5 Mischief in Christmas River Read Online Free PDF Page A

somebody would be able to look past his bad behavior to give the little pooch what he wanted.   
    “C’mon, Chadwick,” I said, tugging on the leash. “We’re only a few blocks away from the Humane Society. You can rest your paws then.”  
    He looked back up at me with those large, sorrow-filled eyes.
    “C’mon,” I said in a higher pitched tone, pulling at the leash. “Let’s go—”
    Just then, I noticed something pinned to the telephone pole that I hadn’t before.
    I let Chadwick lie there for a moment longer while I peered at the poster. There was a grainy photo of a light-colored lab mix and words of desperation above it.
    Missing! Please Help!
    For some reason, the pooch looked familiar, though I couldn’t quite place him.
    My baby Harley was last seen near the BrightStar Dog Park and Trail System. He ran away on a walk and is missing. Please call Julianne Redding at 541-788-9089. $500 reward. Desperate.
    That was why the dog was so familiar-looking. Julianne Redding and her husband Hank had once been the co-owners of Calamity Jane’s , a high-end western food restaurant in downtown Christmas River. She had been the restaurant’s chef, and she was also the longest-standing Gingerbread Junction judge, having judged cookie houses for nearly 15 years. I’d seen her with her dog Harley several times when I walked Huckleberry in the BrightStar area, a residential area of upscale country homes that had nice recreation trails and a dog park too. Harley was a rambunctious, but friendly, yellow lab and pit bull mix. Since the restaurant had closed, and since her husband Hank died a couple years ago, I’d gotten the impression that Harley had taken on an even bigger importance in Julianne’s life.
    I looked at the pooch in the photo again. He had his tongue out, and was looking off into the distance like a proud conqueror.
    I wondered how often people actually found the dogs or cats on these kinds of posters. Or if most of them didn’t end up getting hit by a car. Or eaten by a coyote. Or even a wolf, as there had been rumors this fall that one had been spotted on the north side of town.
    Plenty of bad things could have happened to Harley. And Julianne might not ever find out what became of her lovable pup.
    Poor Harley.
    I glanced at the photo one last time, committing the image to memory in case I came across him. Then, I kneeled down and picked up Chadwick. The dog squirmed as I lifted him up from the sidewalk and set him back down on his paws.
    He tried to collapse again, but I wasn’t having it this time.
    “If you think I’m carrying you back, then you have another thing coming, Chadwick.”
    I tugged on the leash, pulling him along, all the way back to the Humane Society.
     

 
    Chapter 8
     
    The parking lot of the high school was nothing short of a zoo.
    I made yet another circle around the lot, stopping frequently for folks crossing the asphalt, headed for the auditorium. Everywhere I looked, the parking spaces were full. I saw Meredith Drutman get out of her car, which she had illegally parked in a handicapped space. It took everything I had not to glare at her as I drove by.
    I was about to make yet another circle of the lot, having just about given up hope, when I saw the taillights of a green Subaru light up. I waited patiently as the lady driving the car backed up and pulled out. I took the space, smiling like the Cheshire Cat at getting such a good spot. 
    The kiddos were already on winter vacation, but the place was packed to the gills on account of it being the Gingerbread Junction registration day.
    I sat in the car for a moment, pulling the application forms from my purse and reviewing them carefully, making sure I hadn’t missed anything.
    The judges of the annual competition were notorious sticklers for the registration forms being filled out correctly. Because, as everybody knew, this wasn’t just any old gingerbread house competition. There was a nice chunk of change at stake,