“Don’t worry, team,” said Rider with a sly smile. “I’ve got this crooked magician right where I want him.”
“It doesn’t look that way, Boss,” said Rora.
The P.I. Pack rushed forward to save their friend. “Ah-ah-ah!” Labra said. “I already have my volunteer for this trick.” With a wave of his wand, Labra magically lifted ropes off the floor and tied up the three detectives.
“Don’t worry, P.I. Pack,” Rider said. “I’m coming!”
Rider began shifting around. His paw appeared with a key, and he began to unlock the chains around him. Then, in almost no time at all, Rider shrugged off the straitjacket. “Time for you to go back to prison, jailbird!”
“Jailbird? I think you mean jaildog,” Labra said with a smirk. Then he waved his wand again and let out a booming magic word. “LABRA-CADABRA!”
The magician zapped Rider with a powerful beam. Rider stood completely still. His eyes glazed over with spinning black-and-white hypnotized pinwheels.
“When you awaken, you will no longer be Rider Woofson, ace detective,” Labra commanded. “Instead you will be Rider Woofson, criminal mastermind and my evil assistant!”
“That will never happen!” Ziggy cried out as he escaped from the magic ropes and leaped onto the stage. He tried to tackle Labra, but the magician disappeared in a cloud of purple-and-gold smoke.
Westie freed himself next with a handheld laser from his utility belt. Then he freed Rora, too. They joined Rider onstage. “Boss, talk to us!” Westie barked.
Rider shook his head as if waking up, but he had a different look in his eyes. “Who are you? What am I doing here?” he asked.
Another poof of smoke flashed as Labra appeared on the other side of the room surrounded by his henchbunnies. And those rabbits looked mad.
“There’s Labra!” yelled Ziggy. “Let’s make him vanish—back to prison!”
“I don’t think so,” Labra said. “Rider, if you don’t mind, take care of your friends.”
Before Westie or Ziggy knew it, Rider grabbed them by the backs of their shirts. The hypnotized detective flung the two pups into a wooden magician’s box. Then an enchanted saw began to cut the box in two.
“Boss, what are you doing?!” Westie cried.
“I never liked this trick!” Ziggy yipped.
“What’s going on, Rider?!” Rora shouted as she tried to stop the saw. “They’re your friends!”
Rider laughed. “They were my friends, but I’ve got to . . . split. Henchbunnies, why don’t you finish the job?” Suddenly, two henchbunnies grabbed Rora and tossed her into another magician’s box. Then they locked it shut.
“See you later,” Rider sneered. Then he added, “Not.” He left with Labra as the magician’s newest evil assistant.
