KALAMAZOO CITY UNIVERSITY, MAIN AUDITORIUM, 7:05 P.M.

Zengo withdrew his boomerang and charged the stage. “PLATYPUS POLICE SQUAD! FREEZE!” The detective stood center stage, placing himself between Pandini and the masked assailants. There were about a dozen of them. He could take down seven of them with his rapid-fire boomerang technique. He’d wrestle the remainder if he could catch them before they fled.

But when each masked squirrel withdrew a boomerang, Zengo knew the odds were not in his favor.

“I suggest you step aside,” said the biggest, scruffiest squirrel. He aimed his boomerang right at Zengo’s head. “We’re here for Pandini. We don’t want any problems.”

“Well, you’ve got a problem, punk,” said Zengo, drawing himself up to his full height. He towered over the squirrel. “If you want Pandini, you’ll need to go through me.”

Jaiden Meltzer dove under the moderator’s desk. Patrick McGovern ran backstage. Pandini remained at his podium with his head held high.

Zengo’s pulse throbbed; he could feel the sweat trickle down his back. “I know where you’re from. You’re from Nutter’s Nuts.”

The squirrels looked at each other. Who snitched?

“Not only that,” said Zengo. “I know you’re not really flying squirrels.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Detective,” said the scruffiest squirrel. He turned to his comrades. “ACTIVATE!” he called. Each squirrel clicked a button on a special wrist band. The flaps they had glided in on folded up and disappeared—and jets sprouted from special packs on their backs.

Zengo had to admit, it looked pretty cool.

“Now drop your weapon and get out of the way, or things are going to get really ugly around here,” spat the ringleader.

“The Platypus Police Squad NEVER backs down!” shouted Zengo, keeping his boomerang locked on the ringleader of the group, who was aiming to launch a boomerang right at Zengo’s head in return.

“You got that right!”

Jo Cooper was suddenly at his side. She held her boomerang locked on the gang. “Drop your weapons!”

“You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us,” called O’Malley, who crept up from stage left with his boomerang at the ready. “We know who sent you. It’s over.”

One of the squirrels stepped forward. The crowd screamed as he turned and faced the auditorium, boomerang held at the ready. “Frank Pandini Jr.’s anti-nut legislation is a threat to the entire city! And he hasn’t complied with our demands. Now we are taking matters into our own hands!”

Eight of the squirrels jumped on Pandini and grabbed hold of him. Their jetpacks burst to life and they lifted him up into the air above the crowd.

O’Malley aimed at the fleeing squirrels and pulled back to throw his boomerang. But before he could let it loose, another scurry of squirrels grabbed hold of him and lifted him up into the air too. Soon both captives were being carried out of the auditorium through the broken skylights.

“Quick! Let’s go!” Zengo called to Cooper.

Cooper flashed her badge to the audience. “All of you—remain in your seats!” The two detectives raced out of the building.

“Cooper,” said Zengo breathlessly, “thanks for your help back there.”

Cooper gave him a smile that might almost be called friendly. “I never leave a fellow detective hanging.”

Once they spilled out into the street, they looked up at the night sky. The two groups of kidnappers flew in opposite directions, carrying their victims.

Zengo looked from Pandini to O’Malley and back again. Every second counted.

“You take the squad car. Go save O’Malley,” he said. “I’ll go after Pandini.” As he ran after his set of squirrel perps, he called back, “Don’t let them out of your sight, Cooper. And keep your radio on.”

Zengo flashed his badge at a biker and said, “The Platypus Police Squad needs to borrow your bike.” Before he could respond, Zengo had pulled him off his motorcycle. “And your helmet. Safety first!”

Zengo buckled the helmet, gunned the engine, and roared off.