\u201cYou think you can drive this thing?\u201d Mabel asked Van, patting the hood of the golf cart in the botanical center parking lot.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cSure,\u201d replied Van, \u201canybody could. It\u2019s like a toy. But I think you may be nuts about the Shooting Star. You really planning to fly an airplane?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tMabel tried to feel confident. \u201cI don\u2019t know, but there\u2019s you and me…and Bailey. Besides, there\u2019s no other way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tSparkle trotted out of the shed, followed closely by Sig, who was still having to work amusingly hard to keep up with his mother.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cFunny little guy,\u201d said Van, scratching Sig on the head.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cYou\u2019ll be leaving soon,\u201d said Sparkle. \u201cYou\u2019ll need us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWhy?\u201d asked Mabel.<\/p>\n
\n\tVan gave Sig\u2019s tummy a rub. \u201cWell, he\u2019s funny because he\u2019s little and…\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant,\u201d interrupted Mabel, looking intently at Sparkle.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cYou need us,\u201d repeated Sparkle.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re taking the dogs with us,\u201d said Mabel to Van.<\/p>\n
\n\tVan looked from Mabel to Sparkle and back, then rolled his eyes. \u201cWhatever you say. I guess there\u2019s always room for one…I mean two more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe crunch of car tires sounded loudly from the bottom of the driveway.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cPilderjack!\u201d said Van.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a coat-man,\u201d corrected Sparkle leading Sig back to the safety of the potting shed.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cNo,\u201d said Mabel to Van, \u201cIt\u2019s not Pilderjack, but we better get out of sight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tMabel and Van followed the dogs into the potting shed, and pulled the door all but closed. Van crouched, and Mabel looked over his head as a black sedan pulled into the parking lot and Reynolds Manderley stepped out.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cCrud,\u201d whispered Van, \u201cwhat\u2019s HE doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tManderley scribbled something onto a notepad, and returned it to his coat pocket. He glanced around, then entered Greenhouse 3.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cCollecting evidence,\u201d Mabel seethed. \u201cHow can he be such a creep? How can he do this to Patience?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cHe has a job,\u201d said Van flatly. \u201cHe has rules to follow. More to the point, we\u2019ve gotta get out of here. Without him seeing us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cOkay,\u201d said Mabel, \u201cI\u2019ll go get Norton and Ivy. When I wave from the front door, pull the golf cart up to the porch. Fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThrough the greenhouse glass Mabel could see Agent Manderley\u2019s mustached face, bending over and squinting at plants as he worked his way toward the rear of the building. Slowly, to keep the door from squeaking, Mabel slid through the opening and made her way across the parking lot to the house. She hoped fervently that the gravel crunching under her feet was not as loud as it seemed to her ears.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cPop-pop doesn\u2019t want to leave things a mess,\u201d explained Ivy, as Mabel entered the kitchen. Norton had just finished rinsing the last bits of green nutrition concoction out of a pair of drinking glasses. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cMr. Halfslip,\u201d said Mabel, \u201clet\u2019s go down the hall. We\u2019re going to give you and Ivy a ride. Come on Ivy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tMabel took Ivy by the hand and helped her off the sofa. It was clearly taking all of Ivy\u2019s strength to walk to the front door. Norton shuffled along at the rear, one hand on Ivy\u2019s shoulder and one on his cane.<\/p>\n
\n\tMabel paused at the door at peered through the screen. Van, crouching beside the golf cart, gave her a discreet wave. <\/p>\n
\n\tNow or never, Mabel thought to herself, giving Van the go-ahead signal.<\/p>\n
\n\tVan gave a furtive glance toward the greenhouse, then climbed behind the wheel of the golf cart. He shot Mabel a quick thumbs-up and turned the key.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe engine reverberated with what seemed a painfully loud put-putting. Mabel held her breath as Van put the cart into reverse and circled around to approach the porch where she and the Halfslips were waiting. <\/p>\n
\n\tKeeping hold of Ivy\u2019s hand, Mabel held the door for Norton to shuffle out, then she and Ivy followed him onto the porch. At that moment she realized Manderley had seen them.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cVan! Hurry, he\u2019s coming!\u201d she yelled, leading Ivy to the edge of the decking. <\/p>\n
