“We’re just making absolutely sure before we go back there to get him,” Dad said.

“Her,” Dr. Blake said.

“Okay,” I said. “Just out of curiosity, what kind of snake did you not lose in my yard? In case I happen to run across any spare snakes in my travels.”

“Six feet long, bright green,” Dr. Blake said.

“It’s Jade,” Dad said. “The Emerald Tree Boa.”

“I thought she was going back to the zoo after she finished her shed,” I said.

“Yes, but she’s still retaining her eye caps,” Dr. Blake said. “The part of the skin over the eye. Dangerous for the snake, because when it thickens and becomes opaque during a shed, it impairs the vision. Snakes get irritable and unpredictable when they can’t see properly. But it’s treatable, and of course a fairly common form of dysecdysis.”

“Dysecdysis means a bad shed,” Dad explained.

“I was going to remove them today,” Dr. Blake said. “I will as soon as we find her—”

“Over at the zoo,” Dad put in.

“She’ll turn up when she’s hungry enough,” Dr. Blake said. “Very soon, I should think. She’s got a healthy appetite, Jade does.”

“So we have a half-blind boa constrictor wandering around somewhere feeling peckish and irritable,” I said. “Should I make sure Spike and the ducks are safely locked up somewhere snakeproof?”

They looked at each other.

“Probably a good idea,” Dad said. “Just as a precaution, you understand. In case we’re wrong about her being at the zoo.”

They shuffled off, searching the grass as they went. I realized that I’d completely forgotten to ask them if they’d also removed the birds they’d hidden on the third floor. Not that I’d get a straight answer out of them if I did.

I peered into the shed. Empty, except for a terrarium—presumably the one Jade was supposed to be occupying.

Spike wasn’t in his pen, though.

I hurried over to where Rose Noire was standing. Timmy was mounted on one of the sheep yelling “Giddyap!” and “Go horsie!” while Rose Noire wrung her hands anxiously. The sheep seemed unperturbed.

“Have you seen Spike?” I asked.

“Rob took him someplace,” she said. “Oh, dear. Do you think Timmy is upsetting that poor sheep?”

“I don’t even think he’s got its attention yet,” I said.

I hurried back out to the barn. Yes, Spike’s carrier and leash were gone. Of course, I found myself wondering where Rob had taken Spike, but at least he was safe.

Just then my cell phone rang. It was Jack Ransom.

“So you’re still sleuthing,” he said. “Any idea what these files are?”

“I was hoping you could tell me,” I said.

“I can probably figure out eventually,” he said. “But some of them are encrypted, and the rest are in some kind of proprietary format. Possibly some kind of accounting data. Any information you have could save me some time.”

“Sorry,” I said. “All I know is that Karen put them on a thumb drive and hid them inside her son’s stuffed cat. I’m assuming they might be related to her disappearance.”