Praveer gave a friendly laugh. “I have come to accept the snow leopards. But that doesn’t mean I can’t try and protect my herd from them. Would you like to come inside, and we can talk more?”

  Benny and Violet looked at Henry. They wouldn’t normally go into a stranger’s house. But how often did they have a chance to see the inside of a home in the Himalayas?

  “I think it’s okay this time,” Henry told them quietly. “I told Norboo who we were visiting. He said Praveer is well respected in the village.”

  They went inside and met Praveer’s wife. She wore a loose black dress tied with a blue cloth belt. She had black hair streaked with gray, pulled into a ponytail. She was still tidying up from the baby yak getting loose.

  They sat on low cushions. Colorful carpets covered the floor. Wooden beams supported the ceiling and narrow windows gave a view outside. Praveer’s wife made hot butter tea. It was thick and creamy. The children were still not used to the taste, but they were grateful for a warm drink on a chilly day.

  Jessie no longer believed Praveer was a suspect. Still, she had some questions for him. “Do you own a truck?” she asked.

  “No. I do not drive.” Praveer laughed. “Where would I go? I only go into the village or into the fields with the herd. One or two times a year I get a ride to Leh for supplies.”

  Henry thought back to when they had seen Praveer in town. “We saw an animal trap in your cart,” he said. “We were afraid you might use it to catch a snow leopard.”

  “I would not do that,” Praveer said. “That old trap is one my father left behind. My father and grandfather used to trap the cats to keep them away. They did not know better. Today we do. The snow leopards are part of what makes my home beautiful. We do not want to lose them. And I hope that you can find the one that is missing.”

  After the children were done with their tea, they thanked Praveer and his wife and headed back to the village.

  “I’m glad Praveer wasn’t the culprit,” said Violet. “Still, we aren’t any closer to finding Tashi. I’m worried that we’re running out of time.”

  “Are we sure that sound we heard was a snow leopard?” Benny asked. “Maybe it really was Oliver again. Maybe he sounds like a snow leopard when he hurts himself. Yee-ow!”

  Violet and Jessie laughed at Benny’s imitation.

  Henry turned serious. “Maybe we’re looking at it backward,” he said. “If what we heard today was a snow leopard, maybe what we heard last night wasn’t Oliver after all. Maybe that was a snow leopard too.”

  “So the snow leopard yelled at the same time Oliver stubbed his toe?” said Benny.

  Jessie gasped. “Or Oliver lied about stubbing his toe.”

  “It does seem suspicious now,” Henry said. “And yesterday, he got mad when he saw us at the place he’s staying. Then he didn’t even go inside. He turned around and went back the way he came.”

  “He seems to care about the animals,” said Violet. “But he doesn’t listen to anyone else. Do you think he would go so far as to capture one to try and protect it?”

  “I don’t know,” said Henry. “But I think we have one more suspect to investigate.”

  CHAPTER 9

  Adding It Up

  The children headed to the guesthouse at the edge of town. This time, they did not need to search for Oliver. The young activist was hurrying outside, carrying his luggage.

  A thin young woman followed him.

  “We’re not leaving for hours,” she said. “What’s your hurry?”

  Oliver shrugged. “Just anxious to get on the road.”

  “More like anxious to get away from things.” The woman went back into the building.

  The children walked toward Oliver. “Are you leaving?” Henry asked.

  “Oh, hello.” Oliver pushed his luggage against the wall. “We’re leaving tonight.”

  “Do you think you did some good here?” Jessie asked.

  “We sure did something! Your friend Kayla wouldn’t listen to me, but—” Oliver broke off.

  “But what?” Henry asked.

  Oliver shrugged. “Well, we do what we have to do. Not everyone will listen.”

  “Okay.” Henry wasn’t sure what that meant. Did Oliver decide he’d never convince PAW to stop their research? Maybe he’d thought he’d accomplish more somewhere else. “Is Meera giving you a ride back to Leh?” Henry asked.

