“Well, Lilly?” asked the sheriff.
“Mr. Stinchfield stole Tobias, my parrot.” She looked the sheriff in the eye. “And he planned to sell Dorian to a private zoo.” At this the sheriff took a step back. Lilly continued, “The back is filled with animals that were smuggled into the country. The pet store has been selling endangered animals, Sheriff McDuffie.”
The sheriff looked curious but unconvinced. “Did you see anyone sell an endangered animal in this store, Lilly? Did you see money changing hands?” he asked.
“Not exactly, sir,” answered Lilly. “But…”
Mr. Stinchfield interrupted with a snarl. “I’ve had this girl in my class since kindergarten. She’s a pathological liar, sheriff.”
The sheriff looked at Lilly. “Why would anyone steal your parrot, Lilly? And a teacher selling a student to a, what do you call it, a private zoo? It sounds ridiculous.”
“It’s true,” said Dorian. “It’s because of my tail.”
“Oh the things disgruntled students say and do,” sighed Mr. Stinchfield. “I’m sorry to involve you in this mess, sheriff.” As he moved towards the sheriff, Mr. Stinchfield groaned melodramatically, “I fear my ribs have been broken.” He groaned louder. “This blight of a girl tackled me as I tried to dial your office, sheriff. I managed to hit the alarm while falling to the floor. Sheer willpower on my part.”
“That’s not true,” shouted Lilly. “I’m the one who rang the alarm because he stole Tobias and Dorian and all the animals in the back, and he is going to sell them.”
“Look, Lilly, I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to answer it honestly.” Lilly nodded at the sheriff. “Did you enter the pet store without permission?”
“Yes, sir,” said Lilly. Mr. Stinchfield grinned. “Can you check the animals in the secret room, sheriff?” Lilly asked. “You’ll see they’re not supposed to be here. They were smuggled in.”
“I have to take you to my office, Lilly, you and Dorian. I’ll call your mothers when we get there. You see my knowledge of animals is limited. All I know is that pet stores and animals go together. I do know the law. I know you and Dorian trespassed, Lilly, and trespassing is against the law.”
Lilly’s eyes brimmed with tears. The sheriff opened the door to escort them out and said, “I wouldn’t know an endangered animal if he looked me in the face.”
“TIMMA!” screeched a voice. “He looks you in the face now, sheriff.”
The sheriff turned sharply. “Who said that?” he demanded.
Tobias flew from the back and landed on Lilly’s shoulder. “INTRRRODUCTIONS! I am the animal who addressed you, sheriff.” Tobias raised his beak and stretched his neck. It gave him a taller, more dignified appearance. Lilly had seen him do the same when he addressed the animals at home. Tobias explained to her once that large animals can make the mistake of underestimating smaller animals.
Tobias continued, “I am Professor Tobias Roufus-tailed Tuft. I am the last Roufus-tailed Tuft in existence, alive that is. Mr. Stinchfield and his apprentice thief kidnapped me from the home I share with Lilly.”
While Tobias spoke Sheriff McDuffie walked toward the lime green parrot without blinking or glancing away. He watched Tobias’ beak move in sync with his words. Jake looked as though Tobias could have knocked him down with a feather. Mr. Stinchfield stared at Tobias angrily, his one eyebrow a venomous, ‘V.’
After Tobias spoke, it was the sheriff’s turn, “Is this some kind of a joke? ‘Cause if it is, I don’t like it’”
“No joke!” screeched Tobias. “I do not laugh.”
“Well, I’ll be,” said the sheriff pulling off his hat. He rocked back on his heels rolling and unrolling the rim of his hat. He stared at Tobias with wonder.
“Follow me, Sheriff,” Tobias screeched. He waved a wing toward the back of the store. “The animals you are about to meet were taken from their homelands and treated miserably. Most important from your point-of-view, they were brought here illegally. Transporting them broke many laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the Wild Bird Conservation Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.”
