by Linda Johns
“You live here?” I asked Ben, amazed. He was opening the massive iron gate at the front of the property.
“In the back,” Ben answered. “Come on.”
My mind whizzed. First, I hadn’t realized that Mack was Ben’s grandpa. Now it turns out that Ben lived behind the mansion. Did that mean he knew the eccentric rich guy?
I followed Ben to the back of the house. Stone paths meandered through the back of the property, passing a fountain and a pond. Potted plants lined the edges of a stone patio. I had expected to see a smaller house in the back, but Ben opened a screen door and then a heavy wood door that led inside the mansion. He headed up an inside staircase to the right.
“This is where you live?” I knew there were important things to discuss, but I was in a temporary state of shock. We’d entered a light-filled room that stretched from the back of the house to the front. On one end, two large couches faced each other on either side of a stone fireplace. Another corner had two oversized chairs and ottomans, surrounded by books. Through an arched doorway was a formal dining room, the kind I’ve seen only in movies and on TV. The kind where you could easily seat twenty people for dinner and then the butler and the maid would come in and serve you a five-course meal. “You live here?” I asked again.
“Just the upstairs part. Grandpa had it converted when we came to live here. Dad and I live on this floor. Grandpa has the first floor, but he spends most of his time up here with me and Dad. Come on.”
“Is it okay for the dogs to come?” I asked.
“Of course it’s okay. Hurry.”
Elvis had bolted up the stairs. Archie followed along as well, but he needed some coaxing.
The kitchen was large, but I could tell it wasn’t fancy-schmancy. This looked like a kitchen where people really cooked and talked and ate. Mack was at the stove, but he turned around when we walked in.
“Sit down and have some cocoa. And then we’ll figure out what we need to do,” Mack said.
“Grandpa, can I go back out? I want to keep looking around for Scooter,” Ben said. “You and Hannah can decide what to put on the flyers.” His grandfather gave him a hug and wished him good luck.
“Maybe I should go, too,” I said. I wasn’t so sure that I wanted to be alone with Mack.
But Mack stopped me. “Please stay,” he said. His voice was so gentle and so full of concern for Ben that all my worries went out the window. How could I ever have thought that Mack had anything to do with the dognappings?
“I have some things I want to tell you. But first, I have a feeling you might have some questions for me, Hannah, so please feel free to ask. But don’t let your cocoa get cold.”
Boy, did I ever have some things to ask. As is often the case, my mouth got ahead of my manners. “I thought a crazy old guy with a bunch of cats lived here,” I blurted out.
Mack laughed. “I’m crazy and I’m old, and my wife and I used to have many, many cats. I still have five. They’re probably hiding from Archie and Elvis. My cats and I live on the first floor. My wife was terribly allergic to dogs, so we made this floor Scooter’s floor. It is also Ben’s floor and my son-in-law, Thomas’s, floor. Ben’s mother, my daughter, died three years ago. We wanted to do anything we could to keep Benito close to us. That’s why we remodeled this floor to be their living quarters.”
I was in awe that Ben had a place like this to live in, but when I learned that his mother was dead, I didn’t feel like he was so lucky.
“And Ben’s grandmother?” I asked.
“My wife, Brenda. She died of breast cancer last summer.”
“I am truly sorry,” I said.
“Benito’s been through so much in his life. I don’t want him to have to worry about Scooter,” Mack said, thumping his fist on the table. It hit so hard it startled the dogs—and me.
“If you give me the information, I can go home and make a flyer right away. I already drew a couple of pictures of Scooter,” I said. Ben had let me do a couple of sketches for my school art project. I had promised he could have the best one when my project was done.
“I don’t think a flyer will be necessary this time,” Mack said.
“Why? Has something already happened to Scooter?”
“No, no. I don’t think anything is going to happen to him, although I’m sure he’d rather be home,” Mack said. “The dognapper has already called and made a ransom demand.”
“Oh, no. For how much?”
