engines.”

A little suspicious, she said, “I’ll find out what you’re up to when you get home. Speaking of which, are you coming home soon? We almost have everything ready for the birthday party.”

In the background, they heard Molly say, “All we have to do is make the cake!”

“We’ll be home as soon as we find out about a coupla little things,” Baloo said, blinking hard.

“Fabulous! Love you.” And with that, Rebecca signed off.

You won’t for long, Baloo thought. He slumped in his seat, picked up Woobie from the floor, and hugged it tightly. After a moment, he gathered his wits together and said determinedly, “What are we doin’ sittin’ ‘round here like bumps on a log? We got a little gal to find.”

“Not to mention the amulet,” the professor added.

Trader Moe’s Plane

Just at that same time, the red, twin-engine plane belonging to Trader Moe bowed under the combined weights of the goons as they stepped into the cargo hold with Cassie in tow.

“Hey, boss! We got da necklace,” both goons sang happily.

“Finally! What took youse so long?” Trader Moe said, emerging from the cockpit. He stopped short when he saw Cassie. Pointing at her, he said, “What da heck is dat?”

“A baby.” Ape Goon tickled Cassie’s stomach, prompting a fit of furious giggling. One goon, then the other, started to laugh along with her.

Stiffly, Trader Moe said, “I can see it’s a baby.”

Ape Goon said, “Then why did you ask what it was?”

“D’oh, ya chuckle heads!” Trader Moe yelled, smacking his forehead. “Why’dya bring da baby? I told you to get da necklace, not da baby.”

“She didn’t wanna leggo of da necklace, boss,” Rhino Goon explained, “so’s we hadda bring her.”

“Who cares if she didn’t wanna leggo. It’s a little bitty baby. You take it from her anyways. What does she know?”

When he tried to slip the amulet from her neck, she emitted ear-piercing shrieks.

Trader Moe clapped his hands to his ears in agony. “Ah! How do youse shut her up?”

Turning her upside-down and looking her over, Rhino Goon said, “I don’t see a shut-off switch.”

Ape Goon parroted, “What switch do I see?”

Trader Moe snapped, “Do I hafta tink of everythin’? Stick somethin’ in her mouth!”

“Right, boss.” The rhino put the amulet in her mouth.

“Not dat!” Trader Moe roughly swatted him with his hat. He then impatiently ripped the amulet from Cassie’s mouth, causing her to cry.

“She didn’t like you takin’ her necklace, boss.” Silence reigned once again when Ape Goon returned the amulet to her mouth.

“How many times do I gotta tell yas? It’s not her necklace! Gimmee dat kid!” Taking her in his arms, Trader Moe glared at Cassie, who stared at him with round eyes as she sucked contentedly on the amulet.

Cassie, tired of the amulet, spit it out. She covered and uncovered her eyes in a game of peekaboo. “Boo! Boo!”

Trader Moe was not impressed by her cuteness nor her charming girlish giggle. Dryly, he said, “You don’t scare me, kid.” To the goons, he said, “Now here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re...hey, where’d ya dim bulbs go?”

Seeing the goons crouched, quivering with fear, behind a couple of crates, Trader Moe snapped, “Get back over here, ya banana peels!”

The goons cautiously crept from out of their hiding place.

As a reward for their cowardice, Trader Moe backhanded them across the faces. Eying Cassie shrewdly, he said, “She won’t give it up widout a fight, so we’ll trade da kid somethin’ for dat necklace.”

After a few moments, Rhino Goon said, “Uh, like what?”

“I dunno. Toys, candy, anythin’ that’ll make her leggo of dat jewel.”

Simultaneously, both goons said, “Right, boss.” In their eagerness, they ran headlong into each other, knocking themselves out. They crumpled onto the cargo hold deck with loud thuds!

Trader Moe shook his head, murmuring to himself, “I gotta get me some new goons.”

Meanwhile...

A distracted Baloo went from plane to plane, working from the Sea Duck towards the eastern edge of the airfield, inquiring of Cassie’s whereabouts, while Kit and Professor O’Bowens did the same towards the western edge.

“Cassie? Cassie!” Baloo called, peering behind the wheels of a Groman C-60. “Becky’ll never forgive me if I don’t find that little gal. Heck, I’ll never forgive me.” He cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled, “Cassie!”

On the other side of the airfield, Kit was showing a pilot known as The Barber a picture. “Have you seen this little girl? She’s one year old, grey fur, brown eyes, wearing a purple dress.”

The Barber’s mismatched eyes nearly popped out of his eyes in abject fear as he pushed the picture away from him. “A b-b-b-baby? Ooo!” He shuddered. “Babies give me the willies!” He hurried into his plane and slammed the door in their faces.

