News For Dogs (11 page)

He raced back to the car and tumbled into the backseat.

“I heard him!” he cried. “I heard Red! It’s that lane over there! It forks when you get a few yards into it. We need to take the left fork to get to the dogs. I could hear them all barking.”

“Is this the Blue Sense?” Andi asked, entranced by the fact that her skeptical brother had apparently suddenly become psychic. “Aunt Alice, does Bruce have the Blue Sense? How did he do this?”

“Bruce doesn’t necessarily have the Blue Sense,” Aunt Alice said. “We can’t rule that out entirely, but it’s much more likely that he simply walked
down that lane and really started listening and heard the very real noise the dogs were making.”

“So how does the Blue Sense fit into this?” Andi asked.

“It was the Blue Sense that caused me to send Bruce out there,” Aunt Alice told her.

Aunt Alice pulled into the lane that Bruce had indicated and took the fork to the left. Almost immediately they all could hear the dogs, and the barking grew increasingly louder as they bumped along the rutted road. Red Rover’s rich voice was louder than any of the others. It was almost as if he could sense his master was coming.

At the end of the lane, a clearing appeared before them, and they found themselves looking at the remains of what once had been part of a small farm. There was a dilapidated barn with a roof that was missing whole sections and a door that was half off its hinges. A rusted tractor served as a trellis for a tangle of vines, and a rotted wagon slumped dejectedly next to a drainage ditch. It was clear that the place had been deserted for a very long time.

In startling contrast, a shiny silver Miata was
pulled up so close to the barn that its bumper almost touched it. Aunt Alice made a sharp turn and brought her own car to a stop, parking it broadside directly behind Connor’s car.

“You’re going to have to climb out on the driver’s side,” she told Andi. “There won’t be room for you to get out the passenger’s door.”

Bruce had already leapt from the car and was racing around the side of the barn. As the dogs caught sight of him, the din of their voices became deafening.

“They’re here!” Bruce shouted. “Bully and Trixie and Lola and a whole bunch of others!
And Red!”

As Andi and Aunt Alice rounded the corner of the barn, they saw that the dogs were confined in a wire enclosure in front of a chicken house. At Bruce’s approach, they had gone wild with excitement and were hurling themselves against the mesh. Bully and Ginger leapt up and down in unison, obviously having renewed their friendship. The only dog who wasn’t jumping was Lola. She was standing apart from the others, pink and smug-looking. She seemed proud of the part she had played in the rescue mission, and she clearly expected to receive the “World’s Best Dog” medal.

“There’s a padlock on the gate!” Bruce cried. “We’ve got to get it off!”

“First you have to take pictures,” Aunt Alice told him. “We need a photographic record of all the evidence.”

“Well, what do you know!”

It was a voice that Bruce knew all too well, and it came from directly behind him. He turned and saw Jerry Gordon, holding a sack of dry dog food. Jerry was dressed in the same black T-shirt and baseball cap as the faceless person that Bruce had photographed snatching Lola, but now the cap was pushed back and his face was visible. Keeping his eyes locked on Jerry’s so as not to indicate what he was doing, Bruce slid his hand down to rest on his camera and surreptitiously started clicking the shutter.

“Connor, you’ll never believe this, but we’ve got company!” Jerry called out.

“Well, this is a surprise!” exclaimed Connor, materializing behind Jerry in the doorway of the barn. He, too, wore a black T-shirt and baseball cap, and his smile was as sunny as always. “It’s Bruce and his sister and Mrs. Scudder! You must have received the same information we did!”

“What information?” Andi asked him.

“We had a call from an anonymous tipster,” Connor told her. “He said a bunch of stray dogs were trapped in a chicken yard and no one was taking care of them. We drove out here to bring the dogs food.”

“And how did you think you were going to get to them?” Bruce asked him. “I guess you must have a key to unlock the gate?”

“A key?” Connor responded innocently. “How could we have that? We don’t know where those dogs came from or how they got in there. We were thinking about tossing dog food in through the mesh, but that might make me late for my volunteer work. Now that you’re here, you can feed them. Maybe later we can figure out a way to get that lock off.”

“I want the key!” Bruce insisted, trailing the two around to the front of the barn. “You locked those dogs in there, and you can get them out!”

“You heard Connor,” Jerry told him. “We don’t have a key, and we don’t have any idea how those dogs got trapped there. We’ll leave the dog food with you, but we’ve got to get going. Connor has business to tend to.”

“I bet he does,” Andi murmured bitterly to Aunt Alice. “And I bet it has to do with taking money out of library books.”

“Don’t worry, dear,” Aunt Alice said softly, so only Andi could hear her. “Those two are not going anywhere until we allow it.”

A moment later Connor shouted, “Mrs. Scudder, come move your car! You’ve got me blocked and I can’t back out!”

“I’m terribly sorry,” Aunt Alice said as she and Andi joined the boys at the front of the barn. “I never was very good at parking.”

