The Hewey Spader Mystery Series (The Complete Trilogy * Books 1 -3 )

by Tanya R. Taylor

  “Oh, no!” Sam muttered, glancing my way.

  I said nothing; only watched. Then within a couple of minutes, I saw my parents and Carl being escorted out of our house. They were walking quietly and submissively toward the bus with suitcases in hand.

  “I’m sorry,” Rob said, as I felt the anger building inside of me and the tears simultaneously flowing down my cheeks. I hated what was being done to them and the fact that there was nothing I could do to stop it. The guilt I harbored was overwhelming and I desperately wanted to run down there and fight as hard as I could to save my family, like any of them would’ve done for me if I was in that exact, same situation. I was a failure as a son and a brother.

  We continued watching as all the families they came for were driven away, one bus behind the other, and we had no idea where they were taking them.

  Sam placed her hand in mine. “Hewey, I’m really very sorry,” she said. “I wish there was something we could do…”

  I shook my head and sat on the bench. “I won’t let them get away with this. Mark my word. I’m gonna find out where they’re taking them and I’m bringing them back home.”

  Rob sat down next to me. “I’m with you, buddy. We’ll find a way to fix this just like you said.”

  Sam nodded. “When they hurt one of us, they hurt all.”

  I sat alone while Sam and Rob got a quick bite to eat before Jeffreys was due to show up. I didn’t have much of an appetite—at least, not for food.

  Around 9:50, we heard the back door open and Rob hurriedly went over to the stair rail to see if it was who we were expecting.

  “It’s him!” Rob whispered.

  “We’re up here!” He told Jeffreys, seconds later.

  Jeffreys walked in with his Doberman Pinscher and we all panicked the moment we spotted the dog. Rob had not mentioned it was with him and I wondered if he’d even seen it.

  “Don’t worry,” Jeffreys said, noticing our apprehension. “Hugo’s no threat.”

  Baffled, the guys and I glanced at each other.

  “Do you mind if I take a seat?” Hugo asked.

  Startled, although I shouldn’t have been, I answered, “No. Go right ahead.”

  Jeffreys smiled, albeit slightly and took a seat on a chair on the side of the wall while Hugo sat on the floor nearby.

  “I think you all had better sit down for this,” Jeffreys said.

  The three of us sat on the bench at once.

  Jeffreys crossed his legs. “Spader, I can tell from the look on your face that you know they’ve taken your family away and I’m very sorry about that.”

  “Yeah.” I nodded.

  “I believe we know where they’ve taken them, but I can’t be sure until later on,” he returned. “But before we get into that, I think I ought to let you know what happened to me. Do you mind if I smoke?” He pulled a cigarette out of his shirt pocket without awaiting a reply, reminding me of the reason why we found it so easy to egg his house over and repeatedly. The man acted obnoxious, but right then, I couldn’t care less about his flaws. I wanted to hear what he knew.

  “We don’t mind,” I said anyway.

  “Well, I’ll have you know that I was no different from everyone else around here after some aircraft hovered over this town.” He lit his cigarette. “Whatever it emitted apparently put all of us in a daze and, in turn, enhanced the minds of dogs to match our intellect. That’s why you see people and dogs acting the way they do.”

  “So, it definitely was a UFO?” Sam sought clarification.

  “If you can call it that.” He nodded. “It came here to accomplish a strategic mission which has to do with setting things quote unquote right as far as canines, in particular, are concerned.”

  “But why?” Rob interjected.

  “May I answer that?” Hugo asked Jeffreys.

  “Sure, Hugo. Be my guest.” Jeffreys gestured with an outstretched arm.

  “The reason for all of this has to do with the handling of dogs in this town over the course of time, where we were grossly mistreated, unappreciated and taken advantage of,” Hugo started. “The opportunity, long-awaited, finally came for us to settle the score by placing humans in a subservient state and for the first time, allowing dogs to rule. Does that explain your question in a nutshell?” he asked Rob.

  Rob quickly nodded.

