The Monkey Howled at Midnight (10 page)

[
Chapter Fifteen
]

“T
he trail looks different in the daylight,” Cody said. He had managed to lead the police to the landing strip.

“I told you that we shouldn't have sent a kid,” said one of the officers, whose name was Fernando Bezerra. He had been making remarks from the beginning of the flight.

Cody was glad that his dad was at the end of the line of officers. Bezerra had been calling Cody “kid” or “kiddo,” and he didn't want his dad to hear it. From the tone of his voice, Bezerra might as well have called Cody a toddler. Cody didn't like it, and he knew his father wouldn't either.

Bezerra had been quiet for a little while, but soon he spoke up again. “The police department is no place for children. We aren't here to play. We're here to do a job. That's right, isn't it?”

If he was waiting for one of the other officers to go along with him, he was wasting his time. They all were silent.

Cody had been holding his tongue. But he had had enough. He whirled and faced the officer. Although he was angry, he made sure to speak calmly and politely.

“Excuse me, sir. I'm aware that we aren't playing childish games. I'm the one leading the police to the warehouse and I'd appreciate some respect,” he said evenly.

“
Woooo!
” The other officers sounded approval. Bezerra glared at Cody. “Are you going to let him speak to me like that, Captain Montez?” he asked. Captain Montez stroked his chin. “It seems to me that this boy managed to find the warehouse, get away, fly a plane, and lead us back here. Cody, can you take us to the warehouse?”

“He'll get us lost,” Bezerra protested. “He just said everything looks different in the daylight.”

“Officer Bezerra, I was speaking to Cody. Once again, can you take us to the warehouse, Cody?”

Cody glanced at Bezerra. Then he said, “Yes, sir, I can do it. I marked the trees on the trail with my Swiss Army knife. All I have to do is follow the marks.”

He gave Officer Bezerra a hard look. “Things look different in the daylight, but it doesn't matter.”

“Okay, then,” said Captain Montez. “Listen to me, everyone. Right now the only chance we have of finding the animal warehouse is this young man. What's most important about that is we may need his help to rescue Pino Estevez. So for now, any
childish
remarks about his age will stop. Understood?”

Most of the officers said
yes
and a few added an enthusiastic
all right
, but Officer Bezerra pressed his lips into a thin line. When Captain Montez kept looking at him, he turned his head and stared off into the distance.

“Is it understood, Officer Bezerra?” Captain Montez prompted finally.

Officer Bezerra puffed out his cheeks and blew out the air. “Yes, sir,” he said. It was obvious that he didn't like saying it.

At the end of the line, Mr. Carson had caught wind of a ruckus. “What's going on there, Cody?” he called.

“Nothing, Dad, it's all taken care of,” Cody called back.

As he kept on walking, Cody thought about Officer Bezerra. The man's attitude just didn't make any sense at all. No matter how he felt about young people, he had to understand that Cody was the only one who could lead Captain Montez to the warehouse. The only other way to locate it would be to spot it from the air, and the trees made that impossible.

Why did Officer Bezerra hate having him along so much? Then a thought occurred to Cody. Maybe Bezerra didn't want him along because he didn't want anyone to find the warehouse. Maybe he was on the wrong side of the law.

It certainly was possible. Having a police officer working with you when you were trafficking animals couldn't hurt. And there was a lot of money in the illegal business. Plenty to give some to an officer who was willing to take a bribe.

Then he wondered … if Bezerra was involved, just how far would he go to stop the men from finding the warehouse?

They walked on. Cody found the camp. “Now I'll start looking for the trail marks,” he announced. “We'll find that warehouse for sure.”

They all kept walking. Cody found one of his trail marks on a tree. Then he found another and another and another.

“I know we're on the right track,” he told the officers. “It shouldn't be much farther now. Keep walking on this path. I've got to go for a minute … y'know … nature calls …”

“Go ahead, you don't have to explain, Cody,” said Captain Montez. “We'll all slow down.”

Cody left the path and walked a few yards into the dense woods. The moment he stopped, someone grabbed him from behind and clamped a hand over his mouth.

“Keep quiet,” the man's voice said harshly.

Cody recognized Officer Bezerra's voice. His mind started racing.
Why didn't I hear him?
he wondered.

The officer had crept up behind him without making a sound. Now Cody nodded to let him know that he wouldn't scream. He could probably have used karate to get free and then run back to the group, but he wanted to hear what Bezerra had to say.

Slowly, Officer Bezerra took his hand off Cody's mouth. “Listen to me, kid,” he said. “You don't want the police to find that warehouse.”

“I think I do,” said Cody. “I think the police want to find it, too. It seems like
you're
the one who doesn't want it to be found. Why don't you want to save a lot of animals from being mistreated?”

“Oh, you're worried about animals being mistreated, are you?” Bezerra said with a sneer in his voice. “What's wrong with living in a zoo—or being a pet?”

“They aren't free. They're wild animals. They're supposed to be free.”

Officer Bezerra snorted. “Free to be eaten by another animal? The animals are kept in clean cages. They're fed well and given water. What's wrong with that?”

“What happens to them after they leave the place? Why don't you want them to be freed?”

“You're all mixed up, kid. This is a breeding farm. The only animals for sale are animals bred in captivity. They only sell the offspring.”

“That's a lie,” said Cody. “Even if it were true, it would still mean that wild animals are caged up. It's a lot easier to just poach wild animals than breed them.
That's
what's going on.”

Officer Bezerra stamped his foot. “Why can't you understand, kid? This thing makes a lot of money. These animals are worth big bucks.”

