Dawn and the Disappearing Dogs Read online

  “No,” said the salesman, smiling. “I mean, not right now. But we can probably get you one. It would be expensive, though. You’d have to pay several hundred dollars up front if you want a purebred.”

  I nodded, trying to look thoughtful. “I’ll have to ask my parents,” I said to the man. “Thanks!” Then I led my friends out of the store.

  “Just as I suspected,” I said, when we’d hit the sidewalk. “There’s something strange about the way that store works. Don’t you think most salesmen would have recommended a breeder, or at least told us when certain dogs were due in? But he —”

  “Hey!” Kristy said, interrupting me. “There goes the green car. Let’s follow him!” The same man was driving: the owner of the store. We jumped on our bikes and rode after him, but we couldn’t keep up for long. While we were stuck in slow traffic it was easy, but once he turned off the main street of Stoneybrook, we lost him.

  After my experiment, I felt that we were coming close to figuring out the case. I had my suspicions, and we had more and more information to go on, but there was still no way to put it together as proof that the police would believe. I had a feeling that the pet store wasn’t getting its dogs the way most pet stores do, but I couldn’t put the whole picture together. Still, I felt encouraged.

  Stacey was sitting for Charlotte that afternoon, and Charlotte was in a total panic. She’s a smart kid, and she reads the newspaper every night. And lately, the Stoneybrook News has been full of stories about — you guessed it — disappearing dogs.

  When Stacey arrived at the Johanssens’, Charlotte was sitting on the living room floor. Her little dog Carrot, a Schnauzer, was lying next to her. Charlotte was looking through a pile of newspaper clippings she had cut out. “Look at these, Stacey,” she said. “Isn’t it awful?”

  Stacey sat down next to Charlotte and began to flip through the clippings. She saw a story about a little boy whose puppy had been stolen, and one about a couple who had lost their prize-winning English sheepdog. She even saw a story about a woman whose German shepherd had been stolen, a German shepherd she had been training to be a guide dog for a blind person.

  Not all of these dogs had disappeared from homes in Stoneybrook. The thieves were apparently roaming all over a wide area, covering several towns. Even so …

  “I’m so scared!” said Charlotte. “I don’t know what I’d do if they took Carrot. And if they see him, I just know they’ll take him. He’s a purebred schnauzer! Plus, he’s very smart. Want me to show you how he can say his prayers?”

  Stacey smiled. “I’ve seen him do that,” she said. We’ve all seen it, and the fact is that it’s a very cute trick. When you tell Carrot to say his prayers, he puts his paws in your lap and lays his head on them. But Stacey didn’t think the thieves were necessarily looking for performing dogs. “It’s a great trick,” said Stacey. “But I think Carrot will be safe, as long as you keep an eye on him.”

  “But that’s just the problem!” wailed Charlotte. “I can’t watch him every minute. I have to go to school. And today, I have to rehearse with the other cheerleaders at the Krashers practice. When I’m not with him, the thieves could take him.”

  Stacey could see that Charlotte was seriously afraid, and she knew better than to treat a child’s fears lightly. “Well, let’s see,” said Stacey. “How can we make sure Carrot is safe?”

  “I don’t know,” said Charlotte. “Maybe I should take him with me to the practice.”

  Stacey thought for a minute. “That might work out,” she said, thinking that she could dog-sit while Charlotte cheered.

  “No!” said Charlotte. “It’s no good. He’d be out in the open, where anybody could see him. And if we turned our backs for even a second, they might take him.”

  “Well, then,” said Stacey, “I guess we should leave him at home.”

  “All alone?” asked Charlotte, looking as if she were about to cry. “Poor Carrot would never be able to run away fast enough if somebody tried to grab him. Anyway, he thinks everyone is his friend. He would just walk off with the thieves.”

  Stacey had to admit that Carrot was friendly. At that moment, he was licking her hand and gazing up at her lovingly. His big brown eyes gave him a trusting and innocent look. She patted his nose. “Good boy, Carrot,” she said. “Charlotte, I really think he’ll be safe at home,” she said. “We’ll leave him inside.”

  Charlotte frowned. “I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe I should just skip that Krashers practice.”

