The Second Adventure by Gordon Korman Page A

he found Savannah speaking to Luthor in the quiet manner that had earned her the reputation as Cedarville’s premier dog whisperer.
    â€œI have to go back to camp now, sweetie. You’ll be staying here with Melissa and Logan. I know it isn’t what you had in mind, but you three are going to have so much fun together. . . .”
    â€œNot
too
much fun,” Griffin put in. “He has to be quiet. All that barking nearly blew our cover at Ebony Lake.”
    â€œAnd don’t forget to tell him about the
serious
theatre going on,” Logan added. “This isn’t just a camp-camp, it’s a
drama
camp, and some of the people here are going to be actors for their real careers. He can’t expect us to drop everything and go get dog biscuits or whatever.”
    Savannah was annoyed. “I won’t tell him that. It’s insulting. Besides, he wouldn’t know what to make of a message like that. An animal’s comprehension comes from emotional intelligence and sensitivity.”
    â€œHe wasn’t so sensitive when he was trashing my basement,” Logan complained.
    Savannah faced him furiously. “If you’ve got a problem —”
    Griffin quickly interposed himself between his two friends. “It works against the plan if we fight among ourselves. The whole point of all this is to keep Luthor out of Swindle’s grubby hands. We’re doing you a favor, Savannah.”
    The dog whisperer was instantly contrite. If it weren’t for Operation Hideout, her beloved Doberman would be back with his former owner, the sleazy S. Wendell Palomino.
    â€œSorry, Logan,” she said emotionally. “I’m so grateful to you guys for stashing Luthor up here. It’s just not safe for us to keep him at Ebony Lake anymore.”
    â€œIt helps us, too,” Melissa assured her. “If we let Swindle get rich off Luthor’s dog show winnings, he’ll use the money to come after all of us.”
    â€œKeep your eyes peeled for anybody who might be a private investigator working for Swindle,” Griffin instructed. “Whoever it is will be undercover, so you have to be careful. Watch out for delivery guys or forest rangers who poke around asking nosy questions. It could even be a new counselor — nobody’s above suspicion. Got it?”
    Melissa held up her phone for the others to see. “Here comes the laundry truck heading west.”
    â€œThat’s our ride home,” Griffin confirmed. He turned to Logan. “Ready for some more acting?”
    â€œThe sleepwalking thing isn’t really working for me,” Logan mused. “You know, dramatically. Maybe I should be a parachutist who blew off course.”
    â€œExcept there’s no parachute,” Melissa pointed out.
    Logan sighed. “We need a props department.”
    â€œJust be something,” Griffin hissed. “If we miss the truck, it’s a twenty-five-mile hike back to camp.”
    â€œLeave Luthor with me,” Melissa said courageously. “Go catch your ride.”
    There wasn’t even time for an emotional farewell scene between Savannah and the Doberman. Instead, the animal expert made an elaborate show of handing the leash over to Melissa. “Be a good boy, sweetie. I’ll see you soon.”
    They heard the brakes of the truck, followed by Logan’s voice. The young actor had abandoned his parachutist story, and was portraying a lost hiker. There was no time to lose. In another moment, the opportunity would be lost forever.
    â€œGo!” whispered Melissa.
    With a brave smile for Luthor’s sake, Savannah allowed herself to be pulled away by Griffin. As Logan distracted the driver of the van, the two renegade campers circled around the back of the truck, eased open the rear gate, and hid themselves behind stacks of linens.
    The instant Savannah was out of sight, the change in Luthor was glaringly obvious. His calm deserted