got all day. Maybe you should stay down there so you don’t sink the ship.”
The two pedal boats were floating away.
“Hey, Hats,” Vinnie said. “I thought I told you to tie up the boats.”
Hats shrugged. “What the heck was I supposed to tie them up with?”
“Maybe the end of that rope we just climbed,” Vinnie said.
“Oh yeah,” Hats said, his face lighting up. “That would’ve been a good idea.”
They looked down at Jackie. The clown was exhausted and he seemed to be sliding back down the rope.
“Wait for him,” Vinnie told Hats. “We’re going on ahead.”
“Whatever you say, Skipper.”
“Don’t get yourself seen.”
Hats just tipped his pimp hat in response.
Chapter 24
It took Hats and Jackie five minutes before they got themselves seen. Vinnie and Earl were searching the cargo hold when they heard a commotion on deck, followed by gunshots.
“Wait here, I’m going to check it out,” Vinnie said.
Earl kept going. He wasn’t going to rest until he found his wife and daughters. He could sense they were near. He didn’t know how, he could just feel it. Perhaps it was their scent lingering in the air or perhaps he could hear them crying somewhere in the distance, so faint that they only registered in his subconscious.
A clown was working down there. His back turned. Earl came up behind him and pointed his gun at the man’s head.
“Don’t move,” Earl told him.
The clown turned around. He was calm. He wore a black-and-white-striped shirt with a red beret on his head. He had a five o’clock shadow permanently coloring his face as if it were clown makeup.
“Or what?” the Frenchmen said.
Earl looked at his balloon gun. He realized it wasn’t very threatening. “I’ll shoot you.”
“With what? Your balloon?”
Earl pointed the gun over the clown’s shoulder and fired. The bang was enough to make the clown flinch, but just barely.
“I’m looking for my wife and three daughters,” he said. “I know they’re down here somewhere. Tell me where and I’ll let you live.”
The clown nodded over Earl’s shoulder. “They’re in one of the crates behind you.”
Earl looked back. There were too many of them.
“Which one?” Earl said.
As he turned back, the clown poked a needle into his balloon. It popped and fell to the floor.
“Oops,” the clown said.
Earl’s mouth dropped open. The clown pulled a handgun from the back of his pants. But before he could point it at the vet, Earl whipped out his balloon knife and drove it deep into the clown’s chest.
The Frenchman tried to pop the balloon knife with his needle, but his hand went limp before it could make contact.
“Ridiculous…,” the clown wheezed.
His eyes rolled back and he fell to the ground. Earl pulled the balloon out of the man’s chest. It was still intact. Just like the gun, it was a mystery how the balloon could pierce solid flesh. It was full of air.
Earl looked back at the crates and called out to his family. “Laurie? Mandy? Are you there?”
No answer. He went deeper into the cargo hold.
“Vicky? Are you in here?”
He heard an army of footsteps running across the deck above him. More gunshots.
“Dad!”
It was Mandy’s voice.
“Mandy! Where are you?”
“Daddy, I’m in here!”
Earl followed the sound of his daughter’s voice until he came to a crate. It was sealed tight. He had to shove his balloon knife between the boards to pry it open. When the wood splintered apart and the crate opened up, Mandy came running out and wrapped herself around his waist. There were other girls inside, all around her age. They looked hungry and sick. None of them spoke.
“Where are the others?” Earl asked his daughter. “Where’s your mother?”
The little girl’s eyes were red and dehydrated from crying so much.
“Help me find them,” he said.
The other girls didn’t stick around to help out the veterinarian. They took off running out of the cargo hold. Earl hoped they were
The two pedal boats were floating away.
“Hey, Hats,” Vinnie said. “I thought I told you to tie up the boats.”
Hats shrugged. “What the heck was I supposed to tie them up with?”
“Maybe the end of that rope we just climbed,” Vinnie said.
“Oh yeah,” Hats said, his face lighting up. “That would’ve been a good idea.”
They looked down at Jackie. The clown was exhausted and he seemed to be sliding back down the rope.
“Wait for him,” Vinnie told Hats. “We’re going on ahead.”
“Whatever you say, Skipper.”
“Don’t get yourself seen.”
Hats just tipped his pimp hat in response.
Chapter 24
It took Hats and Jackie five minutes before they got themselves seen. Vinnie and Earl were searching the cargo hold when they heard a commotion on deck, followed by gunshots.
“Wait here, I’m going to check it out,” Vinnie said.
Earl kept going. He wasn’t going to rest until he found his wife and daughters. He could sense they were near. He didn’t know how, he could just feel it. Perhaps it was their scent lingering in the air or perhaps he could hear them crying somewhere in the distance, so faint that they only registered in his subconscious.
A clown was working down there. His back turned. Earl came up behind him and pointed his gun at the man’s head.
“Don’t move,” Earl told him.
The clown turned around. He was calm. He wore a black-and-white-striped shirt with a red beret on his head. He had a five o’clock shadow permanently coloring his face as if it were clown makeup.
“Or what?” the Frenchmen said.
Earl looked at his balloon gun. He realized it wasn’t very threatening. “I’ll shoot you.”
“With what? Your balloon?”
Earl pointed the gun over the clown’s shoulder and fired. The bang was enough to make the clown flinch, but just barely.
“I’m looking for my wife and three daughters,” he said. “I know they’re down here somewhere. Tell me where and I’ll let you live.”
The clown nodded over Earl’s shoulder. “They’re in one of the crates behind you.”
Earl looked back. There were too many of them.
“Which one?” Earl said.
As he turned back, the clown poked a needle into his balloon. It popped and fell to the floor.
“Oops,” the clown said.
Earl’s mouth dropped open. The clown pulled a handgun from the back of his pants. But before he could point it at the vet, Earl whipped out his balloon knife and drove it deep into the clown’s chest.
The Frenchman tried to pop the balloon knife with his needle, but his hand went limp before it could make contact.
“Ridiculous…,” the clown wheezed.
His eyes rolled back and he fell to the ground. Earl pulled the balloon out of the man’s chest. It was still intact. Just like the gun, it was a mystery how the balloon could pierce solid flesh. It was full of air.
Earl looked back at the crates and called out to his family. “Laurie? Mandy? Are you there?”
No answer. He went deeper into the cargo hold.
“Vicky? Are you in here?”
He heard an army of footsteps running across the deck above him. More gunshots.
“Dad!”
It was Mandy’s voice.
“Mandy! Where are you?”
“Daddy, I’m in here!”
Earl followed the sound of his daughter’s voice until he came to a crate. It was sealed tight. He had to shove his balloon knife between the boards to pry it open. When the wood splintered apart and the crate opened up, Mandy came running out and wrapped herself around his waist. There were other girls inside, all around her age. They looked hungry and sick. None of them spoke.
“Where are the others?” Earl asked his daughter. “Where’s your mother?”
The little girl’s eyes were red and dehydrated from crying so much.
“Help me find them,” he said.
The other girls didn’t stick around to help out the veterinarian. They took off running out of the cargo hold. Earl hoped they were
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