Tobias flew to the secret room where he introduced the sheriff to dozens of parrots, one puma, a serval wildcat, a Caiman crocodile and two orangutans.
When they stood in front of the orangutans’ crates, Tobias’ voice cracked, “HORRIFIC! These orangutans are babies. The poacher killed their mothers first. It makes capturing the babies easy. You see the baby doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t run away. He doesn’t fight. He simply clings to his mother and waits for her to wake up.”
Tobias continued, “By the way, sheriff, it is common for the same people who smuggle animals to smuggle drugs, sometimes at the same time.”
As Tobias spoke, the sheriff’s expression changed from disbelief to sadness to anger. “Obviously I was wrong about who broke the law here.” He looked around the small room. “Now where did Mr. Stinchfield go?”
Dorian was the first to reach the front of the store but Mr. Stinchfield and Jake were gone. When Dorian ran outside, he saw the men racing down the street on foot. The sheriff jumped into his cruiser while Tobias took to the skies. Although Mr. Stinchfield had a headstart, he hadn’t gone very far. Broken ribs stabbed him with every step.
When the lawman reached the scene, Tobias had chased down Stinchfield like a hawk after a mouse. “My mose!” screamed Mr. Stinchfield on his knees. Tobias’ beak held Stinchfield’s nose in a powerful grip. “’elp me! ‘elp me!” yelled Stinchfield catching sight of the sheriff.
“Are you kidding?” chuckled the sheriff. He pointed at Tobias. “I’m going to ‘elp the bird. I might make him ‘eputy, too.”
“Owwww! My mose!” screamed Stinchfield again struggling to escape.
When Lilly and Dorian arrived, Tobias was still putting the squeeze on Mr. Stinchfield. The sheriff was offering advice. “If you don’t stop squirming, I believe you’ll twist your nose right off your face. And the only happy fellow will be the crocodile you neglected to feed.”
After that Stinchfield held still and the sheriff arrested him without further trouble. His helper, Jake, was already handcuffed and in the cruiser. Before any of them reached the town jail, the sheriff radioed the FBI for help. He wanted them to find Mr. Stinchfield’s partner and brother, Mr. Snodgrass. When Lilly sadly told him about Miss Brightman, the sheriff called up his deputy and sent him out to arrest her, too.
Chapter 39
After the sheriff called the FBI, he called the Fish and Wildlife Service and arranged for Game Wardens to pick up the animals as soon as possible. His next call went to Dorian’s mother but she didn’t answer the phone. He didn’t call Lilly’s mother because Lilly said their phone had been disconnected. So the sheriff sent his deputy out to tell the two mothers that their children were safe and wanted to stay and help with the animals, and that they might not be home till morning.
At Lilly’s urging, the sheriff woke up the only veterinarian in town and Ernie from the Silent Bird Restaurant and met them at the pet store. After the doctor examined the animals, and Ernie fed them, Lilly told the sheriff her next idea – to let all the animals loose if they promised to obey the sheriff.
According to Tobias, the Caiman crocodile said he promised to not eat the orangutans if the sheriff would put him in a cage with Mr. Stinchfield. With the puma and wildcat fed, they agreed to not eat the parrots. In return, the parrots promised to not scratch the big cats’ eyes.
The sheriff shook his head. He told Lilly he wasn’t convinced by wild animals promising to act civilized. He said it seemed unnatural and downright dangerous to expect they would. His answer was no, they would stay in their cages, sorry as he was about their cramped conditions.
Sheriff McDuffie whistled in amazement. He still didn’t believe a parrot could talk, really talk. He didn’t have time for an explanation now but he was planning to get one. At the jail, Lilly found it hard to believe that her f
avorite teacher had betrayed her. She listened to Mr. Stinchfield and Miss Brightman argue whose fault it was they were caught. Lilly didn’t think she would ever understand.
“Do you want to talk to her?” asked Dorian.
“No,” said Lilly. How could she trust any excuse or reason Miss Brightman might give? Instead of thinking about Miss Brightman, Lilly thought how wonderful it was Tobias and Dorian were safe.
