The Case of the Lost Boy (6 page)

Connor’s scent disappeared in the middle of the street.

Here is what I don’t know:

Where is Connor?

Why does his scent disappear in the middle of the street?

Is he okay?

I don’t have a plan to find out what I don’t know. And I don’t know how to make one.

I flop down on my belly and put my head on my paws. Who am I kidding? I’m not the King of Crime-solving. I’m not even good at solving mysteries. Not by myself. Kayla is the one who is good at solving mysteries. If Kayla was here, she’d know what to do.

So ... what would Kayla do
? I ask myself.

“Huh?” I say. Because I don’t normally talk to myself.

But I ask again:
What would Kayla do
? How would she find Connor?

Kayla says we always know more than we think we do. The problem is we don’t always
know
what we know.

I think about my lists. I think so hard I give myself a headache. Do I know more than I think I do?

Maybe ...

I also know:

Mouse put out an alert.

No dog has reported seeing Connor.

What does that mean?

It means Connor disappeared when no dog was looking.

But a
cat
was looking. Maybe Cat with No Name knows more than he thinks he does? Or maybe he knows more than he told me?

I could talk to Cat with No Name again.

What else do I know?

Connor and I passed a stranger who smelled dangerous.

The police said that a stranger tried to get a kid into his car a couple blocks from here.

I could also try to look for the stranger from this morning and see what I can find out about him.

Kayla would probably watch him and write down the things that he did in her notebook. If he went somewhere, she would follow him.

Kayla would also go back to the scene of the crime. Or in this case, back to the place where Connor disappeared. She would sit there for eleventy-five minutes and write down everything that happened. This is called a stakeout.

Unfortunately, a stakeout does not involve steak. I LOVE steak. It’s my favorite food!

If I set up a stakeout where Connor disappeared, maybe I will see something that will help me solve this mystery.

Now I have several plans:

Talk to Cat with No Name.

Find the stranger from this morning and see what I can learn about him.

Set up a stakeout where Connor disappeared.

The only problem is I can’t do any of these things from inside the house. I have to go out.

I walk over to Mom and let out a small woof.

Mom looks at me. “You want to go outside?”

Yes!
I head for the door. But Mom doesn’t follow.

“You’ve already been out twice this morning,” Mom says in a tired voice. “You don’t need to go out again.”

“Yes, I do! If you want to find Connor, you have to let me outside.”

Mom tilts her head at me. Does she understand? “Do you
really
need to go outside again?” she asks.

“Yes! Yes, I do!” I wag my tail to show her how badly I need to go outside. Once I’m out, I’m going to go around the block and set up my stakeout. If I’m lucky, Cat with No Name and the stranger from this morning will walk by while I’m there.

“Well,” Mom says. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing. Maybe you and I should take a short walk.”