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

by Mary Hiker

  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.

  Chapter 12

  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.

  I slowly and softly rubbed the top of Bullfrog’s head, and a thought floated to my brain just like a feather drops from the sky.

  Biggest treasure. As far as size goes, Bullfrog is the biggest treasure.

  I looked at Bullfrog’s old red stinky dog collar. There was a drastic difference between that one and Princess’ beautiful collar. I ran my hand over the dirty collar and noticed a slight bump about an inch long. I unfastened the buckle, took off his collar and ran it between my fingers. At first I thought it was a blemish in the material, but the more I touched it, I became convinced that there was something inside the layers of nylon webbing.

  I reached into my pants pocket and pulled out my trusted pocket knife. It had come in handy on many search and rescue missions, and now it would work to dissect a dog collar.

  I carefully slit the thread stitching, and opened the layers. Inside the collar was a small metal key. And a little note.

  Just like Ben, I thought with a smile.

  I unfolded the small piece of paper and immediately recognized Ben’s handwriting:

  ‘Pull back the rug and use the key, and buried treasure you will see. Bullfrog protects the box.’

  Bullfrog protects the box? W
hat? All he does is sleep in his bed all day.

  I looked at the note again, remembering Ben’s fervent words.

  My biggest treasure holds the key to my treasure.

  I pushed the hair back from my face, thinking hard.

  Sleeps on his bed. Protects.

  I rolled Bullfrog off my lap and moved across the floor toward his dog bed. I hesitated, then bent over and tried to slide Bull Frog’s dog bed aside. It wouldn’t budge. On closer inspection, I discovered that the wooden frame of the dog bed was nailed to the floor. Underneath was a navy blue area rug that covered the room’s tan carpet. Only one end of it was unattached to the bed.

  Pull back the rug.

  With three dogs now gathered around and watching me, I reached down and raised the edge of the blue rug. To my surprise, there was a locked door latch hidden underneath. The dog bed was actually attached to a homemade hatch door cut into the floor boards. I put the key into the lock and it opened easily.

  I swung the entire contraption up and open while Bullfrog kept a wary eye on his bed. As I laid on the floor, I pushed aside some loose floor insulation covering the hole to reveal the dirt land underneath the mobile home.

  I got up and grabbed Ben’s metal detector from behind his couch. Once I figured out how to get it started up, I placed it through the secret hole in the floor. The machine immediately honked and beeped like a dysfunctional smoke alarm.

  The dogs barked and howled with the sound until I was able to shut it off. I went out to my truck and grabbed a mini shovel I kept for cadaver dog training, brought it in the house, and jumped down through the hole in the floor, the dogs barking behind me. It was a stinky place with lots of spider webs, but I focused on the task at hand and knelt down on the damp earth to dig.

  As soon as the dirt started flying, Princess jumped down through the hole and decided to join in the fun. That dog was a little digging machine. She must have thought I had a big bone buried under there somewhere. I moved aside and let her go to town. As she dug, I scooped out the dirt behind her as fast as I could go. Not only was I glad that Princess had impressive digging skills, I also figured no rodents would dare come around me while she was there. Chevy and Bullfrog stood on the floor above and looked down through the hole at us as we dug. I chuckled to myself…men.

  It wasn’t long until I noticed both Chevy and Bull Frog had disappeared from view. I stuck my head back up through the floor and discovered that Chevy had entered into his mischief mode. He had snuck the special soft dog treats off the kitchen counter and both dogs happily chowed down on the last of the snacks. The same snacks rumored to give Bullfrog extensive gas – Great. One thing was now for sure, Bullfrog would be having his own farting party before the night was over. It was too late to save the treats, so Princess and I went back to work digging for the secret box.

  We dug about two feet down when I was alarmed by the sound of gravel spewing from under tires outside. It must have already gotten dark out, because I saw vehicle lights through the cracks in mobile home’s underpinning. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and my phone was still in the kitchen.

  Two people got out of a car and ran straight for Ben’s front door. Instinctively, I grabbed the trapdoor and pulled it back down over me and Princess.

  It was pitch dark under the mobile home with the hatch closed and no light coming from above. I held Princess tight, petting her to keep her quiet. It was vital that no one knew we were under the house. Things had turned from being weird and crossed into dangerous.

  I could only assume that the dog bed fell back in place, hiding the secret hole. As an added bonus, Bullfrog jumped back on his bed and growled to protect his prized possession.

  There were two loud crashes at the door, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps as they entered the home. My heart raced as I heard them travel from room to room. I heard Chevy’s paws hit the floor as he ran to the door, but his barking stopped. I was glad Princess was hidden under the mobile home with me.

  “Where is she?” The voice was familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

  “This is going too far.” I immediately recognized Rocky’s voice.

  “You are in it up to your neck, so get your head in the game.” The voice was threatening.

  “She hasn’t done anything wrong.” Rocky was almost pleading.

