Chapter 9 - The Trap

The next night, at exactly 10:30 pm, the kids all met at the southwestviewing deck at the pond. Megan S. was already there. Chris said, "If you are planning on confronting them by yourself, then you are crazy!"

"I'm not crazy, and if you must know, I am not planning on confronting them by myself," Megan S. explained, "come on out you guys!" As she said that, three police officers came out of the bushes.

Then Megan S. explained, "We will all need to hide in the bushes over there," she pointed to some thick brush. She continued, "After they get here we must wait until they start drilling. Then, we will all come out on my signal and confront them. The police officers will back us up. They will come out and arrest them on the spot, because I already gave them the tape and the baggie of petroleum, and explained about the things we saw."

"So, what's the signal?" asked Julie. "I will flash my light on that fence post," Megan S. said, pointing to the post. "It is behind the bushes, so Wolf and Jones won't be able to see it, but you all will," she said. "Now, let's hurry up and hide!"

They all got behind the bushes to wait. The van finally pulled up to a stop at 11:05. The two people silently unloaded equipment, and went to the same area they were at on Tuesday night.

As they were setting up, Al Wolf said, "Did I tell you I got a ticket last weekend? Some tattle-tale brats called the police on me when I was dumping off the water from our last oil sample in the gutter!" They began drilling, and he went on, "These punks think they are some sort of 'guardians of the pond'."

Then Alisha, after seeing Megan's light flash on the fence post, came out and boldly said, "Well, we are the guardians of this pond!"

Then Megan S. said, "We know what you are doing and you must stop. This is a wildlife preserve and as guardians of the pond we must ask you to stop!"

"How do you kids even know what we're doing?" asked the woman named Katie Jones. "We know that you are drilling for oil and trying to develop an oil field right here in this wildlife preserve," said Amber. Todd added, "We have proof on video tape! This is destroying wildlife and we are going to stop you!"

"And just how are you going to do that?" asked the man in a daring voice.

"Like this!" said Chris in a loud clear voice. The three police officers came out from behind the bushes. Two officers hand-cuffed the man and woman as the third officer opened the back door of the police car that was on the street near the pond.

She called on her portable radio, "This is Officer Kenney, we have the suspects. We are on our way to the station to book them! Over and out."

As the officers put the suspects in the back of the car, the kids saw the man and woman make nasty and mean faces at them.

"Well, I can't wait until I find out how this all ends," Phil said.

"Me neither," said Todd. "Me neither!" chorused the rest of the class.

"But now we had better get home before our parents get suspicious!" said Meghan C.