Confused by The Barber’s reaction, Kit asked Professor O’Bowens, “Was it something I said?”

The archeologist shrugged. He was privately thinking that The Barber could use some professional therapy.

“Jeepers,nobody’s seen her.” Discouraged, Kit wandered to the water’s edge. He absently kicked a pebble into the canal and watched it disappear beneath the murky depths. The horrible thought that his baby sister might at that moment be at the bottom of the canal surfaced in his mind. One glance at the professor and he could tell that he was thinking the same thing.

“Let’s keep going,” Professor O’Bowens said, swiftly turning from the canal.

Kit nodded. As they walked to the next plane, he looked at the photograph and thought, Where are you, Cassie?

Trader Moe’s Plane

“We’re back, boss,” Rhino Goon said triumphantly. Clutched in his meaty hands were a rag doll and a sack of gumdrops. Likewise, Ape Goon carried a toy car and a frilly baby-sized pink tutu. “Do you think she’ll like dese?”

Trader Moe, the exasperated and frustrated, said testily, “I dunno. Why doncha ask her royal highness?” He cast an annoyed glance around the cargo hold, which was littered with toys and toothsome goodies, none of which had succeeded in making the baby let go of the amulet. He then glowered at the large, overturned cardboard box in which Cassie was playing.

The goons unceremoniously dropped to their knees with dual, plane-shakingthuds in front of the box.

Shaking the doll before the box’s opening, Rhino Goon said, “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

“Yoo-hoo!” Ape Goon called, poking his nose inside the box. “Where are you?”

Cassie, holding a small ball of sticky cellophane tape, crawled out of the box, babbling, “Ca’go? Ca’go?”

Rhino Goon grinned. “Aw...ain’t she a cutie?”

“Yeah...cute.” The huge ape tickled her gently under her chin. His eyes lit up when Cassie offered him her wad of cellophane. “Wow! For me?” He took the ball of tape and crunched it between his hands, chuckling stupidly.

Trader Moe, who could take no more, snapped, “Enough of da cute talk! Didja get a toy car?”

“Check, boss,” Rhino Goon said, holding up the car.

“Finally!She’s been babblin’ nonstop about ‘ca’go’. Hurry up an’ give her da car so’s she’ll give us da necklace.”

“I’ll make the car go,” Rhino Goon offered.

Ape Goon reached for the car with an eager, “Let me! Let me!”

“Nuh-huh. It’s my turn to play with her.” Rhino Goon stood and held the toy over his head.

“No, it ain’t!” Ape Goon said. He jumped up and down, creating a series of small earthquakes in the plane in his attempt to reach the coveted car.

Over the din, Trader Moe voice reverberated, “Grow up, will yas?” He stormed across the cargo hold and barked, “Gimme dat toy! I’llmake the car go.”

In a flash, the goons’ argument ceased. Rhino Goon meekly handed over the toy.

“Stupid brat won’t leggo of my necklace. If it wasn’t for her, we’d be halfway ta Moola-Boola by now,” Trader Moe muttered under his breath as he vigorously wound the key on top of the car. In his anger, he over-wound it until the spring popped out of it with aboing!

“Uh-oh,” Rhino Goon murmured.

“Dat ain’t good,” Ape Goon added.

Trader Moe screamed in frustration and hurled the broken car across the cargo hold.

Frightened by his outburst, Cassie began to cry.

“Now look what you did,” Rhino Goon said accusingly.

“Yeah. Not nice at all.”

The glowering goons towered shoulder-to-shoulder over Trader Moe, creating a barrier between Cassie and their boss.

“Move outta my way, ya lumberin’ lunks.” Trader Moe tried to push between the goons. “I’m gonna get dat necklace even if I gotta rip it offa her dead body.”

“Nuh-huh,” Rhino Goon said, crossing his arms. “You’re not hurtin’ her.”

“What he said,” Ape Goon added, jerking a thumb at his counterpart.

To get rid of the goons, Trader Moe shouted, “Hey, look, dere’s da ice cream truck!”

“Oh, goody!” Ape Goon rushed outside with Rhino Goon right behind.

As soon as the goons’ thunderous footfalls had faded into the distance, Trader Moe advanced on Cassie, snarling, “Okay, kid, it’s just you an’ me. No more Mr. Nice Guy.”

Whimpering, Cassie shielded her face with the amulet.

He snatched her up and gave her a rough shake. “Now are youse gonna give me dat necklace or are we gonna have trouble?”

Confused and scared, Cassie babbled, “Ca’go bee bee? Ca’go bee bee?”

No one was more surprised than Trader Moe when a purple beam radiated from the amulet.

A few minutes later, the two very disappointed goons returned.

“Dere wasn’t any ice cream, boss,” Rhino Goon said glumly.

Ape Goon added, “No cold cream

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