“We were thinking about the trail cam footage,” Henry said. “Have you reviewed it yet?”

  “Oh, that’s right.” Kayla grabbed her backpack from the floor. “I almost forgot that I collected the memory cards.” She pulled them out of the pack. “Why?”

  “It can bring us back in time!” said Benny.

  Kayla looked puzzled, so Henry explained. “We wanted to see the footage from the day Tashi’s collar stopped working. Maybe the trail camera will show who was there that day.”

  “Of course! They might not show the exact place where Tashi went missing, but there might be a clue.” Kayla slid the memory card into the reader. “I was so focused on the GPS data that I didn’t even think about the cameras.”

  Jessie sat down at the desk. She was the best with computers, and she knew just what they were looking for. “Let’s see. Tashi disappeared two days ago. There are a number of videos from that day.”

  She started working her way through the videos. One showed a fox. Another showed something at the very edge of the screen. They played the video at slow speed but still couldn’t figure out what the thing was.

  When the next video played, everyone gasped as a snow leopard came down the crevice. “That’s Tashi,” Sonia said. “She’s still wearing her collar.”

  The snow leopard passed out of the camera’s range. They didn’t see any people.

  “We know she was okay that morning,” said Kayla.

  Jessie played the rest of the videos from the memory card. They didn’t show anything interesting.

  “I guess that’s no help,” Henry said.

  “Not necessarily,” said Kayla. “That camera looks toward the crevice. It only shows who goes up and down there.” Kayla ejected the memory card and put in another. “This is from a camera that looks into the valley. The one facing up gives us the best close-ups of animals traveling through the crevice. This has a wider view.”

  Jessie started playing videos. They saw the fox heading downhill, with a herd of sheep in the valley below.

  Sonia leaned closer to the computer and squinted. “I think those are wild sheep. The herders aren’t supposed to let their animals graze in that area. Some of the nomads don’t know that though.”

  “No-mads?” Benny asked. “Are those people who never get mad?”

  Sonia laughed. “I wish we had more people who never got mad, Benny. But these are nomads—one word. It means people who don’t live in a single place. They travel from place to place, like herders who move around to find fresh food for their livestock. Around here, they live in big tents, which they roll up, put on their yaks, and bring to wherever the grass is fresh.”

  “Oh. That sounds nice.” Benny thought for a minute. “Maybe only in summer though. Unless they can go to the beach in winter.”

  “We’re pretty far from any beaches,” Henry said, mussing his brother’s hair.

  “Are there any more videos from the second camera?” Violet asked.

  “Yes, we still have a couple of hours before the collar stopped working,” Kayla said. “This next video is getting closer, Jessie.”

  Jessie hit play.

  “What’s that?” Henry leaned over Jessie’s shoulder. He could see something moving through the trees. It was bigger than an animal and much faster.

  “A truck!” said Benny.

  Jessie paused the video. “I don’t recognize it.”

  “I don’t either,” Sonia said.

  The large truck was green with a patch of white on the side. It was large with oversize wheels. “It’s like the one Meera drives,” Violet said. “Only hers was white with the leopard painted in black. Maybe the white on this one is something like that, a logo.”

  Jessie started the video again. The truck moved out of the camera’s view. They didn’t see Tashi, or any snow leopard, before the video ended.

  “It shows us that someone was in the area,” Kayla said. “It doesn’t prove they captured Tashi. Let’s keep going. The first camera showed Tashi going down the ravine an hour before dusk. This camera should catch her as well.”

  They found a video showing Tashi. She passed in front of the camera and turned downhill. Then her thick, fluffy tail waved as she bounded out of sight.

  Two videos later they saw the truck again. It was heading back toward the village.

  Kayla watched that video once more. “The truck is suspicious. They were in the valley when Tashi came down. It still wouldn’t be easy to catch her. It wouldn’t even be easy to see her.”

  “Some of the locals are good at spotting snow leopards,” Sonia said. “It’s amazing. They’ll point to a jumble of rocks, and even with binoculars it takes me a couple minutes to see the cat.”

