“Un poco,” Cindy answered. “A little.”
He hadn’t yet told them about Tomás’s conversation with his brother, Arturo. Or the change in plan.
07:30 AM
“Two darts,” Nicole said. “Two chances.”
“At fifty feet,” Chase said.
“Or less. The darts aren’t very accurate past fifty. Aim for a big muscle like the meaty part of his hind leg.”
“How long does it take a leopard to cover fifty feet?”
“About as long as it took Simba to jump into the truck over your head.”
“That’s pretty quick.”
“I can do this on my own,” Nicole said. “I mean it, Chase. There’s no reason for us both to risk our hides.”
“I think I have a little more experience with big cat attacks than you do.” Chase smiled. “Now.”
“Ha,” Nicole said. “Here’s how we’ll handle it. If I think he’s going to pounce, I’ll fire the shotgun. It will sound like a nuclear bomb inside the barn.”
“Louder,” Chase said. His ears were still ringing from when she shot the ostrich.
“Hopefully the sound will be enough to get him to back off.”
“What if the nuclear explosion doesn’t work?”
“I guess I’ll have to shoot him.”
“How many bullets do you have?”
“They’re called shells,” Nicole corrected. “And I have plenty.”
The only gun Chase had ever fired was his father’s nail gun.
They headed to the door with Nicole in the lead. Before they stepped into the barn, she unhooked a fire extinguisher from the wall and handed it to him.
“Good idea,” he said. “We can put Hector out if he catches on fire.”
“Funny.”
“Seriously. What do you want me to do with this?”
“Big cats are cautious,” Nicole said. “Simba backed off when I fired the shotgun because he’d never seen or heard one before. It probably wouldn’t work a second time. I doubt Hector has seen a fire extinguisher in use. It’ll stop him in his tracks.”
“Once,” Chase said.
Nicole nodded. “Once.”
They stepped into the dark circus barn.
Rashawn heard the door open and saw Chase’s and Nicole’s headlamps.
“What are you doing?” she shouted. “I told you Hector’s in here.”
“Have you seen him since we left?” Nicole shouted back.
“No.”
“Momma Rossi?”
“Not a sign.”
“Stay where you are. We’re going to find her. Keep your eyes open. If you see Hector, tell —”
“Don’t worry,” Rashawn said. “You’ll be the first to know. By the way … Poco is alive. I have him up here with me.”
“Maybe Hector isn’t as aggressive as we think,” Chase said hopefully.
“Don’t count on it,” Nicole said. “Momma Rossi? I hope you can hear me. Chase and I are coming to get you. I have the shotgun. Chase has the tranquilizer pistol.”
“I hope Hector doesn’t understand English,” Rashawn shouted from her perch.
“Funny,” Nicole said.
“I hope she’s right,” Chase said.
“Watch for eyeshine,” Rashawn yelled. “Yellow eyes.”
“Yellow eyes,” Chase repeated. “I hope we don’t see them.”
“I hope we do,” Nicole said. “Before they see us.”
They moved away from the safety of the door. With each footstep into the huge barn Chase’s anxiety grew. Every shadow looked like an enraged leopard.
“We’ll stay in the middle of the barn so we have time to react,” Nicole whispered. “I’ll look to the right, you look to the left.”
“What about our backs?” Chase asked.
“We’ll go slow and make sure we don’t walk past him.”
This didn’t seem like a very good plan to Chase, but he kept it to himself. “Do you have any idea where Momma Rossi might be hiding?”
“I’m pretty sure she isn’t in a very secure place, or she would have answered us by now,” Nicole said.
“Which means that Hector knows where we are because we’re talking,” Chase said.
“Hector knows where we are because we’re here,” Nicole said. “Our job is to distract him so he doesn’t find Momma Rossi. We’re the mice.”
“Mice with guns,” Chase said.
“And a fire extinguisher,” Nicole added.
07:43 AM
“This is as far as we go,” John said.
The group was standing in front of the van, looking at water gushing through a wide gap where the road to the farm used to be.
“We’re only a couple hundred yards from the front gate,” Marco said. “The fence is down. Looks like if we follow this stream up on this side, we’ll end up near the barns.”
“That might save us from wading across,” John said.
“Wait a second,” Richard protested. “Are you suggesting that we head out on foot?”
“How else are we going to get to the farm?” John asked.
“There’s a leopard running around.”
“That’s probably not all that’s running around,” Marco said.
“I appreciate your letting us use the van,” John said. “You can wait here or you can drive back to the shelter.” He looked at Cindy and Mark. “That goes for you two as well. You might want to stay here until it’s safe.”
“Safe?” Mark said. “Since when have you been worried about our safety?”
“Good point,” Cindy said.
John grinned. “I know a lot about big storms, but I don’t know anything about big cats — except that they scare me.”
“John Masters scared?” Cindy said. “This I’ve got to see. I’m going with you.”
“Me too,” Mark said.
Richard sighed but joined them as they filed past the fence into the soggy paddock.
As they climbed, John tried Chase’s phone again.
07:45 AM
“The sat phone!” Chase said.
“It’s probably your dad,” Rashawn shouted down. “He’s called a couple of times.”
