JACK CHECKED HIS email at the airport again before his flight left. There was still nothing from Alex or Nim. Before, Jack hadn’t known if he was more scared or angry. Now he knew: he was just plain scared. Because it didn’t make sense. Alex would never have taken Nim without telling him. And Nim would never have meant to leave without telling him.
But what else could have happened? What if they’d been kidnapped by the supply plane pilot? What if he’d come right across the world to find them and they were still somewhere near the island?
Maybe he should jump straight onto a plane home the instant he landed.
‘I’ve got this far,’ he decided. ‘I’ll look for them in the city first.’
But as the plane roared up the runway, Jack suddenly remembered that if someone’s name wasn’t in his email address book, the message went into the Trash unless it had the words “science” or “research” in the subject line. And the Trash folder had blinked every time he’d checked his emails.
Alex and Nim didn’t know that.
There could be an email from them in the Trash right now! Jack thought bitterly.
But he’d have to wait till the plane landed before he could check.
IVAN WAS JUST about to phone Delia Defoe to tell her about Nim, when a call came in over their radio. A big cruise ship needed a tugboat to tow it up the Hudson River to its dock.
‘I guess we could take you with us,’ said Ivan. ‘Maybe someone could meet you at the cruise ship terminal.’
‘No!’ Nim exclaimed. ‘I can’t go anywhere near the cruise ships!’
Ivan looked at her shrewdly. ‘You might have to tell us a bit more of your story, young Nim.’
‘There’s a Professor on the ship. He kidnapped Selkie, and he wanted Fred too. He said that was the law because of the Foundation for Intelligent, Unique and Interesting Animals – but Selkie’s been my friend since I was three, and Fred since he was hatched … they can’t belong to this Foundation, and go to live with people to study them. They just can’t.’
‘So you jumped overboard to save them?’ asked Ivan.
Nim nodded.
Daniel whistled.
‘Well,’ said Ivan, ‘you’ve got the courage of your convictions, that’s for sure. I don’t see that we’ve got any choice but to get you where you’re going – sea lion, iguana and all. And until the police have sorted out this Professor and his Foundation we’ll help you steer clear of him.’
‘We could drop you off somewhere else,’ Daniel suggested, ‘if someone could meet you.’
Ivan phoned Papyrus Publishing. When he asked to speak to Delia Defoe he was put through to her voicemail, and when he phoned back and tried to explain that he had Nim with him and that she needed to find Alex Rover, he was put through to a special recorded announcement about publicity for Alex Rover’s new book. When he tried a third time and explained how urgent it was, he was told that Papyrus Publishing never ever gave out an author’s address or phone number.
‘I’m afraid you’ll simply have to go to the publishing house,’ said Ivan. ‘We could put you in a cab.’
‘I don’t think a cab would take Selkie,’ Daniel said.
‘Selkie can’t stay behind!’ Nim protested, and Selkie barked ‘NO!’
‘I’ll phone my sister-in-law Carla,’ said Daniel. ‘You’d all fit in her delivery van.’
He picked up his phone. Nim could faintly hear Carla on the other end, ‘A sea lion? Are you for real?’
The radio crackled. ‘The cruise ship’s waiting. Is there a problem?’
Daniel grinned as he put away his phone. ‘We’re in luck – Carla’s down near the water taxi dock right now.’
‘Give me five minutes!’ Ivan said into the radio. ‘We’ve got an emergency delivery to the water taxi dock.’
‘Does Carla like sea lions?’ Nim asked anxiously.
‘Sure! She’s just never met one.’
‘And marine iguanas?’
‘Who wouldn’t love Fred?’
Fred smirked, and went on munching the salad Ivan had made him.
Nim’s clothes were nearly dry. She took them off the line and changed in the cabin as they pulled into the dock.
Ivan handed her a card when she came back to the wheelhouse. ‘You’ll be fine with Carla. But this has got my name and phone number – you call me if you’ve got any problems. Call us if you don’t have any problems! We want to hear you got there safe.’
‘Thank you,’ said Nim. ‘And thank you for the sandwich and hot chocolate.’ If she ever did get back to the island, she thought, maybe she could take some hot chocolate with her.