  “Does that mean it was someone from the village?” Violet asked. She didn’t want it to be Praveer.

  “I don’t know,” Sonia said.

  “We haven’t seen many vehicles in the village,” Henry said. “In fact, I only remember seeing Meera’s truck, the van parked by the lodge, and Praveer’s cart. We haven’t seen anything that looks like that truck.”

  “Didn’t Meera say she has two trucks?” said Benny. “Maybe the other one is green with a white leopard.”

  Kayla and Sonia looked at each other.

  “I’ve only seen her white truck,” Kayla said. “Why would she trap Tashi? Snow leopard tours are big business for her.”

  “Meera joked about opening a zoo,” Henry said. “Maybe she decided that would be easier to keep a leopard than to find them on her tours. She could charge extra to see one.”

  Kayla looked unsure. “Do you think Meera would do that, Sonia?”

  Sonia shook her head. “I don’t,” she said. “But time might be running out. We should at least check it out. She parks her vehicles in a big shed here in the village.”

  Benny bounced up and down. “Let’s go see if the green truck is there!”

  Kayla and Sonia grabbed their coats, and the group headed back outside. Sonia moved quickly until she realized the children couldn’t keep up. They still weren’t used to the thin air. She stopped and waited for them.

  Jessie laughed. “I want to run, but I can’t. My mind is in a hurry, but my body wants to go slow.”

  Kayla patted her shoulder. “We’ll get there. It’s not far now. See the tan building with the metal roof?”

  “If Meera has Tashi, she won’t hurt the snow leopard,” Henry said. “We have time.”

  Violet led the way forward. “I still want to hurry.”

  A faint shriek cut through the air. Kayla jerked to a stop. “Shh. Listen!”

  Everyone froze and listened as the sound came again. “Yee-ow! Yee-ow!”

  They listened for a couple more seconds without hearing anything else.

  “That sounded like the scream we heard last night,” Jessie said.

  “Maybe Oliver hurt himself again.” Violet giggled. “I feel bad, but he’s really clumsy.”

  Kayla looked between the children. “What are you talking about?”

  “Oliver,” said Jessie. “The man we rode here with. We heard that noise last night when he was in the street. He’d stubbed his toe.”

  Kayla shook her head. “I don’t know what you heard last night, but the sound we just heard was not Oliver. That was a snow leopard.”

  The children stared at her. “Snow leopards make that sound?” Violet asked.

  Kayla nodded. “That was definitely a snow leopard. They can’t roar like other big cats. Their call is more of a high-pitched scream or yowl.”

  Jessie frowned. “It sounded a lot like the sound we heard Oliver make last night. Am I remembering wrong?”

  “It only happened once last night,” Henry said. “But I think so. Kayla, didn’t you hear it?”

  “I fell asleep pretty early,” said Kayla. “I don’t know what you heard, but I’m sure that was a snow leopard just now.”

  Sonia nodded her agreement. “Their calls can be heard for quite a distance, but that was especially loud. It sounded like it was near the village.”

  “Meera’s garage?” Violet pointed ahead to their destination. “Let’s go see!”

  The excitement gave the children extra energy. Even with the thin air, they hurried to see if they had found their missing snow leopard.

  CHAPTER 8

  Out in the Open

  Meera’s main building had three garage doors, each big enough for a large truck to go through. A smaller building the size of a shed sat to one side. Meera stood in the open doorway of that building, looking around.

  The Aldens huffed for air as they approached her. Before they could catch their breaths and start to question her, Meera said, “Did you hear that noise? It sounded like a snow leopard.”

  The children looked at one another. Did this mean Meera didn’t have Tashi? Or was it a trick to make them think she didn’t have the big cat?

  “It was a snow leopard.” Kayla put her hands on her hips. “We believe someone captured Tashi using a truck. Meera, was it you?”

  Meera laughed. “Me? Why would I want to catch a snow leopard?”