  “But how is the UFO connected to all dogs here in Eppington and how did you escape from their hypnotic grip, Mr. Jeffreys?” I asked.

  Jeffreys looked at Hugo and smiled. “It’s because of Hugo here,” he revealed. “He saved me.”

  “I couldn’t bear to see him the way that he was,” Hugo chimed in. “To me, he wasn’t my master or my friend anymore and having control over him that I never asked for didn’t sit well with me. I wanted the old him back and I opted to take the risk.”

  I was amazed at how well he spoke—actually, by how well they all spoke, even Dillinger.

  “So, I did what I knew I could to relieve him of the so-called spell,” Hugo continued.

  “And how did you do that?” Sam asked, eagerly.

  “I’m not quite sure, to be honest. I just know I started to reflect on all the good times we had since he first brought me into his home and how much I loved him and he loved me. Instinctively, I inwardly relinquished my powers and professed that Mark here was my master. That’s simply what I did—all it took.”

  “Yes, he told me the same thing,” Jeffreys affirmed. “All I knew was that I was back to myself, but Hugo and I both had to continue the act if we were going to be safe.”

  “Interesting…” Sam said.

  “So, that means the power to release everyone is in the hands of their pet dogs?” I asked.

  “You’re absolutely right!” Hugo responded.

  “What about people who don’t have dogs?” Sam noted.

  “The leader has the power to relinquish that hold on them,” Hugo answered.

  Sam shook her head disappointingly “I guess getting my peeps released is hopeless since the leader’s not about to do them any favors, huh?”

  There was a brief lull in the conversation, then Jeffreys said, “I wouldn’t be too sure about that just yet.”

  I thought of our dog, Dillinger, and how he had the power to release my family and didn’t. I couldn’t fathom what on earth had made him turn on us like that and I felt betrayed. How he could do this befuddled me.

  “Do you remember how it was when you were dazed?” I asked Jeffreys; my curiosity piqued.

  “I do.” He nodded. “I heard things, but it took a while before they registered and most times, I don’t think they ever did. Although I knew something was terribly wrong and felt helpless, I was unable to express myself in any way. There was a numbness inside—an emptiness I can’t quite explain and I just couldn’t break out of it no matter how hard I tried.”

  I lowered my head momentarily, as I imagined my parents, Carl and Rob’s and Sam’s family experiencing the same thing.

  “You’re in a shell and sort of pushed down near the bottom,” Jeffreys continued. “Guess that’s the best way to explain it.”

  I looked at both Jeffreys and Hugo. “They’ve got my family and I’m gonna do whatever it takes to rescue them. When will you know where they are?”

  Jeffreys uncrossed his legs and leaned forward in his chair. “Hugo gets intel about all the latest developments; one of the generals keeps him informed. As soon as we find out where they are, I’ll let you know, but you can’t just go barging in there. You need to have a plan.”

  “I hear you.”

  “Is there any way we can just grab our folks and get out of this town?” Rob asked. “You’d be able to drive us right out of here, won’t you?”

  “There’s no driving out of here nor getting in, Powell,” Jeffreys replied. “Do explain, Hugo.”

  Hugo rapidly blinked his eyelids a few times, then answered, “Mark’s right. An invisible barrier now exists between this town and the rest of the world. Ca
rs are unable to find a road that leads into this town and vice-versa. Even planes, once they take off, will fly into nowhere and disappear. This town of Eppington has been hidden behind the barrier.”

  “Holy cow!” Rob exclaimed before looking at Sam and me. “That means if we’d rowed across the lake to Crescent, we wouldn’t have gotten in…”

  “Exactly,” Jeffreys replied. “It’s a really disturbing situation.”

  Everyone was quiet and obviously in deep contemplation.

  “Hugo and I have discussed this in great detail and we believe there may be a way to get us all out of this hot mess.” Jeffreys finally broke the silence. “For just the two of us, it would’ve been quite a hefty challenge, but with all of us, we stand a better chance.”