  “No, we’re going to another village.” Oliver checked the time. “A friend is coming in his truck. We want to be ready so we can load up and go when he gets here.”

  Benny looked like he was about to say something. Jessie put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “What does the truck look like?” she asked. “We can watch for it. There aren’t many trucks in the village.”

  “It’s dark green,” Oliver said.

  Jessie tried to hide her excitement. “All green? Does it have any other colors?”

  “It has a white symbol on the door,” Oliver said. “The back is covered.”

  Jessie and Henry exchanged looks. That sounded like the truck from the trail cam. What was Oliver’s friend doing in the valley the day Tashi disappeared?

  Benny’s eyes were big. Jessie had warned him to be quiet, so he pressed his lips together. He wanted to get away so they could talk.

  “Well, bye.” Oliver opened the door to the guesthouse.

  “Are you feeling any better since your fall?” Violet asked.

  Oliver paused and looked back. “What?”

  “The fall where you cut your hand.” Violet pointed at the bandage on Oliver’s hand.

  “Oh, right.” He turned and looked at them all. “Yes, much better. It was just a scratch—I mean a cut. Thanks. Well, see you kids around.”

  “Did you hurt yourself again today?” Jessie asked before he could go inside. “We heard a scream a little while ago.”

  “A scream?” Oliver looked confused. “I didn’t hear anyone screaming.”

  “It was like this,” Benny said. “Yee-ow, yee-ow!”

  “Oh, right.” Oliver scratched his bandaged hand. “Yeah. That’s exactly what happened. I stubbed my toe.”

  “Again?” Henry and Jessie said together.

  “Again?” Oliver frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Jessie put her hands on her hips. “You said you stubbed your toe last night. So you stubbed your toe twice and hurt your hand falling on ice? All in two days?”

  Oliver glanced into the building. “Um, I’m pretty clumsy.” He gave a weak laugh.

  The children stepped toward Oliver. “No one is that clumsy,” Violet said.

  “You didn’t make that sound,” Henry said. “That yell was from a snow leopard. Sonia and Meera both said so. They would know.”

  Oliver’s mouth opened and closed.

  “Why would you say you made those sounds?” Jessie asked. “Is it because you didn’t want us to know it was an upset snow leopard? Maybe your hand wasn’t hurt from falling on ice either. Maybe it was from catching a wild animal who scratched you.”

  Oliver pulled the door closed, cutting off the sounds from inside. He sank to the ground and put his hands over his face.

  Jessie crouched in front of him. “Did you capture Tashi and remove her collar?”

  Oliver nodded without looking up. “My group wanted to get the radio collar off,” he said quietly. “We don’t think wild animals should have collars or tags.”

  Henry leaned over him. “I thought you wanted people to leave wild animals alone.”

  “I do!” Oliver looked up at all of them. “I got here after they captured the cat. They told me to keep it sedated, or asleep, while they tried to find more snow leopards. They wanted to take all the cats we found to a more remote area where they wouldn’t be bothered.”

  “But snow leopards have territory,” Violet said. “This is Tashi’s home!”

  “Yeah.” Oliver sighed deeply. “I joined this group because they wanted to help animals. But I think they went too far.”

  “They sure did!” Jessie snapped. “You thought people were bothering Tashi, so you captured her? You’re going to move her to a strange new place away from her home? You’re the ones bothering her.”

  “I know.” Oliver stood up. “We didn’t follow our own beliefs. I think everyone got carried away. I know I did.”

  “You’re very lucky,” Violet said. “Handling wild animals is dangerous. It doesn’t sound like anyone in your group is an expert. You could’ve gotten hurt a lot worse.”

  “You’re right.” Oliver trembled. “That cat is not happy about being in a cage. I felt terrible keeping her sedated, so I skipped the dose. She woke up enough to scratch me. I should never have gotten involved with this plan.”