\n\tVan looked at the greenhouse in a panic. Manderley first waved his arm, then began to sprint toward the door.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cBring the cart!\u201d yelled Mabel, but Van had thrown the cart back into reverse, and was suddenly streaking in the opposite direction. At the precise moment Manderley reached the greenhouse door to open it, Van rammed the rear of the golf cart, with an enormous bang, into the outside of the door.<\/p>\n
\n\tMabel stared in momentary shock as Manderley rattled the door in an effort to push it open, but the golf cart didn\u2019t budge.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cOkay,\u201d said Mabel, thinking aloud, \u201cwhat do we do now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWell,\u201d replied Ivy in a calm voice, \u201cAgent Manderley left his car right there, and I\u2019ve noticed something about these guys…they rarely take the keys out of the ignition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tMabel turned and looked at Ivy incredulously, but only for an instant. Ivy was right. They would take the car. \u201cIvy,\u201d Mabel began, \u201cwhat about Buster? He\u2019s stuck in there with Manderley.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tIvy managed a small, but slightly wicked smile. \u201cBuster\u2019s okay. I\u2019m not sure about Agent Manderley.\u201d <\/p>\n
\n\tVan was still sitting in the golf cart, staring at Manderley as if frozen. Manderley was gesturing wildly, and seemed to be trying to reason with Van through the glass. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cYou only need to know forward and reverse,\u201d said Ivy quietly, her big hazel eyes focused on Mabel\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\n\tMabel ran to the black sedan and opened the door. The keys were in place. She turned them as she\u2019d seen her parents do many times, and the engine roared to life. Manderley began to yell like a crazy person.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201c\u2019R\u2019 for reverse,\u201d Mabel said to herself, moving the shift handle into position. The car lurched backward, then rolled slowly. When it reached the golf cart she pressed the brake pedal and the car lurched again, this time to a halt.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cCome on!\u201d she said to Van, who hastily left his golf cart perch, and ran around to the passenger side door. Manderley looked like a mess. His hair had completely abandoned its moussed into place style, and he mouthed the words \u201cWhat are you doing\u201d at Mabel through the glass. <\/p>\n
\n\tMabel looked at him and shook her head. \u201cYou are not a true friend,\u201d she said back. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cCome on,\u201d urged Van. \u201cLet\u2019s get those guys and go!\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tManderley appeared to be considering whether he could put a brick through the glass. Then he grabbed the door handle and again rattled it violently.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cPatience will never trust you again,\u201d Mabel said to Manderley, hoping that he could read her lips. Manderley dropped the brick, and slumped against the glass wall, a dazed expression on his face.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cAccelerate GENTLY,\u201d said Van, as Mabel switched the gear lever to \u201cD\u201d for drive and moved, with a bit less jerking, back to the porch to collect Norton and Ivy. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cVan,\u201d said Mabel, \u201cyou want to drive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cUh, no,\u201d he replied, \u201cyou\u2019re doing great. I\u2019ll help Ivy and Norton.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tVan hopped out onto the porch and held the door for the Halfslips. Ivy climbed in first and slid to the far side of the back seat where she leaned back and exhaled as if the exertion had been taxing. After Norton had creaked into his spot Van slammed the door, jumped back into the front and said \u201cLet\u2019s roll.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tMabel accelerated, with more force than she had intended, then slammed to a halt at the top of the driveway. Sparkle was sitting patiently to the left of the driveway, with an expectant expression. Beside her Sig rolled on his back, nipping at his mother\u2019s feet. <\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cGet in,\u201d said Mabel, opening her door. <\/p>\n
\n\tSparkle grasped Sig by his scruff and scrambled across Mabel\u2019s lap, then settled herself on the front seat between Mabel and Van.<\/p>\n
\n\tMabel started more gently down the hill, beginning to have a feel for the sensitivity of the brake and accelerator pedals.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cYou were supposed to stop there,\u201d said Van, as Mabel rolled off the botanical center driveway onto Rocky Creek Road.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cOops,\u201d she replied. <\/p>\n
