Strange Outfit: An Avery Barks Dog Mystery (Avery Barks Dog Mysteries Book 2) (6 page)

When I woke Saturday morning, I remembered our search and rescue team had scheduled dog training, and I would not be able to make it.  I called Don to let him know not to expect me at practice.

“Hey, Avery.” Don said.

“Hey, I have to watch Ben’s dogs today so I won’t be at training.  By the way, have you heard anything about Ivan Monitor?”  I hoped they were able to find his next of kin.

“Ivan, who?” Don sounded confused.

“The guy we found dead the other day.” I assumed Don would have heard by now.

“How would you know his name?  I just talked to the sheriff and he’s still trying to find out the guy’s identity.” Don was serious.

“What do you mean?  I gave the driver’s license to Rocky yesterday.  He said he would give it to the Sheriff.”

There was a long pause, and then he asked, “And how did you happen to get ahold of this guy Ivan’s driver’s license?” Don’s voice got deeper as he went into deputy mode.

“It was up by the tree house.”

“And why were you there?”

His voice was sharp and I took a deep breath before replying, “I was just looking around.”

“Geez Avery, why didn’t you call it in?”

My hackles were raised as I came to my own defense.  “With everything happening I didn’t really think about it.  Besides, I gave the ID to Rocky.”

“Let me go, so I can call the Sheriff.” Don hung up without saying good-bye and I frowned, looking at the phone.

So much for today’s dog training.  Law Enforcement was first as far as Don was concerned, even if it was out of his jurisdiction.  I guess that’s what makes him a good Deputy.

My attention turned to getting the dogs ready to go to town.  Little Princess would be a natural at the parade since she liked lots of adoration.  It would be fun for our little beauty queen and I would be there to keep her safe.  Chevy would love to come along.  Just like a little doggie date.

I found a little stroller in the closet with ‘Princess’ embroidered on it.  The little dog started running in circles when I pulled it out, so I decided to take it along.  I didn’t know how long the parade route was and this way I wouldn’t have to carry her the whole time.

I grabbed the paper bag with the outfit Ben wanted me to wear and put everything in the back of my truck.  Chevy loaded in the back of the truck before I even gave him the command.  Bullfrog was happy to stay home and sleep in his bed.  We planned to be back before it was time for his next potty break. 

Since Princess didn’t have a collar anymore, I bought her a new pink one at the general store.  I wrote her name on it with a green marker so she would have some type of temporary identification.  I didn’t know Ben’s phone number, so I wrote mine on it instead.

“Good enough for now, Princess.  It’s not as fancy as your diamond one but it will have to do.” I slipped the collar around her neck.

We arrived at the parade staging area on the edge of town, and parked in the grass lot used as the staging area. The doggie section was squished between the ballerina kids and the ladies fire auxiliary.  Many of the pet owners and their dogs were dressed in matching outfits. It was a hilarious site, and I expected this would be fun for both the entrants and the crowd.

I pulled the parade clothes out of Ben’s paper bag and took inventory.  There was a bright orange bandanna with a yellow flames design on it, a pair of rust orange sunglasses and a faded greenish tan little flat hat with an orange chin band.  It was a strange combination of outerwear, but I guessed it would delight the children. 

I remembered Ben was adamant about wearing this outfit and carrying the grocery bag.

Strange assignment, but he’s the boss. 

I tried on the way-to- small hat and looked absolutely ridiculous.  That was probably the point, to make the kids laugh. Chevy jumped up and grabbed the bandanna, then ran around the entire parade staging area with it. The kids laughed as he shook the orange cloth in the air as he ran in between all the participants.

“Great idea Chevy, since you like it so much, then YOU can wear it!” I chuckled.  “Come here, buddy. This will really make the kids laugh”

Chevy trotted over and I fashioned the bandanna into a dog style triangle, and hung it around his neck.  The hat stayed on his head pretty well, thanks to the chin strap. The last piece of his costume was the sunglasses.  It took a couple tries, but once I tucked the glasses under the hat strap, they stayed on perfectly.  Last was his leash, so that he wouldn’t run around and lose his outfit.

Chevy loved both the costume and the shouts of approval from all the ballerina kids.  We fell in line behind the other dog contestants and the parade began. Chevy loved the kids that came up to pet him and Princess enjoyed the adulation from the crowd.  I think she thought the whole parade was about her anyway. 

The parade turned up Elm Street, and flowed past the judge’s stand.  A tall man wearing a bright orange ball cap and sunglasses acted as the announcer.  The older ladies swooned as he spoke into the microphone as each entrant passed by. 

As we approached the judge’s area, the parade announcer proclaimed, “Look at little Princess in the stroller!  What a beauty queen!  She captures the hearts of people and animals everywhere she goes!”   The crowd clapped and the little girls blew air kisses.

One old lady yelled, “You capture my heart, Mr. Mayor!”  All the men in the crowd laughed at that.

The announcer turned away from the microphone and said to a skinny guy standing next to him, “Looks like Princess brought some new friends with her today.”  The sound system barely picked up the private comment.

How would he know that? 

Chevy pulled on his leash to get closer to the children’s outstretched arms. He let all the kids pet his soft golden fur and enjoyed every minute of it.  It was like he was Princess’s protector.  I carried the paper bag and Chevy’s leash in one hand and pushed Princess in her baby stroller with the other.

We just completed the parade route, when a young man in dark sunglasses and a black jogging suit wandered over to Princess’ stroller.  I instinctively picked up Princess in my arms.

He looked at Chevy and said, “Strange outfit.” 

I laughed. 

He took off his sunglasses and looked casually at me. “Your dog’s got a strange outfit.”

There was a short awkward moment as we stared blankly at each other. Then, I remembered Ben’s words from his hospital bed, and asked, “Strange as they come?”   