The phone continued ringing. Chase wanted to run through Pet’s ring and answer it, but that would surely draw Hector’s attention. He and Nicole continued their slow walk down the center of the barn.
“Where is he?” Chase asked.
“He’s on his way here. And he found Nicole’s dad.”
“Thank goodness. Is he okay?” Nicole shouted.
“Yes. He’s with Chase’s dad.”
The phone rang five more times, then went silent.
“Maybe we should wait for them,” Chase said.
“On the way and getting here are two different things,” Nicole said.
Chase knew she was right. They were midway down the center of the long barn. Getting back to the bunkhouse door would take just as long as continuing on to the elephant ring. The only difference was that Hector wasn’t behind them.
“Hopefully,” Chase said.
“What?” Nicole asked.
“Nothing. Let’s get this squeeze play over with.”
“Guys?” Rashawn called out quietly.
Her change in tone stopped both Nicole and Chase in midstep. They swung their headlamps back and forth frantically, trying to see what she had seen. Nicole tracked her headlamp’s beam with the shotgun. Chase held up the fire extinguisher in one hand and the tranquilizer pistol in the other while turning a complete three-sixty.
“Look at Pet,” Nicole said.
She was standing perfectly still with her ears flared and her trunk in the air. “What’s she doing?”
“She’s looking up,” Nicole answered.
They tilted their heads back. Thirty feet above them was a series of catwalks, and slinking down the one directly above them was a leopard.
“How did he get up there?” Chase asked.
“He climbed up on these bales of
hay,” Momma Rossi said, rushing out from behind the stack. “That’s why I couldn’t answer you.”
Hector was less than twenty feet away from Rashawn.
“Shoot him,” Chase said.
“I can’t,” Nicole said. “He’s too close to Rashawn.”
“Use the ladder, Rashawn!” Chase shouted.
“No time,” Momma Rossi said. “Jump!”
07:46 AM
“Are you kidding?” Rashawn shouted. “I can’t even see the net in the dark!”
“Relax your body,” Momma Rossi called up to her. “Land on your back.”
“That’s easy for you to say! Sorry, ma’am. I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s true!” Rashawn looked along the catwalk. Hector stalked toward her in the flickering headlamp lights.
She turned her back to him, got down on her knees on the edge of the platform, and scooped Poco into her arms.
“This is stupid,” she said, then rolled off the platform into the air.
Rashawn felt her stomach lurch into her throat. She couldn’t tell if she was falling backward, frontward, or headfirst.
Hector leapt for the platform just as Rashawn dropped into the darkness below.
Momma Rossi reached the net before Rashawn’s second bounce. “Roll!”
Rashawn was horrified to see that Hector was ten feet away from her, trying to regain his footing. She rolled.
Nicole yanked the pistol from Chase’s hand and ran under the net. He rushed forward to help Rashawn.
“Take Poco,” Rashawn said.
He gently took the little monkey from her and stepped back as she did a backward somersault off the net.
Pop.
Hector jumped up in the air, snarling.
Nicole came out from under the net. “I think I got the dart in.”
“He’s not too happy about it,” Chase said.
“What dart?” Rashawn asked.
“Tranquilizer dart,” Nicole explained.
Hector was trying to pull the dart from his hind leg with his teeth.
“His claws are snagged in the net,” Rashawn said. “He’s getting tangled up.”
“Perfect,” Momma Rossi said. “Let’s put the cat in the bag before he gets untangled.”
“What about the tranquilizer?” Rashawn asked.
“It takes a few minutes for it to take effect,” Momma Rossi explained.
“Hector can do a lot of damage in a few seconds,” Nicole added. She looked at Momma Rossi. “Do you want to fold it up like we do in the show?”
“Yes, but we’ll have to do it a lot quicker,” Momma Rossi said.
“What are you talking about?” Chase asked.
“Watch,” Nicole said.
“Can I borrow your headlamp?” Momma Rossi asked.
Chase handed Poco to Rashawn and took the headlamp off. Once Momma Rossi had the headlamp over her gray hair, she and Nicole went to the far end of the catch net and took up positions on opposite corners.
“Ready?” Momma Rossi called out.
“Yes.”
“On three. One … two … three!”
The end of the net dropped to the ground. They picked up their corners and hurried forward, pulling the net over the top of the struggling leopard. When they had the net halved, they brought it back, quartering it, and so on until the net was about four feet wide. They flipped the ends up and stood back, panting and admiring their work.
“Leopard in a cube,” Rashawn said.
“He’s already starting to slow down,” Nicole said. “We should be able to unwrap him and haul him to the cat cage in a few minutes.”
“How’s Poco?” Momma Rossi asked.
“The thirty-foot drop doesn’t seem to have hurt him,” Rashawn said, placing Poco gently into his owner’s small hands.
“How are you?” Nicole asked Rashawn.
“It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. But I don’t want to do it again. Ever.”
“I guess the drama’s over,” Momma Rossi said.
Chase looked at his watch. Had it really been just twenty-four hours since he’d stepped into Palm Breeze Middle School?
Pet trumpeted, and they all turned to her ring. The drama was not over.
