Dog-Gone Danger

To animal control officer, Stacey Vavzincak, and his daughter Savannah. And to my editor, Eliza Swift, who loves series books like I do.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is on file with the publisher.

Text copyright © 2018 by Linda Joy Singleton Illustrations copyright © 2018 by Albert Whitman & Company First published in the United States of America in 2018 by Albert Whitman & Company

ISBN 978-0-8075-1390-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

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Cover art copyright © 2018 by Tracy Bishop

Interior illustrations and hand lettering by Jordan Kost Design by Ellen Kokontis

For more information about Albert Whitman & Company, visit our website at www.albertwhitman.com.

Contents

Chapter 1: Barking Mad

Chapter 2: Buggy

Chapter 3: Risky Business

Chapter 4: Missing Mom

Chapter 5: Suspicions

Chapter 6: Z Codes

Chapter 7: Duncan Street

Chapter 8: Blackberry Lane

Chapter 9: Surprise Visitors

Chapter 10: Sisters and Secrets

Chapter 11: Larkspur Lane

Chapter 12: A Super Pup

Chapter 13: Vine Road

Chapter 14: Buried in the Barn

Chapter 15: Message from Mom

Chapter 16: Pedi-Greed

Chapter 17: Puppy Pondering

Chapter 18: Peggy Lane

Chapter 19: Pursuit!

Chapter 20: Down the Rabbit Hole

Chapter 21: Moving Day

Chapter 22: A Major Miracle

Chapter 23: Truth, Lies, and Spies

Kelsey Case

Ms. Wirt’s Third Period

Assignment: Essay on Irony

When Good Deeds Go Bad

The dictionary defines IRONY as a state of affairs or an event that seems contrary to what one expects. And I know from real-life experience that you can do a good deed for someone else that causes something bad to happen to you.

I’m supposed to give an example to back up my statement, so I’ll tell you something that happened a few weeks ago.

It started off with a good deed that was rewarded. After volunteering at a fund-raiser for the Humane Society, my father got a cool new job and a rent-free house big enough for my family plus our little kitten and big dog. We LOVED this wonderful house and hoped to live there for a long time.

But then I did a good deed. I helped my father’s boss unmask a thief, find a lost emerald, and reunite with his missing family. Dad’s boss was thrilled when his family wanted to move back into their home. Unfortunately, their home was our wonderful new house, so my family had to move out.

In conclusion, irony sucks. My reward for doing a good deed was eviction. Now my family is homeless. And it’s all my fault.

- Chapter 1 -

Barking Mad

Piles and piles of smashed cars rise in metal hills as far as I can see. It’s a graveyard where vehicles come to die, filled with broken glass, twisted bumpers, and rotting tires. The air is heavy with the stinky smells of oil, rubber, and other acrid odors I can’t identify. Shadows shift, the afternoon sun glinting, and a rusting school bus turns into a lurking dragon with glowing headlight eyes.

Out there, hidden somewhere, are two boys.

You can find them, Major, I say, gripping the leash tightly. I look down at the German shepherd who sits obediently beside me.

Major is probably smarter than most humans. His velvety brown ears are triangles of alertness, twitching slightly as he waits for my commands. He always seems to be listening, something we have in common. In my large family, I’m the quiet one who listens a lot. My ability to observe and lip-read is why my title in the Curious Cat Spy Club is Spy Specialist. Major may not be able to lip-read, but he used to be a search and rescue dog, so he has lots of cool skills—which is why I brought him to Pete’s Pick and Pull, the local car graveyard.

There’s a tap on my shoulder, and I turn to face my closest friend, Becca Morales. Her pink-streaked black hair is pulled back in a leopard-print bandanna that matches the stretchy tights below her black skirt. She’s a talented fashion designer and makes most of her own clothes.

Ready to start? Becca asks, bending down to pat Major’s head.

Are you talking to Major or me?

Both! Her dark eyes sparkle. It’ll be fun to see Major in action.

I could use some fun. Sighing, I stare at a smashed-car tower. It sways even though there’s no wind.

Becca’s face softens, and she reaches out to squeeze my hand. Don’t think about your family.

I nod, relieved to escape my house…well, not really my house but my grandmother’s. When Dad’s boss, Mr. Bragg, asked us to move out of his cottage, he offered us a fancy suite in his castle until we could find a new house. My older brother and parents moved into the castle, but my twin sisters preferred to stay with friends. I think Bragg Castle is cool, but my dog and kitten had to stay with my grandmother, so that’s where I went too. I was surprised when Mom joined me at Gran’s a week later. I thought it was weird, but I’ve enjoyed sharing the guest room with her.

The search and rescue game was Becca’s idea. When she found out Major was a trained rescue dog, she thought it would be fun to test his skills. Also, it’ll test our CCSC spy skills. Our associate member, Frankie, suggested we use his uncle’s wrecking yard, and he and Leo volunteered to hide. Becca and I are in charge of Major. The German shepherd is temporarily living with my grandmother while his elderly owner, Greta, is in the hospital. When she’s well enough to come home, she’ll take Major back.

