Cindy was as still as a statue. Her eyes were blank and apparently her hearing was shot too. I explained what was happening as accurately and coherently as I could. But since my heart was pounding so hard I could hear it, maybe the words were a little fuzzy. Nothing registered on her pale face, so I explained it all again.
She’d gotten home before me and had fed Napoleon. Mrs. Murphy couldn’t babysit the parrot so Cindy had come early to care for him. He was proudly walking up and down his perch as he listened to me intently. Then he began screeching, “Dirty dog! Bawk! Dirty dog! Bawk, bawk! Where’s the dirty dog?”
Trying to ignore him was hard so Cindy and I continued our conversation in the kitchen. With lowered voices, we planned our next move. Napoleon finally settled down and stuck his beak in the food dish.
We went back to our bedrooms and began getting what we needed. Dark clothing, canvas shoes, backpacks with a few supplies. I went to the coat closet for my deerstalker cap. I needed all the mojo I could get from Sherlock and tugged it snugly on my head. Adrenaline was beginning to pump through our bodies making senses sharp and nerves tight. Just as we were heading out the door, my cell phone rang. Cindy jumped as high as I did. Placing a hand on my wildly beating heart, I pushed the receive button.
“Yes, hello.”
“Is this Lucy James?” asked an unfamiliar voice.
“It is. Who’s this?”
“My name is Anthony Mason. I’m the attorney for the Louis Laparu Estate. Do you have a minute?”
“Just,” I replied. Cindy arched a brow wondering what was up.
“Mr. Laparu passed away a few days ago.”
A slight pause. “I’m sorry to hear that but why are you calling me?”
“Apparently you met with Mr. Laparu before he died and he left a note for you in a sealed envelope.”
“A sealed envelope?”
“Yes. I have no idea what’s in it but his maid gave it to me after he died.”
“Okay.”
“Could you please come to my office in the morning?”
I could barely think right this minute. “Mr…I’ve forgotten your name already.”
“Mason.”
“Fine, Mr. Mason. I’m heading out the door so I can’t stop this minute. Would you please call me back and leave your address on my voice mail?”
“Yes, I can do that. Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Certainly. I’ll be there.”
“Thank you, Miss James. Goodbye.”
I filled Cindy in on the latest while we sprinted to the car. She shook her head and got behind the wheel. She said I looked too shook up to drive. I couldn’t argue since I was too rattled but I was thrilled she was speaking to me. If I hadn’t come up with a plan, I don’t think she would have spoken to me again.
It was only after five and in broad daylight for this caper. I didn’t care. Cindy didn’t care. We were on a mission and heaven help the person who got in our way.
I parked the car in the alley right beside Blass Labs. We didn’t bother with checking to see if anyone was around watching because we didn’t care about that either. The old brick building held our concentrated focus and not even the crusty spider webs around the back door could delay me. Cindy punched in the security code as I retrieved the keys from the backpack and stuck a thick key into the lock. We pushed the door open and blinked, trying hard to move our feet.
Every window must have had blackout shades because the room was so dark. A sliver of light from the opened door reflected poorly on the room’s interior. Cindy reached into the backpack and took out two flashlights.
“Here,” she handed me one. “Let’s find a light switch.”
We scoured the walls with pinpricks of light to find a switch somewhere. Cindy finally found one and when she flicked it on, our mouths dropped to the floor. It was a science lab, which we fully expected to see, but what surprised us were the multitudes of cages everywhere. All kinds of animals from mice to rabbits to dogs and cats were in the cages, some in the process of some kind of medical experiment. The high ceiling emphasized the enormity of the room. Beakers, test tubes, microscopes were scattered on counters. Before we could get our leaden feet to move, we heard a familiar bark from the back of the room.
Rushing towards the sound, Cindy got there first and found an area comprised only of dogs. Baskerville saw us and began jumping up and down. He didn’t look any worse for wear but appearances can be deceiving. The cage he was in was unlocked so Cindy opened it with shaky fingers and the dog leaped into her arms! We were both so happy we started to cry. After we’d taken turns cuddling our beloved dog, I handed him to Cindy and began to look around. There were many dogs in this area and my mind was so scattered I couldn’t remember what we were looking for. Cindy pulled the pictures out of the backpack of the missing dogs and we fanned out to search for them.
