She heard her mom speaking in a soft tone but couldn’t make out the words.
“We’ll do what we can, Mrs. Briggs. I promise my team will work as hard as humanly possible to figure out what happened here. But . . . I just want you to be prepared that it’s possible nothing will come of our investigation.”
Meg’s mom and dad left with the sheriff to go to the crime scene while Sarah and Ben finished cooking dinner. Meg had the sudden urge to be downstairs with them. She didn’t want to be alone anymore.
When she stepped into the kitchen, Sarah stopped stirring the pasta and looked at Meg with a concerned expression. “Did you hear?”
Meg nodded, but her emotions were too close to the surface for her to speak. Ben looked equal parts furious and worried, but when his eyes met Meg’s he put down his spatula and wrapped her in a hug. “It’s going to be all right. Mom and Dad will figure something out. Don’t worry, Micro.”
Meg pulled away and looked him square in the eye. “Stop telling me not to worry, Ben!”
“I’m sorry—” He shook his head, as if to scold himself.
“Meg,” Sarah started to say. “Ben didn’t mean—”
“Stop!” Meg said. “Both of you, stop treating me like I’m some little baby you have to protect. We’re all part of the same family. We’re all worried about the same things. I’m not too young to understand how bad things are for our family right now. I told you that earlier, Ben!”
Ben looked at the floor, and Sarah studied her sister’s face intently.
“You’re right,” Ben said.
“You are,” Sarah said. “You’re right that things are really bad and that we shouldn’t treat you like this. I’m sorry, Meg. I just hate seeing you so upset. You’re my little sister—I used to change your diapers.”
Meg screwed up her face. “Ew.”
“Trust me, it was grosser for me.” Sarah lightly punched Meg on the arm. “I can’t help it. I just don’t want you to be scared.”
“Ditto.” Ben sighed.
Meg pushed up the sleeves of her flannel shirt. “I forgive you,” she said, then added, “What can I do?”
Ben ruffled her hair and handed her a head of broccoli. “Start there,” he said, as he flipped over the chicken breasts sizzling in the pan.
* * *
Their parents returned from the lot, and Meg heard the deputy’s car pull out of the driveway. The five of them ate in silence, the day’s events weighing heavily on all of them. Meg’s mom’s eyes were red and raw as she sniffled throughout the meal. Her dad stared off angrily into space, his rigatoni with chicken and broccoli getting cold on his plate. Meg watched her family, the worry so thick in the room it felt like she could reach out and touch it.
A startling thought began to take shape in Meg’s head, and in an instant she knew that there was one way to solve this mystery. But her parents had made her drop the only creature who could make that happen at the animal shelter. Better still, Chestnut could have prevented this from happening in the first place. He wouldn’t have let those thieves onto their property. He would have sensed their presence, alerted the farm staff, and driven them away. But now that the trees were gone, what better way to track them down than with an expert tracking dog?
Now Meg didn’t just miss her dog—she needed him, too.
Meg’s mind was a jumble of ideas and feelings as she picked at her dinner. She knew without a doubt that Chestnut would be able to help find the stolen trees. She looked at her mom and dad, at their strained faces and empty stares. If they knew what she was thinking, they’d be more than disappointed or angry. They’d be furious. But it was a chance Meg was willing to take. She was going to have to do something drastic, maybe even a little crazy. She could get into a lifetime of trouble, but it was worth the risk. She would do anything for her family.
She needed to get her dog back. First she’d have to figure out exactly how to do it.
★ Chapter 19 ★
* * *
* * *
After dinner was finished and the kitchen was cleaned up, Meg’s mom and dad went upstairs to their bedroom. They said they were going to turn in early, but when Meg went up to her bedroom, she could hear them talking through their door. She was glad she couldn’t hear what they were saying. A part of her knew that the theft of the trees had distracted them from fully administering her punishment, but she didn’t care anymore. She had bigger things on her mind.
