Читать книгу Paw and Order - V.M. Burns - Страница 13

Chapter 5

We ran through the crowd. Just as we turned the corner, I saw a figure dressed in black pants, a black hoodie with a baseball cap and sunglasses racing across the grounds. I knew from experience that Aggie had issues with men wearing baseball caps, but there was a lot more going on here. The figure was running, and Aggie was pouncing and nipping at his pant legs, her leash trailing behind.

I rushed toward the fray screaming, “Aggie, no!”

Just as I got within fifty feet, I noticed that the figure dressed in black was also holding a small gray poodle.

I stopped and pointed. “He’s got Rex.”

At that moment, the figure turned toward us and saw me pointing. That’s when Aggie leapt into the air like a guided missile and sunk her teeth into the man’s arm.

He screamed and dropped his arm to his side with Aggie still attached to the fabric. In the commotion of trying to dislodge Aggie’s teeth from his sleeve, he dropped Rex who fell to the ground. The poodle rolled a couple of times but then stood up and shook himself and then turned to add his bark to the fight.

The man gave his arm a vigorous shake and Aggie lost her grip on his sleeve and flew through the air.

“You get Aggie. I’ll get Rex.” Dixie ordered.

The man took off running full steam ahead dodging poodles, grooming tables and crowds of people. He rushed through the parking lot and jumped into a black pickup truck.

Aggie followed in hot pursuit. She lunged at the door of the truck, but the stranger managed to get inside. He quickly started the ignition with Aggie still barking and jumping at the truck’s door.

The stranger gunned the engine, spinning dirt, pebbles and grass from his tires as he took off.

My heart pounded as I watched Aggie getting sprayed by the debris and still racing after her prey.

From the edge of the parking lot, I screamed, “Aggie, come!”

To my complete and utter surprise, she stopped, turned to look at me and then ran toward me full steam. From five feet away, she took a flying leap into my arms.

I reached out and caught her and then held her tightly to my chest.

Dixie ran up to me with Rex clutched in her arms. “That little poodle is fearless.” She stared at Aggie.

I snuggled Aggie close. “I can’t believe she actually came when I called.” I turned to Dixie. “I’m so happy, I could cry.”

* * * *

For over an hour I sat in Dixie’s RV clutching Aggie to my chest. When Red arrived, he literally had to pry her out of my arms. It was only then that I realized I was shaking.

He pulled me to my feet, drew me close and held me tightly until the shaking stopped. I held onto him and cried.

“I’ll be in the tent if you need me.” Dixie slipped out of the RV.

I cried for what felt like hours. When I didn’t have any more tears, I pushed away.

“I’m sorry.”

Red lifted my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes. “You don’t have to apologize to me for being human.”

I hiccupped. “How about for ruining your shirt.” I pointed to where I had gotten makeup on his white shirt. I looked around for my purse. “I’m sure I have a wipe or a pen here that will get that stain—”

He gave me a gentle shake. “Lilly, I don’t care about the shirt. I care about you.” He glanced down at me. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. “I’m fine…now.”

“Can you tell me what happened?” He looked around with surprise.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just…this is a really nice RV.”

I realized he’d seen Dixie’s RV many times, but this was his first time inside. I smiled. “Want the guided tour?”

He shook his head. “Maybe later.” He directed me toward a surprisingly comfortable sofa and mumbled, “Might need a GPS to find my way out.”

I smiled and sat. Aggie hopped onto my lap.

I petted her absently and recapped what happened.

He asked several questions which I felt like I should know the answer to. ‘Did I get a good look at the person? Was I certain it was a man? How tall was he or she? Had I ever seen him or her before?’ On and on the questions came until I wasn’t sure about anything, other than the fact that I was tired.

He looked down at Rex. “Are poodles valuable?”

I shrugged. “You’ll need to ask Dixie. She’s the expert, but I do know that some champions can be worth several thousand dollars.”

His eyes widened. “For a dog?”

I nodded, then reached into my purse and pulled out my cell phone and dialed Dixie’s cell.

When she picked up, I asked, “Are you busy?”

She wasn’t and said she’d be there shortly.

After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door and Dixie climbed inside.

Red asked her the same questions he’d already asked me, and her answers were much the same as mine. We were both more focused on the dogs than on the person who’d just tried to steal them. When Red asked Dixie about the value of the dogs, she confirmed what I’d said.

Red shook his head. “Is there a market for the dogs? I mean, if someone were to steal one of these dogs, would they be able to sell it?”

Dixie went into teaching mode. “Not really, not like stealing a valuable painting or a piece of jewelry. You can’t just sell them to a collector. Like champion racehorses, the value is in the lineage and stud fees. If you have a champion that comes from a long line of champions, then you can sell the stud fees.” She shrugged. “But you couldn’t show the dog because you’d need the papers from the kennel registry.” She sighed and got quiet.

“What?” Red asked.

Dixie took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot and it doesn’t make any sense. I mean, why take Rex? You can’t do anything without the papers from the American Kennel Club. No one is going to breed the dog without the AKC papers proving lineage and ownership. Besides, most responsible dog owners have their dogs microchipped or tattooed.”

“I’ve heard of that with racehorses,” Red said.

She nodded. “Exactly, most dogs,” she waved her hand to indicate Aggie, “are not only tattooed and microchipped, but now they have tracking devices built into their collars.” She picked up Rex who was sprawled out on the floor. She pointed to a small rectangular disc that appeared to be part of his collar.

I stared closely. “Is that what that is? I thought it was just part of the gaudy baubles on his collar.”

Dixie shook her head. “It’s a GPS tracking device.”

Red stared. “So, if he had managed to get away with the dog, you could have tracked him like OnStar in a car?”

She nodded. “Exactly.”

“I need to get one of those for Aggie.”

She smiled. “They used to be pretty pricey, but now they’re very affordable. You need the app on your cell phone, but they are great for locating lost pets. I haven’t bothered with Chyna or Leia because they’re both so well-behaved and obedient that I don’t worry about them running off.” She shivered. “I’ve never felt unsafe at dog shows before today. It’s such a small, tight-knit community that I never bothered. However, I think I’ll be purchasing trackers for both of my dogs.” She glanced down at Aggie. “I don’t think you need to worry about that little dog. She’s a scrappy little thing.”

I looked down at Aggie who was curled up in a ball on my lap and smiled.

We talked a bit longer but neither Dixie nor I had any additional insight into who might want to steal Rex or why. Eventually, Red left to question some of the people from nearby campers and RVs to see if they knew anything that would help him track down our poodle napper.

Beau brought in Chyna and Leia and we left the dogs locked inside the RV for the remainder of the day. Considering Dixie’s RV was more luxurious than most people’s houses, it wasn’t a punishment. The dogs were all fine playing, chewing on digestible bones, and sleeping in the air-conditioned luxury.

Dixie and Beau had both driven separately, so he followed her home while Aggie, Rex and I rode with Red.

In a vehicle smaller than a 747, the drive down the mountain didn’t seem quite as perilous as it had when riding with Dixie. Nevertheless, I was extremely happy to be back on the relatively level ground of Chattanooga.

Rex offered to take me to dinner, but I was worn out and opted instead for a pizza which we picked up and ate at my house.

“How are you and Stevie doing?”

Stevie was ‘Steve Austin,’ a Pitbull/Labrador mix that had adopted Red. The dog seemed vicious in the beginning, but had proven to be a real pussycat. He and Aggie became friends at first sight. I was always surprised at how gentle the big dog was with her whenever they played.