CHAPTER 64

Good Old Packard

“So Bluegum and Bunyip don’t know they got the authentic turtle,” Seamus whispered to me.

“Not yet,” I whispered back.

Nick Bluegum was saying, “Bring on the scorpions and anchovies. I am not saying another word.”

“He’s too scared to mention who it is that Sholmos Bunyip is scared of,” Iggy said.

“Ah, there you are!” a voice said. “I was hoping I’d find you.” It was Al Crane.

“Hello, Al,” Seamus said. “See that guy? He’s the one who tried to hold up Neddie for the turtle, and later bought it from Steve Kraft, but he doesn’t know it’s the real one. We’ve been trying to get him to talk. He told us some stuff, but now he’s clammed up. I don’t think wild elephants could get another word out of him.”

“Funny you should mention that,” Al said. “Could I interest everybody in coming out to the farm? Something pretty interesting has come up.”

“I’ll ask my father,” Seamus said. “Father, Al here wants us to come out to the San Fernando Valley to see something pretty interesting.” Then he added in a whisper, “They have lions out there. Maybe we can threaten Bluegum with them.”

“There’s only so far we can go with this sort of thing,” Aaron Finn whispered. “I think it may be against the law to torture people, even if you’re a movie star and a Republican. But . . . let’s go anyway. A drive in the country will be nice. Let’s go, everybody. Plenty of room in the car!”

Good old Packard! We all fit. Melvin and Crazy Wig sat on either side of Nick Bluegum. Crazy Wig had the potato gun pointed at him. On the way, Iggy, Seamus, and I filled Al in on what had been happening. Al, for his part, refused to tell us what interesting thing had come up out at the circus winter quarters.

“This is kidnapping, you know,” Nick Bluegum said.

“I believe the police at the Grand Canyon are looking for you,” Aaron Finn said. “So this is a citizen’s arrest. You did commit armed robbery, after all.”

“It was a potato gun, and I took a jellybean!” Nick Bluegum said.

“Don’t forget, you also stole a valuable parachute,” I said.

“Wait a minute! Where’s Billy?” Iggy said. We looked around. Sometimes Billy is hard to see.

“I don’t think he’s with us,” Seamus said.

“Could we have left him behind at the Rolling Doughnut?” I asked.

“If you mean that semitransparent chap, I saw him leave while you were intimidating me,” Nick Bluegum said.

“Odd. Where can he have gone?” Aaron Finn said. “Well, he’s a grown ghost and knows what he’s doing. No doubt he’ll turn up.”