Meg went back downstairs and peeked into the living room. Sarah sat on the couch with her phone. Meg assumed she was texting her friends. Ben was curled up in the recliner with a book, but Meg didn’t think he was really reading. His eyes were stuck on the same spot on the page, and his mind seemed far away. Without saying anything, Meg headed past the living room, through the kitchen, and into the mudroom. She pulled on her boots and coat, hat and scarf, and slipped outside. She was prepared to say that she was just going out for a walk to clear her head, but nobody saw her leave, let alone asked where she was going. They were all too upset themselves.
As soon as she was outside, she ran to the barn and got her bike. The air was biting and clear as night settled over the mountain, and Meg shivered even in her thick new coat. She closed the barn door and hopped on her bike, pedaling quickly toward Colton’s house. She needed him in order for her plan to succeed. If he agreed to help her out, she knew that she would owe him big time.
She skidded into Colton’s driveway and let her bike fall to the ground. She raced up the porch steps and knocked on the screen door that led into the Johnsons’ mudroom. The dogs were all curled on the floor just inside, and as she approached, they jumped up, barking excitedly in greeting. After a long moment, Colton’s mom, Dr. Shirley, came to the door.
“Well, hello, Meg. How are you, tonight?” Dr. Shirley asked, wiping her hands on a dishtowel as she opened the door for Meg.
“I’m fine, thanks, Dr. Shirley,” Meg said. “How are you?”
“I’m whooped,” Shirley said with a smile. “I spent all afternoon over on the Stevens’ farm vaccinating their new litter of puppies.” She chuckled. “Wrangling thirteen black Lab pups is harder than trying to teach them the alphabet.”
“That sounds hard.” Meg smiled, trying her best to seem pleasant and normal. “I’m sorry to come over so late. Is Colton home? I need to ask him a favor.”
“Of course, of course,” Dr. Shirley said. “He’s inside playing a game of chess with his dad. Do you want to come in?”
Meg nodded and followed Dr. Shirley inside. Colton was sitting at the kitchen table with his dad, Dr. Marcus, and from the looks of things, Dr. Marcus was just about to win the whole game.
“Ugh,” Colton groaned as his dad took his last bishop. “I was trying to get closer to your queen.”
“Yeah, but you’ve always got to keep an eye on the rooks behind you, kiddo.” Dr. Marcus was a tall, broad-shouldered man with smile lines around his eyes. Meg thought Colton was going to look just like his dad when he grew up.
“Good evening, Megan,” Dr. Marcus said, glancing at her quickly before turning his attention back to the game. “How are things over at the tree farm?” He always called her Megan, no matter how many times Colton told him to call her Meg.
Meg shrugged, unsure at first whether she should tell them about the stolen trees. “I guess they could be better,” she finally said.
Dr. Marcus looked back up at her. “Everything all right?” His voice was full of genuine concern.
“Oh, it’s just been a rough day,” Meg said, hoping she sounded less shaky than she felt.
Dr. Marcus nodded knowingly. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I do understand. Some days are harder than others.” He sighed. “When you run your own business, it’s a lot of responsibility, and it’s all on you. Shirley and I get it.”
“We do,” Shirley piped in.
Meg knew that Colton’s parents were large-animal veterinarians. They drove around taking care of the horses, cattle, pigs, an
d sheep—as well as the occasional litter of puppies—on area farms. Colton had told her once about a disease that swept through the cattle farms of the county. His parents had worked day and night to try to save them but had lost more cows than they’d saved. Meg couldn’t imagine how hard that must have been on Dr. Marcus and Dr. Shirley and the farmers. She supposed they probably did know how it felt to be helpless.
Meg slid into the chair next to Colton and tried to be patient while they finished their game. After a few minutes and a few more moves, Dr. Marcus said, “Checkmate.”
Colton sighed, then held out his hand to shake his dad’s. “Good game, Dad.”
Dr. Marcus pumped his son’s hand up and down. “Good game, kid.”
Colton looked at Meg. “You want to go downstairs?”