“The amount isn’t important. I have enough, as you might imagine. But he, or she, won’t return Scooter until tomorrow,” Mack said.
“He or she? But if the dognapper called, couldn’t you tell if it was a man or a woman?” I asked.
“It doesn’t seem important,” Mack said.
“You have to tell Ben!” Now I was mad. “I can’t believe you let him go searching for Scooter when you know Scooter will be returned tomorrow.”
“I told you, I don’t want Ben to worry. It’s better if he thinks Scooter is lost. This way, I can get the money to the thief first, and make sure I can get Scooter back safely. When the time is right, and I’m sure that I’ve put an end to all of this, I will tell Benito,” Mack said.
“All of this?” I asked. “Do you think the dognapper is the same person who took Boris and Daphne?”
I hesitated a moment, then asked the question I really wanted to ask. “Wasn’t there a ransom demand for Daphne as well?”
Mack looked surprised. “A ransom for Daphne?” he asked. “What makes you say that? Jennifer offered a generous reward, and that helped bring Daphne home.”
“When I saw you the other night, it looked like Jennifer was giving you ransom money.”
Mack laughed, a warm full laugh. “Oh, my dear girl. I wasn’t getting a ransom. I was giving Jennifer money so that she could match Ted’s reward. She felt it was the only way that she would get Daphne back. And it seems she may have been right.”
Mack sighed, and then went on. “I have no idea who is behind all this. The only thing that matters to me now is getting Scooter back home where he belongs.”
I did have an idea who was behind it. Especially now that I was sure it wasn’t Mack. I filled him in on my theory.
Mack instructed me to take Archie and Elvis home, and then go help Ben search for Scooter. He also said not to follow him.
I half listened to him. Ten minutes later, I found Ben walking up and down Fremont Avenue, calling Scooter’s name. I told him that I’d check over on Thirty-sixth Street. Something in my gut was telling me that Mack was on his way to the Lenin statue.
On the way over there, I was silently willing Archie and Elvis to be quiet. Mostly Elvis. I guess dogs really are intuitive, because they were both perfectly quiet, they sat motionless when I stopped, and they walked easily beside me when I walked. They were the best dogs ever, and I promised myself I’d give them extra treats when we got home.
I neared the Lenin statue, and sure enough I spotted Mack. Did the dognapper know this was where Mack had met Jennifer? Or was it just the most obvious meeting place? I made sure that Mack couldn’t see me, and I watched to see what would happen.
Usually on TV, the person who arrives with the ransom money is jittery, looking around nervously, and drawing all kinds of attention to himself. Not Mack. He calmly stood about six feet from the Lenin statue.
“Now!” someone called. Apparently it was the command Mack had expected. He took an envelope out of his coat pocket and held it up in his left hand. He kept it up there.
A knight on a unicycle pedaled soundlessly across the square, snatched the envelope, and continued around the corner.
I am not making this up. You can’t make this kind of stuff up. I’d just seen Ben’s grandfather make a handoff to a cycling knight while Lenin looked on.
As ridiculous as it seemed, the knight costume was the perfect disguise. People were always wearing wacky things in Fremont, so nobody would really take notice. And with the helmet covering most of the pe
rson’s face, it was impossible to identify the individual. I couldn’t even tell if it was a man or a woman.
I watched as Mack dialed a number on the cell phone. I hoped it was to tell Ben to come home. Scooter would be back tomorrow.
CHAPTER 22
ELVIS, WHO HAD been unusually quiet on Friday (despite the knight on a unicycle), was back to barking and howling the next morning in the backseat of our Honda. I was going in to the animal shelter early because we didn’t have either a game or practice that weekend.
We pulled into the parking lot at the Elliott Bay Animal Shelter. The sheer excitement of being around so many dogs and cats must have inspired Elvis to howl. Or maybe it was the shiny silver Lexus convertible that pulled in next to us.