  Kayla bit her lip, looking uncertain.

  “You said you could make more money opening a zoo,” Benny said. “Maybe you wanted Tashi so you could show her to people.”

  Meera laughed again. “That was a joke!” She dabbed at her eyes. “If I tried to open a zoo with a snow leopard, I would go to jail.”

  “Not if you kept it a secret,” said Violet.

  Meera shook her head. “I like giving tours, and my tours do well enough. I don’t need to risk breaking the law.”

  “That makes sense.” Sonia smiled. “But, Meera, would you mind if we take a look in your garage?”

  Meera crossed her arms. “Huh. You still think I might steal a leopard.” She shook her head. “Put Tashi in a cage? No way! But you can search. Go ahead.”

  “You’re sure?” Sonia asked.

  Meera went to the garage and hauled open one of the doors. “I insist! You have to see that I’m telling the truth. No one will call me a poacher.”

  Sonia stayed to talk to Meera. She waved Kayla and the children into the garage.

  They paused just inside the large space. Light poured in from the open door behind them, leaving the far corners dark. Kayla glanced back and spoke quietly. “We want to stay friendly with Meera. We need her as a guide. Sonia will smooth things over while we look around.”

  “There are the two white trucks,” Henry said. “I don’t see a green truck like the one in the video.”

  “We should still look around,” said Jessie.

  The children walked carefully through the garage, pausing to admire a line of snowmobiles. Beside one, in the back corner of the garage, a sheet was draped over something large.

  Henry carefully approached the dark corner of the garage. Underneath the sheet, he thought he saw something move. Could there be a cage underneath?

  “Do you see something, Henry?” Kayla called.

  “I don’t know,” Henry said. Then in one motion, he yanked the sheet up. A cloud of dust flew in the air, blocking his view.

  When the dust cleared, he saw that it was not a cage after all. Instead, a large stack of boxes sat in front of him. On top, a mouse was frozen in fear.

  The children breathed a sigh of relief as they headed outside. Wherever Tashi was, she wasn’t in Meera’s garage.

  Meera crossed her arms. “See? I didn’t do anything illegal.”

  “We know that now,” Kayla said. “I’m sorry we questioned you, but I’m glad to prove you right.”

  They said goodbye and headed back into the village.

  “Now what?” Jessie asked. “I’m happy it wasn’t Meera who took Tashi, but if not her, who could it be?”

  A woman passed by on the street with several large animals. They looked like heavy cows with shaggy fur and curved horns that ended in sharp points. Kayla pulled the children to the side so the woman could pass.

  Violet watched the animals with wide eyes. “What are those?”

  “Those are yaks,” Sonia said. “They’re a kind of cattle, but they do better than cows in this environment. Yaks can handle the cold and high altitude.”

  “Like Tashi,” Violet said. For a moment, everyone was silent as the woman with the yaks passed.

  “Meera could still have Tashi somewhere else,” Kayla said at last, “but it doesn’t seem likely. She’s right; she’d risk too much trouble if she tried to keep a leopard hidden. For Meera, the best place for a snow leopard is in the wild.”

  “Could we have heard some other snow leopard?” Henry asked. “Maybe one of them came close to town to hunt.”

  “I doubt it,” Sonia said. “I’ve never heard a call that loud when I was in the village. Besides, snow leopards are most active at dawn and dusk, not midday.”

  Kayla sighed. “I feel like we’re so close,” she said, “but short of knocking on people’s doors, I don’t know what to do.” Then she managed to smile. “You kids still haven’t had lunch. Why don’t you go back to the lodge? Norboo will feed you.”

  Benny hated to see anyone go hungry. “What about you?”

  “We have some snacks at the research center,” Kayla said. “We’ll let you know if we can come up with anything more about Tashi.” She and Sonia waved and headed off to the PAW building.

  The children started back toward the lodge, following the woman with the yaks. The big animals moved slowly, which was fine for the Aldens. They had a lot to think about.