Meg nodded and they escaped down the stairs to Colton’s finished basement, which was equipped with a large couch, a big-screen television, and all of Colton’s baseball paraphernalia.
“What’s up?” Colton asked as he flopped onto the couch and grabbed the remote.
Meg sat down beside him. Usually she kicked off her shoes and settled into the fluffy cushions, but this time she sat upright on the edge of the sofa, too tense to even lean back.
“I need your help,” she said without preamble. Colton raised a questioning eyebrow, and she continued. “Chestnut got out today and came to the house. I . . . I ended up confessing everything, and my mom and dad made me take him to the shelter.” Her voice trembled, but she forced back the tears. She didn’t have time for crying right now.
“Oh, shoot,” Colton said. “I’m really sorry.”
She was so grateful for her friend in that moment. He didn’t say “I told you so,” and he didn’t tell her that everything would work out. He just sympathized with her. Colton was always so good at saying the right thing.
She bit her lip, then continued. “It was awful. I feel so guilty for lying to my parents. And to Chestnut. I told him I’d never leave him, but I was wrong, and I had to hand him over to a stranger. You should have seen his face . . .” Meg felt a sharp pang in her chest and couldn’t finish the sentence.
Colton nodded. “What do you need my help with?”
Meg looked down at her hands, then back up at him. Everything was riding on Colton saying yes. She took a breath and knew that she had to come right out with it.
“Somebody robbed the tree farm, Colt.”
“What—when?”
“Today. They cut down a bunch of trees and took them. Things were already really tight this year, and now . . . now we might even have to let some of the staff go.” This time, she couldn’t hold back her tears. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but . . .” Meg was quiet for a second, waiting until she could speak without sobbing. “But I know Chestnut could find our trees and whoever did this. He can track them and send those dumb thieves to jail and that would really help the farm and maybe . . . maybe my mom and dad would let me keep him after all.” She finished and felt totally drained.
Colton looked at her with wide eyes and shook his head, as if he was still processing everything she had said. “Who would steal Christmas trees? That’s like the least Christmas-y move ever—what a grinch.”
Meg nodded. It was hard to imagine that someone cared so little about Christmas or the holiday spirit—let alone other people—that they could do such a cruel thing. And she hated the thought that strangers had snuck around her farm without anyone knowing.
“I know I kept a lot of secrets and lied to everyone. Even you,” Meg said. “You don’t have to forgive me—but will you help me?”
Colton didn’t even hesitate. “Of course,” he said.
For the millionth time, Meg told herself she had the best best friend ever.
“What do you need me to do?”
“Come with me to the shelter and tell them that you and your parents are going to foster Chestnut,” Meg began. “I mean, you guys have so many dogs around here that your folks probably won’t even notice another one, right?”
Colton rolled his eyes. “That’s ridiculous, Meg. Of course they’ll notice.”
Despite the circumstances, Meg couldn’t help but chuckle at the look on his face. “I was kidding about that part. But I really do think I can actually fix everything, once and for all.”
“Okay,” he said. He looked her right in the eye. “This is crazy. You know that, right, Meg?”
“Yup.”
He laughed. “Well, as long as we’re in agreement then. Give me a minute or two to convince my mom and dad.”
★ Chapter 20 ★
* * *
* * *
Meg stayed downstairs while Colton went up to sweet-talk his parents. He came back down just a few minutes later. “Okay,” he said, glancing back over his shoulder. “I only told them the basics—that you found a dog and are trying to convince your parents to keep him. They agreed to foster him for a few days.” He shot Meg a serious look. “I left out the whole part about Chestnut helping you track down criminals, since they’re definitely not going to go for that. I don’t suppose I can talk you out of that, can I?”
Meg jumped up and ran over to him. “Thank you!” she said, throwing her arms around him in a big, grateful hug. “And no, definitely not.”
“Yeah, I figured you weren’t going to give up that easily,” Colton said, hugging her back. “But at least I can say I tried. Now let’s go get your dog before anything else crazy happens. Or before I change my mind.”
