Howliday Inn

by James Howe

  “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” I asked casually, as they stopped before me.

  “Oh, yes,” replied Georgette. She smiled sweetly.

  “Right you are, Harold,” Max added.

  “Well, speaking of what a beautiful day it is, last night certainly wasn’t, so where were you?” I was extremely impressed with myself. If only Chester could have been there, I thought, to see just how clever and subtle I could be when I put my mind to it.

  “What?” Max asked, pretending to be confused.

  I heard the dinner bell ring and saw Harrison making his rounds. Drat, what a time to be distracted by food. Just when I had them on the ropes!

  I’d forgotten exactly what we were talking about, but I didn’t let that stand in my way. “A likely story!” I snapped.

  Georgette looked concerned. “Harold, do you think maybe you’ve been out in the sun too long?” she asked.

  An interesting ploy, I thought, trying to make me look like the suspicious one.

  “Harold, pal,” Max said gruffly, “it’s been terrific chewing the fat with you, but we’ve got to run. Chow time, you know what I mean?”

  I do indeed, I thought. Any excuse to get away, eh? “Think about what I’ve said,” I told Max and Georgette as they started to go. I wasn’t going to let them off the hook so easily. “You know where you can reach me if you have anything you need to get off your chest.”

  Max gave me a puzzled look, just to keep me thinking he was innocent, no doubt. “Sure, mate,” he uttered, “anything you say.”

  “Oh, Harold,” Georgette said then, “there is something.”

  “Yes?” Ah, a confession at last.

  “We’re sorry about Chester.”

  I’ll bet you are, I thought. Just like you were sorry about Louise. But “Thanks,” was all I said.

  “Hey, Harold, let’s go,” Harrison called out. “Soup’s on.”

  As long as it isn’t split pea, I thought.

  AFTER checking my dinner out for any uninvited smells or tastes, I plunged in. I was starved, which was understandable considering the amount of energy I’d used up conducting a tough and unyielding criminal investigation. The only thing that bothered me about it was that I’d unearthed no new evidence.

  What I had unearthed was doubt. Doubt in my own mind that anyone at Chateau Bow-Wow was the culprit. Or indeed that a crime had taken place. Perhaps Chester had conjured the whole thing up in his twisted imagination. It was possible, after all, that Louise had run away, just as everyone had said. And it may have been just an accident that led to Chester’s poisoning. Perhaps all of it, I reasoned, was the unfortunate result of Jill’s carelessness.

  It was then that I noticed the writing on the bottom of my food dish. The letters were smudged so that it was hard to make out what it said at first. Boy, I thought, the least they could do is serve dinner in bowls you can read. I was definitely going to complain about the service. I strained my eyes and looked into the depths of my bowl.

  The last word was “now.” I had no trouble reading it because it was the only one that wasn’t marked up. After a moment’s consideration, I could see that the first word was “Hello!” The end of that word was messy, but “Hello!” it was. Of that I was certain. Because of all the black marks, the three words in the middle were harder to decipher. But having hung out around Toby when he did crossword puzzles on the living room floor, I was pretty good at working my way around black marks. So, finally, I was able to figure it out. With a great sense of accomplishment, I uttered my findings out loud.

  “‘Hello! How’s your tummy now?’

  Fine, thank you, I replied silently, although my eyes are a little out of focus.

  I went to the water dish, thinking what a cute thing that had been for a food dish to say. Too bad it had been so hard to read though. I thought of what a time I’d had trying to make out the word “tummy.” It was almost as if someone had tried to cross it out deliberately.

  Suddenly, my ears went up. I lifted my head from the water dish. What if . . . ? I asked myself. What if someone had tried to cross it out?

  Again, I studied the bottom of my food dish, but this time with a new intent. How could I have missed it? This wasn’t an old, worn-out bowl, and these weren’t random smudges. Someone was trying to tell me something.

  Looking at it this way, I saw a new message emerge. “Hello!” became “Help.” “How’s” became “Howls.” The third word was a little harder to make clear, but I finally read it as “out.” “Tummy” had been smudged out entirely, and “now” was left as it was.