“Elvis, quiet!” Mom commanded him in a gentle voice. Amazingly, it worked. Until the driver got out of the Lexus. The dog went bonkers again when he saw it was Meredith. Meredith driving a new convertible? Either pet grooming paid better than I realized or my suspicions about Meredith were on target.
“Great car!” I said, hopping out of the Honda. It must be brand-new from the dealer, since it still had Seattle Lexus plates on it, and a license number on paper taped to the back window. “Do you mind if I let Elvis out to say hello?”
“I’d love to see Elvis!” Meredith said. She seemed in an extra-good mood.
We walked into the shelter together. “Are you feeling better today?” I asked.
“What?”
“I stopped by the shop yesterday with Archie and Elvis. Arlene said you were out sick,” I said.
“I’m much, much better today. In fact, I feel great. It was just a twenty-four-hour thing.”
“Meredith!” the receptionist gushed when we walked in. “I’m so happy you could come in today. The director is making a special trip down here to thank you personally.”
“It’s nothing,” Meredith said, practically beaming.
“Hannah, I have some good news,” Leonard said. I followed him back to a small office. He handed me an envelope. A snapshot fell out of the inside card when I opened it. A photo of Izzie with an adorable little girl hugging her.
“Izzie’s new family loved the sketch you did of her. I told them about the great volunteer we had here who had such a strong connection to Izzie. They said they’d love to meet you and your mom,” Leonard said. “If it’s okay with your mom, I’d like to give your phone number to Izzie’s new owners. They may want to invite you over or something.”
“Thank you! That’s great,” I said.
I was on a roller coaster of emotions today. I woke up worried about Scooter, then I worried about Izzie, and now I was happy about Izzie. I went back to worrying about Scooter.
“We have a new arrival this morning. Meredith found him and brought him in earlier. He’s in great shape, and he’s probably just lost, not abandoned, judging by how he looks and behaves. You can start today by spending some time with him,” Leonard said. I followed him down to the kennels where the dogs are kept. “Here’s the big guy.”
“Scooter!” I was thrilled to see him, but totally surprised to see him at the shelter.
Scooter, on the other hand, just seemed thrilled. The shaggy dog leaped to attention, jumped so that his front legs were on my shoulders, and started licking my face.
CHAPTER 23
“HOW DID SCOOTER get here?”
“You know this dog?” Leonard asked.
“You bet I know him. I know his owners, too,” I said.
“That’s great, because he didn’t have a collar or any identification tag or a pet license on him,” he said. “So, tell me who to call.”
I pulled out my cell phone and scrolled through the recently dialed calls to find Mack’s cell phone number. I gave the number to Leonard, but there was no answer.
“I know! I can call my mom. She can go to their house and tell them that Scooter’s here. Or maybe I can just have my mom come and pick him up.”
“As much as I trust you and your mom, I’m not authorized to release this dog to anyone other than his owners,” Leonard said. “Go ahead and call your mom, though, and see if she can contact Scooter’s owners.”
After all that had happened in the past three weeks, I appreciated how careful the shelter was about things like this.
I got my mom on the phone just as she was pulling into the parking garage under PCC and our apartment. “I’ll run up to the house right now,” she said. “Wait. I still have the phone number Ben gave me yesterday when you asked to go to his grandfather’s house. You can call that number, but I’ll still run up there so we make sure we get the good news to them.”
I dialed the number for Ben’s house, and Ben’s dad answered.
“Yes!” his dad screamed into the phone when I told him where Scooter was. “Ben and I will be there as fast as we can. Probably in fifteen or twenty minutes.” He hadn’t completely hung up the phone when I heard his dad calling, “Ben! Scooter’s back! We can go get him now!”
Leonard gave me permission to have Scooter hang out with me since he was only going to be there for fifteen more minutes. My volunteer assignment for the morning was to help get invitations ready for a fund-raising party. I’d rather do something to directly help an animal, but when you’re a volunteer you end up doing all kinds of things to help the organization. I went to the supply closet, Scooter by my side, to get more envelopes.
