Free Tiger Threat by Sigmund Brouwer Page A

chair.
    â€œI can translate,” I said.
    â€œLet me guess,” Dr. Dempster said. “Vlad doesn’t want me to know.”
    â€œHe thinks you would be safer if you didn’t know.”
    Vlad grunted again.
    â€œAnd,” I said, “I think he is also trying to say that the guys on the team will be a lot safer if you don’t know.”
    Dr. Dempster began to pace back and forth. He stopped after a few steps. Maybe realizing what I had just said.
    â€œSo you’re going to let someone in the Russian mafia take it from him?” Dr. Dempster said.
    â€œYes,” I said. “This is where Vlad is going to need a little more help.”
    â€œFrom me.”
    â€œFrom you,” I said.
    â€œEven though you won’t tell me what’s in the capsule or why I’m doing this.”
    â€œThe guy came over from Russia and threatened to kill the guys on the team one by one if he didn’t get what he wanted,” I said. “The fewer people who know about it, the better.”
    Dr. Dempster thought about it as he stared at me.
    He spoke. “Then what do you and Vlad need?”
    â€œFor you to hide the capsule by putting it back inside the crown after Mr. Jewel is finished with it,” I said. I was doing all the talking because Vlad, of course, could not. “Then put the crown back on so that it doesn’t look like it had ever been removed.”
    â€œBut if the Russian mafia wants the capsule, this guy will have to remove the crown again!”
    â€œExactly,” I said. I thought of the monster-sized guy standing over Vlad with a pair of pliers. “That’s why we have one last favor to ask.”
    â€œI’m in this far,” Dr. Dempster said. “No point turning back now.”
    â€œCould you put a lot more freezing in Vlad’s jaw?” I asked. “That way he won’t feel it when the Russian goon uses pliers on him later tonight.”
    â€œYou’re kidding me, right?”
    â€œNo,” I said. “If you knew the rest of the story, you’d know I wish I could be kidding.”
    â€œThen involve the police,” Dr. Dempster said.
    Vlad sat up. He shook his head hard and tried talking loudly. I put a hand on his shoulder.
    â€œIf you knew all of it,” I said, “you’d know that’s not an option. If they get the capsule, they’ll be happy. But they have to believe Vlad has no idea what was in it. And the only way to fool them is to let them find it where they expect it. Beneath the crown.”
    â€œMore freezing,” Dr. Dempster said.
    â€œYes,” I said. “A lot more freezing. I don’t think the guy who wants to yank the crown from Vlad’s mouth is much of a dentist.”
    A killer
, I thought,
but definitely not a dentist.

chapter twenty - two
    Although it was well past midnight, all the lights were on at Abe’s house. He lived in a nice neighborhood. Lots of big old houses. Cars were parked on both sides of the street. Music seemed to leak from the walls of the house.
    As I drove down the street, I saw the white van parked five cars back from my Jeep TJ. The Russian obviously thought that Vlad and I were already in Abe’s house. So far, so good.

    I wasn’t too worried about being seen as we approached Abe’s house because I had traded vehicles with Mr. Jewel. We had left him Amanda’s car and were driving his old Dodge Caravan. Definitely not a cool vehicle. Definitely not a vehicle you wanted to be seen in by any of your friends. Which made it perfect. Who would think we were in it?
    On the passenger side, Vlad ducked down so that, as we passed the white van, it looked like there was only one person in our van. I kept driving and went around the corner. I drove down the alley behind Abe’s house.
    Vlad and I dashed through the backyard, up the steps and into the kitchen.
    Abe’s parents were standing at the kitchen counter, slicing