  “Hello! How’s your tummy now?” became

  “Help Howls out now

  The sky was getting cloudy. A low rumble of thunder made it clear that the day’s sunshine had been only a brief respite from the storm.

  Help howls out now, I thought, as I lay down to sleep.

  “Help howls out now.”

  What did it mean?

  [ NINE ]

  And Then There Were Three

  IT WAS useless trying to sleep. Even if I’d been able to get the message of the food dish out of my mind (which I wasn’t), my eardrums were assaulted by Howard’s and Heather’s ceaseless caterwauling. It seemed worse than usual that night, with one taking up the howl as soon as the other had left off. With it all, the storm was again raging in full force, thunder and lightning exploding in the air like a giant fireworks display. In short, Chateau Bow-Wow was not exactly slumber heaven that night.

  “Help howls out now.” I turned the phrase over and over in my head. I had already decided that “howls” referred to Howard and Heather. Someone was telling me to help them out. But who? And why? They seemed perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. The way they kept apart from everyone else, they probably wouldn’t accept help even if it were offered. Unless—and here I stopped for a moment to consider this new thought—unless they had sent the message. Maybe they were saying, “Help us out now.” Were they in trouble? Were they, in fact, the next victims?

  A sudden crash of thunder startled me into the realization that it had become very still. For several minutes there had been no thunder. And no howling. Why? I asked myself. And then a flash of lightning revealed it all.

  In that fleeting moment of illumination, I saw two figures scurrying across the compound. Howard and Heather are out, I thought. And then the words in the food dish took on a new meaning. What if, instead of “Help howls out now,” it read “Help! Howls out now”?

  A scene rapidly played itself out in my mind. Chester is eating his dinner. He looks up. Howard and Heather are staring at him through the wire mesh of his bungalow. He realizes that they have put poison in his food, and as he takes a last gasp of breath (I could feel the tears coming to my eyes as I imagined this part), he finds some way to scratch out the message on the bottom of his food dish, hoping that somehow it would reach me. A cry for help. A warning from beyond! That was it, I was certain.

  Without giving a thought to what I’d do once I got there, I threw open my door and raced across the compound to Howard’s and Heather’s bungalows. Taxi must have seen me coming, because he called out, “Harold!”

  I didn’t answer.

  “Harold, is that you? What are you doing? What’s going on?”

  I stopped dead in my tracks. Howard and Heather were gone.

  “They’re out again!” I cried. “On the loose!”

  “What are you talking about?” Taxi asked. “Who’s out?”

  “Howard and Heather,” I answered. “Have you seen them, Taxi? We have to find them before it’s too late.”

  “Sure, I’ve seen them. Seems like I’ve seen everybody tonight.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked. “Who have you seen?”

  “I just told you, Harold. Everybody. Well, everybody but you, that is. Until now, that is. Now, I’ve seen you, too. Boy, it’s been some night. Try and sleep? Forget it.”

  “Who have you seen?” I demanded again.

&n
bsp; “Everybody! First Howard and Heather were running around. I thought that was pretty silly. I mean, with the rain coming down like it is and all. Seems to me it’s a good night to stay at home, you know what I mean?”

  “Who else?”

  “Oh, well, then Max and Georgette ...”

  “So they were out, too,” I said under my breath.

  “Yeah. I thought, boy, some night for a picnic. Then I got mad that I wasn’t invited, so I went to the back of my bungalow and sulked.”

  “And Lyle?”

  “I don’t know if he sulked or not. He probably did, knowing him. But you’ll have to ask him yourse—”

  “No, no,” I interrupted. “I mean, was he out, too?”

  “Oh.” Taxi paused for a moment to think it over. “Yes. No, no, I don’t think so. Maybe. I’m not sure.”

  I glanced over at Lyle’s bungalow. I heard him muttering to himself inside. And then I cast my eyes in the direction of Max’s and Georgette’s bungalows. They were both empty. Mystery upon mystery, I thought. What did it all mean?