\n\tLuckily,<\/em> thought Mabel, there\u2019s no other traffic. And driving this thing is actually pretty easy, except for… <\/em>\u201cDuck! Duck Van!\u201d Mabel suddenly exclaimed.<\/p>\n \n\tA pink car roared toward them from the opposite direction.<\/p>\n \n\tMabel proceeded toward the airfield, fully expecting the pink car to screech to a halt as they passed, but Mrs. Pilderjack did not turn her angry painted face toward them. She passed without looking and squealed up the botanical center drive without slowing down.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cDon\u2019t worry, she\u2019ll be back,\u201d said Van as he returned to an upright position.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOkay, then let\u2019s go,\u201d responded Mabel, pulling the car off the road, onto the airfield. <\/p>\n \n\tThe Shooting Star sat ahead of them looking, as always, ready and eager for its next adventure. Mabel applied the brake and stopped. She was suddenly overwhelmed with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was a mixture of confusion and fear which, until this moment, she had deliberately ignored.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhat do we think we\u2019re doing, Van?\u201d she said in a half-whisper.<\/p>\n \n\tVan fiddled with the lock on the glove compartment, then turned to look at Ivy and Norton in the back seat. Ivy was silent, and Norton gave Van an encouraging nod.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYou know what we\u2019re doing, Mabel,\u201d Van said resolutely.\u201c We\u2019re finding some people who can get our parents out of trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMabel took her foot off the brake, and the car began to drift.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cPark,\u201d said Van, \u201cyou\u2019ve gotta put it in park.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMabel nodded and hastily moved the shift lever to P. The engine gave a sputter and stalled out. \u201cOkay, good,\u201d she said, \u201cit\u2019s off.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tA radio in the dashboard crackled and a garbled voice said something unintelligible.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhat?\u201d said Van.<\/p>\n \n\tThe voice broke through more clearly. \u201cWalrus, come in Walrus, this is Hightops…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThat\u2019s Agent Boots!\u201d said Mabel.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cDon\u2019t let her hear you,\u201d whispered Van.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cShe can\u2019t,\u201d Mabel assured him. She picked up the handset and pointed out a red button on it. \u201cI\u2019d have to push this button to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWalrus…\u201d <\/em>crackled the voice again, \u201ccome in Walrus…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSay something,\u201d said Mabel, shoving the handset at Van.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhy?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSo she\u2019ll think he\u2019s here and won\u2019t come looking for him.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tVan cleared his throat and pushed the red button. \u201cWalrus here,\u201d he said in an unnaturally guttural voice.<\/p>\n \n\tThere was an awkward silence, then the radio crackled again.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSir…\u201d<\/em> said the voice, \u201cElsa has lost her charges…they\u2019ve gone missing sir…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThat\u2019s us,\u201d said Mabel.<\/p>\n \n\tBoots appeared to be waiting for a reply, as the line transmitted only static.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOh?\u201d grunted Van into the handset.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSuggest sir, that Cueball and I look for them in town…\u201d <\/em>the voice said between crackles.<\/p>\n \n\tVan cleared his throat and pressed the red button again. \u201cRoger Hightops, over and out.\u201d He released the button. \u201cAnd don\u2019t,\u201d he said, turning to Mabel, \u201cexpect me to say anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cFine,\u201d Mabel agreed. \u201cWait a minute…\u201d There was something cardboard with crinkly cellophane under her seat. \u201cWow, look what he left!\u201d She held up a full box of powdered sugar donuts.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cMaybe he\u2019s not such a bad guy after all,\u201d said Van, opening the box and offering it to the backseat passengers. Ivy declined, but Norton grinned and grabbed a donut. \u201cWe\u2019ll just take these with us,\u201d said Van, handing a donut to Mabel, who gave half to Sparkle.<\/p>\n \n\tMabel got out of the car and looked at the Shooting Star. She knew how to get in, she knew how to boot up Bailey…but flying. That sinking feeling again began to well up. We\u2019ll figure it out,<\/em> she told herself firmly. Because we have to.<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tMabel scrambled onto the wing and opened the hatch, then watched as Van helped Norton and Ivy out of the car.<\/p>\n \n\t Ivy, looking paler and more tired than she had thirty minutes ago, exited on one side, and out the other, hunched and shuffling, came Norton. At first he seemed confused about where he was, and he squinted at the sunlight reflected off the top of the Shooting Star. But as he adjusted his glasses, and refocused on the airplane, recognition seemed to light his face. He hobbled over to the plane, and chuckled as he ran his fingers over the vines and animals painted on the Star\u2019s body. Then he glanced up at Mabel, gave a satisfied nod, and made an effort to pull himself onto the wing.