Several dogs resembled the pictures but we just weren’t sure. Not all the dogs looked perky either. Some were either anesthetized or dead. It was hard to tell.
“Hey! Take a look at this!” Cindy called out from a few feet away. She was holding tightly to Baskerville with one arm and pawing through a wastebasket with the other. I rushed over to see what she’d found.
“What is it?”
“Look, Lucy.” She held up several collars. “Go through these and see if we can find the ones we’re looking for.”
“Great idea!” I grabbed for the ones she had while she bent to find more.
I moved to a side table and plopped all the collars on it. After looking at a few, I nodded. “Here’s Winston’s collar. That’s Joe’s dog.”
From another table, Cindy was doing the same thing. She brushed back her pale hair as she brightly held up a pink collar. “This says Bella. It’s got to be Emma and Tom’s dog!”
In the end we found all four collars that we were looking for and thought we had identified the right dogs. Winston, Spanky, Jack and Bella were in various cages looking at us with bleary eyes. They were eerily quiet, not barking with Baskerville and we began to worry.
Cindy voiced it first. “I hope they’re all right.” She looked at me with Baskerville busily licking her hand. “What next, Holmes?”
“Elementary, my dear Watson.” I fished out my cell phone from a pocket and began calling. “I’m getting everyone over here to identify their dogs. Until then, let’s sit tight.”
We didn’t stray from the area with all the dogs until we heard pounding on the front door. Cindy stayed with Baskerville clutched tightly to her as I hurried to open the door. Before I could get the door all the way open, in spilled, Joe, Tom, Emma and Tessa.
“Lucy! What’s happening?” Joe spoke for the group since everyone appeared to be in shock.
“Come with me, Mr. Warner.” I looked around. “All of you. See if these are your dogs we found. We’re just not one hundred percent positive.”
With shrieks of joy and tears of happiness rolling down everyone’s faces, one by one they found their pets. The scene was enough to reduce Cindy and I to tears again as we stood nearby taking it all in. The Pomeranian and the Yorkshire Terriers were unsteady on their feet but Tessa, Tom and Emma grabbed them up with sobs and gasps. Mr. Warner’s golden lab was lying on his side. He perked up a little bit when Joe started speaking to him but it was obvious there was a problem. At least their pets were alive and for that, the room was filled with gratitude.
Cindy tended to everyone while I called the police. Two young officers from the Sparks Police Department showed up in crisp, blue uniforms and I told them the whole story. While I watched them jot notes, my eyes darted to the door opening wide for Detective Skip Callahan to walk in. No rumpled trench coat for this detective; he looked sleek and stylish in a dark sport coat over pressed slacks. He nodded to me, the officers and then his eyes found what he was seeking—Cindy. She looked up when he spoke.
“Lucy. I see you’ve gotten yourself caught up in another adventure. So this is why you needed the license plate run?” His lips twitched, holding back a smile.
“This is the city of Sparks, Detective, not Reno. Why are you here?” As if I didn’t know.
“You’re not very good at keeping your end of a bargain. When I heard the call go out, I decided to tag along.” His eyes widened to take in the whole scene.
“Did you find the dogs you were looking for?”
“I did. Go see.” I continued with the police officers but glanced back to see him heading over to Cindy. Her face didn’t look welcoming. Crap. I’d hear about this later or maybe not. She was ecstatic that we’d rescued Baskerville so perhaps she’d cut cute Skip a break. I’d tune in for more of that saga later.
The police allowed Joe and his neighbors the time to take their pets to veterinarians before going down to the police station to file reports. I went ahead and Cindy took Baskerville to our vet for a checkup. He looked pretty good but what did I know? We both wanted to make sure so off she went. The last I saw of them was our toy poodle’s curly tail wagging up a storm. He’d probably even be glad to see Napoleon. Well, maybe.
In the end, we didn’t get arrested because I had a key and the security code. But we were cited for trespassing on private property and we each paid a fine. Robert Blass was contacted and asked to come to the police station for questioning. I would have loved to hear that conversation.
Sparks police called the owners of other animals whose collars we had found. I understand there were more joyful reunions at Blass Labs that night and I went to bed exhausted yet deliriously happy. The world had turned bright again.
* * *