by Lisa Martin
“They call those music players a ‘band,’ ” Ruby informed the others, her tongue hanging out sideways in the heat but jubilant even so. “Sometimes they move about while they make the music. It’s entertaining to watch, in a way.”
“Yes, I’ve seen bands before, Ruby, but how are we going to get past those guards?” Anton said. “They’ll never let a bunch of animals through.” Perhaps they should have tried to sneak in another way.
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure, Anton,” said Ruby, sending him a wink. “All right, everyone, form a line behind me if you would, please.” The two pups on either side of her stretched their necks and squinted.
“I reco’nize this place,” said one, peering ahead.
“Yeah!” said the other. “I left my mom and dad in there! They’re prolly waiting for me.”
“Indeed,” said Ruby. “Now let’s all stay quiet as we pass through the gate. Heads up, proudly now, here we go.” The other puppies got in line and pulled themselves up as well, their tails wagging uncertainly, their ears pricked.
The guards at the gate leaned together in discussion, then arranged themselves into two lines, facing inward, with a path through the middle. The first guard in the line winked at Ruby and touched the tips of his fingers to his hat brim. Ruby led the way between the guards as each nodded to her. The last guard gave a signal to the band of musicians, who turned and strode down the promenade ahead of Ruby, their legs all moving the same way, in perfect time with the music. The crowd parted for them and murmured in surprise.
“Ah, wonderful!” said Ruby. “I love a parade.”
There was a shout off to one side, and Mr. Morgan burst through the crowd.
“LeNez!” he cried. “I’ve been looking everywh—” He broke off with his mouth open and his eyes huge, staring at the puppies. “Good heavens, LeNez! You’ve outdone yourself!”
Morgan disappeared for a moment and returned holding a large, cone-shaped device. He raced to a spot near Ruby and shouted to the crowd through the cone, which made his voice louder. The humans listened, then began to clap and cheer. “Bravo!” they shouted to Ruby and the cats. “Well done! Hooray for the puppy rescue!”
Anton and Cecil glanced at each other and smiled.
“We did it!” said Anton.
“I can’t believe it, but we did,” agreed Cecil.
Sergio walked on his hind legs, waving to the crowd and bowing. “My friends, I love this place already!”
Chapter 15
Moon over Lunenburg
Case solved,” Ruby said as the last carriage pulled away from Mr. Morgan’s house with the last pup safely restored to his grateful owners. Mr. Morgan himself stood on the lawn having a few final words with the police, who had arrested the culprits as they fled the scene of the circus. The dognappers sat in a wagon, bickering with each other, their wrists clasped in metal rings and the green cap and yellow scarf mysteriously missing.
“These repugnant thieves will be taken away to jail,” Ruby said with satisfaction. “They are doubtless too old to learn new tricks, as the poor puppies were required to do.”
Cecil yawned widely and sank against the sidewalk. “Puppies are so tiring,” he said. “I still don’t get why humans would steal them.”
“Those pups are valuable animals,” Ruby said. “Quite intelligent, and apparently humans find them to be adorable dancers. The crooked circus owners were desperate enough to try to steal them for their show.”
Sergio sat on the step, scratching his chin with his long fingers. “I just hope some human finds me valuable,” he said. “I’m going to need a job.”
“You’ll do fine here,” Ruby assured him. “There’s no end of work for a clever monkey. I could use your assistance on a regular basis. I often need a hand.”
Sergio sniffed. “I get it,” he said. “I’ve seen a world of animals and I’m the only one with a hand.”
“Indeed,” Ruby continued. “I’ve reached the conclusion that the four of us make a fine team. My nose is formidable, of course, but there’s only so much a nose can do. And I’m given to understand that there is a very interesting case unfolding even as we speak. It involves an empty suitcase that smells strongly of fresh sheep’s wool.”
“Oh, my whiskers,” Anton sighed. “Sheep’s wool. What next?”
