Play Fetch: An Avery Barks Dog Mystery (Avery Barks Dog Mysteries Book 3) Read Free Page B

the lady was just embarrassed about having strangers see any kind of a mess.  Unfortunately, it’s a common issue for search and rescue missions.” I said. “But it does seem suspicious considering the possible motive to get rid of him.”

Chapter 5
     
    As we walked back toward the command post and the adrenaline of the search wore off, my eyes started to feel heavy.  After a quick debriefing, I would finally be headed home to bed.
    Don and I were walking across the victim’s back yard when the back basement door flew open and Anna’s mother hurried toward us.  Her black coat was unbuttoned and flapped in the breeze as she held a plaid scarf around her head. As she approached, Don’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched, and he stood with his arms crossed.  He still hadn’t finished his cooling off period and was overly tired.
    “I just wanted to thank you for helping my father,” the woman sputtered. “My daughter hasn’t stopped talking about your dog since you left.  I was hoping you could bring him inside and surprise her.  I am only asking because Anna doesn’t have a father and I can’t afford to do many fun things for her.  It would mean so much.”  Tears welled up in the woman’s eyes as she spoke.
    Don’s face relaxed a tiny bit. “We would be happy to, ma’am.  Besides, I’d like to ask you a couple questions.”
    “Please call me Brenda,” she said and wiped away a tear.
    “Miss Brenda, why did you direct us to the wrong bedroom to get our scent articles?” Don asked as his eyes flashed anger and he stared her in the eye.
    “I’m sorry, it’s just so messy downstairs and…,” her voice trailed off and she dropped her head.
    “Don’t ever do that again,” Don said with his arms still crossed. “It almost cost your father his life.”
     
    ###
     
    “Anna’s in the crafts room,” Miss Brenda whispered as she quietly led us across the wooded floor down the hallway.
    We reached the back bedroom, and the woman said, “Anna, someone is here to meet you!”
    Don walked into the room with Ace and the little girl squealed with delight.  “This is Ace,” he said as Anna jumped up and lightly stroked the shiny black fur on the search dog’s back.
    I was surprised when Don suddenly tighten his grip on Ace’s leash, until I looked up and took in the surroundings.  The room was filled with bright yellow tennis balls.  There were tennis balls scattered all over the carpet and overflowing out of dresser drawers.  Two fold out tables were covered with exacto knives, scissors, wax paper, stencils, tape, paint and other crafts materials.   Ace must have been tired from working all night, or maybe he was enjoying Anna’s attention, because he ignored the balls. 
    I laughed and asked Don, “Can you imagine the havoc Chevy would create if he were to be set free in a room full of tennis balls?”  He chuckled as I spoke about my dog and grabbed Ace’s leash with both hands.
    Anna looked up with a huge smile as she hugged Ace’s neck. “You have a dog too?”
    “Yep, his name is Chevy and he LOVES to play with tennis balls,” I laughed.  “Sometimes he tries to put two in his mouth at one time.”
    Anna giggled and buried her face in Ace’s fur.
    “Maybe you can throw the tennis ball for him someday.” I smiled.
    “We make crafts out of tennis balls,” the girl’s mother beamed.  “I’d like to give one to each of you as a gift to show our appreciation for helping us. By the way, my name’s Brenda.”
    We watched patiently as the woman enthusiastically showed off all the different creations that filled the room. There were tennis ball fashioned into Christmas ornaments, balls sliced open to create key ring holders, some cute puffy ducks that used a tennis ball for the belly, and so much more.  I was getting so sleepy that it was hard to focus.  Eventually the presentation ended and it was time to select our gifts.
    I ended up choosing the one called ‘nature