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down and grabbed another paper. It was in some sort of code. He couldn’t make it out.
    He reached for another paper. It read:
    1. Eva
    2. Anthony
    3. Isabelle
    4. Luke
    It was a list and the last name on it was very familiar:
    5. Tim
    He looked at Max, who was already staring right back at him.
    â€œWe found their hideout.”
    Realizing that his friends could be held somewhere in this cabin and acutely aware that the kidnapper could come back at any moment, Tim quickly ascended the steps two-at-a-time to the loft. It was empty except for a small nightstand with one drawer and a well-worn mattress on the ground.
    He eyed the nightstand as Max came up the steps.
    â€œYou should have waited for me, bro,” he said in a winded voice. “I found some photos.”
    â€œMax, my name was on the list!” Tim cried out.
    â€œWhat list?”
    â€œIt’s a list of all the kids who have disappeared and me.”
    Max dropped the pictures he was holding.
    â€œCould one of those detectives be staying here?”
    â€œWhy would my name be on it?” Tim called out as he headed for the nightstand. He looked down at the tiny handle that opened the drawer and pulled. There were just two items inside.
    Tim pulled out the first. It was a small necklace.
    Best Friends Forever
    It was Isabelle’s.
    He peered into the drawer to see what the other item was. It was a woven bracelet—a perfect match to his.
    He turned back to Max.
    â€œLet’s see if there’s a basement.”
    â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢
    Once back on the property, and being an expert at tracking, it was easy for Canary to deduce that the two sets of footprints he had found led right to the cabin.
    He battled through the brush and branches, reaching the outside of the cabin within minutes where he nimbly climbed a very tall tree to get a better view inside. Canary could see the boys clearly now. They were running around inside the cabin. It was obvious they had seen something that had really scared them.
    They came right to me, Canary chuckled.
    This is going to be easier than I thought.
    â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢
    There was no basement. But there was a room they hadn’t noticed before. The door was closed. Max pushed it open slowly and they both walked inside.
    It was too dark to see a thing. Then a light went on. The man with yellow hair was waiting.
    â€œHello, boys.”
    â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢
    Nina ran as fast as she could, but it still seemed to take an eternity to reach Emily’s house. Once there, she burst in the front door. Inside, the room was full. Her parents, Emily’s parents, and several others were in the middle of a conversation. They all turned toward her in surprise.
    â€œIt’s Tim and Max,” she cried. “They’re in danger!”
    â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢â€¢
    They were in a lot of trouble.
    The man with the yellow hair had injected something into their arms and Tim could feel himself getting dizzy. Now he was leading them back to the loft.
    â€œPlease sit down,” as he motioned to the mattress.
    Too late, thought Tim.
    It was his last thought before he fell, unconscious, onto the mattress next to Max. Canary grabbed his phone and dialed the number.
    â€œWe got him,” he told the person on the other end. “Got another one, too, they’re both ready for transport—immediately.”
    He kept one eye on the boys as he listened intently to the voice on the phone.
    â€œThis was unavoidable,” he responded firmly. “Yes, I understand and I . . . wait, hold a moment.”
    Canary stood silent.
    He heard something outside.
    â€œAbort!” he yelled into the phone. “Abort!”
    Tim lifted his head. He was so groggy.
    Canary dropped the phone as he heard the front door kicked open and glass shattering in the back part of the cabin.
    Seeing the photos on the floor beneath him, he dropped to his knees and sifted through them