The Game Wardens arrived at six o’clock in the morning. They said the government of Indonesia had already requested the baby orangutans be sent back. Indonesia was their home. They said some of the other animals might be sent back to their home countries, too.
The Game Wardens had more interesting news. Mr. Snodgrass was arrested with a boatload of endangered reptiles. Suddenly Lilly felt very tired and ready to go. Tobias was so exhausted he accepted a ride with the sheriff, too.
On the drive home, Sheriff McDuffie told Lilly and Dorian how brave they were and how much he appreciated their help. Then he said, “Lilly, I just want to say how sorry I am about your house.” Lilly’s eyes brightened with tears. Today was the auction. Today, she and her family would lose their home – and each other.
The sheriff continued, “I know you wanted to catch a criminal and collect enough reward money to keep your house, Lilly. Well, you did catch a few criminals.”
“Is there reward money?” asked Lilly and Dorian at the same time.
“I’m afraid not,” said the sheriff sadly. “I wish there was.”
When the cruiser pulled up the street toward Lilly’s house, an unexpected sight greeted them. A great, green grizzly sat on a flatbed truck in the driveway. “Oh no!” shouted Lilly. “They’re selling our house in pieces!”
When the truck carted the giant topiary away, the sheriff pulled into the driveway. “Your mother wants you dropped off here, Dorian. I’ll stay for a minute to say ‘hello’ and see what’s going on.” Lilly and Dorian ran to the backyard. All three were astonished to see giant holes where topiary giants once stood. Only McMuggster remained.
Mrs. Mynah hugged Dorian while Lilly stood at the end of the walkway taking in the strange sight of her mother sitting near the garden in a kitchen chair pouring tea from a china teapot. She set the teapot down on an over turned cardboard box, which served as a makeshift tea table. Lilly’s mother then handed the filled teacup to Mrs. Snodgrass who sat across from her in another kitchen chair.
Lilly marched over, her face turning pinker as she neared her mother and Mrs. Snodgrass. “I can’t believe I ever thought you would help us, Mrs. Snodgrass. You knew how much I wanted to keep our house and live here with my mother and Tobias and Janie and her babies, and Zelda and Gwendolyn and the egg! How could you sell our house?“
“Topiaries,” said Lilly’s mother in a quiet voice.
“What?” asked Lilly.
“I see your tongue is working this morning, Lilly,” quipped Mrs. Snodgrass as she stood.
Mrs. Snodgrass turned to Lilly’s mother. “You have the check for the topiaries minus my fee. I’ll need that money to pay for Mr. Snodgrass’s legal fees. Unless I decide to divorce him, then I’ll need to pay for that.
“Goodbye, Lilly,” said Mrs. Snodgrass walking away. “When I visit Isadora at camp, I’ll tell her you said, ‘hello.’”
“Goodbye, Mrs. Snodgrass,” said the sheriff lifting his hat. “Good morning, Mrs. Wilder, Mrs. Mynah. Do you mind if I grab a seat?” Without waiting he plopped down looking exhausted.
“Please call me Nadine,” said Mrs. Mynah shaking the sheriff’s hand.
Mrs. Wilder looked at Sheriff McDuffie and spoke shyly, “Thank you for bringing our children home safe.”
“You’re welcome, m’am.”
Lilly noticed for the first time both women looked as though they’d worked all night, and her mother’s eyes were red as if she’d been crying. I knew she’d be upset about leaving, thought Lilly.
“Mrs. Wilder,” said the sheriff, “I want to tell you that I’m real sorry about your home being sold. What time is the auction?”
Mrs. Wilder took a deep breath and said, “There won’t be an auction, sheriff.”
“What?” said Lilly puzzled. Surprised, the sheriff pulled off his hat and rocked back in his chair.
Mrs. Wilder took Lilly’s hand. “Mrs. Snodgrass found someone to buy my topiaries. He paid a lot of money.”