“That’s very curious,” Sergio said. “Why would sheep’s wool be in a suitcase?”
Ruby nodded sagely. “Exactly.”
Cecil yawned again and Anton stretched out, lowering his head to his paws.
“I believe there is a missing jewel as well,” Ruby added.
“I love jewels,” said Sergio. “I like anything that sparkles.”
“Shall we have dinner,” Ruby suggested, “and talk it over? I believe Mr. Morgan has prepared something of a feast for us.”
Cecil brightened at this news and Anton pulled himself to his paws. The brothers exchanged a long look as they followed the dog and the monkey to the back of the house. Mr. Morgan had put out something for everyone. Fish, meaty bones, even bread, cheese, and a bowl of fruit. Cecil tucked in at once, sampling every bowl, but Anton only nibbled on a fish head. Sergio and Ruby continued to talk about the missing jewel case, and it was clear that the monkey was ready to start work at once.
Cecil wiped some meat juice from his lips and sat down next to his brother. “What are you thinking, little kit?” he asked.
Anton looked up from his meal. His brother hadn’t called him little kit in a long time. “I’m thinking that it’s time to go home.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” said Cecil, to Anton’s relief. “And I know the way to get there. From what Kitty told me on the ferry, we’re closer than you think.”
Anton brightened at this. “Really? How long will it take?”
“Well, first we take the ferry,” Cecil said. “That takes a day or so, but one leaves every morning. Then Kitty says there’s a train to the sea, and you know when to get off because it’s the last stop. From there we’d have to find a ship.”
“We might have to consult the mouse network,” Anton suggested.
A high voice piped up from behind the step to Morgan’s back door. “Did someone call for the mouse network?”
Sergio jumped up from his seat on the steps and ran to cower behind Ruby. “What was that?” he whispered.
Anton and Cecil exchanged amused glances as two mice stepped out into the open space, their twitching noses engaged at once by the spread of eatables, but their eyes serious in the pursuit of their mission.
“We represent the network, and we can give you very clear instructions for your return trip,” said the smaller of the two. “The red train leaves from the big station every evening and arrives at a large city the following morning.”
“It’s not the red train,” his companion corrected. “It’s the silver train.”
“Is it?” said the smaller mouse. “I’m certain it’s the red train. Didn’t Clyde say it was the red train?”
“I don’t know what Clyde said, but I’m sure it’s the silver train.”
“Thanks so much for your help,” Cecil interrupted. “But we’ve decided to take the ferry.”
The two mice drew their little mouths down into deep frowns. “The ferry?” said the taller one. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“What’s a ferry?” asked the other.
“It’s a boat that goes back and forth across the lake,” Anton said. He turned back to Cecil. “As you were saying, then there’s a train, and then one last ship.”
“One last ship,” said Cecil. He sighed and gazed skyward. “Cats in heaven but I’d like to go sailing into our beautiful bay.”
“The kittens will be big by now,” Anton mused.
“And old Billy will still be telling everyone what to do.”
Sergio listened to the brothers as he finished off a bowl of milk that he held to his mouth with both hands like a human. He set the bowl down and took up a piece of fruit. “Yo
u two are homesick,” he said. “I know that feeling. I often think of my mother and the rainforest where I grew up. What larks we had, swinging from tree to tree.”
Ruby lifted her head from the bone she was gnawing. “When I was a pup we lived in a small town. I remember the first time my brothers and I had a bath in a big tub in the yard. We splashed like crazy.”
Everyone was silent for a moment, thinking of happy times in the past. The mice had listened in awe, and the smaller mouse passed a paw over his nose to wipe away a sympathetic tear. Ruby gazed kindly at Anton and Cecil. At last she said, “I think Sergio and I can handle this jewel in the sheep’s wool case.”
“So you won’t think we’re deserting you?” Anton asked.
“Detective work isn’t for every animal,” Ruby said. “There’s a lot of chasing false leads, and in the end someone gets locked up. You two can’t abide to see anyone or anything locked up in a cage, that much is clear.”
