket scuttling up a low branch. A chameleon was nestled in some leaves high above, watching it carefully. Then, in a flash, the chameleon fired its long tongue out and brought the cricket back into its mouth. Wow, Benny thought. That was unbelievable!

  Unable to control his excitement, he turned back toward the young man and said, “Did you see that?”

  But the stranger had disappeared, again without making a sound. It almost seemed like he hadn’t ever really been there at all. Benny shivered. Then he hurried over to Henry.

  Ten o’clock rolled around, and Lindsey and the Aldens met with Jordan Patterson in the same room where the ferrets had been stolen.

  The Aldens liked Jordan from the moment they met him. He was a tall, thin man in his mid-thirties. He had short brown hair and a round, pleasant face. He also smiled a lot. Lindsey had told the Aldens on the way over that he was one of the gentlest, kindest, and most caring people she’d ever met. Never once, she said, had she ever seen him lose his temper or even raise his voice. She also said that he was a genius when it came to animals. That was probably why he was the head curator of the zoo as well as part owner.

  “We love your zoo, Mr. Patterson,” Jessie told him when she shook his hand. “It’s really wonderful.”

  “Thank you, Jessie,” he replied. “It’s a pleasure having you and the rest of your family as our guests. And please call me Jordan.”

  “Okay, Jordan.”

  Violet said, “It’s really terrible what happened to your black-footed ferrets.”

  Jordan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m very worried about those two. I hope they’re okay.”

  “Did Lindsey tell you about the food?” Henry asked.

  “Yes, she did. Thank you for noticing that.”

  “Thank Violet,” Henry said. “She’s the one who noticed.”

  Jordan nodded. “Lindsey tells me you’re all pretty good detectives.”

  “We like to help when we can,” said Jessie.

  “Well, I’d appreciate any help. We’ve really got to get those animals back.”

  “Have the police started any kind of investigation?” Henry asked.

  “We’ve spoken to them and they are going to let us do as much as we can on our own right now. I don’t want any bad news about the zoo to get into the papers.” Jordan shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe the solution to the mystery is very simple. We’ll see.”

  The door to the hallway opened, and an older man in a dark suit walked in. He was a large, imposing figure, with carefully trimmed silver hair, deeply tanned skin, and a glittering gold watch.

  “Jordan, my friend,” he said in a deep voice, “how are you today?”

  “Fine, Darren, and you?”

  “Fine, just fine, thanks.”

  “Kids,” Jordan said to the Aldens, “this is Mr. Colby, the other owner of the zoo. He’s my partner.”

  The Aldens said polite hellos.

  “Hello, kids. Are you having a good time at the zoo?”

  “I am,” Benny said. “I went to the Reptile Range this morning and picked out a fav —”

  “That’s great, just great,” Mr. Colby said. “And how are you today, Linda?”

  Lindsey put on a little smile and nodded. “Fine, Mr. Colby.”

  “Good for you. Uh, Jordan, may I have a word with you in the hallway, please?”

  “Hmmm? Oh, sure. Excuse me for a moment, everyone.”

  The two men stepped out of the room, closing the door most of the way behind them.

  “He called you Linda!” Jessie said to Lindsey in a whisper.

  “At least it starts with an L now. Last month I was Nancy.”

  “You work for him and he doesn’t even know your name?”

  “He hardly knows anyone around here. He doesn’t spend a lot of time at the zoo.”

  “That’s strange,” Jessie said.

  “Not as strange as you might think,” Lindsey replied. “Anyway I talked to the head mammal keeper this morning while you guys were walking around. She noticed the same thing that you did, Violet, about the missing bag of food being the wrong kind. She’s very upset, like everyone else.”

  “Does the mammal keeper suspect someone?” Henry asked.

  “Well, she has never gotten along with Beth, the intern you met before. She thinks maybe Beth likes the ferrets too much.”

  “Enough to steal them?”

  “I really don’t think so, but I suppose we can’t rule her out as a suspect. She may have felt—mistakenly—that the ferrets would get better care with her. She’s got all kinds of unusual pets—lizards, giant insects, even a monkey.”

  Benny wandered over to where the broken cage lock was still lying on the long table. He picked it up and started playing with it, then he looked into the empty ferret cage. He thought about the ferrets, where they were and whether they were doing okay. He wondered what kind of a person would steal animals from a zoo.

  Suddenly he heard an angry voice through the crack in the door. It was Darren Colby, standing with Jordan Patterson in the hallway.

  “I don’t care what it takes!” Mr. Colby said sharply “I want those animals found and brought back here!”

  “I know you do, Darren,” Jordan was saying. “So do I.”

  “Those animals were expensive!”

  Benny didn’t like that the ferrets were being talked about that way. It was as if Mr. Colby thought of them as something he’d bought at the supermarket.

  “Okay, Darren, take it easy,” Jordan was saying in a calm, soothing voice. “We’ll find them and everything will be fine.”

  “I don’t want to have to hire a security guard,” Mr. Colby said. “That’s just more money down the drain! But I’ll do it if I have to. And if any more animals disappear ... well, you know.”

  There was a pause. Benny waited.

  “Darren,” Jordan said finally. “Shutting down the breeding program isn’t going to solve anything. All it’s going to do is make some rare animals even rarer. If we keep it going, we can save some of them from extinction.”

  “Saving them from extinction is costing us a lot of money!” Mr. Colby hissed.

  “You’ll make it all back, and more,” Jord
an assured him. “I promise.”

  Benny walked away from the door and rejoined the others. They had stopped talking about the investigation, and Lindsey was now telling them another funny story.

  Something about a bear cub that was stealing visitors’ lunches.

  Benny wasn’t really listening, though. Suddenly he didn’t feel too well.

  Lindsey and the Aldens went to the zoo’s outdoor food court for lunch. It was a warm, shady area with round picnic tables and giant potted plants.

  They sat at one of the tables and talked with Lindsey about some of the other animals the zoo wanted to keep in the future. “We don’t want to focus entirely on endangered species,” she said. “We’d also like to keep a few unusual animals. Animals that most people have never heard of. Every zoo in the world has monkeys, parrots, and elephants. We want to show some really strange animals, the kind that you don’t normally see in zoos, books, or even on television.”

  “You should keep some unusual insects,” Jessie suggested. “Zoos never do that.”

  Lindsey nodded. “We’ve thought about that. There are some pretty peculiar ones that I’ll bet people would like, especially kids. In Mexico there are hissing cockroaches the size of your hand.”

  Jessie shivered. “I wouldn’t like to see them.”

  “Yes, you would,” Lindsey argued, smiling. “You couldn’t help but look. You’d want to look because they’re so gross.”

  Jessie laughed. “You’re probably right.”

  “What about you, Benny?” Lindsey asked. “What weird animals would you like to see?”

  The youngest Alden didn’t seem to have heard the question. He was hovering over his plate, face pushed up on one hand, playing with a french fry.

  “Benny?” Violet asked. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  He dropped the french fry and took a tiny sip of his milk shake.

  “You can’t be that okay,” Jessie said. “You haven’t touched your lunch.”

  “When Benny doesn’t eat,” Henry said to Lindsey, “you know something’s wrong.”

  He moved over next to his little brother and put an arm around him. “C’mon, tell us what’s bothering you.”