Gloria Skurzynski - Mysteries in Our National Parks - Over The Edge - A Mystery in Grand Canyon National Park

A MYSTERY IN GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

Text copyright © 2002 Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson

Cover illustration copyright © 2008 Jeffrey Mangiat

All rights reserved.

Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents is prohibited without written permission from the National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.

For rights or permissions inquires, please contact National Geographic Books Subsidiary

Rights: ngbookrights@ngs.org

Map by Carl Mehler, Director of Maps;

Map research and production by Gregory Ugiansky and Martin S. Walz

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to living persons or events other than descriptions of natural phenomena is purely coincidental.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Skurzynski, Gloria.

Over the edge / by Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson.

p. cm.—(Mysteries in our national parks; #7)

Summary: While she studies condors in the Grand Canyon a scientist’s life is threatened, and the strange, hostile, teenage computer whiz in her family’s foster care might be involved.

ISBN: 978-1-4263-0970-0

[1. Condors—Fiction. 2. Endangered species—Fiction. 3. Grand Canyon National Park (Ariz.)—Fiction. 4. Internet—Fiction. 5. Foster home care—Fiction. 6. Arizona—Fiction. 7. National parks and reserves—Fiction. 8. Mystery and detective stories.]

I. Ferguson, Alane. II. Title. III. Series.

PZ7.S6287 Ov 2002

[Fic]—dc21

2001003191

Version: 2017-07-07

To Marcel Damgaard,

a young man of intelligence, character, and charm

who touched our lives.

The authors want to offer a very special and

warm thanks to Pam Cox, Park Interpretive Ranger

at Grand Canyon’s inner canyon,

who helped us immeasurably.

Our sincere thanks go also to Elaine Leslie and

R.V. Ward, Wildlife Biologists;

Rex Tilousi of the Havasupai Tribe;

Mike McGinnis, Law Enforcement Ranger;

Sandra Perl, Grand Canyon Public Affairs;

Shawn Farry and Bill Heinrich of The Peregrine Fund

(www.peregrinefund.org);

Phillip B. Danielson, Ph.D., Department of

Biological Sciences, University of Denver;

and to the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association.

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

AFTERWORD

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Low October sun turned the massive stone walls blood red. From behind the rim of the canyon he stared at her, rage building in his throat until it almost choked him. She wanted to steal away his freedom. People like her were always trying to force their will on others, but he would stop her, and in a way that would stop them all. He searched along the nearby piñon trees, but they were empty. No one was watching except a raven circling on unseen currents of air. You won’t tell, will you, he silently asked the bird. The raven screeched in reply. It was a sign. Now was the time.

She’d moved even closer to the rim. One push, he knew, would send her over the edge.

In his dream, Jack heard something ringing. Groggy, he reached out to hit the snooze button on his alarm clock. Was it really time to get up, or could he squeeze in just a few extra minutes of sleep? He buried his head into his pillow, arguing with himself about whether to climb out of bed immediately or wait for the alarm to go off the next time. Yes or no? Sleep for five more minutes, or roll out now, just to make sure he’d packed all the right camera equipment for the trip to the Grand Canyon? Eyes closed, he slipped back into the dream where he soared within the cavernous Grand Canyon, past fern-decked alcoves and springs that burst from the rock like fountains of gems. Beneath him the Colorado River unfurled in a ribbon of silver, winding between walls of orange-red rock….

Ringing jarred him once more, and he raised his head, puzzled. The snooze button shouldn’t have gone off again that fast. He opened one eye to look at the clock. Two-seventeen in the morning! It wasn’t his alarm clock he’d been hearing, but the doorbell.

“Come in, come in,” he heard his mother say, while a familiar voice answered, “I really hate to wake you, Olivia, but it’s an emergency.”

“Wait—let me get Steven.”

Jack hurriedly pulled on a pair of sweatpants. He reached the living room just as his father got there and heard Ms. Lopez say, “Hello, Steven. Oh, I’m so sorry—I’ve wakened Jack and Ashley, too.” Jack’s 11-year-old sister had stumbled into the living room, rubbing her eyes with her palms. Dark, curly hair swirled around her head, and her flannel horse-print pajamas seemed too big for her small frame. Although Ashley was 11, she wasn’t much taller than a 9-year-old. Jack, who was two years older, stood a full foot taller.

“I really do apologize,” Ms. Lopez said hurriedly. “It’s just that this whole situation has blown up into quite a mess. I’ve got a young man who is in some serious trouble. He needs to get out of Wyoming—fast.”

“S’OK,” Jack mumbled as his father asked, “What’s going on?”

All four of the Landons were used to Ms. Lopez’s unexpected visits, but none had ever been in the middle of the night. A social worker who placed temporary-care foster children into safe houses, Ms. Lopez had always been dedicated to the children thrust into her care. Her kids were the ones who needed shelter for short periods until their problems could be worked out, troubled children who seemed to hover at the edge of upheaval. Over the past year, the Landons had provided shelter for half a dozen kids who needed help. Now it looked as though another one was about to come into their lives in the dark stillness of this mid-October night.

Motioning to the figure behind her, she said, “This is Morgan Rogers. He’s a computer whiz from Dry Creek.”

“Hi,” Ashley and Jack said, while their parents smiled and added, “Nice to meet you.”

A tall, thin, hollow-chested boy who wore his dark hair in a ponytail, Morgan stood rooted to the entryway floor. A few straggly whiskers of a not-quite-grown goatee curled around his chin like smoke, smudging skin so pale it seemed he’d never walked in daylight. His brown eyes, though, had a snap to them, hinting at sparks beneath.

“Morgan, remember what I talked to you about on the way here?” Ms. Lopez prompted. “Say hello to the Landons.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m supposed to learn to conform to society’s standards, even if I believe they’re for everyone else and not me,” he said as he gave a mock bow.

Sighing, Ms. Lopez shook her head. “Anyway, to continue—the other day, Olivia, you told me you’d be going to the Grand Canyon.”

“Yes, I’ve been called to help with the condors.”

“That’s what I thought. I realize this is terribly short notice.” She hesitated, then said, “I might as well just come right out and ask. Do you think there is any possible way that you could take Morgan with you?”

“But we’re leaving first thing in the morning!” Olivia protested. “I can’t see how—”

“I know, I know. I truly hate to put you on the spot like this. When you learn what’s happening to this boy, I think you’ll agree it’s an extraordinary situation.”