“No,” Anton agreed. “We don’t like cages.”
Sergio let out a hoot of laughter. “I will never forget the look Tasha gave me when I was too scared to open that latch. And that roar! How she tore across the ground to the forest. It shook the earth!”
“She didn’t look back,” Cecil said.
“No,” Sergio said, smiling. “She did not look back.”
In the morning, Ruby walked with them to the ferry landing. As they arrived, they saw the prow of the little ship plowing toward them through the waves. Kitty, dashing about on the upper deck, spotted them as the engines cut off.
“Hey, Cecil!” she meowed. “Are you coming aboard?”
“We are,” Cecil called back. “I found my brother.” It was a bright, warm, calm day and it was easy to slip on board past the crowds of humans coming out to see the Fair.
“Farewell friends, and safe travels,” Ruby called from the shore. She stood quietly on the dock as the ferry hands threw off the rope and the engine revved. Anton and Cecil looked back, each with one paw raised as the ferry backed away from the landing and out into the lake.
Kitty came bounding down the steps, eager to welcome Cecil. “I knew you’d find your brother,” she said, rushing up to Cecil and circling him joyfully.
With her orange coloration and white nose, Cecil thought she looked a bit like a miniature Tasha. “This is Anton,” he said. “Anton, this is Kitty.”
“Pleased to meet you,” said Anton.
“So, where are you headed now?” Kitty said. “Some new excitement?”
“We’re going home,” Anton said. “And no more stops to see the sights.”
“What’s so great about home?” Kitty asked.
Anton gave her a puzzled look, then recognized something he liked and chuckled. “You’re like Cecil,” he said, “always wanting to gad about.”
“No more, my lad, no more,” said Cecil. “When we get home I’m going to lie about on the dock telling stories to my little brothers and sisters.”
“And I’m going to have a good crab dinner and stop by the saloon to hear some fine sea shanties.”
“So you just do as you please there,” Kitty observed. “I like that idea.”
“If we can find our way back,” Anton said, “I won’t be leaving again. Wish us luck, Miss Kitty.”
Kitty sniffed, then gave Cecil a nudge with her shoulder. “Cats make their own luck,” she said.
Cecil felt a shiver run right up his spine. It was as if Tasha had breathed over him. He turned to look at Kitty. “Why don’t you come with us?” Cecil asked.
Two cats got on the ferry, but three got off on the far shore and ran along a narrow road past passengers hauling suitcases and baskets toward the train.
“Follow us,” Cecil told Kitty as they trotted alongside the track, staying under the platform the humans were climbing. They passed beyond the passenger carriages to the open cars at the back.
“This one looks good,” Anton said, and the three leaped one after the other into the wide, dark interior of the carriage just as the whistle shrieked. The whole train quivered as the engine came to life.
Inside it was cool and spacious with only a few bales of straw and several tall wooden crates. Kitty was quick to have a look between the slats on the crates and announced that they contained the two-wheel pedal carts that humans rode on and sometimes brought onto the ferry.
“Humans,” she said, “are just crazy about wheels.” With a clank and a groan the great wheels of the train began to turn and the car lurched forward on the track. All three cats rushed to the open door and sat watching the world go by as the train pulled away from the station, heading toward the rising sun.
“This is great,” Kitty observed. “You two sure know how to travel.”
“Travel is easy enough,” said Cecil. “The hard part is winding up where you want to be.”
But this time even that was easy. They talked and dozed until it was dark. Sometime in the night Anton woke with the smell of the sea in his nostrils. He sat up and rubbed his face with his paws.
“Smells like fish,” Cecil said, without moving from the hay.
“And crabs,” Anton agreed.
Cecil got up from his sleeping spot and stumbled over to the door. Anton followed.
“Do you see where we are?” Anton asked him. Cecil stuck his head out into the night air.
“It definitely looks familiar,” Cecil said.
