Read Online Strange Outfit: An Avery Barks Dog Mystery (Avery Barks Dog Mysteries Book 2) by Mary Hiker - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mary Hiker
Ads: Link
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.
They gained on me as I struggled to run with the extra weight and bulkiness of the dog food in the bag. By the time I made it within ten feet from the wasp nests, they were within shouting distance.
I turned to the men as they approached and yelled, “Just take it and leave us alone!”
With that, I lifted my arms over my head and threw the bag with all my strength. It went up in the air and landed right in the middle of the hidden wasp mound.
The wasps didn’t take too kindly to that and converged on the men as they ran over and stood over their ‘treasure’. The wasps took no pity on the invaders and attacked as only wasps know how to do. I was sure the thieves got stung over thirty times. They yelled and screamed in pain, trying to swat the wasps off of each other.
As I turned to run, I screamed out, “You better get to the hospital for treatment or you can die of allergic reaction.”
I didn’t know if that was one hundred percent true, but at the time I didn’t care.
They grabbed the package and ran down the driveway, still swatting off wasps. As I ran toward the house, the men reached the truck, threw the fake treasure inside and sped out of the driveway in reverse, kicking up dust.
I ran inside, grabbed the real treasure box and put it on the passenger seat floor of my truck. I got all three dogs loaded up and took off. As I drove in the opposite direction as the thieves, I called Don and gave him a description of the guys and their truck. I didn’t mention anything about the buried treasure.
Once I had driven at least twenty miles and was sure no one was behind me, I pulled over to the side of the road and looked closely at the old metal box for the first time.
The box was locked and I had no way to open it. I wiped off the dirt with my already filthy hands and noticed a name, address and a code word scratched into the metal.
I got out my roadmap, took a long look, and hit the gas.
Chapter 14
Five hours later, I pulled in to the parking lot of a small law firm in Tennessee, still covered in dirt and smelling like the contents of a trash can. I hoped the lawyer’s office would still be open after all these years.
Even though I had made sure no one had followed me these three hundred miles, I still felt jumpy. I lifted the metal treasure box in my arms and held onto all three dog leashes in my hands. We walked as a group to Suite 101.
I stepped through the front doors and said hello to the elderly receptionist. Her demeanor switched from startled to elated when Chevy put his paw on her arm to say hello. I apologized for my appearance and said, “I need an emergency meeting with the lawyer, my code word is: Twenty-six maples.”
Her eyes opened wide and she let out a high pitched squeal. She picked up the desk phone and dialed three numbers. She waited a second, then sputtered, “code, code, code” and hung up. I almost bolted from the office, fearing I’d walked into a trap, but then she burst out in tears and yelled “CONGRATULATIONS!!!”
A man in his fifties dressed in a brown suit burst through the inner office door. He bent over and looked closely at the box held tightly in my arms.
“That’s it! Congratulations!” He shook my dirty hand and offered me a bottle of water. The grey haired lady was already pouring water into makeshift bowls for the dogs.
As I sat down, I felt truly comfortable
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.
They gained on me as I struggled to run with the extra weight and bulkiness of the dog food in the bag. By the time I made it within ten feet from the wasp nests, they were within shouting distance.
I turned to the men as they approached and yelled, “Just take it and leave us alone!”
With that, I lifted my arms over my head and threw the bag with all my strength. It went up in the air and landed right in the middle of the hidden wasp mound.
The wasps didn’t take too kindly to that and converged on the men as they ran over and stood over their ‘treasure’. The wasps took no pity on the invaders and attacked as only wasps know how to do. I was sure the thieves got stung over thirty times. They yelled and screamed in pain, trying to swat the wasps off of each other.
As I turned to run, I screamed out, “You better get to the hospital for treatment or you can die of allergic reaction.”
I didn’t know if that was one hundred percent true, but at the time I didn’t care.
They grabbed the package and ran down the driveway, still swatting off wasps. As I ran toward the house, the men reached the truck, threw the fake treasure inside and sped out of the driveway in reverse, kicking up dust.
I ran inside, grabbed the real treasure box and put it on the passenger seat floor of my truck. I got all three dogs loaded up and took off. As I drove in the opposite direction as the thieves, I called Don and gave him a description of the guys and their truck. I didn’t mention anything about the buried treasure.
Once I had driven at least twenty miles and was sure no one was behind me, I pulled over to the side of the road and looked closely at the old metal box for the first time.
The box was locked and I had no way to open it. I wiped off the dirt with my already filthy hands and noticed a name, address and a code word scratched into the metal.
I got out my roadmap, took a long look, and hit the gas.
Chapter 14
Five hours later, I pulled in to the parking lot of a small law firm in Tennessee, still covered in dirt and smelling like the contents of a trash can. I hoped the lawyer’s office would still be open after all these years.
Even though I had made sure no one had followed me these three hundred miles, I still felt jumpy. I lifted the metal treasure box in my arms and held onto all three dog leashes in my hands. We walked as a group to Suite 101.
I stepped through the front doors and said hello to the elderly receptionist. Her demeanor switched from startled to elated when Chevy put his paw on her arm to say hello. I apologized for my appearance and said, “I need an emergency meeting with the lawyer, my code word is: Twenty-six maples.”
Her eyes opened wide and she let out a high pitched squeal. She picked up the desk phone and dialed three numbers. She waited a second, then sputtered, “code, code, code” and hung up. I almost bolted from the office, fearing I’d walked into a trap, but then she burst out in tears and yelled “CONGRATULATIONS!!!”
A man in his fifties dressed in a brown suit burst through the inner office door. He bent over and looked closely at the box held tightly in my arms.
“That’s it! Congratulations!” He shook my dirty hand and offered me a bottle of water. The grey haired lady was already pouring water into makeshift bowls for the dogs.
As I sat down, I felt truly comfortable
Similar Books
