me?”
“Ms. Shaw, I know this may sound a bit presumptuous, but I’d like you to help us find Dexter.” Alves’ expression was serious. “We still don’t know who attacked us, or where Luke might be. Even though we haven’t received any communication, we are still hopeful. But more than that, I believe Dexter saw what happened that night, and he may just be smart enough to give us vital information about it. How many were involved? What they were wearing? If we can just get an idea of who did it, I promise you, I will spare no expense tracking them down and finding Luke.”
“I don’t-” Alison started, then turned to DeeAnn, who remained silently thinking.
Finally, DeeAnn looked back at him curiously. “This isn’t just about finding the monkey. This is about talking to him.”
Alves nodded. “That’s correct.”
“Is that even possible?” Alison asked.
DeeAnn rubbed her finger softly against her lip. “It’s feasible…maybe.”
“I thought IMIS was programmed specifically for gorillas. Is this monkey similar to a gorilla?”
“No,” DeeAnn answered. “Not even close.”
“Could IMIS talk to it?”
DeeAnn shook her head. “Doubtful. But…”
“But what?”
“But there’s another possibility. Dulce may be able to talk to a capuchin.”
“Are you kidding?”
“No.” She paused to think again before continuing. “I’m not sure, but I think it’s possible. When I worked with Koko at the Gorilla Foundation, there was a researcher by the name of Joanne Tanner. She was brilliant and had worked there for years.” DeeAnn’s speech began to speed up, with a trace of excitement. “ She spent ten years filming gorillas at the San Francisco Zoo and discovered something startling. The gorillas there had never been taught to sign like Koko, but she found that they used gestures . She documented almost thirty common, instinctive gestures used by the gorillas. It was a major discovery in primate studies, demonstrating what some of us had already suspected. There is a lot more to their communication than we know. More importantly, she found those common gestures spanned multiple species. And I believe one of them was capuchin monkeys.”
“You mean like some kind of sign language?”
“Yes, exactly. And with Dulce and this Dexter monkey both being highly intelligent, it’s conceivable that they could actually speak to one another. I don’t know how likely it is, but it’s certainly possible. Joanne was sure there were many more gestures yet to be identified.”
Alves was smiling broadly, excited at DeeAnn’s explanation.
“But transporting a gorilla is a production,” she continued, thinking about the logistics. “It would have to be as fast as possible so she didn’t become too anxious or nervous. She would also need to be in a cage, just in case. Dulce is young, but she’s still strong. Too strong for us if she became frightened. It would definitely have to be by plane.”
“I can provide whatever you need.”
“Whoa, hold on!” Alison interrupted, holding up a hand. She looked at their visitors. “Would you mind if we excused ourselves for a minute?”
“Of course,” Alves replied.
With that, Alison stood up and motioned for DeeAnn to follow her. They crossed the room and opened the door, stepping out into the hallway. After it clicked shut, Alison wasted no time.
“Okay, hold up. What exactly are we thinking here?”
“A trip,” answered DeeAnn.
“A trip,” repeated Alison. “Just like that?”
DeeAnn folded her arms. “I don’t think we have much choice, Ali. Or time.”
“Okay,” Alison said calmly. “I know you’re worried about Luke. I understand that. But we just met this man. We know nothing about him.”
“That’s true, although we should be able to check him out pretty easily. I mean, the man sounds like some kind of billionaire mogul.
“Ms. Shaw, I know this may sound a bit presumptuous, but I’d like you to help us find Dexter.” Alves’ expression was serious. “We still don’t know who attacked us, or where Luke might be. Even though we haven’t received any communication, we are still hopeful. But more than that, I believe Dexter saw what happened that night, and he may just be smart enough to give us vital information about it. How many were involved? What they were wearing? If we can just get an idea of who did it, I promise you, I will spare no expense tracking them down and finding Luke.”
“I don’t-” Alison started, then turned to DeeAnn, who remained silently thinking.
Finally, DeeAnn looked back at him curiously. “This isn’t just about finding the monkey. This is about talking to him.”
Alves nodded. “That’s correct.”
“Is that even possible?” Alison asked.
DeeAnn rubbed her finger softly against her lip. “It’s feasible…maybe.”
“I thought IMIS was programmed specifically for gorillas. Is this monkey similar to a gorilla?”
“No,” DeeAnn answered. “Not even close.”
“Could IMIS talk to it?”
DeeAnn shook her head. “Doubtful. But…”
“But what?”
“But there’s another possibility. Dulce may be able to talk to a capuchin.”
“Are you kidding?”
“No.” She paused to think again before continuing. “I’m not sure, but I think it’s possible. When I worked with Koko at the Gorilla Foundation, there was a researcher by the name of Joanne Tanner. She was brilliant and had worked there for years.” DeeAnn’s speech began to speed up, with a trace of excitement. “ She spent ten years filming gorillas at the San Francisco Zoo and discovered something startling. The gorillas there had never been taught to sign like Koko, but she found that they used gestures . She documented almost thirty common, instinctive gestures used by the gorillas. It was a major discovery in primate studies, demonstrating what some of us had already suspected. There is a lot more to their communication than we know. More importantly, she found those common gestures spanned multiple species. And I believe one of them was capuchin monkeys.”
“You mean like some kind of sign language?”
“Yes, exactly. And with Dulce and this Dexter monkey both being highly intelligent, it’s conceivable that they could actually speak to one another. I don’t know how likely it is, but it’s certainly possible. Joanne was sure there were many more gestures yet to be identified.”
Alves was smiling broadly, excited at DeeAnn’s explanation.
“But transporting a gorilla is a production,” she continued, thinking about the logistics. “It would have to be as fast as possible so she didn’t become too anxious or nervous. She would also need to be in a cage, just in case. Dulce is young, but she’s still strong. Too strong for us if she became frightened. It would definitely have to be by plane.”
“I can provide whatever you need.”
“Whoa, hold on!” Alison interrupted, holding up a hand. She looked at their visitors. “Would you mind if we excused ourselves for a minute?”
“Of course,” Alves replied.
With that, Alison stood up and motioned for DeeAnn to follow her. They crossed the room and opened the door, stepping out into the hallway. After it clicked shut, Alison wasted no time.
“Okay, hold up. What exactly are we thinking here?”
“A trip,” answered DeeAnn.
“A trip,” repeated Alison. “Just like that?”
DeeAnn folded her arms. “I don’t think we have much choice, Ali. Or time.”
“Okay,” Alison said calmly. “I know you’re worried about Luke. I understand that. But we just met this man. We know nothing about him.”
“That’s true, although we should be able to check him out pretty easily. I mean, the man sounds like some kind of billionaire mogul.
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