The Trail of the Ghost Bunny by Linda Joy Singleton

Author:Linda Joy Singleton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Published: 2018-10-22T16:00:00+00:00

- Chapter 12 -

Bunny-Napped

How could Trixie escape a locked cage?

The latch even has a twist of wire around the bars for extra security. Trixie couldn’t have gotten out of the cage on her own. Someone—or something— took her.

But why would anyone steal a bunny?

My parents and the sheriff fire questions at me about Trixie, but it’s hard to talk when I’m trying not to cry. Shine a hot lamp on me and call me guilty, because I blame myself. I think back to the last time I saw Trixie, after I heard glass shatter. I’d scooped up Honey to protect her, but it never occurred to me that Trixie needed protection too. Instead of taking her to safety, I left her alone. And now she’s gone.

The sheriff apologizes because he has to go on another call and can’t stay to search for the bunny. “But take the rest of the afternoon off, Katherine,” he kindly tells Mom. “A bunny clever enough to escape a locked cage will come back when she’s hungry. Let me know when you find her,” he adds, optimistically.

As the sheriff drives out of our yard, Becca whirls in on her bike, her pink-black ponytail whipping in the gusty wind. She’s changed out of the leopard-print dress she wore to school and into the jeans and worn T-shirt she wears when working in animal pens and stalls.

“Leo texted, so I came ASAP.” She hops off her bike and gives me a hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, but the bear cub cut his foot and I helped Mom bandage it. Leo said there was an intruder. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, but Trixie isn’t.” I gulp back tears. I explain what happened as Leo and I lead her upstairs to my room.

“Evidence A.” Leo points to the empty cage. “The bunny is gone, yet the cage is latched shut.”

“And the wire is still there too,” I add, feeling sick inside. “Trixie may be tricky, but even if she opened the cage, she couldn’t lock it after she escaped.”

“Puzzling.” Leo rubs his chin. “A lop-eared bunny is an odd target for a thief.”

Becca frowns. “Who would take her?”

I can think of only one person. Lyric’s clue jumps into my head: Follow the bunny. But why would Lyric steal Trixie when I invited her to my house? We could have followed the clue together.

My heart aches as I confess. “I think I know who has Trixie.”

“Who?” Leo asks, surprised.

I hesitate. “The girl I saw by the river.”

“The one with a magic wand?” Becca teases.

“Not a wand—a fishing pole that’s retractable. Her name is Lyric, and she’s my neighbor.” I gesture in the direction of her home. “I talked to her yesterday, and she told me how she used to hang out with the old woman who lived here. The woman made up games for Lyric with clues leading to a prize. But the woman died suddenly, and Lyric never got a chance to finish her last game.”

Becca puts her hands on her hips.

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