Free Cliff-Hanger by Gloria Skurzynski

Ashley. She picked at squares of lettuce with her fork but didn’t eat them.
    â€œIt could be the local newspeople. They’ve been trying to reach her to question her about the cougar situation. You know, Lucky, if you stand next to her when she’s interviewed, maybe you could be on TV, too.”
    â€œYou mean, I could be a star?” Lucky gave a little huh of laughter. “Forget that!”
    â€œWhy? I thought you’d like it. Anyway, here comes Olivia.” Steven knit his brows together as he added, “But by the look on her face, I’d say that whatever’s going on isn’t good.”
    By then Olivia had reached their table. “We need to go,” she told them quickly, quietly. “Get your things and any food you haven’t finished. You can eat it back at the round house.”
    â€œWhat happened?” Ashley asked, sitting up. “Is something wrong?”
    â€œAn elderly woman…. I keep wondering if I should have encouraged them to close the park. I knew that wasn’t the right cat….”
    Jack leaned forward. “What is it, Mom?”
    An expression of regret mixed with alarm clouded her face. “There’s been another cougar attack. It’s even more serious than the last one. This time the woman may die.”

CHAPTER SEVEN
    B ack at the round house Olivia told them, “Apparently the woman was crouching down at one of the trailheads, tying her shoe. The cougar came out of nowhere. She’s hurt pretty bad.”
    Ashley shuddered. “That’s awful.”
    â€œI think your dad should come and photograph the scene where the attack took place. Is that OK with you, Steven?”
    â€œAbsolutely,” Steven agreed.
    â€œThe press and TV are already on to this, and now there are threats to shoot all the cougars in the park. Threats not just from here in Colorado, but from all over the Four Corners area—Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, too. Other people are saying that if the park doesn’t act, they’ll come here personally and start putting out poison.” Closing her eyes, Olivia pressed the tips of her fingers into her lids. “This is getting bad. There’s supposed to be a local citizens’ meeting to decide what action they want to take on their own. I’d like to be there so I can try to calm things down.”
    â€œYou should go, Mom,” Jack told her.
    Steven leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He searched the kids’ faces. “Can you three make it on your own for a while?”
    Smiling, Lucky nodded. Jack felt a fizz of excitement at the thought of some time alone with Lucky. He tried not to sound too eager as he assured his parents that the three of them would be just fine, that they’d stay inside and there’d be no problems at all. Only Ashley looked grim.
    â€œJack, I’m holding you personally responsible for the three of you. We won’t be away more than an hour,” Steven said as he packed up his camera equipment. “If there’s any problem at all, run over to park headquarters and page Mom on her beeper.”
    â€œNot to worry, Dad,” Jack assured him, and then Olivia grabbed her briefcase and they were gone. Now if Jack could just get rid of his little sister! In his head he thought of a dozen excuses for asking her to leave—like suggesting she go upstairs and read one of the books she’d brought—but they all sounded so lame that he knew Ashley would make a big deal of them, would refuse to go, and would report everything he said to their parents when they got back. So Jack stayed silent, Ashley hung around, and finally Lucky yawned and said she thought she’d get ready for bed.
    A few minutes later Ashley started rattling the doorknob of the tiny bathroom.
    â€œDon’t go in there,” Jack ordered. “Lucky’s in the shower.” Lucky had said she needed to wash the sweat from Balcony