  We were all ears as he explained what must be done.

  KEEP READING FOR BOOK TWO IN THIS EXCITING SERIES!

  EVERY DOG

  HAS ITS DAY

  HEWEY SPADER COZY MYSTERY SERIES

  BOOK TWO

  1

  _________________

  Jeffreys and Hugo had given us much food for thought. I could hardly believe my ears as I listened to them, but it was comforting to know that based on their experience, there was hope left for the rest of us.

  It was abundantly clear to me that my dog, Dillinger, would have nothing to do with helping my folks, so relying on him for anything was completely out of the question. I imagined he was relishing the idea of having our house completely to himself. I couldn’t help thinking he’d better enjoy whatever time he had left, because I was going to find my folks, get to the bottom of this lunacy and we were going to reclaim our home and this town. Afterwards, if I had anything to do with it, Dillinger was going to be shipped out. Yeah, every dog has its day.

  It had been three days since we’d heard a peep from Jeffreys and I was starting to wonder if Hugo had yet been informed as to where they’d taken my family. The guys and I had moved around very little since the neighborhood meeting and I was beginning to get more agitated.

  “Who are you calling?” Sam asked after I picked up my cell from the bench near the distillery’s upstairs window.

  “I need to find out if they know anything yet,” I said.

  Standing with her arms folded and a reprimanding look on her face, Sam replied, “Hewey, put the phone down. Jeffries specifically told us not to call. He said he’d be in touch. Don’t you think he said that for a reason?”

  I sighed heavily. “Why hasn’t he gotten back to us?”

  “Maybe because they haven’t found out the location yet.”

  Rob emerged from the bathroom with a large white towel wrapped around his waist. It was amazing that the well water still ran through the pipes of that abandoned building. Although it was sort of hard and the smell wasn’t the best, it was good enough for us to stay somewhat clean while we crashed there.

  “What’s going on?” He was drying his hair with a smaller towel. Good thing he thought to bring some soap and shampoo along that night when he’d grabbed the food.

  Sam came over and sat next to me. “Hewey’s tired of waiting for Jeffreys to get back to him,” she explained.

  “It’s been three days! I was wondering what the holdup was myself.” Rob reached for some clean clothes he had laid out on his mat.

  “There’s no use getting impatient, guys.” Sam glanced at us both. “I’m eager as hell to know where Hewey’s peeps are too, but we can’t go calling the man when he specifically said not to. If we trusted him thus far to have him come over here and pretty much expose our hide out, we need to trust him some more.”

  “You think he’s gonna come through then?” Rob seemed a bit curious.

  Sam nodded. “I think so. At first, I wasn’t too sure about him, but after they showed up and explained how things went, I kind of felt better about the whole deal.”

  I sat quietly, sliding my thumb across my cell phone’s screen.

  Sam looked at me. “You’re having doubts about Jeffreys?” she asked.

  It might’ve taken a good ten seconds before I responded. “I don’t know. I thought by now we would’ve heard something from them. I keep wondering where my folks are and how they’re doing. I wonder if they’re being treated well or not and what their living conditions are like.”

  After slipping his blue tee shirt over his head, Rob sat down on the mat and crossed his legs.

  “We need more food,” he said.

  Sam was glaring at him. “We’re talking about Hewey’s peeps here and you’re thinking about food? Really, little boy?”

  “I mean...I feel for Hewey and I’m just as worried about his folks as much as you are, but we can’t help anyone if we starve to death!”

  “Who’s gonna starve, you dimwit!” Sam lashed out. She shook her head frustratedly. “I just can’t believe you sometimes, Rob Powell. You act like your brain is in your butt and you’re always sitting on it. Take your mind off of food for a while, okay? There are more important things for us to think about.”

  “He’s right,” I interjected.

  “What?” Sam looked at me as if I’d said a forbidden word.

  “Rob’s right. We need more food.”