“Meredith, look who’s here! Remember Scooter?” I asked. I watched Meredith’s face closely, trying to gauge her reaction to my seemingly innocent comment.
Scooter, the most mild-mannered dog in the world, actually growled.
“He must be a little skittish of me since his last grooming,” Meredith said, laughing awkwardly. “He probably thinks I’m about to give him a bath or something.”
“Here she is!” said a woman as she came through the front door. “Meredith, I’ve heard so much about you as a volunteer, and on top of everything you’ve done you’re making such a magnanimous donation to us! Imagine, another eighty-five hundred dollars for our shelter! It’s absolutely wonderful.”
Had she said $8,500? I started adding something in my head, but Meredith’s voice interrupted my calculations.
“The amount has increased,” Meredith said quietly. Everyone waited expectantly. The envelope stuffers in the workroom probably needed more envelopes, but I waited, too. “It’s now closer to thirteen thousand. It’s twelve thousand seven hundred fifty dollars.” The handful of people in the room broke into spontaneous applause. Scooter started barking, something I’d never heard him do before. He ran to the front door, where he could see Ben and his father.
“Thank you for all your kind words,” Meredith was saying. “But it’s really all my pleasure. If you’ll excuse me now, I have some dogs to bathe.” Everyone laughed.
Just as Meredith left the front area, Ben walked in. I can’t imagine a dog or a guy being any happier than they were. Leonard came out with some paperwork for Ben’s dad to sign.
“I don’t know much about where Scooter was found, Mr. Campo,” Leonard said. “Let me find our volunteer who brought him in, and she can give us the rest of the story.”
A car in the parking lot kicked up gravel as it pulled away.
“I think she just left,” I said.
“We can get details later. All that matters is that we have him back. Thank you so much for keeping him safe until we could get here,” Ben’s dad said, pumping Leonard’s arm.
Leonard patted Scooter on the rump. “Stay out of trouble, big guy.”
“I’m so happy he’s back,” Ben said. “But what happened to him is still a mystery.”
“I think this mystery is about to end,” I said. Then I went back to work.
CHAPTER 24
IF I THOUGHT $8,500 was an interesting number, I found the figure $12,750 extra intriguing. I jotted down some numbers after I finished putting five hundred invitations into five hundred envelopes.
Reward money for Boris:
$4,250
Jennifer had had to match what Ted offered in order to get Daphne back safely.
Reward money for Daphne: $4,250
That brings us to the $8,500 mark. If Mack had to pay the same price for Scooter, that would bring the total to $12,750. The same amount Meredith had just donated to the Elliott Bay Animal Shelter.
A coincidence? I think not.
After lunch, Leonard assigned me to help Meredith with bathing the dogs. “She’s back now,” he said. I think he was giving me an extra reward with that assignment. What a fun job. And what perfect timing.
I waited until we had a seventy-five-pound black dog named Newton in the washtub to bring anything up.
“Nice car you had this morning. Is it new?” I asked.
“Brand-new. I ran into some extra money,” she said.
Curiouser and curiouser.
“That was an interesting amount of money you donated today,” I said, in what I hoped was a friendly, conversational mode.
“Just happened to be what I had available,” she said.
Uh-huh.
I decided to go for it, TV-detective style.
“Meredith, how did you figure out it was Mack who fronted the reward money for Daphne?” I asked, abruptly changing the subject. It was a technique to catch her off guard.
She dropped the nozzle. Water sprayed out toward me. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to get the facts.
“What are you talking about? Do you mean Mack, the old guy who hangs out at Costas Opa?”
I sighed. “You can be straight with me. I know you collected the reward money for the missing dogs. The rewards for Boris and Daphne equal the amount the shelter thought you were donating. But once you demanded that Mack match the reward price of the other two dogs, you upped it to that interesting figure of twelve thousand seven hundred fifty dollars. Not twelve thousand, or even twelve thousand five hundred. But twelve thousand seven hundred fifty. Exactly three times the amount of the original reward money, equal to the reward money for three dogs.”