  “That’s not a great idea,” said Stacey. “For one thing, Haley and Vanessa need you. And for another, it doesn’t really solve the problem. What are you going to do when you go to school? You have to get used to the idea that Carrot is safe here.”

  Charlotte reached over and hugged Carrot. “I’m just so scared,” she said. “Carrot is my best buddy.”

  “I know,” said Stacey gently. “But you know what? I think if you look these clippings over carefully, you’ll see that none of those dogs were stolen from a locked house. They were all taken from yards, or from public parks. See?” She passed the clippings back to Charlotte.

  Charlotte read through each of the stories. “You’re right,” she said. “I guess — I guess it’ll be okay to leave him here. But let’s make sure that nobody can get in to steal him, okay?”

  “It’s a deal,” said Stacey. “Let’s take him for a little walk around the block first, and then we’ll get him settled before we leave.”

  Charlotte ran to find Carrot’s leash. “I know,” she said. “We can set up a burglar alarm by the front door, so if the thieves do try to get in, Carrot will hear them. That will give him a chance to hide.”

  Stacey nodded. She knew that Carrot would be unlikely to run away from a noise, since he was a dog and dogs love to investigate. But she didn’t bring that up, since she also knew it was even more unlikely that anyone would break in. Also, she wanted Charlotte to feel secure and confident.

  During their walk Charlotte talked nonstop, planning ways to burglar-proof the house, and when they went back inside, she got busy. First she piled empty tin cans (which she found in the recycling bin in the garage) near the front door. “That’ll make a racket if anybody comes in,” she said. Then she put a bucket of water by the back door, figuring that it would be knocked over if the door was opened, and the spilled water would “slow them down.” (Stacey could only hope that Dr. Johanssen didn’t get home early!) After that, she took Carrot’s brush and combed all his hair the wrong way.

  Stacey was mystified. “Why are you doing that?” she asked. She knew Charlotte must have a reason, and she couldn’t wait to hear it.

  “So he doesn’t look as handsome,” said Charlotte. “So far, the thieves have only taken good-looking dogs.” She was busy combing Carrot’s beard back so that it had almost disappeared. “And without his beard, he doesn’t look much like a purebred schnauzer, so maybe the thieves won’t be interested.”

  Carrot was starting to look very strange, and very unhappy. “I think that’s enough,” said Stacey, feeling she ought to put a stop to things.

  “Okay,” said Charlotte. “One last thing.” She coaxed Carrot into the den, gave him a big hug, and closed the door on him. Then she wrapped masking tape all around the handle, to “lock” him in. “There,” she said, dusting off her hands. “That should do it.”

  “I would think so,” said Stacey. “Now let’s get going. We’re late already!” Charlotte grabbed her pom-poms, and they headed out the door and down the street. Stacey took Charlotte’s hand. “Hurry!” she said. They were almost running. Stacey was concentrating on getting Charlotte to the practice on time, but she was still being responsible, too. She checked carefully at each crossing to make sure no cars were coming.

  And at one of those crossings, as she glanced down a side street, she saw it. The green car. Or at least, a green car. She told me later that she couldn’t be absolutely positive. She was moving too fast to be sure. And some bushes were
in the way. But it looked like the green car we’d been watching for, and it was parked on the side of the street. And she thought she saw the door open, and she thought she saw someone reach out and pull something into the car!

  “It all happened so fast,” she said to me, when she reached the playground. I was there watching the Krashers practice, since I was sitting for Matt and Haley again. Charlotte had run over to join Vanessa and Haley, so Stacey and I were alone. “It was almost as if I didn’t realize what I was seeing until after we’d gone by that spot. But I think maybe I actually saw the thieves steal a dog!”

  “Stacey, are you sure?” I asked. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I’d been trying to crack this case for days, and now an actual dog-napping might be going on almost under my nose.

  “No, I’m not sure,” said Stacey. “It happened too fast.”

  “Can you watch Matt and Haley for a minute?” I asked. “I’m going to run back to that street and look around.” I stood up.

  “No!” said Stacey, pulling my arm. “It’s too dangerous. That’s why we’ve been working in teams, remember? You can’t go alone.”

  I stamped my foot in frustration. “Come with me, then,” I said, even though I knew she couldn’t.

  “I can’t,” she said. “I’m responsible for Charlotte. It wouldn’t be fair to leave Kristy alone with all these kids, and Bart hasn’t gotten here yet.”

