yelled, âKate, Elizabeth! What are yâall doing up there? Come down and join us!â
It was Gary, and his loud voice echoed on the buildings around them. To the left and the right, tourists turned to see who Elizabeth and Kate were. The Skipper and Gilligan turned, too. Elizabeth locked eyes with the Skipper and realized he recognized her.
Just then, Gary spotted Uncle Dan, who was trying to wheel back into the hotel lobby. âDan! Over here! I just spotted your niece and her friend. Weâre going to rent a riverboat. Do all of you want to come?â
Oh no. Did Gary just point out to the whole world⦠and to those menâ¦that Iâm Uncle Danâs niece? That canât be good
.
All of a sudden, the Skipperâs face went white. His jaw clenched, and he seemed to realize heâd been duped. âHey, you!â he called out to Uncle Dan.
Without warning, Biscuit leaped from the low balcony and dashed straight for the Skipper! The little dog bared his teeth and growled.
âWhy, you little muttâ¦,â the man said, kicking at Biscuit. The little dog backed up, but continued to growl.
âHey!â Uncle Dan yelled, wheeling his chair around. âCut it out!â
The Skipper looked around at all the witnesses and took a deep breath. Rage flooded his eyes. But he pasted on a smile and said, âSorry about that, folks. I get a little nervous when a dog bares his teeth at me.â
By this time Kate and Elizabeth were on the ground, and Uncle Dan wheeled up beside Elizabeth. He didnât say a word, just gave the Skipper a steely-eyed stare. Even in a wheelchair, Uncle Dan offered a powerful presence. He was a war veteran. A war hero. Heâd faced things far more dangerous than a crooked riverboat owner.
The Skipper held eye contact with Uncle Dan, then turned. âWell, folks, the showâs over. Now, who wants to go for a ride?â
The line that had been forming dispersed, causing the captain more frustration. But he continued to stand there, smiling and nodding. âCome back another time,â he said weakly.
About that time, Kate looked around. âWhereâs Biscuit?â she asked.
Elizabeth looked to the spot where Biscuit had stood moments earlier, but the little dog was nowhere in sight.
âBiscuit?â Kate called. âBiscuit, where are you?â Her voice came out in a squeak.
Elizabeth put her hand on Kateâs shoulder and said, âHe was just here a minute ago. Iâm sure heâs around here somewhere. The captain doesnât have him, andââ She looked around for Gilligan. He was gone, too.
Oh no! It canât be! God, please donât let that man have Biscuit! God, please keep Biscuit safe!
Soon, everyone around was calling for the little dog. Even strangers were looking beneath restaurant tables and in shadowy corners, hoping for a sign of Biscuit.
Elizabeth looked at Uncle Dan, who had his eye on the captain and his empty boat. âAre you thinking what Iâm thinking?â she whispered.
âIf youâre thinking we need to keep an eye on that man and his sidekick, then yes,â he said. âDo you have the recorder? Letâs go see if we got a good recording of the whole thing. Then weâll come up with a plan to find Biscuit.â
The recorder! In the excitement, had they left it on the table at the ice cream shop?
âKate!â she called, scanning the crowd.
She spotted Kate next to Gary, who was trying to calm her. âWeâll find him. There were too many people around for him to have just disappeared. Surely someone saw something!â
Kate continued to look through the crowds. âThat man took him. I know he did,â she told her youth minister.
Gary looked confused. âThat man? What man? What are you talking about?â
Elizabeth interrupted their conversation. âExcuse me, Kate. I think that little recorder might lead us to Biscuit.
C. J. Cherryh
Learning to Kill: Stories
John O'Riley
Brenda Sinclair
Christopher George
Stephen Lloyd Jones
Karl Iagnemma
Celya Bowers
Jill Gregory
Aria Cunningham