9780008390662

“We can’t exactly shoot a gorilla,” the driver says, and I like the way she’s
thinking.
“Try me.”
“What’s his crime, exactly?”
“Jaywalking?”
“Thing is, I love elephants,” says the driver. “My daughter collects stuffed
elephants. I mean, you know. Stuffed toys. Not stuffed real ones.” She listens
to her radio for a moment.
“Get animal control out here,” says the skinny officer. “Get a van. Get a
moving truck. Get a 747, I don’t care.”
“Ivan,” I whisper in his ear, “this is not looking good. You and Ruby gotta
stay put. Don’t make any sudden moves. No funny business, okay? These
guys are freaking out.”
Ivan sits down on the ground. Slowly. Very, very slowly. Ruby settles next to
him.
The driver smiles. “Aww, that’s so cute.”
Skinny officer nods. “Yeah, in a deadly kind of way.”
“I gotta do this,” I say to my friends. “If you stay calm, they won’t mess with
you.”
“But Bob.” Worry clouds Ivan’s face. “You need us.”
“What I need is for you to stay alive,” I reply.
I can see he isn’t going to listen to reason, so I try a different approach.
“Ivan,” I say, “it’s like this. Boss is my sister. I let her down once, and now,
well, I have a second chance. I’ll explain it all later, but . . . I need to do this.”