The Wild Cat Crime by Carolyn Keene

Author:Carolyn Keene
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin

9

Over the Wall

Hawk stopped short, his face inches away from Nancy’s.

“I repeat: How would you like to live your life in a cage?” he yelled.

The restaurant fell silent as all the customers turned to stare at Hawk.

Nancy, too, was shocked into silence by his anger.

Joey stood and walked over to Hawk. “Hey,” he said in a calm voice, “why don’t we just sit down and finish the sundaes?” He picked up Hawk’s chair and held it for him. “My dad’s watching from the kitchen,” Joey added with a smile. “You don’t want to get me in trouble with the old man.”

Hawk sat down and the fury seemed to drain away. No one spoke.

“I’m sorry, Nancy, everybody,” Hawk said. “Let’s drop the subject. Just thinking about zoos gets me riled.”

“Hawk,” Joey said quietly, “I think you owe them an explanation as well.”

Hawk gave Joey a long, searching look, which Joey returned. By the time Hawk broke eye contact, he’d obviously made a decision.

“Okay,” Hawk said. “It’s not something I put on my résumé, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t spread it around the office.” He looked at Nancy and George, who nodded mutely.

“When I was a kid, I did something really stupid and got caught. I took my dad’s car for a joyride, only I didn’t have a license and it was his brand-new Mercedes. Typical stuff for a typical kid. But I didn’t have a typical dad. Car hit tree. Kid winds up in jail.” Hawk let out half a laugh. “My dad knew everyone in the town I grew up in. He made a deal with the sheriff to let me sit there for three days before coming to get me.”

“Hawk,” George said, “your dad’s the one who should be in jail.”

“Well, that was about the only time he ever lost his cool. He told my mom I’d gone camping. When she found out, boy, my dad lived to regret it.” Hawk laughed again.

Joey jumped in, grinning broadly. “Yeah. Tell them what you got for your sixteenth birthday.”

Hawk’s last bit of tension seemed to slip away. Laughing, he said, “Mom made him buy me a brand-new Mercedes. It was three weeks after I’d gotten my driver’s license.”

“You’re kidding!” Bess exclaimed.

“But you don’t drive a Mercedes,” Nancy pointed out.

“Nope,” Hawk said. “I don’t go in for that stuff. Life and freedom is more my line. I sold it to pay for film school.”

“So it all turned out okay—with your folks, I mean,” George asked.

“Yeah,” Hawk said. “We’re cool.”

Nancy sat back and took a sip of soda. Cool, except on the subject of cages, she thought. Obviously, Hawk’s three days in jail had left him with strong feelings about cages—and zoos. She had no doubt in her mind that he could have taken the little cougars just to get them out of the zoo. But what would he have done with them? She wanted to ask him about the shadow at the end of the B-roll, but she didn’t dare provoke him again.

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