  “She either has the treasure or knows where it is. I saw a loser private detective slip her a package at the festival.” I realized the voice belonged to the announcer from the dog parade. “We have worked too hard to just let some broad get rich.”

  “We wouldn’t be in a pinch if you hadn’t hired those idiots to dig up the place.” Rocky said.

  My heart hurt in more ways than one, as it became apparent that Rocky was not who he portrayed himself to be. As I huddled in the dirt, I remembered that Princess’ hackles rose when Rocky came around the first day I met her. I guessed she knew it all along.

  The room was momentarily silent.

  “AAAAGGGGGHHHHH, what is THAT??” The stranger yelled, followed by gagging.

  Rocky snapped back, “Knock it off, you’re gonna make me puke!”

  Bullfrog’s gas bombs must have kicked in from all the soft dog treats.

  Right on time.

  “Get me outta here, this place stinks like rotten eggs!” The strange man was still heaving as they ran out the door and drove down the drive.

  Heart still beating fast, I hugged little Princess with relief and said, “Bullfrog does know how to clear a room, doesn’t he?”

  I pushed up on the hatch door to get back inside, but it wouldn’t budge. Bullfrog was lying in his bed and had no desire what-so-ever to move. I called out to him with no luck, and pushed again with all my might but couldn’t get any traction with the cramped space. Besides, the old dog was heavy. As true to his habits, he was set in his bed for the night, and probably would be farting dog treats for several more hours.

  The next time Bullfrog would have any incentive to get up would be his morning potty break. I didn’t want to break out the sides of the underpinning because I didn’t know if there were still intruders outside.

  I sighed, looking around in the dark. That only left one available option. Princess and I hunkered down and spent the night trying to sleep on the cold dirt with one eye open.

  Chapter 13

  The sound of two dogs barking woke me with a start. I realized that Chevy and Bullfrog were at the front door, above us, ready for their morning potty break. My body was chilled and clothes were filthy from sleeping on the dirt all night. At least Princess provided some warmth as we curled up together in the pit.

  With Bullfrog out of his bed, I was able to lift the trap door up with ease. As I climbed through the secret door, I was smacked in the face by the horrendous smell of Bullfrog’s solo farting party last night. Since Princess and I both were covered in a dirty stench all our own, it was a real stink-fest.

  After checking to see if the area was clear, the dogs went out in the yard and did their business quickly while I stood watch and figured out my next move. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and hurried them back in the house.

  “Sorry guys, come on, everybody back in quick.” I gave all three dogs a cookie to make up for the lack of morning play time outside.

  As they enjoyed their treats, I pulled out the paper bag from the refrigerator and took out the mysterious package. I carefully cut the duct tape with my knife. Inside, there were photos of Rocky going in and out of a pawn shop with a very skinny man. There were a couple of photos of the private eye holding Princess’ dog collar inside the shop. There were surveillance notes, a newspaper clipping and more photos showing Rocky’s whereabouts over the last two weeks.

  I looked closely at the newspaper article from two years before. It showed a picture of the new Mayor, celebrating his election with extended family members. I recognized the man as the announcer at the dog parade. One very familiar face in the family picture was circled. It was Rocky.

>   Wearily, I looked out the windows again to make sure it was all clear. This time, I noticed a brief flash in the woods. Something had reflected the light from the morning sun. It was there and gone, but I definitely saw it. Something or someone was watching us from the trees.

  =+=+=+

  I did not know how much time I had. I decided that I couldn’t call the local police, since I didn’t know who the Mayor had in his pocket. I called Deputy Don and it went straight to voicemail. I left him a message that would be sure to get his attention.

  “Get the authorities out here. Be careful who you call, the Mayor is involved.”

  I jumped back down through the floorboards into the hole we dug the night before and frantically continued our mission. After removing eight more shovelfuls of dirt, I hit something. I tapped it with the end of the small shovel and it clanked. It was metal. My adrenaline rose so high I didn’t even feel my hands bleeding.

  The metal box was a lot heavier than expected, as I pulled it out of the hole. It was a struggle, but I lifted it out of the cramped space, up through the hole and onto the floor of the mobile home, where it landed with a thud.

  I cracked the back door open and saw two guys standing next to an old beat up truck at the far end of the driveway. My stomach knotted and my body tingled with stress as I fought the feelings of fear. I had to get myself and the dogs to safety, preferably with this heavy box in tow.

  I grabbed the empty paper grocery bag from the table and quickly dumped enough dog food in it to fill it about half way. Then I rolled the top of the bag over and re-used some of the duct tape to seal it as best I could. This fake bag of treasure would keep them focused on me and not the dogs. I took a deep breath, then told the dogs to ‘stay’ as I stepped out on the porch.

  The two men headed my way too fast for a casual walk, then they broke into a trot. This was menacing, so I started to jog toward the hill lugging the fake treasure bag of dog food along. As I looked over my shoulder, they broke into a full blown run and so did I. I focused on making it to the wasp mound.