Read Online Dash and Dingo by Catt Ford, Sean Kennedy - Free Book Online Page B

him.
    “Who’s your friend?” Hodges inquired as he wrested his hand away from Dingo and wiggled his fingers to return the feeling to them.
    “This is my cousin, Dash, over on a visit to meet my folks, his auntie and uncle,” Dingo declared, stepping closer to put his arm across Henry’s shoulders. “Long lost, like.”
    “Dash Chambers?” Hodges inquired, holding out his hand so that Henry could take it.
    Henry opened his mouth, but Dingo forestalled him. “That’s it; that’s just it. Dash Chambers, cousin to Dingo, Baz, and Johnno.”
    Wondering who all these people might be, Henry shook hands, amused when Hodges tried to put the crush on his hand. He tightened his grip, maintaining his expression of innocence as Hodges began to squint in pain and tried to withdraw his hand.
    “Pleased to meet you!” Henry boomed, mimicking Dingo’s accent with a varying degree of accuracy that made the other man stare. “Dingo here’s told me all about you.”
    “He has?” Hodges asked uneasily, wringing his fingers once again.
    “What brings you to Australia then, Mr. Chambers? I could have sworn you were here at the behest of Gordon Austin.”
    Henry froze at the mention of Gordon’s name and the realization that Hodges knew exactly who he was. He had no idea who this Hodges was or how he was involved in all of this, but when he met Dingo’s eyes, they were
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    brimming with mischief. Whatever was going on here, it was best to play by Dingo’s rules for the moment. A crazy idea came to him, so farfetched it seemed perfectly logical to be accredited to Dingo. “Don’t tell anyone then, but…” he paused thrillingly before whispering, “diamonds.”
    Hodges immediately assumed a bored and condescending air and said,
    “Rather. Well, you’ll have your work cut out. Tell me, Mr. Chambers, have you any interest in the native wildlife?”
    He knows , Henry thought. I don’t know what to do.
    Luckily Dingo came to the rescue. “What, like kangaroos?”
    “Nothing that common,” Hodges said disdainfully.
    “What, you want to play a round of Animal, Vegetable, Mineral , Clarence? Dash here can tell you anything you want to know about rock.
    Igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic. Name your poison!”
    “What would you say diamonds are then, Mr. Chambers?” Hodges
    asked with his eyes narrowed.
    “They could be said to be all three,” Henry answered glibly. “When an organic compound becomes a fossil, it falls into the sedimentary category, when pressure and heat are applied it becomes metamorphic as in coal, and depending on the amount of pressure and heat, a diamond would then fall within the igneous classification.”
    Hodges looked somewhat taken aback; Dingo was impressed, while Dean was merely watchful. “Uh, right, that’s—I see you know your stuff.
    Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
    “The pleasure’s all his,” Dingo assured the man. “Smart boy, I told you.
    He’s been to college.”
    “Your parents must be proud,” Hodges said inanely, glancing at his watch. “I’m late for an appointment. You’ll forgive me….”
    “You must come for tea and say hello to me old dad, sometime!” Dingo bawled after the retreating figure. “He’d like to see you again.”
    Hodges looked at Dingo with barely concealed distaste before he hurried to a car parked beside the wooden tower, got into it, and drove away, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.
    “What was that all about?” Henry asked.
    Ignoring his question, Dingo demanded, “Was all that folderol about diamonds true?”
    Dash and Dingo: In Search of the Tasmanian Tiger | 47

    “Haven’t a clue. I made it all up,” Henry admitted. He grinned as the other two men broke into surprised laughter. “One of the advantages of a college education, learning to bullshit.”
    “That and a fancy ten-dollar vocabulary.” Dean chuckled. “Well, Dash, it’s been a pleasure. Call on me for a lift any time.” He