  “Kayla seemed to think it could be anyone,” said Jessie. “But I don’t think most villagers know or care too much about the snow leopards. To them, they are probably just part of daily life.”

  Henry nodded. “But not to everyone,” he said. “Some people, like those who raise animals, probably think about them a lot.”

  “Like Praveer,” said Jessie. She thought back to the conversation they’d had with the herder. He was nice, but he definitely did not like snow leopards.

  “Didn’t Praveer say he lived just up the road?” asked Benny.

  Henry nodded. “The sound of that yowl might have carried that far,” he said. “Not to mention Praveer had an animal trap in the back of his cart.”

  Violet cringed at the thought. “If he did capture Tashi in that horrible trap, she’s probably hurt.”

  Jessie put her arm around her sister. “At least we heard a snow leopard today. Sonia said that it was probably Tashi that we heard. That means she’s alive and hasn’t been taken away.”

  “Okay.” Violet felt a little better. “Can we try to find Praveer though?”

  “That’s a good idea.” Henry pointed toward a mountain peak. “When he said he lived five minutes outside the village, he pointed that way. Let’s get some lunch and then see if we can find his farm. I think Praveer is our next suspect.”

  After lunch, the children walked out of the village. It wasn’t hard to spot Praveer’s home. They walked through tall yellow grass toward a white building with a thatched roof. Praveer stood outside next to a wall of large stones that formed a corral. The children waved and called out as they approached.

  Praveer turned and waved back. “Hello, children! You’re coming to visit me? How nice.”

  The stone wall was only about two and a half feet high. Violet looked over it. She didn’t see any animals in the corral.

  “Where is your herd?” she asked.

  Praveer looked out over the empty corral. “My sons have the animals out grazing.” He picked up a metal bar about five feet long and pounded one end into the ground outside the stone wall. “It is a good thing. The past few days have been very busy.”

  Henry looked around the corral. It certainly didn’t look like much was going on at the farm. “Is that a fence you’re building?” Henry asked.

  Praveer nodded. “I’ve decided to upgrade. I need to make sure my fence is tall enough. Especially now…” Praveer looked nervously back toward his house.

  Jessie followed his eyes toward the building with the thatched roof. “Why do you say that?” she asked. Something about the empty corral and tall fence made her nervous. Could Praveer be planning to keep a snow leopard in the corral?

  Before Praveer could answer Jessie’s question, a cry rang out from the house. The first noise sounded like it came from a human. The second sound definitely came from an animal.

  Without saying another word, Praveer took off running toward the house.

  The Aldens followed quickly but carefully. “Didn’t Praveer say that his sons had taken all of the animals out grazing?” asked Jessie. “If so, where was that noise coming from?”

  Henry shook his head. “I don’t know. Let’s check it out.”

  As they approached the house, the children heard stomping and banging coming from inside. It sounded like something was on the loose—something big.

  “Grab its legs!” said Praveer. “Do not let her get out the door!”

  There was a scramble within. Suddenly the door flung open, and an animal burst out. It was shaggy with a large head and two small horns.

  “A baby yak!” said Henry.

  “Don’t let her get away!” said Praveer.

  Henry bent down and corralled the yak. Even though it looked very young, it still almost knocked him over. Praveer helped Henry steer the young animal toward the empty corral.

  “She’s so cute,” said Violet. “Why was she being kept in your house?”

  Praveer closed the gate on the corral. “This is what I was trying to tell you. It has been very busy here the last few days. Our young yak has been sick. My wife and I have been doing all we can to nurse it to health.” He looked fondly at the little animal. “It’s only now that it has gotten healthy enough to get up and run on its own.”

  Still Jessie had more questions. “Why are you building a fence now?” she asked.

  “The larger fence is to keep out wild animals like leopards,” he said. “With a newborn it’s even more important that I do this.”

  Henry remembered what Praveer had said about taking care of his leopard problem. His solution was a taller fence! “We thought you might have something to do with the disappearance of the snow leopard,” Henry said.