Upstairs, Dr. Shirley gave Colton a handwritten note on her official veterinary practice letterhead, with her signature at the bottom. “This tells Janice at the shelter that we’re okay with you bringing Chestnut here.” She looked at Meg. “Meg, I need you to understand that this is only a temporary fix, okay? We can’t keep him here forever.”
Meg nodded enthusiastically. “I understand, Dr. Shirley. I promise. Thank you so, so much.”
Dr. Shirley gave her a hug. “I know how it feels to fall in love with your first dog.” She smiled nostalgically, then jerked a thumb toward the sleepy pack curled up together on the mudroom floor. “And your hundredth.” She clapped her hands together. “Okay, team. Reflector vests and helmets—both of you—and watch for ice.”
In the mudroom, Colton stepped over and around snorting dogs and layered on his winter gear. He handed Meg a neon yellow vest with shiny strips of reflector tape all over it. “Mom’s rules,” he said before pulling one over his own coat. He shoved a spare collar and leash into his coat pocket.
Meg put the vest on over her purple coat and followed him outside into the dark.
* * *
The ride into town took them about twenty minutes. By the time the shelter’s sign came into view, Meg’s legs were buzzing from exertion, but she was filled with hope. Chestnut was waiting for her, and she was going to bring him home.
They parked their bikes and ran inside just as the shelter volunteer was turning off the lights. “Hey Colton,” the woman said. She nodded at Meg, whom she’d just met earlier that evening. “Hi, sweetheart. Good to see you again. But we’re closed for the night, kids. You’ll have to come back tomorrow.”
“Oh please—I can’t!” Meg cried. Her knees felt weak with fear that she’d missed her chance by moments. “We have to get Chestnut tonight.” She didn’t want to cry in front of the woman twice in one day, but she could feel the sting of fresh tears building behind her eyes.
“Please, Janice,” Colton said, pulling the piece of paper out of his pocket. He handed it to the volunteer. “This is from my mom. She gave me permission to foster the Plott hound that the Briggs family brought in earlier.”
Janice’s face fell and she looked at them with genuine pity in her eyes. “Oh, kids, I’m so sorry.” She shook her head slowly. “That dog was adopted an hour ago.”
“What?” Meg cried out. The dam broke and fat tears streamed down her face, but she didn’t care anymore. What was left of her heart had broken all over a
gain.
Colton put a protective arm around her, and she buried her face on his shoulder to cry. “It’s okay, Meg.” He turned back to Janice. “The Plott hound—he’s brindled—brown and black?”
“That’s the one,” she said.
“And you’re sure he was adopted and not fostered?” Colton continued. “Maybe they were just going to take him home for a little while?”
“No, sorry.” Janice shook her head again. “It was a family, and they were pretty excited about finding the exact dog they’d been wanting. They’d come by here a few times in the last few weeks but never quite connected with the right dog. Until they saw the Plott.” She smiled at the memory. “And the little boy was just so excited—he said he’s been waiting for a dog with four white paws.”
“Wait—what?” Meg’s head popped up. “Did you say four white paws?”
“Yes, hon. Four white paws. Just like the dog you brought in today.”
“Chestnut only has one white paw!” Meg said, her voice high and excited. “Colton—it wasn’t him!”
Colton smiled cautiously. “Can we just check to see if her dog is still here?”
Janice started to shake her head.
“Please?” Meg said. “It’s so important—we need Chestnut to help my family.”
“I—” The woman started to speak, but then seemed to change her mind. “Sure. You two are very sweet, and you”—she tipped her head at Meg—“really seem like you’ve had a rough day. Why not.”
She led them through the door at the back of the room. As soon as they stepped through it, a chaotic chorus of barks rang out at the far end of a long hallway.
They turned a corner at the end of the hall and came to a stop in a massive room lined with rows of kennels stacked three high. Meg tried to listen for Chestnut’s familiar bark, but she couldn’t pick it out with all the other dogs barking too. Meg ran down one row, then another, scanning every cage frantically.
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