“So what?”

“Um—I'll tell you so what,” he said. “Do you want to make a lot of money? Want to buy you and your brother a couple of ponies? Want to take some trips to Disney World? How about if you could take your dad on a trip to Europe? Wouldn't you like to buy all the games you want?”

Cody was getting angrier and angrier. Who did this guy think he was? He was acting like he was talking to a toddler. What kind of a police officer was he to offer someone a bribe?

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down. He was going to let Captain Montez take care of this. He played along.

“Okay. How much money are we talking about? Enough for lots of vacations and a racecar?”

“Ha! Yeah, kid. Enough for lots of vacations. Enough for a racecar. Now you're getting smart. I'll tell you what. I'm going to talk to the guy I work for and explain what you've done for us. I know he'll give you lots of money. All you have to do is get lost. All of a sudden you can't remember where you're going anymore, okay? Nobody will blame you. After all, you're just a kid.”

There was that word again—and that annoying tone. Cody gritted his teeth. “Great. Can I be alone for a minute now?” he said.

“Oh—sure, kid. I'll go on ahead. Just hurry up.” Then Officer Bezerra was gone.

Moments later, Cody caught up with the officers. He saw Bezerra turn green as he marched right up to Captain Montez.

“Officer Bezerra just tried to bribe me,” he whispered. “He promised me a lot of money if I'd lose the way to the animal warehouse.”

Captain Montez clenched his jaw. “I've been afraid of something like this. We've been watching Officer Bezerra for months now. We've followed him and seen him meeting people suspected of being involved in animal trafficking. We've seen him taking money from them. We just needed one more piece of evidence.”

“Are you going to arrest him?”

“Yes.”

“What if he isn't the only one?” Cody asked.

“You're using your head, young man. However, I'm glad to say that I trust my men. There are more good officers than bad apples.”

Captain Montez stopped walking. “Halt!” he ordered the men. “I'm sorry to say that one of the officers in this group is not on our side. Officer Bezerra, you are under arrest.”

“On what charge?” Bezerra protested.

“This boy says you tried to bribe him,” replied Captain Montez.

“Then it's his word against mine,” Bezerra protested. “You can't arrest me based on what that boy says.”

“I'm sorry, Bezerra,” said Captain Montez. “I already have surveillance photos of you taking money from people suspected of animal trafficking. I'm arresting you on suspicion of transporting endangered animals. I should have arrested you before…. I just wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. I've always trusted my men—but this time I was wrong.”

Captain Montez walked toward Officer Bezerra. He snapped handcuffs on his wrists.

By then Mr. Carson and the other officers had caught up with the group. Mr. Carson caught Cody's eye and gave him a thumbs up.

[
Chapter Sixteen
]

C
ody stayed away from Officer Bezerra for the rest of the way. Bezerra was taken to the back of the line, where Mr. Carson had returned. Cody's father kept glaring at him.

Cody walked up front with Captain Montez. But he could almost
feel
the heat of Bezerra's anger at his back.

He followed the trail markings that he had made with his Swiss Army knife. The trail began to look more and more familiar. Soon they were looking at the yard of the warehouse surrounded by the chain-link fence.

Neither one of the guards wanted any trouble. As soon as they saw the uniforms of the police officers, they threw down their guns and put up their hands.

“Thank you, Cody,” said Captain Montez. “We'd never have found this place without you. It's completely covered with trees. It's amazing how huge it is.”

“Wait until you see what's inside,” said Cody. “You'll be knocked out.”

The captain was knocked out all right. So were the other officers.

“I've seen enough,” said the captain after he inspected the room with the animal stalls and the temperature-controlled rooms. He told the officers to watch the outside entrances. Then he marched into the office. There he found a public address system and flicked the switch.

“Attention, all personnel,” he said. “This is Captain Montez of the federal police. Everyone here must walk into the yard and surrender to one of the officers. You will all be placed under arrest. Do not resist or try to run. My officers are guarding the entrances.”

Soon they heard feet shuffling in the corridor. Moments later, ten men were standing in different parts of the yard. An inspection by the captain revealed that Aldo and Pino were missing.

Captain Montez soon discovered that no amount of questioning would get the men to reveal their whereabouts. He suspected it was because of Aldo.

“I suppose we're going to have to search the building,” Captain Montez said wearily. He motioned to two officers and asked them to follow him back inside.

Then Cody spotted Aldo sneaking toward the gate. “There he is!” he cried.

While police officers set off in pursuit, Cody went back into the warehouse. He knew that his father would wonder where he was, and that he'd be worried. But he had to find Pino. He crept through the long hallway with rooms on either side. When he passed the office, he noticed that the computer inside had been shattered. There would be nothing to find inside it now.

Cody kept on walking, checking each room for Pino. It didn't take long to find him. Pino was in a room with long metal tables that looked like some sort of laboratory. He was gagged and tied to a chair.

Cody removed his gag and undid the knots on the ropes. Pino stood up slowly and rubbed his wrist. “Thanks.” He made a sweeping gesture. “Look at this place,” he said. “It's for making new designer species. They are planning to genetically engineer snakes with unusual markings, glow-in-the-dark mice, stuff like that. It's real science fiction. These people are nuts.”

Cody gulped. “Yeah.”

“It's a good thing you arrived when you did,” Pino said. “Aldo was about to take some animals on a trip. Come with me.”

Cody followed Pino to the shipping area. On a long table, a suitcase was open. Rows of iguanas were crammed inside like sardines.