Only the Dog Knows

by Diane Roads

CHAPTER 12

  Back at the station everyone was finishing up loading the cars.

  "Okay, guys, he is over at Sally's, as we speak. It is time to get everything in place, and remember, we don't want George Carter alerted. The sun is going down in 30 minutes, and our friend Mr. Skinner should be done by then. Sally will call me when he leaves her place, so stay sharp, and be careful. This man has killed before, and I want to go to a picnic, not a funeral, next week." Everybody nodded in agreement as they left.

  When the cars pulled into Mr. Spencer's place there was no one around, even Carl Carter's apartment looked like no one was home. They were very quiet as they opened the doors to the four car garage. Two cars were parked inside. There was room for Avery to park his truck outside under the carport. If he came in the back way no one would see him coming. It looked like any normal house as the men walked across to the bushes that skirted the sides. It gave them just enough cover as not to be seen from the Twilliger's.

  Jim opened a door that was used to get in where Rollo was kept in the garage. The recent rain had given it a musty smell. He and Smokey slipped in without a sound. Smokey was told "NO BARKING," and he knew that command. Smokey sniffed the ground as he walked in; he knew that this was another dog's territory, and that the dog was not home.

  Jasper and Kevin went inside by the back door. Jasper checked the white panel with the buttons on it, and made sure the alarm was off. The rest of the men fanned out. One went into the fenced in area that had some gardening tools in it. Another man hid in the rose garden just next to the trellis. Another slipped inside the guest cottage that was bigger than most of the houses in Quagmire. Others stepped out farther on the property. Now, all that was left to do was to wait for Sally's phone call.

  The night was very clear; every star that was out could be seen, without a trace of the moon. It was going to be hard to see anyone in the midst of the Twilliger's yard. Even the night goggles were not much help.

  The muscles of the men were taut as Jasper's phone vibrated. Sally said "Jasper you won't believe it, but you almost had a bunch of teenager on your hands at the Twilliger's. Those Loony kids wanted to help you out, and check the place out. Avery sent them over to Jack's for some fun. You don't have to worry about them. Thank God for the Moonlight Chaser." She then added that Mr. Skinner was up paying for his dinner, and as they spoke, she could see him walk out the door. The direction he left was towards the Twilliger's house. She told Jasper he had heard the people talking about what had happened to Mr. Twilliger, and was sure he knew no one was home. Her part of the operation was over. She felt good that she could be of some help.

  Jasper motioned to Kevin that Mr. Skinner was on his way and to be ready. Each man had a pager that sent out a preplanned vibration signal to let him know Mr. Skinner was coming. They each signaled that they got the message. Everyone was so quiet, that the only sound that could be heard was the crickets and the bullfrogs on the pond.

  Adam was out hiding in the bushes, next to the trap door to the tunnel. There was a back road that went through the woods a hundred yards away from the tunnel. In the slave trading days, the row of trees was a lot closer. It allowed the slaves easy access to the entrance under the cover of the night.

  A twig broke in the distance. It could have been a wild animal, but then he heard another a little closer. Then a few quick footsteps that stopped next to the bush he was hiding in. He held his breath as he heard the sound of someone breathing so close that he could reach out and touch them. A cold chill went through his bones as he heard the door of the tunnel open and someone crawl inside. Adam let out a deep sigh of relief. He said a little "Thank You Lord" when he didn't get caught hiding out. It was time to alert the men that Mr. Skinner was coming through the tunnel. The signal was "one if by land, two if by tunnel," an easy code to remember.

  Jasper and Kevin were in the house already at their stations. They had to wait for him to take the picture out of the house before they could nab him. Jasper was hiding in the broom closet as Earl Skinner came through the tunnel. Jasper could hear the Coat of Arms slowly slide across the wall in the pantry opening the secret door. He could see light dancing in the crack between the floor and the door. Mr. Skinner had a brought a penlight to navigate the tunnel. He knew that at any moment in the dark he would be standing face to face with Earl Skinner, not that Earl would know.

  His men were ready as the doorknob of the pantry turned. The door opened as Earl Skinner cautiously stepped into the kitchen. He turned and went through the doorway to the dinning room, and on to the living room, his penlight darting from one picture to another, pausing just long enough to see they were not a Bruskey.

  Jasper quietly slid out of the closet, he had a device that in the dark would make the pantry door seem as if it was stuck. This insured that Earl Skinner would not be going back though the tunnel. Jasper then slipped into the den off the hall, and out another door outside.

  Earl Skinner rounded the corner from the stairs. His penlight stopped dead in its tracks. His mouth dropped open in surprise as he said, "Come to papa, oh yes, yes." Opening the back of the picture, he checked to make sure that the Van Gogh was still there. Satisfied that it was, he slipped the picture easily into his black bag for protection. He then slipped the shoulder strap over his neck on to his shoulder to keep his hands free.

  Quietly he retraced his steps back to the pantry. He turned the knob with ease but the door would not open, pull as he might, nothing worked. He didn't dare risk turning on a light for a better look and alert George Carter that he was in the house. He laughed to himself as he thought about how stupid and scared George had been when Skinner had told him he was just driving by, and thought he would stop in to see him.

