Polo couldn’t argue with that.
“You know, you look like another rat I know. Down on the fourth floor. I’m supposed to be taking care of her right now.” She sniffled. “Two rats, actually, and a bunch of other animals.”
“It’s me. And don’t worry—Marco will find us,” Polo squeaked softly. She wasn’t sure it was true, though. Marco hadn’t been screaming like he was planning a rescue. He’d been screaming like he was running away and never coming back.
“They’re not going to let us out, little guy,” Madison said softly, tentatively touching Polo’s ear. “They think I stole from them. But I didn’t do it, I swear.”
“I know,” Polo squeaked. She crawled out of Madison’s jacket pocket and climbed onto her knee. She tried to look understanding, but it wasn’t easy. She mostly felt guilty. And she really wished she’d learned to speak Human. Speaking another language was always useful.
Madison sniffled again and wiped her nose.“And the worst part is, except for those animals, nobody’s even going to miss me. Not for a long time. Can I tell you a secret?”
[Êàðòèíêà: img_35]
“Sure,” Polo squeaked.
“My aunt that I live with? I don’t exactly live with her anymore.” Madison watched Polo’s reaction carefully. “Are you shocked?” Madison whispered.
Well, no. But Polo tried to look shocked. She actually wished she had someone to high-five. She KNEW there was nobody else in that apartment. She and Butterbean had been right. She just hoped that she would be able to see Butterbean again to tell her.
“I did, but she’s in the army. And she got deployed. So she set it up so I would stay with my friend Christie’s family while she was gone. It was all planned out. Then right when she left, their grandma got sick, and so they couldn’t take me. So I just… didn’t tell anybody. I didn’t say anything to my aunt, and I told Christie’s parents that my aunt had found someone else to take me. And then I just stayed at my aunt’s place. So there’s not even anyone to miss me.”
Polo’s heart sank. As glad as she was to be right, it made everything worse. Because that meant it was all up to her. There were no parents coming to help Madison. No aunt. No one. She couldn’t even depend on Marco and the others to come help her.
She and Madison were totally alone.
“I don’t know why you can’t just fly,” Marco grumbled. Oscar was taking forever. His bird feet were not made for walking in slippery metal vents.
“I’ve told you, Marco, it’s too low for me to fly. I’ll hit my head. Or rather, hit my head AGAIN.” Oscar had already given in to Marco’s pestering once, and it had gone pretty much how he’d expected—with Oscar smacking his head against the top of the vent. The resulting clang had been so loud that some people in an apartment nearby heard it and peeked through the grate. They hadn’t expected to see a mynah bird. (They didn’t think they had, either. They’d decided Oscar was either a pigeon or a mutant cockroach. Luckily, Oscar had been out of earshot by the time they’d come to that conclusion.)
Once he’d gotten over his initial panic, Oscar had to admit the vents were a lot cleaner than he had expected, and a lot less claustrophobic. Even so, he was going to need a good bath when everything was said and done. And there was no guarantee Madison would be there to change the water in his dish. Maybe Walt knew how to work the faucets.
“It’s just ahead, through that up vent,” Wallace said, ignoring the squabbling. “I’m going to leave you here. Marco will be able to show you the apartment grates.”
“Thank you, Wallace,” Walt said as she squeezed past him to slip into the up vent. “We’ll be sure to bring you extra seeds when this is all over.”
“Uh, thanks.” Wallace flattened himself against the wall as Walt squeezed by. He was not used to the idea of a cat in the vents, no matter how polite Walt was. It made his stomach squirm just thinking about it.
Oscar hopped up to the next floor and shuffled over to the grate as quickly as he could, with Walt right behind him. Marco was waiting, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently.
He pointed out through the grate.“See? That’s the living room,” he whispered. “The Coin Man and the other guy are still there.”
Oscar put an eye to the grate and peered around the room. The men were angry and arguing, but Oscar didn’t pay any attention to them. Right now he was worried about one thing and one thing only. Polo.
“Madison’s not there,” Walt said, peering through the grate next to him.
Two things. Oscar was worried about two things. Polo and Madison.
“I’m betting she’s behind that door.” Walt nodded toward a door on the other side of the living room. It had a chair wedged under the handle. Oscar shivered. That did not look good.
“You know what else I don’t see?” Walt continued, her voice low. “I don’t see a dead rat. Or any rat, wounded or otherwise. I don’t see Polo.”
Oscar cleared his throat and looked over at Marco. He wasn’t paying attention to them—he seemed intent on listening to the men arguing. Oscar edged closer to Walt. “They could have… disposed of her,” he said quietly. The last thing he wanted was for Marco to overhear him.
Walt shook her head.“I don’t think those guys would’ve bothered. And look down there.” She nodded toward the floor right below the grate. Oscar had to crane his neck to see what she was pointing at. It was a mousetrap.
“They wouldn’t have put that there if they thought they got her.”
Walt sounded confident, but Oscar wasn’t so sure. He just hoped she was right.
He scuttled over to Marco, cringing with every step. Skidding on the metal floor was so undignified.“Marco. Is there another grate?”
“SHH!” Marco hissed, putting his hands over Oscar’s beak. “Listen—I think this is important!”
“No excuses.” The Coin Man’s voice was sharp, and he was pointing aggressively at the second man. The Coin Man didn’t touch him, but Number Two flinched with every jab as if he had. “One. How did she get in? Two. How did she get the coins? Three. Where are they now? And most importantly, why did you not notice? These are questions that I want answered, now.”
The Coin Man crossed the living room and pulled the chair away from the door.“If you can’t answer, she will.”
“Quick, to the other grate!” Marco said, hurtling himself down the vent. “We need to see!”
Marco and Walt scurried away, with Oscar awkwardly slipping along behind. He arrived just in time to see the Coin Man crouching down next to Madison. She didn’t look like she’d been harmed, but she was obviously not okay. Oscar scanned the room. There was no sign of Polo.
“Little girl, you have made a very big mistake.”
Madison tried not to react, but she couldn’t help but flinch a little at the Coin Man’s words.
“It was a funny game to you, stealing from me? It is not a game now, believe me.” The man’s voice was very low, and the animals had to strain to hear him. He wasn’t shouting. He didn’t even raise his voice. But something in the way he spoke made Oscar shiver.
“I will be back in one hour. When I return, you will tell me where the coins are. Understand? That is your only option. If you want to survive.”
He stared at Madison until she nodded hesitantly.
“Good. And to be clear, I know all about you, Miss Madison Park. I know you are alone. No one will miss you. No one knows you are here. Remember that. No one is coming to save you. So you will do what I say.”
Madison nodded again, biting her lip to steel herself. She refused to look away from him.
The Coin Man stood up and opened the door.“One hour,” he said again, closing the door and locking it behind him.
Madison waited until she was sure he was gone and then broke out in a strangled sob.“I don’t have the coins!” she whispered. “What am I going to do?”