  Her eyes blinked rapidly for a few seconds. “Wait! Let me make sure I understand this. A couple of minutes ago, you were all distressed about not knowing where your peeps are; so much so, that you were about to do the one thing Jeffreys told you not to do. Now, you’re thinking about food. How does that compute? Does your brain click off too like this wise guy’s,” she pointed, “whenever your stomach growls?”

  I shook my head. “Of course, I’m totally concerned for my folks, but we’re literally down to the last Honey Bun and there’s no more drinking water. If we’re hungry and thirsty we’re not gonna think straight. We need to go and get some supplies, just like Rob said.”

  She looked outside the window, then glanced at her wrist watch. “It’s a quarter past ten. The neighborhood doesn’t look so busy. You want us to go now or wait until nightfall?”

  “Jeffreys did say it was riskier moving around at night, so I guess there’s no better time than the present,” I said.

  “Wait a minute.”

  She stood up. “Whose house are we going to this time?”

  “We can’t go to mine. I don’t know how things will go if we do with just Dillinger there now.”

  “We can go to my house,” Sam suggested. “Guess, we’ll have to rotate between Rob’s and mine.”

  Rob grabbed his backpack and got up. Sounds like a plan. Are we ready then?”

  I slid my cell into my pocket and we headed out.

  2

  _________________

  We decided to leave the bikes this time since we didn’t have too far to go. If we didn’t already know what was going on in our town, we would’ve thought everything was as normal as normal could be. Our street was quiet, for the most part, with several pedestrians walking along the sidewalks. A couple of kids were outside quietly standing around, while I imagined most of them would’ve been in school since it was the middle of the week. On the weird side, a few dogs seemed to be doing odds and ends around the yard, specifically at those residences where we’d seen the buses collect the human inhabitants. I figured the dogs left behind were picking up where their owners had left off. I could see my house further down the street and there was no movement on the grounds. I envisioned Dillinger inside watching an exciting movie or funny sitcom with his hind legs elevated. I hated the thought of him enjoying life to the fullest in the house my parents worked hard to build while they were somewhere they didn’t deserve to be at. The whole thing was so unfair.

  We passed Johnette Christie’s house which was locked up since she’d unwillingly vacated the premises. Then, there was Jeffreys’ place a couple of doors down on the same side. He had an average-sized, blue trimmed white dwelling with fancy iron shutters looming over the top-edge of the windows. The yard was enclosed by a four-foot high blue concrete wal
l. I was tempted to stop by and find out what was taking him so long to get back to me.

  “Don’t even think about it!” Sam quietly snarled.

  She knew me all too well. Rob was walking closely behind us, but not close enough to arouse suspicion. He’d pretty much mastered the “play it cool act” which made our movements out and about seamless.

  Suddenly, behind us, I heard a police siren sound then abruptly stop. At that moment, I was left with the terrifying decision to look back or to keep walking as if I hadn’t heard it. Without turning my head, I glanced at Sam.

  “Just keep walking guys,” she said. “Don’t look back. Just keep going.”

  I thought that was smart advice and was impressed that she took charge.

  “I ain’t lookin’ nowhere,” Rob asserted. “I don’t care what!”

  “That a boy!” I told him.

  The vehicle was approaching and this heart of mine started its usual pounding like when I was about to piss my pants from fear. “Stay… stay cool.” My voice was shaking. “Don’t look at them even if they address you.”

  I was wondering if it was a good idea after all to listen to Jeffreys when it came to going about our business during the daytime. I still felt that sneaking out at night was a wiser decision. Too late now.

  The vehicle now slowly moved alongside us. I could feel the pebbles of sweat sitting on my forehead and more at the nape of my neck, and was praying I didn’t look as nervous as I was.

  “Halt!” went a male’s voice from the vehicle, which my peripheral vision confirmed was, in fact, a police squad car.

  The three of us stopped in our tracks and as if reading each other’s thoughts, none of us turned in the direction of the vehicle.

  “Where are you headed?” the person asked.

  “To my house,” Sam answered, standing as stiffly as a robot. She almost sounded like one.