The Yeti Uprising: An IPMA Adventure for Christmas 2013 Page 11

  ~~~

  After they’d driven a good half an hour, at about 150 miles-per-hour or more according to the gauge on the screen, Peter contacted Home again. Josh sat quietly but wondered if he should ask Peter to slow down. They were in wide snowy fields the whole way, with just a few hills and rifts that the big CCV’s suspension just soaked up and seemed to float across. But the scenery was moving past much more quickly than he was used to and it unsettled Josh a bit.

  “Any word on that aural scan outside of Duluth then?” Peter asked.

  “Affirmative, sir. Agent Bartholomew has found it. He indicates that he had to backtrack along route 35 to find where the yeti had crossed, but he picked it up and traced it to the river’s edge near Oliver where it narrows significantly. He will meet you along route 35 at the Tri State Fairgrounds. Marking his receiver on your maps now.”

  Peter brought the small map indicator that had previously been set off to his left side closer to him with a swipe of his hand, and then he made a pinching motion with his fingers in the air. The map image zoomed out and there, near a city marked Duluth, WI a little blue light blipped slowly off and on. An amber dot passing Wetmore, Michigan on the map moved rapidly and must have indicated the CCV.

  “Excellent, Home. And did you confirm agent Bartholomew is available to join in this investigation.”

  “Yes, sir. He is available. He wanted you to know two things though, sir,” the female voice from Home urged. “He asked you to be aware that he’s too old for adventure, and also that even though he’s not technically on holiday leave he is in fact celebrating with family at his home in Duluth. I believe his closing words were, ‘Tell Peter I’m not as interested in the pursuit as a young whipper-snapper as he would be, and that I want to be drinking hot cocoa by the fire tomorrow morning.’”

  Both Joshua and Agent Samuel snickered. “Understood Home. We’ll do our best to have agent Bartholomew home for milk and cookies and a tuck-in.”

  “Acknowledged. Out,” came the reply from the voice at Home.

  “Out,” Josh interjected quickly.

  Peter looked at him surprised at first and then smiled as he nodded. His hunch about the boy’s potential was beginning to show through.