Dognapped! (5 page)

Gran must have meant half an hour in the car, because it took us over an hour to reach Mr Mudlark’s house on bikes, by which time I was glad of the bottle of water and bag of potato chips Max’s mom had given us both.

Trillington Kennels – Mr Mudlark’s home – was right at the end of a row of big detached houses, next to a field. It was a pretty impressive set-up, not like Gran’s terraced B&B. He must have quite a lot of money. Either that, or a lot of debt, which might be why he needed his dog to win the show. I wondered if it bothered him that his main rival was my Gran, with her one pet dog. She wasn’t a big breeder like him. She’d bought Fluffy to keep her company when Grandad left, and started going to shows to keep herself busy. And now, Fluffy had a string of trophies and was one of the favourites to win the biggest dog show in England.

There were no cars on the drive, but that didn’t mean Mr Mudlark wasn’t in. He could have parked in the garage at the side of the house.

We cycled past the house, then I signalled Max to stop a few metres along, by the field. ‘I reckon that the dogs are exercised in this field, so there must be some direct access from here into the grounds. Let’s put the bikes in the field, behind the hedge, and see if we can find a way into the garden.’

I was right, a heavily padlocked gate led to Mr Mudlark’s garden. The kennel block was right in front of us, thankfully it wasn’t in direct view of the house itself.

‘I’ll sneak in and find Fluffy. You warn me if anyone comes out of the house,’ I told Max. ‘You’ve still got the whistle, haven’t you?’

He took it out of his pocket and held it up. ‘I’ll blow it three times if I see anyone.’

As I climbed over the gate, Max called me back.

‘Here.’ He shoved his hand in the pocket of his shorts and took out a bag. ‘They’re doggy treats. You just might need them.’

‘Doggy treats?’ I opened the bag and saw some canine candy pieces. ‘Thanks.’ I stuffed the bag into my pocket, then ran over to the kennel block.

There was a row of enclosed runs either side of the block, made of some sort of steel mesh, so I could see inside them. I checked out the runs on the side nearest to me. There were four of them. My heart sank when I realised that there was a Bichon Frisé in every one – hardly surprising as that’s what Mr Mudlark bred! And they all looked identical. How could I tell if one of them was Fluffy?

The dogs barked like crazy as I got nearer. I stopped at every run, giving each dog one of Max’s candy pieces to quieten them down.

‘Fluffy. Here, girl,’ I called out, hoping that one of the dogs would prick up their ears and come running over to me.

None of them did.

I ran around to the other side of the block. These runs held small brown terrier-like dogs with long, glossy coats. Then, finally, in the very end run, I saw a Bichon Frisé with a pink glittery collar.

Fluffy.

I’d found her!

‘Fluffy! Hello, girl,’ I said softly.

Fluffy looked at me disdainfully.

‘Here, Fluffy!’ I coaxed, crouching down outside the run and holding out a candy piece.

Fluffy cocked her head on one side and watched me curiously, but made no move to take the candy.

There was no gate to the runs, but I could see a hatch in the back wall, leading, I suspected, to the dogs’ sleeping quarters. There must be a door in the kennel block to allow access to the dogs for feeding them, so I went to check the front. I found the door and was relieved to discover it open. This was also a bit worrying as I figured that meant Mr Mudlark was in. Surely he would keep the kennel locked if he was out? I glanced over at the house to check the coast was clear, then stepped inside.

The dogs started barking like mad again. If Mr Mudlark was in, he’d soon be coming to see what was going on. I had to move quickly.

‘Fluffy! Here girl!’ I lifted the latch and opened the pen. Then I crouched down and held out the candy piece.

Fluffy eyed me warily and crept forwards.

‘Come on, girl, nice girl.’ I kept my voice low, like Gran did. ‘Have some candy.’

As she took the candy, I grabbed her collar and dragged her out of the pen. Fluffy was furious. She growled, stiffened her legs, dug in her paws and refused to budge.

‘This is no time to be stubborn,’ I told her. ‘I’m trying to help you, you stupid dog.’

Fluffy growled again and snapped at my hand, luckily I moved it away just in time.

The other dogs were frantic now. I tried not to panic. I’d just have to pick Fluffy up and run with her, but I needed to muzzle her first or she’d have one of my fingers off. I’d tied a hoodie around my waist before I went out, in case it got chilly, so I used that to wrap around Fluffy.

‘Sorry, Fluffy,’ I said as I scooped the wriggling bundle up into my arms. ‘Believe me, I’m doing this for your own good.’

I ran out of the kennel block and over to the field. ‘I’ve got Fluffy! Quick, let’s get out of here!’ I panted when I reached Max. I tucked the squirming bundle under my left arm and used the other arm to balance as I climbed over the gate.

‘You mean Mr Mudlark did steal her?’ he gasped as we legged it across the field. ‘Shouldn’t we call the police now?’