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cVan, help Norton,\u201d said Mabel, realizing that he\u2019d never make it without a boost. So, with Van boosting, and Mabel pulling, Norton managed to clamber onto the wing of the star where he sat looking rather delighted. Van and Mabel brought Ivy aboard in a similar manner, then Van handed Mabel the dogs and the donuts. Lastly, he pulled himself onto the wing.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOkay, Mabel,\u201d said Van, casting a dubious eye at the open hatch. \u201cWho\u2019s sitting in the pilot\u2019s seat, you or me?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMabel looked at him hopefully. \u201cYou drove the golf cart,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYou drove the car,\u201d he countered. \u201cAnd, you\u2019ve watched your dad.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYeah, I guess, but…what?\u201d Mabel turned toward Norton who had gently taken hold of her elbow. He was looking at her and shaking his head, his crinkly face creased into a patient smile. With painstaking care, Norton grabbed his cane and pulled himself to his feet on the wing of the plane. Then he shuffled the few steps to the open hatch, and looked expectantly at Van.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHe\u2019s waiting for you to help him get in,\u201d explained Ivy.<\/p>\n \n\tMabel looked at Van, then at Norton. \u201cMr. Halfslip?\u201d she said. \u201cYou want to…\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cFly the plane,\u201d said Ivy quietly. \u201cGolly Mabel, just because someone can\u2019t speak…you didn\u2019t think you were going to do it did you?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMabel looked at Van to discern what he was thinking. Van shrugged. Mabel wondered if Norton could possibly, after all these years, and a stroke…fly an airplane. At the same time, she felt greatly relieved that it wasn\u2019t up to her.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOkay,\u201d she finally said getting in position to boost Norton. \u201cVan, help me out.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAs Van boosted from the left, and Mabel from the right, Norton scrambled over the edge of the cockpit and disappeared head first. Mabel felt slightly horrified, wondering how to help him right himself, when he managed to pull his feet in and push himself into a seated position. Looking no more rumpled than usual, Norton straightened his glasses, gave an enthusiastic thumbs up, and grinned a big yellow grin.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOkay, Ivy,\u201d said Mabel, \u201clet\u2019s get you in there.\u201d With a slight boost, Ivy pulled herself into the hold behind the pilot seat and disappeared from view. Sparkle grasped Sig by the scruff and patiently allowed Mabel to lift her in next.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cLet\u2019s go start up…whoa…Bailey…and hope a storm\u2019s not coming,\u201d said Mabel as a forceful gust of wind threw her off balance. She quickly sat flat on her bottom so as not to be blown off the wing. River water spritzed Van in the glasses, and several sticks pelted the plane\u2019s fuselage.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a storm,\u201d said Van removing his glasses, \u201cit\u2019s the river.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhat\u2019s its problem?\u201d wondered Mabel aloud. \u201cOh no…how fast can we get out of here?\u201d She looked toward Rocky Creek Road. Rapidly approaching the plane was a dark green van, with river mud splattered across its duct-taped windshield.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cNot fast enough,\u201d said Van. <\/p>\n \n\tThe van lurched to an abrupt halt next to Agent Manderley\u2019s black sedan.<\/p>\n \n\tWind and drizzle seemed to be swirling around Verdon Arbogast as he got out and approached the Shooting Star. He was smiling in a twisted sort of smirk, and even had she not been looking, Mabel would have felt his eyes boring into her.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe get in quick and shut the hatch,\u201d Mabel whispered to Van, as the two of them edged toward the cockpit.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOh, not yet,\u201d said Arbogast silkily, as he pulled something shiny and black out of his coat pocket.<\/p>\n \n\tMabel spoke to Van as quietly as she could. \u201cHe has a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tVan looked incredulously at Arbogast. \u201cThe plane is full,\u201d he said in the most neutral voice he could muster. He and Mabel stood on the wing, their backs to the cockpit. <\/p>\n \n\tArbogast stood at the edge of the wing, then with remarkably little effort, sprang onto the end of it. He clucked and feigned a look of surprise. \u201cFull, you say?\u201d he repeated. \u201cBut I say it\u2019s not!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cYou think you can drive this thing?\u201d Mabel asked Van, patting the hood of the golf cart in the botanical center parking lot. \u201cSure,\u201d replied Van, \u201canybody could. It\u2019s like a toy. But I think you may be nuts about the Shooting Star. You really planning to fly an airplane?\u201d Mabel tried to feel confident. 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