Zoobreak Read Online Free PDF

scanning the wrought-iron fence poles from ground level to their lancelike points.
    As Pitch had predicted, it hadn’t taken much convincing to get her father to act as chauffeur for the scouting mission on Saturday. Sidelined from climbing by his swollen foot, he was anxious to divert his mind from the fact that he was not in Wyoming, hanging off a rope at the seven-hundred-foot mark of Devils Tower.
    So the SUV that normally navigated the rugged roads to cliff faces and crags was now returning Griffin, Ben, Pitch, Logan, and Melissa to
All Aboard Animals
. Only Savannah was staying home from this stage of Operation Zoobreak. After the unpleasant scene at the field trip, she couldn’t risk being recognized by Mr. Nastase.
    “We should split up, too,” Griffin whispered in the backseat. “Together, we might jog the guy’s memory.”
    In the parking lot, Mr. Benson limped to a bench and settled himself down with a book. The team made a great show of heading for the zoo boat. But Pitch left the others and doubled back across the manicured lawn to have a closer look at the fence around the property.
    Melissa reached into her pocket and produced four tiny battery-powered wireless webcams. The purpose of these cameras was to give the team a complete view of what happened when
All Aboard Animals
shut down and locked up for the night. Griffin’s plan called for her to plant them where they would provide different angles.
    She surveyed the dock area thoughtfully, determined to get this exactly right.She wanted to do her part to help rescue Cleopatra, but there was more to it than that. Melissa was a loner, more comfortable with computers than with actual living people. Before the baseball card heist, she’d never had any friends. She didn’t want to let the team down. The thought that she was being asked to help again was almost too good to be true.
    The first vantage point was in a maple tree with a straight-on view of the starboard side of the paddleboat and the main gangway. She picked a wad of chewing gum out of her mouth and used it as mortar to set the tiny camera in place in the crook of a branch.
    The second spot was atop a pylon on the dock itself. It focused on the zoo boat’s bow and was also set in gum. The third she positioned for a view of the stern, not dead-on, but at an angle that also provided another view of the entrance.
    That was enough, she thought. There was still one webcam left. She looked around for Griffin. He was in line on the gangway, waiting to get into the exhibit. There was no chance to talk to him now. And the rule was to stay separated.
    She made an executive decision. She would place the final webcam aboard the boat, monitoring the entrance from the inside.
    As she headed for the gangway, she popped another stick of gum into her mouth and began to chew.
    Griffin was standing in line to buy his ticket when he made his first Nastase sighting. The zookeeper was manning the cash box and stamping hands.
    Griffin caught a nervous look from Ben, three people ahead of him. But he was relieved to see his friend hand over his twelve dollars and pass through without a second glance.
    Twelve bucks to look at a bunch of moth-eaten squirrels and a stolen monkey — all while being drenched in the stink of poorly maintained cages
. This guy was a big-time crook.
    Now it was Griffin’s turn. The zookeeper paused, his squinty black eyes riveted to Griffin’s face, his expression saying:
Where have I seen you before?
    Griffin felt a stab of fear. He had been the first to speak up for Savannah on field tripday. After her, he might be the easiest for Mr. Nastase to recognize.
    He held out his hand with twelve dollar bills fanned out like playing cards.
    The money broke the spell. “Welcome to
All Aboard Animals
,” the zookeeper greeted in a bored tone. “Prepare to be astounded.”
    Griffin nodded, shaken, and fled past. He caught up with Ben at the chipmunk cage.
    “What was that all about?” Ben