  I stamped my foot again. I knew I was acting like a two-year-old, but I was just so mad. I was just on the verge of figuring out the case. All of a sudden, things were clicking into place for me, and I was beginning to understand how the thieves were operating. “I think I know what’s going on!” I said to Stacey. “But I just can’t prove it yet.”

  Stacey looked at me sympathetically. “I know you want to solve this case,” she said, “and I bet you will. We’ll all help. But the only thing we can do now is watch and wait.”

  “Wake up, Dawn! It’s a beautiful day, and we’re going to a ball game!” Mary Anne was shaking my shoulder. I mumbled sleepily and tried to hide under the covers.

  It was Saturday, the day of the big Krashers game in New Hope. Mary Anne was psyched up for the game, and I have to admit that I was pretty excited, too. We knew the game was incredibly important to Kristy, and to all the kids on the team.

  I tumbled out of bed and pulled on my jeans. “What time are we supposed to be at the Pikes’?” I asked.

  “I told them we’d be there by ten, so we better get going pretty soon,” said Mary Anne. “You have time for breakfast, though. Dad made pancakes.”

  “Yum!” I said. That got me moving. I ate quickly, and soon we were on our way to the Pikes’. Every single member of the Pike family was going to the game, which meant they’d be taking two cars. (The Pikes are used to traveling in a convoy like that.)

  “You know what?” I said to Mary Anne, as we walked across our yard. “I just decided something. I’m going to take a day off from the dog mystery, and really enjoy myself. I’m not going to think about it at all today.”

  “Great idea,” said Mary Anne. “You deserve a day off from the case. Let’s just have fun today.”

  We walked up to the Pikes’ door and rang the bell.

  “Mary Anne and Dawn are here!” shrieked Claire from inside, after she’d peeked through the window. “Can I let them in?”

  “Sure!” I heard Mallory say.

  Claire opened the door. “Hi, you silly-billy goo-goos,” she said. “How are you this silly-billy morning?”

  “I’m silly-billy fine,” I said.

  “I’m goo-goo fine,” said Mary Anne.

  Claire fell down on the floor, laughing. It’s so easy to make kids crack up.

  “Hi, you guys,” said Mal. “Ready to go? We are — almost.”

  Then we heard a shout from upstairs. “Where’s my lucky penny?” yelled Nicky. “I can’t play first base without my lucky penny!”

  “Jordan stole it,” called Adam, from the dining room.

  “No, Byron has it,” yelled Jordan, from the kitchen.

  “Adam spent it on gum,” said Byron, running down the stairs.

  “Adam!” Nicky wailed.

  “No, I didn’t,” said Adam. “It’s in your sneaker. I saw it there yesterday.”

  “Phew,” said Nicky. By that time he’d come downstairs, and he was rummaging in the hall closet. He was dressed in his Krushers T-shirt, since the kids had decided to wear their team shirts. “Okay,” he said to himself. “Lucky penny. Mitt. Hat. Clean socks. I guess I’m ready!”

  “Me, too,” said Vanessa, walking into the front hall. “It’s a perfect day for a game of ball, with leaves on the trees and birds and all!”

  Good old Vanessa, the Poet of Slate Street. She was wearing her cheerleading outfit: a Krushers T-shirt, a flared blue-jean skirt, white knee socks, and sneakers. And she was carrying a banner that said, “GO KRASHERS! STONEYBROOK’S ALL-STARS.”

  Margo ran in behind Vanessa. “Uh-oh,” muttered Mary Anne, nudging me. I looked at Margo’s face and saw a familiar pout. It looked like the one Claire had been wearing ever since Kristy and Bart had announced the Krashers team lineup.

  “Do we have to go?” asked Claire. “I don’t want to see that dumb old game.”

  “Neither do I,” said Margo, after a second. But she didn’t sound so sure.

  “You’ll be sorry if you don’t go,” said Mallory. “It’ll be fun. Anyway, there’s nobody to watch you here at home, so you have to come along. Plus, you’re supposed to help Kristy with the equipment, remember?”

  Claire pouted even harder. “All right,” she said. “We’ll go. But we’re not going to have fun.” She folded her arms over her chest. “So there.”

  “So there,” Margo echoed.