“Give me the keys, and I’ll move it myself,” Connor told her.

“I don’t have the keys,” said Aunt Alice.

“You must have the keys,” Connor said impatiently. “You drove in here, didn’t you?”

“Perhaps I dropped them when I got out of the car,” Aunt Alice said. “With all the commotion those noisy animals were making, I got a bit rattled. Why don’t you and Jerry search the ground on the driver’s side? Andi, see if I left them in the ignition.”

“What about your purse?” Connor demanded, his voice rising in exasperation. “Women always put their keys in their purses.”

“I don’t know where my purse is either,” Aunt Alice said. “It’s a slippery purse and it sometimes slides out of my hands. Andi, while you’re in there looking for the car keys, please see if I dropped my purse.”

“Why don’t you just ram her car and shove it over?” Jerry suggested to Connor.

“Why, Jerry!” Aunt Alice gasped. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing! You’re encouraging your cousin to ram your neighbor’s car? I’m afraid that Connor has not been a very good influence.”

“I’m not about to dent my Miata!” Connor cried, getting more and more furious by the minute. “Do you know how much that baby cost me?”

“You must have sold a lot of subscriptions to be able to afford such a lovely vehicle,” Aunt Alice said. “On that subject, I still haven’t started receiving
Happy Housekeeping.
I’ve been looking forward so much to reading that magazine, because I’m thinking of redecorating my living room. Jerry, you’ve been in my home. Do you think it needs redecorating?”

“Enough of this babble!” Connor shouted. “I want those keys!”

He stormed over to Aunt Alice’s car, yanked the driver’s door open, and dragged Andi out. She
kicked futilely at his legs and tried to jab him with her elbow.

“Let go of me!” she cried. “You’re hurting my arm!”

“Give me the keys!” Connor said.

“They weren’t in the ignition,” Andi told him. “But I did find Aunt Alice’s purse. It was under the seat. Here, Aunt Alice —
catch
!”

Jerking free of his grip, she tossed the purse to her great-aunt, who made an amazingly good catch as Connor again grabbed Andi’s arm.

“Let go of her, Connor,” Aunt Alice said. “I will search in my purse for the keys. But before I do that, I must take an allergy pill. So many dogs held together like this is overwhelming to someone allergic to dog hair.”

“That’s another ploy and I’m not going to fall for it!” Connor yelled, losing his cool altogether. “You’re not the sweet ditzy old lady that everyone thinks you are! For all I know, you have a gun in that purse!”

He made a lunge for Aunt Alice and, grabbing her purse with one hand, shoved her hard with the other. Aunt Alice’s feet shot out from under
her and she tumbled heavily backward onto the ground.

“What have you done, you idiot?” Andi screamed at Connor, dropping to her knees beside her great-aunt. “Now you’re not just guilty of dognapping but assault and purse snatching, too! They’re going to drag you back to Chicago in handcuffs!”

“That’s not going to happen,” Connor said, back in control again now that he had what he wanted. “Mrs. Scudder slipped and fell. Old people do that. I’ve got Jerry as a witness, and people always believe Jerry. He’s got the Gordon charm and can use it just like I can.”

He dug through Aunt Alice’s purse until he found her car keys. Tossing the purse on the ground, he got into her car and deliberately backed it into the side of the tractor.

Then he jumped out of her car and into his own.

“Come on, Jerry!” he yelled. “You and I are out of here!”

Jerry glanced at Aunt Alice, who was lying flat on her back staring up at the sky. Her chest was rising and falling in a frightening manner, and she seemed to be gasping for air.

He said, “Mrs. Scudder, this wasn’t supposed to happen. No one was meant to get hurt, not even the dogs. Connor got carried away. I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s a little too late to be sorry,” Bruce said angrily. “You’ll never be able to make up for all the pain you’ve caused people.” He picked up Aunt Alice’s purse and rummaged through it until he found her vial of allergy medicine.

“I’m not guilty of anything,” Jerry said. “I’m not the one who roughed up your sister and aunt.”

“You’ve hurt more people than you can possibly know,” Bruce told him. “You don’t have to injure them physically to tear their hearts out.”

“It was just a prank,” Jerry said. “You have no sense of humor. When I get home, I’ll call a taxi to come and get you. I hope Mrs. Scudder’s all right, but I’ll stand by Connor — she lost her balance and fell. Connor wasn’t anywhere near her.”

He went over and got into the Miata. Connor gave the horn a derisive beep and drove off down the lane without a backward glance, although Jerry did look back and his face was troubled.

“Aunt Alice,” Andi said softly, “are you okay?”

“I will be once I take my medication,” Aunt Alice said, gratefully reaching for the pill that Bruce held out to her. Andi supported her head, and she gulped it down without water and then lay back on the grass.