  George had no idea that when he let Skinner read his letters from his dad, that he was also letting him know about his daddy's big find. His dad had discovered a tunnel, a secret way into the Twilliger's house. "Stupid kid," thought Skinner, “he never said the door sticks," as he tried one more time to open the door. He went back and checked the front hall. A car drove by out front. He then noticed someone, in his or her haste, had forgotten to turn the alarm on. This was his lucky day. He could slip out the back door, and no one would notice. As he headed down the hall to the kitchen, he thought he heard another car drive by out front. He told himself not to worry, everyone was gone to the hospital, and he could handle that kid if he ran into him. A quick look out the back door, and he slipped into the darkness. He didn't hear George open the car door at the same time he opened the back door, but what happened next stopped him cold in his tracks.

  Standing with his arm raised, gun in hand, was Jasper. Off to the side Smokey was growling. As he turned to draw his gun at Jasper something large and black with teeth clamped down on his arm, throwing his shot off just enough that Jasper heard the bullet whiz past his ear. Then Smokey showed up seconds later and was on his other arm throwing him to the ground with such force that it knocked the wind out of him.

  A surprised Jasper and Kevin heard the screams of, "Get them off of me! Help! Get them off of me! He's tearing up my arm!"

  Jasper called Smokey and he responded. George Carter came running up and shouted "release, Rollo, release." Rollo wasn't ready to release the arm of Earl Skinner. Smokey let out three barks to show his support. Rollo then released, but did not leave the man's side.

  Earl Skinner was screaming, "Get that dog away from me! He is dangerous! Get him away! Get him away! That dog hates me!"

  George told him to quiet down, and he could get Rollo and put him in the pen. But he had to stay perfectly still or he could not control the dog. A weak “okay" was heard from Earl Skinner as George reached for Rollo's collar. You could see the hatred in Rollo's eyes. George had managed to snap the leash on his collar before Rollo could lung again. It was all George could do to get him to his pen. No one moved until George locked him in his dog run. "Good Rollo, Good Rollo." Rollo just stood there with his hair standing up on his b
ack. A low growl was heard. As far as Rollo was concerned he wasn't finished with this man. Rollo knew who Skinner was.

  Everyone started to breathe again. It was at that point that Earl Skinner realized what had really happened. This was not his lucky day. George Carter had such a confused look on his face. He was looking down at a man he had hoped he would never see again. From what Jasper could see, it confirmed what Carl Carter had said about his son.

  As Jim helped him up, Jasper said, "I think you have something that doesn't belong to you." He slipped the bag off from around Earl's neck, and told him, "You have the right to remain silent."

  “What do you mean, ‘I have the right to remain silent?’ This kid is the one who told me how to get in, and what to pick up. He is the one you should be arresting here, not me. I just came by to pick up a picture he left for me. Next thing I know, I am being attacked by dogs, and have guns in my face. I just let off a shot to defend myself, that’s all.”

  “Nice story, but we know you have been planning this for a long time, and that George here had nothing to do with it at all. You are on your own with this break-in,” informed Jasper.

  A confused George Carter asked, "What just happened here?"

  "Stupid Kid..." Then in a whining voice Skinner began to mimic George, “‘Here, you want to read a letter from my daddy? He works for a very nice man by the name of Thomas Twilliger. They have a very big old house. It was built back before the civil war days, and my daddy takes care of all of it. I know it was, because my daddy told me about a tunnel that was built on the property, so they could hide runaway slaves. It goes all the way to the kitchen of the house. My daddy is a very important man to Mr. Twilliger. He takes care of him.’” Skinner continued to drone, "Sure kid, I want to read your letter, stupid kid. You really want to think that I wanted to hear from dear old pop?" Whining voice again… “‘Daddy said I could come live with him when I got out, and make a fresh new start.’ This was supposed to be my fresh start, and you had to come home and spoil it with that dog. I could have gotten away if it hadn't been for you. I won't forget you, kid."

  Jasper told Jim and Kevin to take him away, and as they cuffed him and stuffed him in the patrol car, you could hear them finish reading him his rights. Jasper then turned to George to say, "Don't listen to him; he is just letting off a lot of steam. There is not a good bone in his body, and probably will never be one. He is a user, George. He uses people, and then throws them away. If it weren't you, it would have been someone else. Just consider yourself lucky he didn't get you involved in all of this."

  "But I was," said George. "If it hadn't been for me letting him read my daddy's letter, none of this would have ever happened."

  "It's not your fault George. You tried to do a kind act and..... well, it's just not your fault. No one is blaming you for all that has happened. Now go look after Rollo, everything is going to be all right. When you're done, Kevin will drive you down to the station. I want to get your statement."

  "I still don't understand what happened with Rollo. He never did anything like that before with anyone else. I thought seeing Mr. Twilliger would calm him down. I guess I was wrong. But why was Old Scoot the only one that he attacked?"

  "I don't know, and we may never know. Why don't you just take care of him for now? Make sure he is okay. Maybe you can calm him down." Jasper didn't want George to know he wasn't fully out of the woods yet. He didn't know for sure what his part was in all of this, but he was going to find out before Skinner was out of his custody.