  I thought back to the message at the bottom of the food dish. If it read “Help! Howls out now,” it might mean that Howard and Heather were the murderers and that they’d now killed Max and Georgette. Or if it read “Help howls out now,” it could mean that Howard and Heather were next on the list of victims, that Max and Georgette were the killers and they’d struck again. Now they’d escaped, just as they had planned. My mind was spinning.

  “Taxi,” I said, scratching myself behind the ear.

  “Yes, Harold?”

  “What do you make of it?”

  “Oh, I’d say it should let up by tomorrow morning.”

  “Huh?”

  “I think it’ll blow over soon. This is just a little squall. I don’t think—”

  “I’m not talking about the storm, Taxi,” I said sharply.

  “Oh.”

  “I’m talking about all these strange disappearances.”

  “I don’t know what to make of it, Harold,” Taxi said after thinking a moment. “But I’ll tell you one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I sure will be glad to get back home.”

  I looked around the compound. There were three of us left. Three out of nine who had started the week at Chateau Bow-Wow.

  “So will I, Taxi,” I said softly. “So will I.”

  BACK INSIDE my bungalow, I shook myself dry and lay down to think. I really didn’t know what was left for me to do. Obviously, I’d been too late. Whatever the message had meant, Howard and Heather were gone, and there was no longer anything anyone could do to help. With a heavy heart, I shut my eyes and tried once again to sleep.

  I shall never forget my dream that night. I was the only one left. In all of Chateau Bow-Wow, perhaps in all the world, I was the only one left. I went running from bungalow to bungalow, crying “They’re gone! They’re gone!” And then, from all around me, a terrible cry went up. It was like Howard’s and Heather’s howling, but echoing and coming from all directions. I tried to run from it. I ran in a big circle, round and round, attempting to escape the awful sound. “They’re gone!” I cried again, as the howling reverberated in my ears. And then I felt myself being kicked. Over and over. It was Chester. Or the ghost of Chester. Kicking me and accusing me. “You blew it!” he snarled. “I tried to tell you, but you couldn’t figure it out until it was too late. Boy, leave it to a dumb dog!” The kicking went on and on. It was so bad that it woke me up. “Chester!” I cried, thinking I was still in my nightmare.

  “It’s about time!” a voice replied.

  I shook my head, trying to make clear if I was asleep or awake.

  “Boy, Harold, nobody sleeps the way you do. Even for a dog, you’re in a class by yourself!” I’d know that voice anywhere. And those insults! It could only be . . .

  “Chester!” I cried.

  “Well, give the little dog a big cigar!” he said.

  There was no doubt about it. I was awake. And Chester was back.

  [ TEN ]

  Mystery, Mayhem and Mud

  I COULDN’T believe my eyes.

  “Was it all a dream?” I asked Chester.

  “Of course it wasn’t,” he said. “Now, come on. We’ve got to move fast.”

  I was still blinking in disbelief when I heard a howl that sounded like the one in my dream. Echoing eerily, it sent a shiver all through me.

  “Howard and Heather!” I exclaimed. “It’s them, isn’t it, Chester? They’re the ones, aren’t they?”

  “Yes, yes, yes,” he answered impatiently.

  “It’s been them all along, hasn’t it?”

  “Come on, Harold! Move!”

  As I was pulling myself to my feet, I heard a voice call out, “They’re gone!”

  “Chester!” I cried in amazement, “This is just like my dream. The echo. The voice. Everything. What’s happening? Who just said They’re gone!’?”

  “Harrison,” he replied quickly, as he pushed against my hind legs (which were still sitting) with the top of his head. “No more questions, Harold. Just follow me. We’ve got to get the others.”

  “And help Harrison find Howard and Heather,” I added, but Chester was already out the door and couldn’t hear me.

  By the time I found him, he was already scratching at the door of Lyle’s bungalow.

  Lyle was talking in his sleep. “Oh, yeah?” he was mumbling. “Says who? Think you’re a tough guy, huh?”

