The Mystery at the Dog Show Read Online Free PDF

She’d had a flat tire. Strangest thing, you know. She’d just put new tires on her car.” Mrs. DeCicco kept staring in the direction the judges had gone. “Oh, dear,” she repeated. “I must win. I must. ”
    â€œMrs. DeCicco?” said Violet. “Winning isn’t everything.”
    Mrs. DeCicco looked at Violet. “Maybe not. But if I don’t win, I could lose everything!”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” asked Jessie.
    â€œI’ve put all my money, everything, into my beagles. And they all used to win all the time. But then I was in an accident and couldn’t show my dogs for a long time. Now we have to start winning again soon, or I won’t have any money left. I’ll be forced to sell my dogs and my kennel!”
    â€œOh, dear,” said Violet.
    â€œI’m sure your beagles will win,” said Henry.
    With a sad, serious expression, Mrs. DeCicco said, “Do you think so? I hope you’re right. They’re such good dogs.” She turned toward the three kennels with her beagles lined up inside. She bent down, and the sad expression left her face. “Aren’t my beagles good boys and girls?”
    The beagles began to bark happily. “Yes, good dogs, the best beagles in the world, no matter what,” Mrs. DeCicco told them.
    Henry looked at his watch. “We still have time to look around some more,” he said. After saying good-bye to Mrs. DeCicco, the Aldens made their way through the benching area, still staring at all the different kinds of dogs and all their amazing shapes and sizes and colors.
    Then Jessie said, “Look!”
    At the very end of the row, a man was sneaking up to an unguarded kennel. He kept looking back over his shoulder nervously as he bent down. Inside the kennel, the Aldens could see a droopy-jowled basset hound growling angrily.
    â€œNice dog,” said the man. The dog kept growling, watching the man suspiciously.

    â€œGood doggie,” said the man. He appeared to be fumbling with the latch on the kennel door. The dog raised itself up on its front legs and barked. The man jerked his hand back.
    â€œExcuse me,” said Henry.
    The man jumped and spun around. He was not much taller than Henry. He had brown wispy hair combed across the top of his almost bald head, heavy brown eyebrows, and sharp little blue eyes.
    â€œExcuse me,” Henry repeated. “Could we help you?”
    â€œNo!” said the man hastily. “Why do you ask?”
    â€œIs that your basset hound?” asked Jessie.
    â€œWhy?” the man said.
    â€œBecause he doesn’t seem to know you. If you were his owner, I don’t think he’d bark at you like that,” persisted Jessie.
    â€œOkay, okay, so the dog isn’t mine. A man can look at another person’s dog, can’t he? It’s a free country! Besides, I’m thinking of buying one. Yeah, that’s it. Maybe this one. Now, if you kids will excuse me — ” With that, the man pushed past the Aldens and disappeared into the crowd!

CHAPTER 6
    A Bad Haircut
    T he Aldens stared as the strange man hurried away.
    â€œDo you think he was trying to steal that dog?” asked Violet.
    Jessie put her hands on her hips. “I don’t know. It sure looked like it. But how could he, in the middle of a dog show with so many people around?”
    â€œWith so many people, it might be easier,” suggested Henry. “Everybody is busy with their own dog and not paying attention to other people’s dogs. And there are so many people and so many dogs, no one really knows which person goes with which dog.”
    â€œI never thought about that,” Jessie said thoughtfully. Violet and Benny nodded in agreement.
    Just then, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: “Attention! The First Annual Greenfield Dog Show is about to begin!”
    â€œWe’d better hurry!” exclaimed Henry. The children walked