Could he really be a traitor? Andy wondered. The thought made his stomach flip-flop. It would be so much easier to believe the best of one of his grandfather’s closest allies. How in the world would Andy be able to keep acting like nothing was wrong around Rusty, all the while watching him closely to see if he would betray the group?
I wonder if I should tell Abigail what’s going on, Andy thought. He knew that Bartlemore would be against it and that he might be compromising a government mission, but he didn’t think he could keep the knowledge to himself. He needed someone he could trust. And, ironically, it was a person who until recently had worked for the very same enemy Rusty was now accused of colluding with.
If he thought about it, it was surprising that Bartlemore didn’t suspect Abigail as the spy rather than Rusty. After all, wouldn’t she have been the obvious choice?
But for whatever reason, that wasn’t the case. And in Andy’s opinion, it would be foolish to think that Abigail could possibly be a traitor. He’d gotten to know her well over the last few months and knew with absolute certainty that she wouldn’t do it.
Now that she has a good relationship with her father again, she’d never want to jeopardize that.
The plane rolled to a stop and the big door swung open, the collapsible staircase extending to the ground. Bartlemore ushered Andy to the door and, with a conspiratorial wink, followed him down the stairs, waving broadly at the crowd and reverting once more to his alter ego.
“You’ll want to thank me, of course,” he boomed. “Dan Daring saves the day again! The boy is safe and completely unharmed!”
Andy was surprised when Abigail and Betty and Dotty rushed forward and embraced him in a group hug. Judging from the relief on their faces, they’d really been worried about him.
“Where were you?” Abigail exclaimed. “One minute you were there, and the next you were gone! When I first woke up, I thought you might have gone to the bathroom or something. Yaw stayed behind to look for you while Rusty flew us here. We couldn’t afford to wait any longer. Not if we want to beat the Collective to the paw….”
She looked simultaneously angry and upset, and Andy felt even more terrible about missing the plane. He’d had no idea that his absence would cause such anxiety.
“I’m sorry. I thought I’d run over to the shop for a second, just to stretch my legs. I guess the time got away from me,” he confessed. “Is Yaw on her way here now?”
Abigail shrugged. “We haven’t heard from her. For all we know, she’s still looking for you.”
“Next time you’re planning on running off, wake one of us up first,” Betty said.
Dotty nodded, her lips pursed in a thin line. “The mission is dangerous enough as it is.”
“Understood,” Andy said meekly. Then, remembering why he’d left the plane in the first place, he reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out the candy bar he’d bought for Abigail.
“I guess it’s pretty stupid now,” he said, offering it to her. “But at the time, I thought you might be hungry.”
Abigail took it and smiled. Then she hit him lightly on the shoulder. “It was stupid to risk being abandoned in the jungle for chocolate. But since you’re back and you’re okay…”
She peeled off the wrapper and took a bite of the gooey bar, then rolled her eyes in pleasure.
“Mmm. Maybe it was worth it after all.”
Andy chuckled. Behind him, Rusty stepped forward, looking awkward. He cleared his throat and offered his meaty hand to Andy. Andy shook it. Gazing up at the big man’s face, Andy got the impression that Rusty was not only glad to see him, but that he’d been worried about him as well.
“Don’t ever do that again, understand?”
Andy nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Rusty seemed satisfied with his response and grunted his approval.
Suddenly, Andy felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and nearly jumped at the monstrous face staring back at him. Then Andy realized he wasn’t looking at a face, but at a fearsome tribal mask.
“Cedric!”
“Andy! Great to see you, lad! It’s been a while, what?”
The Cambridge-educated witch doctor wore an incongruous blue suit in addition to the mask, looking to Andy like a wealthy businessman on his way to a Halloween party.
Cedric noticed Andy looking at his suit and said, “A bit of tricky business at a nearby village. The chief had a terrible case of the Amazonian Squints. He could barely see, and insisted that everyone wear their Sunday best out of respect. Obviously, I was the only one there in a suit. The rest of them had, ah, rather interesting ideas about what Sunday best meant. Anyway, after I gave him the cure, I forgot to change.”
“But why did he care what everyone looked like if he couldn’t see?” Andy asked. “It doesn’t make sense.”
Cedric ignored the question, focusing instead on Bartlemore.
“Are you indeed the actor John Bartlemore?” he exclaimed.
“I am indeed,” said Bartlemore with a smug grin. “Care for an autograph, my friend?”
“Would I care for…of course!” Cedric shouted happily. “I’ve seen every one of your films at least ten times! You’re magnificent, Mr. Bartlemore. Simply magnificent! My wife, Margaret, agrees.”
He’s married? Andy thought. Wow. That’s a surprise!
Because nobody had ever seen Cedric when he wasn’t wearing a mask, it was hard to imagine him leading a normal life. Andy wondered if his wife wore a mask, too. He snickered at thought of the entire Bunsen family, kids included, all gathered around the dinner table with elaborate tribal masks on.
Abigail looked at him quizzically, and Andy shook his head. “I’ll tell you later,” he whispered. “Just had a funny thought, that’s all.”
Abigail