  “Psst, Agent 47X,” Chester whispered.

  Lyle’s eyes popped open. He regarded Chester with a look of total befuddlement.

  “Wake up!” Chester commanded.

  Something inside Lyle snapped into focus. “What is it, Agent 37B1943X10YKLB97—” I think he would have gone on till morning if Chester hadn’t cut him off.

  “A secret mission. Follow me,” he said.

  Lyle flipped open his door and crawled out. He looked stealthily out of slitted eyes and kept low to the ground as Chester led the way to Taxi’s bungalow.

  “Don’t let Harrison see you,” Chester hissed back at us.

  “But why?” I started to ask, when Chester cut me off with a sharp “Sshhh!” We continued creeping across the muddy compound until we arrived at Taxi’s. He was wide awake and looked out at us as if he’d been half-expecting our arrival.

  “Boy-oh-boy-oh-boy,” he said in greeting. “Can’t a soul get any sleep around this place? What is going on, anyway?”

  “Ask Chester,” I replied.

  “Okay,” Taxi said, and then with a start, he exclaimed: “Chester!”

  “Sshhh!” Chester retorted.

  “Chester!” cried Taxi again, but this time in a tiny voice. “You’re back!”

  “Yes, yes, I’m back.”

  “But how—”

  “I’ll explain later. Right now, we’ve got more important things to deal with.”

  “How do I know you’re not a ghost?” Taxi went on. “Do something so I’ll know you’re not a ghost.”

  “How would it be if I bit your nose?” Chester hissed through clenched teeth. “Would that be proof enough for you?”

  Taxi thought a moment. “Yes,” he said then, “yes, I guess that would do it.”

  “Agent 35HB07575NFL13YXX42—”

  “Hike!” Taxi cried.

  “What is it, Lyle?” Chester asked, turning his head.

  “Can we get this operation underway? I was in the middle of a good dream.”

  Chester shook his head in dismay. “What a crew! I should have done this myself.”

  “Done what?” I asked. “I still don’t understand—”

  There was a crash of thunder and, in the accompanying lightning, I could see Harrison standing several yards away. Chester noticed, too, and motioned to us to huddle together and keep our voices down. Taxi crept out of his bungalow and put his head close to mine.

  “Howard and Heather are somewhere nearby,” Chester told us. “We have to get t
o them before it’s too late.”

  “Help! Howls out now!” I thought.

  “What should we do?” I asked, as the rain quieted to a steady drizzle.

  “Just wait,” Chester ordered.

  “For what?” queried Taxi.

  “For a sound that will tell us where they are.”

  Thinking he meant their howls, I was not at all prepared for what I heard next. Or for its significance.

  My ears perked up as tiny yips resounded softly through the murmur of the rain.

  “It’s happened,” Chester said softly.

  “What has?” I asked.

  “Sshh. Listen.”

  I did as Chester bade me, but what I was listening for, I didn’t have a clue. The yipping sound continued, echoing as if from a great distance. And yet, I had the feeling it was coming from someplace very near.

  “That’s it!” Chester cried. “I know where they are! Let’s go!”

  At the very same moment, Harrison shouted, “I know where you are, you little devils! Now I’ve got you!”

  Chester and Harrison both ran to the corner of the compound near Howard’s bungalow. I was relieved to see that Chester no longer cared whether or not Harrison saw us. After all, if we were going to help him, he may as well know about it.

  “Chester!” Harrison cried out, as he and my feline friend reached the same spot at the same time. “Where did you come from?” I imagined that it must have been quite a shock to Harrison’s system to see Chester returned from the dead. But he appeared to be so determined to find Howard and Heather that he didn’t dwell on it.

  “Never mind,” he muttered, as he began pulling at a plank of the back fence, “I’ll deal with you later. Right now, I’ve got ... to ... get this . . . off.” The plank, which was somewhat loose to begin with, tore off suddenly in Harrison’s hands and fell to the side.

  At first I couldn’t see anything, but then Harrison shined his flashlight through the opening in the fence, and what I beheld on the other side amazed me.