“He paid what they were worth,” said Dorian’s mother.
“Enough to pay the taxes?” asked Lilly.
“More than enough,” her mother answered. “We can stay right here, Lilly.”
Lilly looked up at her mother and realized suddenly she saw only her mother. The cloud, her mother’s constant companion for as long as Lilly could remember was gone. Lilly wanted to hug her mother but what if her mother didn’t hug her back? What if her mother didn’t stay this way? What if she went back to being the way she was? Lilly searched her mother’s eyes. Without saying a word, Lilly’s mother put her arms around Lilly and gave her a hug that was for keeps.
“Would you like breakfast, sheriff?” asked Mrs. Mynah. “We have fresh strawberries from the garden. And we can start you off with a cup of tea.”
“Well, okay,” said the sheriff. “That sounds real good.”
“Could you help me in the kitchen, Lilly?” asked Mrs. Mynah. As Dorian’s mother turned to Lilly, Lilly noticed her vest. It was black. Bright threads led from a brilliant moon to a beautifully woven jungle. Lilly followed Mrs. Mynah into the kitchen.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” asked Lilly. “You gave me the Bowku seeds.”
“Yes, I did,” said Mrs. Mynah, filling the teakettle with water.
“But that means…” Lilly stopped. She felt silly. What she was thinking was incredible.
“I’m a Shape Shifter,” said Mrs. Mynah. “I thought Tobias might tell you everything.
“He told me about the Forest People on his island who could change into the shapes of animals, Mrs. Mynah but he didn’t say anything about you.”
“I suppose he wanted me to tell you myself. Dorian doesn’t know so I don’t want you to tell him. I will tell him.”
While they waited for the water to boil, Mrs. Mynah placed herbs into the sheriff’s cup. “My grandmother was one of the last Shape Shifters and Tobias was her familiar. Tobias brought your father to visit my grandmother many years ago. Your father was very special or my grandmother would not have shared our stories with him.”
“The King Magnet story?” asked Lilly.
“Yes, King Magnet is one,” said Mrs. Mynah as she poured boiling water into the cup. “I’m glad Tobias shared that with you.”
“Why did Tobias say there weren’t any Shape Shifters left when you’re one?” asked Lilly.
Mrs. Mynah nodded sadly. “I was the only one who stayed to learn the ways of our people but I was never initiated. My grandmother died before the ceremony. Now only the familiars carry the secrets of my people, only the familiars and myself.
“Did you meet my father, Mrs. Mynah?”
“Yes I did, Lilly. Someday I will tell you my memories of him. Right now, I have a very tired-looking sheriff who could use this tea.”
“The sheriff knows Tobias can speak. Is that all right?” asked Lilly. “Mr. Stinchfield and his helper heard Tobias, too. He kept quiet around everyone else.”
Mrs. Mynah smiled. “I’m not worried about Mr. Stinchfield and his helper. Where they’re going, no one will believe them. And this tea will take care of the sheriff’s memories.”
“How?”
“It’s myrtle. For centuries myrtle has been used to help people forget. Most of last evening will be fresh in the sheriff’s mind but hearing Tobias speak will seem like a dream.”
Lilly wondered if it was necessary to make the sheriff forget and decided it was. If word spread about Tobias’ amazing ability, anything might happen. He might be kidnapped again.
“Lilly, hurry!” It was Dorian shouting from her bedro
om. “The egg!”
“Go,” said Mrs. Mynah smiling.
As Lilly ran to her bedroom, she heard gleeful hoots and hollers. When she walked in, Janie and her children, plus Zelda, Gwendolyn, Lady, Razz Ma Tazz, Dorian and Tobias were gathered round the egg, which was being chiseled open from the inside out.
“Deal the final blow, my boy!” shouted Tobias. At that there was one more tap and the egg split open. Broken shell fell away.
“I know I’ve never seen a newborn parrot before,” said Dorian. “But I don’t think they look like this.”
Tyger Lilly Page 18