“I’ll jolt your memory,” Anton said. “Her name is Athena.”
“Oh, jumping cats,” said Cecil. “You’re right.”
“Who’s Athena?” said Kitty, joining them at the door.
“She’s an owl,” Anton said.
“A big owl,” Cecil added. “And she’s nuts. When we get off, go straight under the carriage and head for the front of the train. Stay close and wait for us to decide if it’s safe to make a run for it.”
“Got it,” said Kitty, looking bright and eager. All three leaped from the boxcar and disappeared between the wheels, crouched low and running briskly. When they came to the front of the engine, Cecil inched his head out carefully, scanning the steel beams stretched across the roof of the station.
“It looks like the coast is clear,” he said, dropping back.
“Let’s not take any chances,” Anton said. “Make a beeline for the street.”
“On the count of three,” Cecil said. “One, two, three . . .” The three cats leaped from their hideaway and streaked past the crowds of humans pushing their way toward the outside of the station. Anton thought he heard a high-pitched screech as they rounded the corner and burst into the street. When they were well along the second block, Cecil slowed down and they pulled together on the square.
“Where to now?” Kitty asked.
“The wharf is over there,” Cecil said, lifting his chin in the direction of the sea.
“Look,” Anton said. “You can see the masts over the rooftops.”
“Sailing ships,” Kitty said. “I’ve always wanted to go on one of those.”
“It helps if you take the right one,” Anton said.
They set off across the street and soon came to the wharf, which was well lit with lamps. There were several ships tied up, rocking slowly with the tide, towering over the various men who moved about, talking and working, loading carts and unloading vessels. Anton and Cecil studied each one, looking for some clue as to where they might be bound. Kitty followed quietly, purring a bit, which made Cecil mysteriously calm. The first two ships were huge and deep in the water, their gangplanks nearly level with the dock. One had a horned animal for a figurehead, and the other the head of a large bird. The third was a rough-looking steamer with no figurehead at all.
Cecil stopped at the fourth ship with a sigh of satisfaction. She was a trim, two-masted clipper with the head of a woman carved at the prow. Anton followed Cecil’s eyes and sat down with a laugh.
“There she is,” he said.
“There who is?” asked Kitty. “What are we looking at?”
“You see that lady?” Cecil said.
“Sure,” said Kitty. “She’s got long flowing hair.”
“Notice anything funny about her?”
Kitty studied the figurehead. “Oh,” she said after a moment. “She doesn’t have legs; she has a fish tail.”
“That’s right,” said Anton.
“What does that make her?” Kitty asked.
Anton chuckled as Cecil turned to their new friend and said, “That makes her the ship we came in on.”
It was the Sea Song!” little Sophie shouted happily, as Kitty paused in her storytelling.
Mo, who had been dozing, perked up and said, “The Sea Song?”
“That’s the ship they first sailed out on, remember?” said Sophie. “They found her again and that’s how they got home.”
“Right.” Kitty nodded. “So those are the three ways to travel in this great world. By sea, by rail, and by balloon.”
The kittens yawned and curled up to sleep, and Kitty stirred herself, thinking she’d have a stroll on the waterfront before turning in for the night. She said good night to the kits and set off down the path from the lighthouse to the harbor. She hadn’t gone far when she saw Cecil sitting quietly, watching the rising moon.
“Hey, Cecil,” she said. “What’re you doing?”
“Just enjoying the evening,” he replied. “I thought I’d take a walk in town. Anton says there’s a good singer at the saloon tonight.”
“I’ll go with you.”
They walked along a little way before Cecil said, “I listened in a bit to your story with the kittens. You tell it well, even though you only came in near the end.”
“I’ve heard your version more than once, you know.” Kitty grinned. “There are three ways to travel,” she intoned, mimicking Cecil’s voice perfectly.
Cecil laughed. “Do I really sound like that? I don’t know. Maybe there are more.”
“And other places to go,” said Kitty, “unthought of by Anton and Cecil.”