  Oliver lowered his voice. “Now I don’t know what to do. Everyone will get mad at me if I tell them we made a mistake. I don’t think they’ll listen.”

  The children looked at one another. They knew where Tashi was and why she’d been captured. Now they had to make sure she got released safely.

  “We’ll tell Kayla what happened,” Henry said. “Will you stay here and keep quiet? I’m sure we can get you help, but we need some time.”

  Oliver gave a deep sigh of relief. “Thank you. Yes, I’ll make sure they don’t leave with the cat before you get back. I’ll turn in the rest of the group. And myself.” He took another deep breath and let it out. “I’m scared. I don’t want to be arrested! Especially in a place far from home. But even that is better than taking that poor snow leopard away from her home.”

  “You’re doing the right thing now,” Violet said. Oliver had made a big mistake, but at least he was willing to fix things.

  The children hurried back to PAW headquarters. They explained everything to Kayla and Sonia.

  Sonia got on the satellite radio and called the wildlife police. “They’re sending a team,” she said.

  “Will they arrive in time?” Violet asked.

  “The local police are on the way too,” said Sonia. “They’ll make sure the thieves don’t leave town. Then the wildlife police will take over.”

  “How long do you think it will take?” Benny asked. “Tashi needs to get back out to the mountains. And I don’t want to miss dinner!”

  Kayla laughed. “You kids should go back to the lodge. It will take some time to sort everything out. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s over.”

  The children grumbled a little at missing out. On the other hand, it had been a long day in the thin air. They were tired.

  On the way back to the lodge, the Aldens saw that the police were already on the scene. Oliver was being led away, and the others from his group were detained nearby.

  The children kept their distance, even though they wanted to know what was going to happen to the spotted leopard.

  “I won’t be able to relax until we know Tashi is safe,” said Violet.

  “I won’t either,” said Henry. “Still, there’s not much we can do. We have to leave everything to the experts.”

  “You know what will make us feel better?” Benny skipped ahead. “A nice big dinner.”

  At the hotel, the children tried to relax. Jessie caught up on her notes. Violet sketched. Henry and Benny helped Norboo prepare dinner. They started with steamed dumplings stuffed with vegetables and cheese. Then they made warm vegetable soup and bread. Benny was right: a good meal did make them feel better.

  They were eating dessert when Kayla arrived. She sank onto one of the low, cushioned seats. “Thank goodness that’s over. Tashi looks fine, just annoyed. She will get a complete checkup before we let her go tomorrow.”

  “And food too, right?” Benny asked. “Maybe she won’t be so annoyed once she has dinner.”

  Kayla grinned. “Yes, Sonia is getting Tashi food now. She won’t go hungry.”

  “She’ll be so glad to be back home,” Violet said. “It’s hard to believe she’s been in the village this whole time. We still haven’t even seen a snow leopard!”

  Kayla smiled. “I can’t let you leave without that happening,” she said. “Get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow we are going to see Tashi where she belongs—in the wild.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Returning Home

  The next morning, Kayla and the children met Meera and Sonia outside the lodge. Meera waved them over to her truck. “Hurry! They are ready to go.”

  “Where is Tashi?” Violet asked.

  “She’s in the other truck,” Kayla said. “The wildlife department is in charge now.”

  They followed the first truck down a winding road into the valley. Kayla used a radio to let the wildlife warden know when they were in Tashi’s territory, and both trucks parked near the crevice Tashi liked to use.

  The children piled out of the truck, and the people from the other vehicle opened the back end. They lifted down a large cage. Inside, a spotted cat hunched down, looking around suspiciously. Her body was more than four feet long, and her thick tail added another three feet.

  Violet clapped her hands together. “Oh, she is beautiful.”

  “She has a new radio collar,” Henry noted.

  “Yes,” Kayla said. “We will be able to continue our research. The veterinarian did a full exam. Tashi was a little low in calcium, so they gave her a supplement. Now, she’ll be healthier than ever.”

  A man in the other group called out something.