  “Okay, everybody,” said Mr. Pike, dashing into the hall. “Time to get a move on. Let’s load ’em up and move ’em out!” He and Mrs. Pike herded everyone out the door and into the two station wagons. I climbed into the first one, along with Margo, Claire, and the triplets. Nicky, Vanessa, Mallory, and Mary Anne piled into the other one, which Mrs. Pike was driving. Mr. Pike pulled out of the drive-way, and the other car followed.

  “Here we go!” sang Claire. “On our way to the silly-billy ball game!”

  “Where’s the you-know-what?” asked Jordan, after we’d been driving for a minute.

  “The what?” asked Adam.

  “The B.B.”

  “Oh, the Barf Bucket?” asked Byron. “It’s in the other car.”

  “Oh, no!” said Adam. “And Margo’s in this car.”

  I suddenly remembered that Margo has a habit of getting carsick — and she was sitting right next to me. I turned to look at her. She looked fine, not green at all.

  “I’m not going to barf,” she said. “I feel fine. I only barf on long trips.”

  “Well, I’m not sitting next to her,” said Jordan. “Pull over, Dad. I want to switch places with Claire.”

  “Everybody stays where they are,” said Mr. Pike. “It’s only a short trip. Margo, you speak up if you feel like you’re going to —”

  “Dad?” Margo said in a small voice. “I think I —”

  “What? What?” asked Mr. Pike, sounding frantic. He started looking in the rearview mirror, as if he were trying to figure out whether he could pull over.

  “I think I forgot my sweater,” finished Margo.

  “Oh,” said Mr. Pike, sounding relieved. “Well, that’s okay. It’s a nice warm day.”

  I was relieved too, but I kept a close eye on Margo during the rest of the trip, just in case. So did the triplets, whenever they took a break from singing silly songs about the Addams family. Claire was busy sticking her tongue out at Nicky whenever the other station wagon was in view. Luckily, it really is a short trip to New Hope. Mr. Pike followed the directions we’d been given, and found the park where the playing field was. We reached it without any barfing or other disasters, and piled out of both cars.

 
Most of the other Krashers were already there, and Nicky ran to join them. Vanessa found Haley and Charlotte, and they started to practice their cheers. Mr. and Mrs. Pike took the other kids over to the bleachers, and Mary Anne and Mal and I went to say hello to Kristy.

  She was looking nervous. “Hi, you guys,” she said. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it.”

  “We’re only five minutes late,” said Mal. “That’s a record for my family.” She smiled, hoping Kristy would smile back, but Kristy was too nervous.

  “The kids look great,” commented Mary Anne. “It’s going to be a fun game, no matter what.”

  “I think so, too,” said Bart, who had joined us. “But Kristy can’t relax.”

  “I’ll relax when it’s over,” said Kristy. “Right now I’m busy worrying about whether Nicky will remember how to make a double play, and whether Jackie will break any bones, and —”

  “It’ll be okay,” I said. “Everybody’s going to do their best. Have fun, Kristy — it’s only a game, remember?” She gave me a weak smile, and I smiled back, giving her the thumbs-up sign. I looked at Mary Anne and Mal. “Let’s go find some seats,” I said.

  We wished Kristy and Bart good luck, and then walked through the crowd that was gathering. “Wow,” said Mal. “There sure are a lot of people here.”

  “Look!” said Mary Anne. “Hot dogs!” We saw a hot dog vendor, a pretzel man, and a lemonade stand run by the brothers and sisters of kids on the New Hope team. I felt as if we were at a carnival or something. Mary Anne bought a hot dog and I bought a pretzel. Then we each bought a cup of lemonade, and found seats in the bleachers. I saw Mrs. Braddock across the way, and gave her a wave. Mr. Rodowsky, Jackie’s dad, was there, too. This was really a big event.

  Suddenly, a big cheer went up as the New Hope team ran out onto the field. “Boy, they look serious,” I said. The kids were wearing full uniforms, and some of them looked pretty old. “This could be a tough —” I began, but just then the Krashers came out onto the field, led by Kristy and Bart. I jumped up and yelled, “Go, Krashers!” There were fewer people to cheer for our team, but the Krashers still got a pretty big round of applause. Jackie Rodowsky swept off his cap and took a bow, and everybody laughed.