corridor.
âTarnation!â someone exclaimed.
âChiefâs here,â Vern said. âMaybe I better shine a flashlight down the hallway so he wonât trip again.â
But before he could act on this plan, the chief limped in.
âI hope all these blasted night creatures appreciate what we go through for their comfort,â he growled. âIs this the perpetrator?â
He glared down at our prisoner, who flinched as if expecting to be struck. Sterner souls had cowered under the chiefâs gaze, but if Justin expected mistreatment, he clearly wasnât from around here.
âName of Justin Klapcroft,â Vern said. âHe seems to be playing some kind of game that involves terrifying the toddlers.â
Justin uttered a small whimper. Vern showed the chief the small slip of paper with the list of five tasks. The chief read them, then shifted his gaze over to Justin.
âYou want to explain yourself.â
Justin shook his head.
âHe wants his attorney,â Vern said.
âHave we called his attorney?â
âHe hasnât given me a name to call,â Vern said. âI told him he could call when he got down to the station.â
âMight save a little time if we have his attorney meet us there,â the chief said. âMr. Klapcroft, would you like to call your attorney now?â
Justin just frowned.
âSon,â the chief said. âDo you even know an attorney to call?â
Justin shook his head vigorously. The chief sighed and turned back to Vern.
âHave Debbie Ann call the Public Defenderâs office,â he said. âShe can ask them to send someone down to the station. And then take Mr. Klapcroft in and book him for trespassing.â
âAnd maybe disorderly conduct?â Vern sounded hopeful and eager. Maybe a little bit too eager. âAnd what about child endangerment?â
âTrespassing will do for the time being.â
Vern looked crestfallen, and the chief relented.
âBut that doesnât mean you canât start thinking about other things we might end up charging him with if he proves uncooperative. And get Horace to process his wallet and that piece of paper. Meg, Michaelâyou want to show me this fake foot?â
Vern looked cheerful again, and we left him and Clarence to deal with the intruder while we accompanied the chief out into the swamp exhibit. We followed the board walkway till we reached the place where Grandfather and the children had been standing. Then we leaned against the rail and gazed down at the dark water below. Vincent had submerged again, and we couldnât spot him or any of the other alligators. The chief fished a small flashlight out of his pocket and moved its beam over the surface of the water until he located the fake foot.
âThat thing probably wouldnât fool anyone if the lighting in here were better,â he said. âBut I imagine the little ones got quite a shock. Nasty thing to do, and weâve had quite a rash of that kind of doings in town lately.â
âJustin did say that there were others who would get ahead of him if you took him down to the station,â Michael remarked.
âTo judge by what my officers have seen, at least half a dozen others,â the chief said. âAnd thatâs only the ones who fooled someone into thinking theyâd found a real body part and calling us. Who knows how many more people just wrote it off as a tasteless prank?â
âGrandfather did call you about the fake hand in his lion habitat, didnât he?â I asked.
âHe did indeed.â The chief shook his head. âEvidently Mr. Klapcroft is not the only game player trying to kill two birds with one stone.â
Vincentâor one of his cousinsâsurfaced again and stared up at us with unblinking eyes.
âShoo, you ugly reptile,â the chief said.
Vincent ignored him.
The chief pulled out his cell phone and punched
Learning to Kill: Stories