The Monkey Howled at Midnight by Zack Norris Page B

that plane? You seem awfully young to be a pilot.”
    Cody put his hands in his pockets. “Well, you probably know that I am too young to have a pilot’s license. My brother and I are twelve years old. But I could get a license if I were a few years older. I have flown well over the forty hours required. I’ve passed the tests for student, sport, and recreational pilot. I am familiar with Cessnas—that’s the plane they used to get us here.”
    â€œHe’s telling the truth,” Otis said. “I studied piloting, too. One of our uncles has a school in Deerville, New York. That’s where we live.”
    Koobi still looked doubtful. “You guys are twelve years old. How much experience flying solo do you have, Cody?”
    Cody looked down at the ground. “Enough,” he said. He looked up and glanced from Otis to Rae.
    â€œCody has had enough experience to fly us back to Manaus,” said Rae. “He’s not the type to play around.”
    â€œWatch me check out the plane,” said Cody. “You’ll see that I know what I’m doing.”
    Koobi shrugged. “Well, okay … I’ll go get ready,” he said, then walked away.
    Cody exhaled a long breath. “Thanks for covering for me, guys. I think I can do this, but I wish I were a little more confident.”
    â€œTry to relax and concentrate,” said Rae.
    â€œYou can do it,” Otis said, punching him lightly on the arm. “Besides, you’ve got to. And I’ll be right there with you.”

    Hours later, they were nearing their destination. As they approached the landing strip, Cody shielded his eyes from the sun.
    â€œThere is another plane beside ours,” he said in a hushed voice. “I wonder who it belongs to. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was more of Aldo’s crew. We’d better be careful. They might be around.”
    â€œI don’t think so,” said eagle-eyed Otis. “The pilot is still in the cockpit. But he’s tied up—and he’s either sleeping or unconscious.”
    They hurried to the plane. The twins jumped inside.
    The pilot’s head lolled to the side and his hair fell over his eyes. His lips were cracked and bleeding and there were lots of bruises on his face. It looked as if he had been beaten.
    After a moment, the man stirred and groaned. He shook the hair from his face and opened his eyes.
    Cody and Otis gasped. It was Luis Estevez.

[ Chapter Thirteen ]
    T he twins gave Luis some water. He tried to speak, but he was in no shape to do much talking. They untied him and, with Koobi’s help, got him into the waiting plane.
    When Rae saw him, her eyes widened. “Someone gave him an awful beating,” she said.
    â€œI wonder what Luis was doing here,” Otis said in a hushed voice. “We’ll have to find out later. He’s barely conscious.”
    â€œThis whole situation is going from bad to worse.” Cody ran a hand through his hair. He began moving around the plane, examining every part. He used the fuel cup to check for water in the tanks. Koobi never took his eyes off him.
    â€œYou’ve got me convinced that you know what you’re doing,” he murmured after a few moments. “Can you find the airport in Manaus?”
    â€œI think so,” Cody answered. “There should be a chart in the plane.” He searched inside. “Got it.”
    â€œI remember that the airport for the private planes is called Amazonas,” Koobi told him.
    Cody unfurled the chart.
    â€œIt’s here,” Koobi said, pointing a finger.
    Cody looked and nodded. He folded the chart and went to examine the wing flaps.
    â€œGot much more to do before we leave?” Koobi asked.
    â€œI’m done,” Cody said, wiping his hands on his pants. “Let’s go, everybody. Otis, sit in front with me and help out, okay?”
    Cody climbed into the pilot’s seat, adjusting it