Wild Rescue (23 page)

Chapter 94

“You have to help your sister,”
the vet said. “Tell her exactly what I tell you, understand?”

I was glad I just had phone duty. I wouldn’t have wanted Ashley’s job.

“Grab the two legs sticking out and pull,” I said, repeating everything the vet said.

“I don’t think I can do this!”

“You have to, or the baby will die,” I said. “Its head usually comes first. When you pull the legs out, it’ll release the head and the baby will follow.”

“There’s not enough to grab onto yet!”

“When Whitney starts to push again, grab and pull.”

“How will I know she’s pushing?”

“The baby will slide forward a little and give you something more to grab—”

“She’s pushing!”

“Good! Grab and pull.”

I heard the front door and turned in time to see Janice, a cell phone to her ear, easing outside and staring at the four alpacas grazing nearby. When she noticed the trailer door was open, she squinted at me and her jaw dropped. “It’s just a couple of kids,” she said. “You’d better get your tail back here and get me, or—”

Ashley grunted and I turned back to see the legs of the baby alpaca straighten.

“What’s happening, Bryce?” the vet said.

“The legs are out now—”

But before I could say anything more, Whitney pushed again and first the head, then the whole body slid out and plopped on the trailer floor.

“I did it!” Ashley said, laughing through tears.

Janice stepped off the porch and peeked in. “Eddie, one of these things just gave birth. Gross! Now we’re probably in bigger trouble! Get back here or—”

“Tell Ashley good job,” the vet said. “Whitney will ignore the baby for a while, so just make sure it’s warm. Put some straw near it. And tell me how to get there.”

Chapter 95

I had seen our cat,
Patches, have kittens, but I’d never seen anything like this. And of course I hadn’t had to help Patches.

Janice moved away from the trailer and slapped her phone shut. “Hang up on me, you—”

Bryce found some straw in the trailer and tucked it around the baby, watching out for Whitney.

I wiped my hands on the grass and followed Janice to the steps of the cabin where she sat, her face red.

“Eddie left, huh?”

She shook her head and swore. “The bum. And to think I was going to marry him.”

Bryce joined us. “Where’d you get that?” he said, pointing to her necklace.

Janice rolled her eyes. “He said it was just the start.” She dug in her pocket and pulled out a handful of jewelry, including a gold wedding band.

“We know who some of that belongs to,” I said. “That ring is Mrs. Watson’s, the old lady—”

“I know. Here. Take it. I don’t want it anymore.”

“Didn’t you feel bad taking all that stuff?” Bryce said.

“I didn’t steal anything. I just helped with the keys.”

“How?” I said.

She stared at me, as if wondering what the difference was now. “It’s easy. I made imprints of house keys on a piece of putty. Then I’d make a new one on my dad’s old key machine. He was a locksmith, and when he died we sold everything but that machine. I wish we’d sold that thing too.”

A car roared up the road and Janice stood, as if looking for the best place to run.

“Wait,” Bryce said. “You’ve got nowhere to go. Rat out Eddie and see if they’ll go easy on you.”

She sat back down, crying. “You’re kinda smart for a little brat. Guess I don’t owe him a thing.”

“That dog never attacked you, did he?” I said.

She shook her head. “That was Eddie’s idea. He would’ve done it except he’s really scared of dogs. He had me take a hamburger out there and get the dog to come close so I could spray fake blood on its mouth. I sprayed the rest on my leg.”

“They’re going to put that dog to sleep because of you,” I said. “What time is it, Bryce?”

“Eight thirty.”

The shelter was at least a half hour away. “Will you tell them the truth, Janice? We might still be able to save Buck.”

“They won’t believe me.”

I grabbed her arm, tears coming. “Do the right thing. Bryce and I will tell them you gave us this stuff back.”

“There’s more inside,” she said.

“So will you do it? Please?”

Chapter 96

The sheriff walked
up the driveway with Sam close behind. Janice held her hands out as if offering to be cuffed. “That won’t be necessary, ma’am,” the sheriff said. “I can’t transport a female without a matron here anyway.”

“We have to stop Buck’s execution!” Ashley said. “Janice will tell you he didn’t really attack her. It was all a fake.”

“It’s true,” Janice said. “Eddie put me up to it. That dog shouldn’t die.”

“Maybe your boyfriend got what was coming to him then,” the cop said.

“He’s not my boyfriend anymore,” she said. “You catch him?”

“I followed him all the way down Dead Man’s Pass,” Sam said. “When he saw me he lost control. Turned over in a field.”

“Is he okay?” Janice said.

“He’s shook up,” the sheriff said. “A few scratches. Nothing compared to what’s waiting for him in prison.”

“What about Buck?” Ashley said. “We have to do something now!”

“I’ll handle that,” the sheriff said. He turned toward the radio strapped to his shoulder and called in, asking for a matron and also that a cruiser be dispatched to animal control to stop the procedure on Buck.

“Can’t we just call them, sir?” the voice came back.

“If they were answering the phone, son, I wouldn’t be requesting a cruiser, would I?”

“Thing is, sir, we don’t have a car within an hour of there.”

“We’ve got just enough time if you go now!” Ashley said. “Please!”

“I can’t leave this prisoner,” the sheriff said, “and I can’t stay here with her alone either.”

“We have to do
something
!” Ashley said.

The cop sighed. “Why don’t you stay with us and let your dad and brother go to animal control?”

“I want to go,” Ashley said.

“You can’t have it both ways, little lady.”

I knew Ashley hated it when people called her names like that.

Just then the vet’s car came sliding up, our answer to everything. As she jogged to the trailer Ashley got her to agree to stay with the sheriff and his prisoner until the matron got there and even to help round up the other alpacas.

The sheriff handed Sam his card and said, “Give them this and tell them I said to hold off until I can get there. Go!”

Ashley and I ran to the truck, and Sam shot down Dead Man’s Pass as fast as any human had ever dared.

I punched Redial for animal control, just in case, but the recording came on again.

“How long will it take us?” Ashley said as Sam skidded onto the I-25 ramp.

“Depends on traffic. Twenty, maybe 25 minutes.”

“It’s 8:46,” I said, a tremble in my voice.

Chapter 97

I felt the seconds rush by
like a stream over rocks. In
The Wizard of Oz
Dorothy watched the sand slip through the hourglass, waiting for the witch to end her life. I always wanted Dorothy to turn the glass over and fool the witch. But there was no way to fool the clock now.

“If only we’d found those alpacas sooner,” I said.

“You’re lucky you found them at all,” Sam said.

“No, this was not luck,” I said, really trying to believe it. “I think it was God.”

“Please, God,” Bryce whispered, “don’t let them do anything to Buck.”

We passed exit after exit, until finally we saw the Air Force Academy on our right. The chapel, with its tall spires. The football field with
Air Force
printed on the stands. Parachutes opened to our right. I usually watch in awe as jumpers float to the ground, but now I focused on the road.

Bryce looked at me. “8:59,” he said.

“Can’t we go faster?” I said.

Sam hit the brakes as we ran up on cars slowing in the left lane. “Going as fast as I can.”

I imagined a long needle in Buck’s neck.