Krakens and Lies by Tui T. Sutherland Page B

sunshine.
    â€œYour brother just radioed,” Blue informed Zoe. “Basil is contained. And Matthew and Mooncrusher found what looks like the remains of a fire extinguisher scattered from the Reptile House to about fifteen yards out. I guess it exploded.”
    â€œLike on MythBusters ,” Logan said.
    â€œWhat?” Zoe asked.
    â€œOn MythBusters , they took the safety valve off a CO2 fire extinguisher and it blew up,” Logan explained.
    â€œWasn’t it in a fire, though?” Marco said.
    â€œYou’re right,” Logan said, seeming surprised Marco watched the show, too.
    â€œAnd anyway, how could any of our fire extinguishers not have their safety valves?” Zoe said. “We literally replaced them all just last week on SNAPA’s insistence. Unless—”
    â€œUnless what?” Marco said.
    â€œUnless it was the saboteur,’” Logan finished for her. “We think someone’s been messing with the Menagerie.”
    A rumbling sound echoed through the walls, and with her nerves as frayed as they were, it took Zoe a heart-stopping minute to realize it was just the garage door opening.
    â€œThat was quick,” she said. They’d gotten Jasmin out just in time. “Remember, let’s not mention Jasmin was here just yet. And, heads up, Pelly is back.”
    The boys stayed in the kitchen while Zoe went out to the garage, where Zoe’s mom and dad were climbing out of the van. Ruby emerged after them and flounced into the house with a sullen look on her face. A squawky muttering was coming from the back of the van. Out in the driveway, Zoe saw the two SNAPA agents getting out of their car.
    â€œHi, Zoe,” Delia Dantes said tiredly as she came into the garage. Zoe wondered if any of her other SNAPA work was as crazy or messed up as this week at the Menagerie had been. The agent looked like she hadn’t slept in days, with dark rings under her pretty gray eyes. There was a small coffee stain onher white blouse and wrinkles in her tan linen pants.
    Agent Runcible, by contrast, looked as perfectly pressed and impeccable as ever. And possibly even more unfriendly than usual, although that might be because Melissa Merevy had blackmailed him into letting the Menagerie stay open by threatening to reveal how many new-werewolf rules he’d broken lately. Otherwise he’d been planning to shut them down over any number of things, big (a missing golden goose, a dragon wandering around town eating sheep) or small (expired kennel cough vaccines for the hellhounds, not enough algae in the zaratan’s diet, etc.). But now he couldn’t.
    So we’re safe from one thing, at least , Zoe thought.
    â€œWhere’s Miss Sameera?” she asked.
    â€œWe took her home,” Delia answered.
    â€œOh,” Zoe said. “We sort of promised she could see the unicorns. And I wanted to ask her some questions.”
    â€œYou’d better not,” Agent Runcible said sternly. “We gave her enough kraken ink to make the kraken itself forget it’s not just a squid. This time it had better work, since it clearly didn’t in Missouri.” He stalked past her, oblivious to her mouth dropping open.
    â€œWait,” Zoe cried. “You gave her kraken ink already? But what about all our questions?”
    â€œWe questioned her, don’t worry,” Delia said.
    â€œBut what if you asked her the wrong things?” Zoe said. “What if she knew something else that we need to know?”
    â€œZoe,” her dad said warningly, taking a clipboard from Runcible and signing the papers on it. “I’m sure the SNAPA agents know what they’re doing.”
    I’m sure they DON’T , Zoe wanted to shout. How could they wipe Miss Sameera’s brain without even asking if the Kahns needed to talk to her first?
    â€œDid you ask her who she followed?” Zoe demanded. “To find Pelly? Do you know who it