Doesn’t Major need clothing from the boys to sniff? Becca asks, shielding her eyes as she stares up at the panorama of wrecked vehicles. I always thought SAR-trained dogs followed scented stuff to find missing people.

They do, but according to Gran Nola, Major had training to locate people trapped in natural disasters. She said he is… I try to think of the word my grandmother used. Air trained.

Oh, I’ve heard about that, Becca says. She lives on an animal sanctuary and is our CCSC animal expert and Social Contact Operative. She knows everything there is to know about animals.

Major will ignore our scents because he can see us, I add. But when he smells the boys, he won’t see them, so he’ll search until he finds them.

Coolness. Becca’s ponytail flops as she bounces eagerly on her sneaker toes. Let’s get started.

I reach around Major’s blue collar and click off his leash. A thrill of excitement rushes through me as I say, Major, find the boys!

He just sits there, doing nothing.

Let me try. Becca kneels beside the German shepherd. Major, our club mates Leo and Frankie are lost somewhere out there. They need your help. Please find them.

But politeness doesn’t seem to work either.

Go! I say firmly, giving Major a gentle push. Find. The. Boys.

Major doesn’t make a move.

Now! I shout. Search!

Major whines, looking up at me with liquid brown eyes. But the only movement he makes is to lick my arm.

Becca frowns. Are you sure he’s trained to find people?

Gran said Major rescued an entire family after an earthquake destroyed their home. I don’t understand why he’s sitting there doing nothing.

He’s retired now and old in dog years. He probably has arthritis. Becca runs her fingers across Major’s black-and-tan fur. He’s getting gray around his muzzle too.

But he rescued his owner and can keep up with me when I’m on my bike, I argue. He’s not too old. I think he’s just being stubborn.

Why is there a delay in the canine discovery experiment? a familiar voice calls out. Leo Polanski, the CCSC’s Covert Technology Strategist, strides toward us. He looks nice in a dark vest over a navy-blue shirt and pressed black slacks—like he’s at a wedding instead of in a wrecking yard.

Becca wags her finger at Leo. You were supposed to stay hidden.

I did until nineteen minutes passed. Is there a problem? Leo brushes dust off his vest. I notice that he’s changed out of the dark leather shoes he wore in school today and into black-striped sneakers like mine.

A Major problem. I frown. He won’t search. I wonder why he won’t obey us, Becca says with a thoughtful look at the dog. It could have something to do with his training. Maybe you’re not using the right words.

Like a magical spell? I ask, thinking of my favorite fantasy novels. But I doubt fictional commands like accio or mobiliarbus will work on Major. Sighing, I click his leash back on his blue collar. There’s no point in hanging around here. I’m going home…I mean…to my grandmother’s house.

Yeah, we might as well leave. Becca sounds as disappointed as I feel. Kelsey, I’ll go with you to your grandmother’s and stay until I have to go home for dinner if you’d like.

Yeah, I would. I give her a grateful smile, then turn to Leo to ask if he wants to come with us. But when I look at him, I catch him looking at me, and the words stick in my throat. Is there dirt on my face? Is my hair messy? Am I blushing? Ever since I went with Leo on his birthday trip to San Francisco, things have been weird between us.

Um…go ahead. Leo takes a step back. I-I have to find Frankie.

I peer around. Is he still hiding?

Yes. And since he knows the best hiding spots, he said no animal or person could find him. But he can’t elude me. Leo sweeps his gaze around the wrecking yard. According to my calculations, and factoring in the direction Frankie took, he’s in that school bus.

It’s like a giant metal monster, Becca says with a shudder.

I nod, remembering how I imagined it lurking like a dragon. But I don’t think that’s where he’s hiding. I point to the towering hill of cars. I saw that huge pile sway.

Leo purses his lips skeptically. It would take a tornado to move that mountain of metal.

Or a boy using it as a hiding place, I suggest. Check there for Frankie.

Great observation, Kelsey, Leo says with a grin that makes me grin too. We used to argue a lot, so his compliment feels weird. He stares like he’s waiting for me to say something. My cheeks burn.

We should go, Becca. Come on, Major. I jerk on the leash and quickly turn to flee the wrecking yard.

I immediately regret walking instead of biking. The mile walk didn’t seem long coming from my grandmother’s house. Now it seems like a marathon.

Kelsey, slow down, Becca complains when she catches up with me. Leo isn’t watching anymore.

I don’t care what Leo does, I snap.

You’re so obvious. Becca grins as we fall into step, Major leading the way. You’ve been crushing on Leo since you went on that date to San Francisco with him.

It wasn’t a date.

Becca giggles. Okay, a not-date.

He only invited me because he had an extra ticket to the World Robot Tournament.

Also because he likes you lots, Becca says. You two are so cute together.

I kick a rock across the sidewalk and into a ditch. "We are not together."

Well, you should be. I know! Becca snaps her fingers, her purple nail polish glinting in the sun. You should ask him to the Spring Fling dance.

I can’t. I pause. He already asked me.

Becca’s mouth falls open. Seriously? And you’re just now telling me this astounding news?

There was no reason to say anything because—I stumble over