Amos Goes Bananas Read Free Page A

to a sheet on his desk. “You’ll have to sign for the stuff.”
    Amos picked up the pen and scribbled in the next available space. Henry squinted at the unreadable signature. “Yup. You’re a doctor, all right.”
    “Come on, Doc.” Dunc took two of the clip-on badges and the broom and started for the door.
    “Hey, wait a minute,” Henry called after them.
    They froze in their tracks.
    “Don’t you want me to stamp those badges? They’re not official unless I stamp them.”
    Dunc let out his breath. “Sure, Henry. We don’t want to go around with an unofficial badge.” He looked at Amos. “Do we, Doctor?”
    “Of course not, Hans. Let zee man stamp our badges. How silly of us not to sink of dis.”
    Henry smiled. “That’s what I’m—hic—here for.”

Once inside the ape house, Amos stopped short a few feet from Louise’s cage. “Look, before we go on, I’d like to get a couple of things straight.”
    “Make it quick,” Dunc said. “We need to be out of here before dark. I promised my mom I’d be home early tonight.”
    “That’s what I want to talk to you about.”
    “What? Getting home early?”
    “No. All these promises you keep making.”
    “Don’t worry, Amos. I said I’d help youwith your report. We’ll start on it as soon as we get back.”
    “Good. And Melissa?”
    “I didn’t promise to help Melissa with anything.”
    “I’m talking about the tea on Saturday?”
    “Oh that. I ran into a slight problem about that.”
    “Dunc …”
    “The only way my mom would agree to let us come was if we helped out in the kitchen with the caterers.”
    “So what you’re saying is, I get to come to the tea, but I won’t get to leave the kitchen?”
    “Something like that.”
    “I went on a stupid field trip, got bounced by a crazy gorilla, looked like an idiot in front of the whole school, and now I don’t even get to talk to Melissa?”
    “I’m working on it, Amos.”
    “You better work harder.”
    “It’ll be fine. Trust me.”
    “You had to say that. You couldn’t leave it alone. Every time you say that, things go wrong.”
    “Come on, Amos. We’ll worry about all that later. Let’s go talk to Louise.”
    “You talk to her. I don’t even want to look at her.”
    Dunc moved down the hall to the computer. He typed in:
    Hi, Louise. It’s Dunc and Amos. We came back to have a little talk with you
.
    Louise came bounding out of the square door, squealing at the top of her lungs. She reached her long, hairy arm through the bars and tried to grab Amos. He stepped back just in time.
    She bounced over to her computer.
    Louise is so happy you came back for her. Thank you
.
    “She thinks we came to bust her out, Amos.”
    Amos pretended to sweep the floor. “Stall until you get the information you need.”
    Dunc turned back to the computer.
    What do you know about Senator Thurman, Louise?
    Louise pretended not to understand. She scratched under her arm and stared at them.
    Dunc tried again.
    Thurman. Does Louise know about Thurman?
    She swayed from side to side, looking at the screen. Then she typed.
    Maybe
.
    Amos stopped sweeping. “I don’t think she understands you.”
    “She understands, all right. She’s just playing a game. I’ll bet Louise thinks we’ll break her out if we want the information bad enough.”
    “Nobody wants information that bad.” Amos leaned the broom against the wall. “Come on. Time’s up. It’s getting late.”
    “A man’s life is at stake here, Amos. Don’t you care?”
    “You’re not actually thinking of letting her out?”
    Dunc raised one eyebrow. He studied the coded numbers on the top of the computer. “I watched those guys who got you out of her cage yesterday. All you have to do is enter the code into the computer.”
    “Hey, if you let her out, you’re on your own. I don’t want any part of it. Next timeshe gets her hands on me, she might
kill
me.”
    Dunc typed in a message.
    Louise. If we let you out, do you promise