Mysteries in Our National Parks: Night of the Black Bear: A Mystery in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Gloria Skurzynski

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      Suddenly, Yonah spoke up, saying, “Yes, the name is Firekiller. It’s Cherokee.”

      “Firekiller, OK, got it,” Greta murmured, barely glancing at Yonah. “So, Ranger Firekiller, what does the park have to say about these attacks? Will you be forced to close the park to the public?”

      Hesitating, Blue Firekiller answered, “A black bear did approach a girl visiting here in Cades Cove, but we’re happy to report that she’s doing fine.”

      “‘Approach?’ That’s an interesting choice of words,” Greta answered. “I heard it was an attack. Some of the tourists I have talked to have asked if the bears in this park might have rabies. Do you think that’s possible?

      An outbreak of rabies could threaten the public’s health and safety.”

      “No. In the other incidents the tests all came back negative,” Blue replied as he frowned at Greta. His right hand twitched as though he wanted to brush away the microphone that kept inching closer to his face.

      “Well, then, Ranger Firekiller, do you have any explanation as to why the black bears are behaving in such an unusual manner?” Greta signaled the cameraman to focus on her, rather than on Blue. “Our viewers will want to know, just how far will Great Smoky Mountains National Park go to protect the visitors who come here? After all, this is the most visited national park in the entire United States National Park System.”

      “We have no evidence whatsoever that the bears are infected with any disease,” Blue told her, holding himself stiffly. “But we’re taking the situation very seriously. We’ve asked Dr. Landon, an expert on animal behavior who just happens to be visiting the park, to help us study every possible scenario.”

      Suddenly the bald man, who’d been standing quietly through all this, stepped forward to announce, “I saw the whole thing. I’m the guy who saved the girl.” He pushed in front of Blue to be in line with the camera while he added, “That bear was acting crazy. I heard the girl yell, and I knew I had to save her. My name is William F. Jordan. That’s spelled J-o-r-d-a-n.”

      “Are you the bear expert?” Greta asked him.

      “Me? No.” He shook his head. “That lady over there—she’s the bear expert. Anyway, like I told the lady and Ranger Firekiller here, I heard the girl screaming, and I ran over to her. I’d just come out of the church ’cause my wife left her scarf there this morning, and—”

      “The bear,” Greta prompted him, “tell us about the bear.”

      “Well, I ran over there, and I yelled and clapped my hands, then I picked up a rock and threw it. My pitching arm is still pretty good. The rock hit the bear right on his head. Bonk! He kind of roared, like he was gonna come after me, but then he ran into the trees behind the cemetery. Seems like all the bears in this park have gone crazy. Three maulings already—”

      “Two!” Yonah spoke up.

      “They need to shut down this park to protect the American people,” Jordan insisted.

      “Will that be the official park position?” Greta asked, ignoring both Yonah and Mr. Jordan as she turned back toward Blue. “To close the park?”

      Olivia had begun to inch away from the camera while Greta’s attention focused on Blue, who pulled himself up to his imposing six-foot height before he answered, “We have no further comment. If you have any more questions, Miss, you’ll need to talk to the park superintendent.”

      “But did you see the girl who was attacked?” Greta persisted. “I heard the bear ripped a whole pound of flesh out of her leg.”

      “No comment!”

      “Dr. Landon? What’s your opinion?”

      “I can’t even begin to speculate until I go over the data,” Olivia said, signaling Jack and Ashley to head toward the Landons’ rental car. Ashley, fascinated by the television news team, barely moved, so Jack jerked her by the elbow to get her going. Steven followed, pulling out the car keys as he herded the kids forward, their feet scuffing against the asphalt. As if by magic, the car doors flew open, all four at once.

      The camera zoomed in as Greta cried, “Dr. Landon, do you think it’s in the public’s best interest to shut down Great Smoky Mountains National Park?”

      “Ranger Firekiller has already told you that you’ll need to discuss that with the park superintendent,” Olivia answered.

      Steven had started the car and was easing it toward the TV crew, with the front passenger door still wide open. Suddenly, Olivia sprinted across the last ten feet that separated her from the car and jumped inside without saying another word. The engine roared as Steven shifted into reverse, spun in a curve and swung back onto the road, leaving Greta standing there, frustrated.

      “Wow! That was a real cool escape, Mom!” Jack exclaimed.

      Olivia swept her fingers through her hair, squeezed her eyes shut, and took a deep breath before she answered, “That Greta person kept clamoring about closing the park, and I bet it’ll be all over the television news tonight. We have to solve this mystery so that we can keep the park open. What I really need is to interview that girl, Heather McDonald. And I need to get to her now!”

      CHAPTER TWO

      Blue and Yonah managed to slide into their own car and race after the Landons. As they caught up, Blue honked his horn to signal that he was passing, then swung ahead on the left as Yonah yelled through his passenger-side window, “Follow us to the hospital.”

      “Thank heavens for Blue!” Olivia exclaimed. “I never got a chance to find out where the hospital’s located.”

      Both cars slowed down to head out on the long drive. As their parents talked quietly in the front seat, Jack and Ashley stared out the rear windows at the sights. And there were a lot of sights to see, especially when they reached the town of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Streets that looked like an amusement park were lined with tourist attractions, one after the other, competing for the attention of passersby. Jack sat up straight when he realized that there actually was an amusement park, a real one, hardly more than a stone’s throw beyond the main highway.

      Ashley beat him to it. She shouted out, “Dollywood! Look, there’s a sign for Dollywood. It says rides and a water park. Mom, can we go there?”

      “Probably. Eventually. After we’ve taken care of the bear problem.” Jack noticed his mother biting the edge of her thumbnail and figured she must be seriously worried. He’d never seen her bite her nails before. “At the hospital, kids,” she added, “we’ll be meeting a ranger named Kip Delaney. Kip is the park’s expert on the elk restoration program, but he’s also a black bear expert. I’ve talked to him on the phone in the past hour, and we’re both thinking there could be some remote tie-in between the bear attacks and the elk. I mean, that’s really just a guess, but Kip and I want to investigate it.”

      Kip Delaney. These park guys have funny names, Jack thought. Blue, Yonah, Kip….

      Fifteen minutes later they pulled into the hospital parking lot in a town called Sevierville. Kip Delaney was outside waiting for them, motioning them into a space he’d saved. Like Blue Firekiller, Kip Delaney was tall and dark-haired, but Kip had fair skin, and his shoulders were so broad СКАЧАТЬ