‘Let’s get Fluffy back to Gran first, then she can tell the police.’ We’d reached our bikes now so I passed the wrapped-up Fluffy to Max. ‘Here, hold her a minute while I get the bikes over the fence – and don’t take that hoodie off her!’ I yelled as Max pulled back a corner to have a peep.

I lifted both bikes over the fence, climbed over myself and grabbed Fluffy back from Max. I put Fluffy in the big wicker basket on the back of my bike and fastened the loop, hoping it was strong enough to withstand her wriggling.

‘She won’t be able to breath properly in there!’ Max protested.

‘She will, it isn’t airtight and my hoodie is only loosely wrapped around her,’ I reassured him. ‘I’ll let her out as soon as we clear the lane.’

We had to cycle past Mr Mudlark’s house again. It was the only way out. As we approached it, we saw a dark-haired man mowing the front turf. Was that Mr Mudlark? If so, it was no wonder he hadn’t heard the dogs barking over the noise of the mower.

‘Just act natural, no one’s going to suspect some kids out cycling,’ I told Max, riding alongside him.

As we reached the house, the man switched off the mower and walked, with a slight limp, over to a side gate, without even glancing our way.

‘Ride as fast as you can,’ I shouted to Max. I wanted to be well out of the way when Mr Mudlark discovered that Fluffy was missing.

We raced up the lane and out of the village. I wanted to keep riding until we got to Little Cragg, but I was worried about Fluffy in the basket, so as soon as we’d covered a safe distance, I yelled to Max. ‘Pull over on the sidewalk by those garages. I want to check on Fluffy.’

‘What are you on about?’ he looked around puzzled. ‘What’s a sidewalk?’

‘This, Dumbo.’ I pulled over by the garages.

‘It’s a pavement, not a sidewalk,’ Max grumbled, pulling up beside me. I ignored him, got off my bike and opened the basket. Fluffy snarled and snapped at my finger.

‘Oww! She bit me!’ I yelled, rubbing my finger.

Fluffy wriggled out of the hoodie and poked her head out of the basket.

‘I’ll take her, she’s more used to me than you,’ Max said. ‘Here you are, Fluffy’ he took a candy piece out of his pocket and gave it to the dog.

Fluffy ate the candy, then grudgingly allowed Max to lift her out. ‘Poor thing, were you scared?’ Max said in a pathetic girlie voice.

‘Amy …’ Something about Max’s voice made me look up. He was staring at Fluffy, with a strange look on his face.

‘What?’

‘This dog … it isn’t Fluffy.’

‘What do you mean, this isn’t Fluffy?’ I demanded. ‘Look at her pink jewelled collar. Of course it’s her.’

‘It isn’t,’ Max insisted. ‘Fluffy has a darker halo around her eyes and her eyes are brighter.’

‘Are you sure?’ I stared at the dog, confused. She looked exactly like Fluffy to me.

Max nodded solemnly, ‘This definitely isn’t Fluffy. That’s probably why she was snapping at you so much, she’s scared!’

The dog licked his hand, happy as you like. You wouldn’t think she’d almost had my finger off when I went to lift her. Mind you, if Max was right and she wasn’t Fluffy, then it was no wonder she didn’t want to come with me.

And to make things even worse, if this wasn’t Fluffy, I’d broken into Mr Mudlark’s kennels and stolen one of his dogs. What’s more, he’d probably discovered it was missing by now and called the police. I had to think fast.

The ring of my cellphone interrupted my train of thought. I took it out of my pocket and glanced at the screen as I pressed the answer button. It was Gran. She’d insisted on having my phone number when I arrived, but this was the first time she’d phoned me. Maybe Fluffy had been found.

‘Hello, Gran.’

‘Amy. Where are you? You’ll never guess what’s happened? Mr Mudlark’s just phoned. Maisy-May’s been dognapped too!’

Maisy-May? I swallowed and looked over at the little dog Max was cradling. Fan-blooming-tastic. We’d only gone and stolen Mr Mudlark’s prize show dog. What a disaster!

Keep your head. Find out if you’re a suspect first, I told myself. ‘So, do the police have any idea who’s taken her?’ I asked.

‘Well, two show dogs have been stolen in less than a week, so they think it must be the work of an organised gang,’ Gran said. ‘They’re warning all owners of show dogs not to leave their pets alone and to provide extra security for their kennels.’

‘Are they sure Maisy-May has been stolen? Couldn’t she have just wandered off?’

Max’s eyes widened as he realised what I was saying. He looked at the dog and mouthed ‘Maisy-May?’ I nodded and mimed a zipping action across my mouth. I didn’t want him blurting anything out for Gran to overhear.

‘No, she was locked in her pen. Someone sneaked in and took her while Mr Mudlark was mowing the lawn,’ Gran replied. ‘They must have been watching and waiting for a chance to grab her, just like they did with Fluffy.’ I could hear the wobble in her voice. ‘I must pay that ransom. Goodness knows what those horrible people will do to darling Fluffy if I don’t. I’m going to arrange a bank loan today.’

‘Don’t do anything hasty, Gran. We don’t know that the ransom note is genuine yet,’ I told her.