  “Stand back now,” Sonia said. “They’re going to release her.”

  The wildlife experts had attached a rope to the cage door. The rope allowed them to stand away from the cage as they opened it. Tashi crept out and crouched on the grass. She spent a minute looking around then loped forward.

  Kayla and the Aldens gathered around the cage to get a closer look as the leopard moved away.

  Tashi paused at the steep slope at the base of the mountain and gave one glance back. The she darted uphill in powerful, quick bounds before disappearing into the crevice.

  Violet let out the breath she’d been holding. “That was amazing.”

  “This whole visit has been amazing,” Henry said. “I’m sorry we’re leaving so soon.”

  Jessie nodded. “I finally feel like I can catch my breath at this altitude.”

  Benny wrinkled his nose. “If we stay another week, I might get used to that funny yak butter tea.”

  The others laughed.

  “Things are definitely different here,” Kayla said.

  “I’m going to miss it.” Jessie took a deep breath of the cool mountain air. “The scenery is wonderful. The mountains are so high and rugged. We got to see blue sheep that aren’t blue, vultures, and even a snow leopard. But I think my favorite part was meeting the people. Can we say goodbye to Praveer before we go?”

  “I know his farm,” Meera said. “We will stop on the way back.”

  They said goodbye to the wildlife authorities and piled into the truck with Meera, Kayla, and Sonia. On the way to the village, Meera stopped by Praveer’s farm. Praveer came out to greet them.

  “You finished the new corral,” Henry said. He watched as the baby yak trotted around the edge of the corral.

  “Yes,” said Praveer. “Now my animals will be safe.”

  Kayla studied the new fence. “You can get lights for the top that will turn on if an animal comes close. That will also help scare away predators.”

  Violet frowned. “I know it’s important to keep predators away from farm animals. But you said the snow leopards eat farm animals when they can’t find their usual food. If they can’t get to the livestock, will they go hungry?”

  “They would normally eat ibex and wild sheep,” Kayla said. “We have to make sure they have enough of that wild game. Some land has been set aside for those animals instead of livestock.”

  “So if they have enough wild prey, they won’t eat livestock?” Violet asked.

  “Well, most of us would rather have an easy meal than a hard one,” Kayla said. “We make sure the snow leopards have enough wild game.” She pointed at the high fence. “Then we don’t make it too easy for them to get to the livestock. It’s better for everyone if they hunt wild prey.”

  “That makes sense.” Jessie had her pencil ready to take more notes. “What else can people do?”

  “In some places, there are programs to pay farmers who lose animals to snow leopards,” Kayla said. “Then farmers are less likely to kill the leopards. They know they won’t lose money if a leopard kills one of their animals.”

  “There are also groups that help people find different ways to make money,” Sonia said. “They train people for new jobs. Like tourism. Right, Meera?”

  Meera nodded. “Tourists pay a lot of money to visit. Sometimes the money all goes to outside companies, but it should stay here. Tour companies should use local guides.”

  “Many villages have converted homes into lodges where travelers can stay,” Sonia added, “which also creates jobs.”

  “It also means visitors get to know local people,” Henry said. “I’m glad we did. We’d better head back and pack up though. Meera, you are driving us back to Leh, right?”

  “Yes. And I will pick up another group there too. I’ll tell them my friends saw a snow leopard this morning.” She grinned. “This is a great business.”

  They said goodbye to Praveer and returned to the village. They dropped Sonia at the research center. She wanted to make sure Tashi’s radio collar was transmitting its signal. Then they went to the lodge.

  Jessie finished first and looked out the window. “This is a beautiful view. I really will miss it.”

  Violet took a picture of her sister at the window. “This will help us remember. I loved seeing Tashi and the other animals, but I think I’m ready to go home now. I want to see Grandfather and Watch.”

  Jessie turned from the window. “Watch has probably been looking everywhere for us. I can’t wait to see him again.”

  Benny nodded. “The best adventures are the ones where you go home after.”