The young man smiled and bent down.  As he pet Chevy, he placed a package inside the paper bag I had brought along.

The stranger shrugged his shoulders and said, “Funny, I wasn’t expecting it to be a dog.”

The man turned and was gone, leaving me confused.  That was getting to be the norm with anything involving Ben, but by now, and I was learning to just go with the flow.  I glanced inside the bag and noticed the package was wrapped with grey duct tape.  I rolled up the bag and stuffed it in the back of Princess’ stroller.

As we made our way back through the town streets filled with booths and food trucks, I saw a small table that promoted the local birdwatchers club.  There were some pictures of birds pasted on poster board and propped up on a folding table, while information flyers were fanned out across the table.  It seemed no one in the crowd was interested in finding out more about bird watching.

An elderly couple dressed in matching green outfits sat in a couple of chairs behind the table, talking to each other. Their uniforms were the same worn by Ivan Monitor, and my thoughts briefly drifted to the day we found the dead birdwatcher.

I easily struck up a conversation with the lonely couple, since Chevy had already walked up in full costume and put his head on the lady’s lap.

Her face was radiant as she said, “I love his hat!”  She bent over and kissed the top of Chevy’s head.  Chevy returned the gesture by licking her hand. She said, “He can tell that I love dogs!” 

“Are you getting a lot of new people in the birdwatcher’s club?” “Mostly just us older folks these days, we’re trying to keep the interest going,” the man said as he adjusted his green suspenders.

The lady looked up and her brown eyes sparkled, “We do have one young man who just joined, and he would make a good match for you!  He’s been looking for a girlfriend.” 

I laughed.

The old guy chuckled, “Stop that, Hazel. Besides, she should date a local guy.  That city boy, Ivan, doesn’t even eat meat for crying out loud.  How could she fall for a guy like that?”  He shook his head slowly and he looked over at me, “Hazel invited him over for a nice dinner and all the boy ate was the vegetables.”

At Ivan’s name, the hair stood up on the back of my neck.  But the couple didn’t seem to notice my surprise.  Hazel just clutched her hands together and piped in, “And pie. He loved my pie, Henry.”

“Yea, Ivan the vegetable and pie lover.” Henry laughed at his own joke.  “Young lady, you wait and get yourself a good, strong, meat loving mountain man.”

“Okay, pie… meat,” I muttered, still distracted.

Hazel put her hands on her cheeks, “Henry was such a strong young man when I met him, and he was so handsome.”  She blushed at the fond memory.

Henry said, “Yeah I was a looker all right.” He rose out of his chair and strutted around like a showboating rooster.  “Hazel worked hard to catch me.”

I smiled as the couple flirted with each other, then I picked up a couple of their hand-made brochures and stuffed them in the doggie stroller.  A few minutes later, I said good bye to our new birdwatcher friends and headed to the truck.

Wow, poor Ivan.  I still don’t get why he was on Ben’s land. 

I arrived back at the house to find Bullfrog using one of Ben’s old shirts as a pillow.  He must have raided the dirty laundry basket to sooth his longing for Ben.  He looked so sad lying there, he didn’t even want to get up to take a potty break.

I squatted down next to his dog bed to pet him, “Sorry buddy, I hope your daddy comes home soon too.” 

I let Bullfrog keep the shirt and went to the kitchen for a snack.  I pulled the left-over chicken wings from the refrigerator and relaxed at the table with my plate.  Instantly, I became the most popular person in the country to the three dogs that now sat around me. 

I took some of the soft dog treats out of a package sitting on the kitchen counter.  I tossed a handful across the room so they would chase after their edible prizes.

My eyes landed on the California news article and the mysterious poem as it rested on the table. 

“Fly like a cardinal to see the site”

The statement reminded me of the many search and rescue missions that required us to look at the land from photo images taken overhead, like a bird’s eye view.  These types of images let us see what the overall landscape looked like before we went out to search. 

My thoughts drifted to the day that Ben told me he had decided to buy this place.  He mentioned he decided to buy it as he flew over it. 

I used the internet feature on my smartphone to find a satellite photo of this land.  It was gorgeous, covered with beautiful maple trees and flowing pastures in several shades of green.  But nothing sprung out at me that brought to mind a treasure.

As I ate a chicken wing and looked out the kitchen window, my eyes rested once again on the beautiful maples out in the yard.  A few leaves fell in the breeze, and my mind wandered to the beauty that would appear next month when the leaves would explode in full fall color.  I would need to get out my sweatshirts before long.

I glanced back at the poem.

“The air grew cold and the bears grew fat”

Grew cold.  Grew fat.  GREW.  GREW COLD!  It is talking about FALL!

I looked at the internet screen again.  The photos were obviously taken in summer when everything is green and plush, but Ben said he flew over in the fall.  And he had pictures in a box!  I remembered seeing a couple small boxes hidden behind his couch and went over to investigate.

As I stood over the couch and looked at the photos taken of this land from the bird’s eye view of a small airplane during fall, the tops of the trees were awash in spectacular color.  Amongst the sea of red maples, several bright yellow sugar maples stood out and actually formed a design.  My heart leaped when a giant yellow number “26” created by the tops of the sugar maples stood out on the red background.  And the roof of Ben’s mobile home was right in the center!

I sat back on the soft couch and tried to remember every word that Ben spoke to me the day we first met.  

My biggest treasure holds the key to my treasure
. 

I wondered if he had been talking about Princess and her jeweled collar.  I remembered the earnest look in his eyes as he almost frantically made that statement.  That look was something I would never forget.

My thoughts were jarred when Bullfrog decided to become a sixty pound lap dog.  He must have run out of treats and decided to find comfort in climbing up on the couch for cuddle time.  I decided to spoil him as long as my legs were able to hold his weight, which wouldn’t be very long.