‘Well, I can’t do anything until I get another note telling me where to leave the money, but I’m not taking any risks; not now Maisy-May has been taken too. Oh, Amy, if only you hadn’t left her in the garden on her own.’

Pile on the guilt why don’t you? ‘I’m so sorry …’

‘I know. Look, I have to go, the police might be trying to get through to me.’

Gran ended the call right there and I relayed the whole conversation to Max.

‘One thing puzzles me though,’ I told him. ‘Why is Maisy-May wearing that pink collar? It’s as if Mr Mudlark is trying to pass her off as Fluffy.’

‘Why would he do that?’ asked Max.

‘I don’t know. Maybe because Fluffy is favourite to win, so he’s trying to copy her style?’ Over Max’s shoulder I saw a police car coming towards us. ‘Turn around, quick!’ I spun him around so his back was facing the road.

‘Hey, what are you doing?’ Max shouted.

‘Shhh … A cop car’s coming. You don’t want them seeing Maisy-May, do you? We’ll be in major trouble if they find out we took her.’

‘We? It was you who stole her,’ Max pointed out. ‘I’m not getting into trouble with the police.’

‘Yeah, well my folks won’t be best pleased either. But don’t panic, I’ll get her back to Mr Mudlark somehow. Just don’t turn around until I tell you to.’

I bent down, pretending to look for a puncture in the tyre of my bike. I watched as the police car drove past; there was only one officer inside. The car stopped outside a newsstand down the road. A policewoman got out and walked into the store.

A glimmer of a plan formed in my mind. Taking risks was all in a day’s work for a detective like me.

‘Quick. Give her to me. Now!’ I told Max, holding out my hands.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked as he passed the dog to me with a concerned frown.

‘Making sure she gets found.’ Maisy-May wasn’t too happy about leaving Max and squirmed in my arms. I held her tight and ran over to the newsstand, placing her down on the ground just as she started barking wildly.

‘Now don’t run off,’ I told her.

I quickly checked my clothes for dog hairs, then pushed open the door and walked into the store just as the policewoman walked out.

I went straight to the chewing gum display by the window so I could watch what happened next. Maisy-May had now discovered the garbage bin and was foraging inside it, yapping with delight. The policewoman stopped, stared at the dog then reached down for her radio.

I paid for the chewing gum and walked out of the shop just as the PC was radioing that she’d found Maisy-May. ‘Hey, you,’ she called as I walked past.

I turned around and gave her a friendly smile. ‘Yes, officer?’

‘Did you notice this dog when you walked in?’

I looked at Maisy-May and shook my head. ‘Can’t say that I did. Is she lost?’

‘Well, she was, but now it seems she’s found again.’ The policewoman went to grab Maisy-May’s collar, but Maisy squirmed out of her grip and went to run off. I reached out and grabbed her collar.

‘Thanks,’ the policewoman smiled at me as she scooped Maisy-May up into her arms. ‘This is a very valuable dog you know. The owner will be very relieved to have her back.’

‘Glad to help,’ I said.

I walked over to the garages where Max was waiting for me.

‘You’ve got a nerve,’ he said admiringly.

‘You need it in this game,’ I told him, getting on my bike. ‘Race you home!’

Gran was really stressing when I got home. She’d heard about Maisy-May being found and was worried sick about Fluffy.

‘Why did they let Maisy-May go and not Fluffy?’ she asked me. ‘Oh my poor baby, what on earth are they doing to her? It doesn’t bear thinking about!’

‘It sounds like Maisy-May wandered off by herself, Gran,’ I said. ‘Mr Mudlark probably forgot to lock her in the pen.’

‘The police suggested that, but he’s sure he locked it. He said the dogs were barking so loudly that he went to see what was going on, and that’s how he found her missing. He thinks he disturbed the thieves and Maisy managed to get free.’ Gran dabbed her eyes with a tissue, smudging one of her pencilled eyebrows. ‘Oh I wish Fluffy could escape too. I’d do anything to get her back. Anything.’

‘We’ll find her, Gran, you’ll see.’ I gave her a hug, which is not really my style, but I felt sorry for her. ‘Now how about a nice frothy coffee?’

‘Thank you, Amy. I know you’re a good girl, really,’ she sniffed.

I wasn’t sure she’d think that if she knew that I was the one who’d taken Maisy-May. But I’d lost Fluffy and I was prepared to do whatever it took to get her back. Which is why, when I saw another ransom letter on the mat later that evening, I didn’t tell Gran about it. Instead, I quickly shoved it into my pocket and went up to my room to read it:

The note looked like it had been made by the same person as before. I opened the ‘Fluffy File’ on my cellphone and checked out the photo I took of the original letter. Yes, it was definitely the same. Whoever made this didn’t have to worry, I wasn’t going to tell anyone at all. Especially Gran. And I’d definitely be at the ‘dog beach’ (wherever that was) at 8.30 pm tomorrow night, ready and waiting to catch the culprit.