‘Here’s my number too,’ said Daniel.
‘And thank you for rescuing me,’ Nim said.
‘Anyone jumps off a ship into New York Harbour to rescue their friends,’ said Daniel, ‘I’d be proud to rescue them.’
‘Just don’t make a habit of it!’ Ivan warned, giving her a warm hug. ‘And don’t forget to call us.’
The tug bumped up against the dock. Daniel jumped down, and Selkie, Nim and Fred followed.
THEY GOT OFF at a park, with a wide stretch of green grass that ended at a path as smooth and hard as rock, and so crowded that everyone had to move with determination and speed. Nim had never imagined that so many people could fit into the same place at the same time.
While they walked they talked on phones, to each other, to themselves; some used words Nim couldn’t understand and languages she’d never heard. They drank cans of soft drink and cups of coffee, ate ice-cream on sticks and hot dogs and pretzels, carried purses and briefcases and fat bags with shopping or small dogs inside – and somehow they hardly ever bumped into each other.
‘Come on,’ said Daniel. ‘Carla’s waiting. It’ll be fine.’
Nim took a deep breath. Fred curled himself tighter around her neck. Selkie pressed hard against her. They followed Daniel down the path.
Next to the path was a road, and on the road there were cars. Lots of yellow cars, and lots of every-other-colour-in-the-world cars. Some were going one way and some were going the other, but just when Nim thought they’d meet smash in the middle, they slipped safely on by.
Nim had seen pictures of cars, but she’d never heard the noise or smelled the smell. The smell was hot and the noise was hotter, and just when she thought it couldn’t get any louder there was a high-pitched siren, a roaring noise like a sea lion bull, and a huge red truck screamed past.
Selkie didn’t like this place with all its strange noises, and she wanted to get through it as fast as she could. She galumphed off the path onto the road.
Cars honked and brakes screeched.
‘Selkie!’ shouted Nim, dashing into the road after her.
‘Wait!’ shouted Daniel, grabbing Nim’s arm.
‘What part of DON’T WALK! don’t you understand?’ shouted a taxi driver at the people dashing across while the cars stopped for Selkie.
Selkie barked crossly and flopped back up onto the path.
‘It’s Nim and the sea lion!’ shouted a woman on the opposite side of the street.
‘Is that who you’re supposed to be?’ a man called. ‘Are you supposed to be Nim?’
‘Great publicity stunt!’ cheered another man.
Then the cars stopped, and so did the flashing sign of a little red man walking. As everyone stepped onto the road the sign below lit up to show a little white man walking.
So that’s how they know when to do it! thought Nim, as she stepped up onto the sidewalk on the other side.
They hurried on through a little park, ignoring the flowers and cool splashing fountain. At the end of the park was an enormous bull.
Selkie barked and wouldn’t go on.
‘It’s okay!’ Nim coaxed. ‘He’s just a statue!’
Selkie froze into her statue trick, and the people who were lined up to have their pictures taken with the bull ran over to take pictures of Selkie, too.
‘Is it safe?’
‘Of course,’ said Nim, and a woman rushed up to stand beside her while her friend took a picture. Fred reached over and gulped the top off her ice-cream cone.
‘Sorry,’ said Nim, though Fred wasn’t sorry at all.
There was a whisper of excitement, and more people kept coming and taking more pictures.
‘Got to keep moving, guys!’ Daniel said.
‘Where are you going?’ a long-haired man called.
‘Papyrus Publishing.’
‘Have you got the address?’ asked a grandmotherly woman, writing it on the back of her shopping list. ‘My son works there.’
‘That’s a long way uptown,’ said a woman in a red suit. ‘How’re you going to get them there?’
‘You could take the subway!’ suggested the long-haired man.
‘You can’t take a sea lion on the subway!’ said the red-suited woman. ‘You need to call one of those cabs that takes dogs.’
‘My sister uses those to take her dogs to day care,’ said a carpenter walking past. ‘I’ll call her and get their number.’
‘Thanks,’ said Daniel, ‘but we’ve already got a ride.’ They crossed the road to a woman opening the back door of a van covered with pictures of dogs and the sign Carla’s Canine Cakes.