07:57 AM
Momma Rossi and Rashawn had rushed back to Pet’s ring. Chase waited with Nicole to help her carry Hector to the cat cage. They started carefully peeling away the net.
“How will you know he’s out?” Chase asked.
“Gentle prodding,” Nicole said.
She found a broom and unscrewed the handle. Each time they pulled a layer off, she tapped Hector on the head and waited. If there was no reaction, they removed another layer.
“One layer left,” Nicole said.
They could see Hector clearly now through the fine mesh. His eyes and mouth were open. Nicole touched him several times around his ears and muzzle, waiting for a reaction.
“I think he’s down for the count,” she said.
They pulled the last layer off. Hector didn’t move.
“Now what?” Chase asked.
“We pick him up and carry him to the cage.”
“Have you ever had one wake up while you’re carrying it?”
“I’ve never picked up an immobilized cat before.”
“That’s encouraging.”
“But I’ve seen it done a half a dozen times. I’ve never seen one wake up.”
“Let’s hope your perfect record isn’t broken this morning.”
Hector wasn’t heavy, but carrying him was awkward, and painful for Chase’s bad shoulder. Nicole took the head and front legs, Chase took the hind legs, and they shuffled their way to the big cage. They were halfway there when the door to the barn opened, and they were blinded by several flashlight beams.
Marco was the first to reach them.
“Dad!” Nicole shouted.
“I’d give you a hug, but I see you have your hands full. Is he dead?”
“Tranquilized.”
John, Tomás, Cindy, Mark, and Richard joined them.
“You okay?” John asked, staring at the leopard.
“We’re fine,” Chase said.
John grinned. “Guess you had an eventful night.”
Chase returned the grin. “You might say that.”
“Need a hand?”
“Yeah, my shoulder got banged up.”
Tomás stepped forward and took Hector all by himself. “Where?”
“Follow me,” Marco said.
John introduced everyone as they followed Tomás and Marco.
“We’ll put him into one of the holding cages,” Marco said,
sliding open a guillotine door. “It will be easier to deal with him in here after the drug wears off.”
Tomás laid Hector inside on a bed of straw.
“Is that you, Marco?” Momma Rossi hollered from the other end of the barn.
“Yes, Momma,” he hollered back, then looked at Nicole. “Sounds like your grandmother isn’t any the worse for wear.” He closed the door.
“You’d better hurry,” Momma Rossi called. “I think your elephant is about ready to have her calf.”
08:15 AM
Everyone had gathered around the elephant ring, waiting. Mark had started his camera rolling.
“It’s kind of dark in here,” John observed. “We have some spare generators in our trailer. Tomás and I could go and —”
“Not a good idea, Dad,” Chase said.
“Why not? The weather’s fine now.”
“That’s not the problem,” Chase said. “There’s a lion locked in the trailer.”
“What?”
About halfway through his explanation about how Simba had gotten into the Shop, Pet gave birth.
The calf emerged with a whoosh of fluid, hitting the hay-covered floor hard enough to break the pinkish embryonic sac. The tiny calf started kicking immediately. Pet whipped around. For a moment it looked as if she was going to step on the calf, but then she
nudged it gently with her foot. She reached down with her trunk and pulled away some of the sac from its wrinkled gray skin.
“I had no idea elephants had that much hair when they were born,” Richard said.
“I didn’t either,” Cindy said.
The calf struggled to get up, but couldn’t seem to get its long legs under its body.
“Is it a male or female?” Nicole asked.
“We won’t be able to figure that out for a while,” Marco answered.
“It looks strong,” Rashawn said.
“And more important,” Momma Rossi said, “Pet looks calm.”
Marco nodded. “You’re right. I haven’t seen her this tranquil in weeks. She might just take care of this calf.” He looked at Nicole. “What do you think we should name it?”
Nicole thought for a minute. “If it’s a girl, I think we should call her Emily.” She looked at Chase. “What should we call it if it’s a boy?”
Chase smiled.
“Storm.”
08:42 AM
The calf finally managed to get to its feet and take a few wobbly steps.
Tomás had pulled several bales of hay around the ring for everyone to sit on. Chase shared a bale with his father. Rashawn sat with Tomás. Richard with Cindy. Nicole was squeezed between Marco and Momma Rossi. Mark was not sitting. He was darting around the ring, videotaping Pet and her calf.
“Tell me about your shoulder,” Chase’s father said.
Chase described their desperate run across the crumbling levee road the previous day.
His father shook his head in wonder. “We saw you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your headlamps on the other end of the washed-out road. Of course we didn’t know it was you. Mark caught it on video.”
Chase rubbed his sore shoulder. “You wouldn’t have been able to reach us. By then, the levee was gone.”
His father nodded. “We’ll have to get your shoulder checked out.”
“I need to go to the dentist,” Chase said, showing him his broken front tooth.
“We’ll take care of that too,” his father said, then looked across the ring at the calf.
Something wasn’t right. His father wasn’t asking the questions. After every storm there was a debriefing. They would go over the disaster in minute detail, point by point, discussing what they had done, and what they should have done. His father was exhausted — they were all exhausted — but that had never stopped him before.