“I don’t think any bones are broken,” she said. “But I may have done something to my shoulder. I think I’ll just lie here and rest until the police arrive. I have a very nice view of the sky. It’s so beautifully blue and clear out here in the country. I hope the dogs have enjoyed it.”

“The police!” Bruce cried. “We need to get the cell phone and call them!”

“I already did,” Andi said. “While Aunt Alice kept Connor and Jerry occupied, I called nine-one-one. The police should be here any time now. I gave them a description of Connor’s car, and they’re going to intercept him. Then they’re going to come and get us and the dogs. I’m just worried that Connor will give them that story about their getting a phone call and Aunt Alice tripping over her own feet. He was right when he bragged that he and Jerry are convincing. And there isn’t any evidence to prove that they’re liars.”

“You’re wrong about that,” Bruce said. “I got pictures of everything.”

He clicked on the screen of his camera to display the images. First came the one he’d taken earlier of two figures in black T-shirts, grabbing Lola off the beach towel. Then came photos of Connor’s Miata parked in front of the barn; of the chicken pen jammed with dogs; of Jerry, in black shirt and baseball cap, holding the sack of dog food and grinning maliciously; of Connor, dragging Andi out of Aunt Alice’s car; of Connor, jerking the purse from Aunt Alice with one hand, while shoving her hard with the other; and a final incredible action shot of Aunt Alice tumbling backward, halfway to the ground.

“Oh, my, that is a good picture, Bruce!” Aunt Alice exclaimed in admiration. “You truly do have the makings of a photojournalist. Now, I think you should go and talk to your dog. Tell him he’s going to get to ride home in a police car. There aren’t many dogs who can brag to their friends about
that
!”

Because Andi knew how she wanted the story to turn out, she had jumped ahead to write that ending, leaving lots of empty pages between the first
and final chapters. She had the rest of the summer to fill them with details, and then she planned to enter the manuscript in a contest. She had seen a poster in the library about a contest for “books by young authors” and the winner would have her book published. Andi intended to be that winner.

She had thought that it might be hard to find words for the ending, but surprisingly it wasn’t. They flowed onto the paper as if they had a will of their own.

Andi closed her notebook and tossed it onto her bed. This was the last night that she and Bruce would be staying with Aunt Alice. Their parents were returning in the morning, having cut their vacation short by a couple of days when they learned there was trouble at home.

Andi opened the door of her bedroom and stepped out into the hallway. At the end of the hall she could see the light from Aunt Alice’s office. The door was ajar, and Andi could see her great-aunt’s white head bent over the computer.

Andi walked down the hall and rapped lightly on the half-open door.

Aunt Alice looked up from the computer, and
Andi could see that she had been playing online bingo.

“Hello, dear,” Aunt Alice said. “I was concerned that you might not be able to sleep, what with fretting about giving Lola to Debbie.”

“I’m not sad about that,” Andi said. “Debbie’s always wanted a dog, and her mother wouldn’t let her have one because of their cat. But the cat ran away, and Debbie’s gotten bonded to Lola. She says they’re two of a kind, and maybe they are. Bebe doesn’t mind Lola leaving. Now she will get all my attention.” She paused and then said, “I’ll miss the shy, shaggy Friday I used to know. Debbie’s going to keep Lola shaved because she seems to like it. I liked Lola better when she was Friday.”

“Changes in life are never easy,” said Aunt Alice. “But we have to go with the flow. Dogs change, people change, our views of the world keep changing — life is all about changes. Maybe Jerry will change. I certainly hope so.”

“What will happen to Jerry and Connor?” Andi asked.

“I have no idea,” Aunt Alice said. “Private detectives aren’t involved with the legal process. We just do our job and then the authorities take over. My
guess is that Mr. Gordon will pull some strings to get a plea bargain, and the whole mess will be settled out of court.”

“You’re not going to sue for assault and battery?” Andi asked her. Aunt Alice’s shoulder had been dislocated, and she was in quite a lot of pain, although her doctors had assured her that eventually she would be fine.

“It’s not worth it,” Aunt Alice said. “I don’t want money from the Gordons. I just want them to get counseling for their son. It would also be nice if their nephew was locked up in a juvenile facility until he turns twenty-one, but that’s probably too much to hope for.”

“Things don’t always work out the way they ought to, do they?” Andi commented.

“No,” Aunt Alice said. “But we have to keep trying to make them work right. Maybe if enough of us try, someday that will happen.”

Andi thought about her novel with all those dogs stuffed into the toolshed and Bobby the Basset commanding them to work together.

“I know who I want to be when I grow up,” she said.

“Of course,” Aunt Alice said. “You’re going to be a writer.”

“I didn’t say what, I said
who
,” Andi said. “When I grow up I want to be you!”

Aunt Alice smiled. The smile wasn’t just on her lips or in her eyes, it radiated out of every part of her, as if it were a light shining straight from her soul.

“Andi, dear,” she said, “I know how silly this sounds, but sometimes you make me want to sing to the moon!”