Read Online The Case of the Kidnapped Collie by John R. Erickson - Free Book Online Page A

. . . you . . . you nincompoop! It’s taken me two weeks to get those turkeys to come up to feed. Finally they came out of the brush and what did you do? You ran right through the middle of them and scared them away! ”
    Yes, but they were eating your . . .
    â€œDo you think we need to be protected from our wildlife? No, you bonehead, we enjoy WATCHING the wildlife, because they’re pretty and they’re majestic, and I like pretty things and . . .”
    She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “You are so dumb, SO DUMB! I can’t believe you’d do this to me. We buy you dog food and give you a nice home, and this is the thanks we get.”
    She glared down at me, looked away, muttered something under her breath, and glared down at me again.
    â€œProtecting us from the wild turkeys! You . . . I just . . . sometimes I . . . you’re the . . . ohhhhhhh!” She stamped her foot and bent down so that her face was only inches away from mine. “Listen, buster, if you ever chase my turkeys again . . .”

    I stopped breathing and waited to hear the next blast of threats, but nothing came. Instead . . . footsteps? Loud footsteps?
    Someone was running toward us. Sally May tore her gaze away from me, and I seized the oppor­tunity to vanish into the shrubberies beneath her living room window.
    I thought I was all alone, but imagine my surprise when I saw a grinning face right there beside me. It belonged to Pete.
    â€œWhy you little pest, you led me right into a trap!”
    â€œNow Hankie, don’t be bitter. It served you right for running me up a tree.”
    â€œOh yeah? Well, I’m fixing to do worse than that, Kitty.”
    â€œAh, ah, ah. Better not, Hankie. If you so much as raise your voice at me, I’ll cry and squeal and go limping over to Sally May, and you know the rest.”
    He was smirking and batting his eyes, and I could hardly contain my desire to smash him up like . . . I don’t know what. China in a bull shop, I suppose.
    â€œAre you trying to threaten me, Pete?”
    â€œUm-hm. Is it working?”
    â€œHa. Threats never work on me, Kitty, but it just happens that I’m too busy to give you your daily thrashing, so you lucked out.”
    â€œWhatever works, Hankie.”
    Having disposed of the cat with my slashing wit, I turned my attention toward whomever or whatever had made the loud footsteps I had heard.
    It was Loper.
    Gulp. My goose appeared to be cooked.

Chapter Eleven: Beulah Is Kidnapped by a Cannibal!

    I could hear Loper and Sally May talking in low voices. Now and then my name came up.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Pete. He was bathing his left front paw with a long pink tongue, and every time my name was mentioned, he gave me a wink and a smile.
    I was in deep trouble, fellers, and the cat was loving every minute of it.
    Slim and Billy joined the Kangaroo Court. Oh yes, and the bird dog was there too. It was sounding worse by the minute. In sheer desperation, I began digging. If they talked long enough, maybe I could dig a tunnel . . .
    â€œHank! Come here.” That was Loper’s voice.
    They had all turned and were looking toward my . . . what I had supposed was my hiding place. Gulp.
    I shot a glance at Kitty-Kitty. “Bye, Hankie. I’ll always remember the good times we had together.”
    â€œHank, come here!”
    Well, it appeared that I had come to the end of my road. I’d had a good life. I rose from the shrub­beries and crept out, a picture of shame and disgrace. I felt their eyes on me as I slinked over to Loper and fell down at his feet.
    HUH?
    He bent down and rubbed me on the ears and said—you won’t believe this, I sure didn’t—and he said, “Good dog, Hank. Good dog.”
    I gazed up at the circle of faces and . . . my goodness, they were all smiling! What the . . .
    Sally May knelt down and took my head in her hands and began stroking my