Chapter 8

 

 

“My mom’s on her way,” Hannah said as she hung up her phone. It had taken some convincing but Coco was on her way in with Bubbie. Being able to take him out of her hands was another thing all together.

“How did he go missing?” Harry asked, directing the question at Mr. Drysdale. He was a tall, body builder type of guy. Not quite what you’d expect of a Dachshund owner.

“He was taken from the yard. One minute he was there, the next he was gone. I knew he couldn’t get out so I was certain someone had taken him. I only had him a week,” he explained.

“And his description matches?” Hannah asked, looking at Cory. She was slightly disappointed they had found Bubbie’s owner so quickly, she didn’t even get a chance to play with him properly.

“Down to the tee,” Cory replied. “Ah, here we are.” She indicated to the door as Coco bustled in with Bubbie cradled against her chest. His legs probably hadn’t been on the ground since the previous day.

“Rex!” Mr. Drysdale exclaimed. The puppy’s tail wagged madly as he lurched for his owner – his real one. Coco let him go reluctantly. Hannah’s heart broke for her; she could see the sadness in her eyes already. She was going to be even worse to live with for a while.

“I can’t thank you enough for finding him,” Mr. Drysdale said, tears sitting in the corner of his eyes. Seeing a grown man dote over a tiny little puppy was certainly something new to Hannah. Her image of body builders worldwide was changed in an instant.

“We’re just happy you got him back,” Cory said. “Make sure to keep him inside for a while. Only take him outside if you’re with him the whole time.”

“I’m not letting him out of my sight ever again,” he declared. The four of them watched him leave with the little Dachshund.

“I need a coffee,” Coco mumbled before storming off.

“So that’s your mom,” Harry said, teasingly.

“The one and only,” Hannah replied. “Now you know why I don’t introduce you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She grinned. The best way to describe her mother was always to show them, they instantly understood. Coco spoke for herself.

“Well, kids,” Cory started. “We have a dognapper to capture. I’m going to the police to tell them everything. Hold down the fort, I’ll be back.”

It took her two seconds to grab her handbag and leave them to it. Hannah and Harry returned to their duties, on the edge of their seat until she got back.

The police must have taken her seriously because Cory didn’t return for over an hour. And when she did, she had two police officers in tow.

They spent the rest of the afternoon going through all the missing dog reports. Hannah and Harry both had to explain everything they had worked out and pass on the details of the man they had brought the Dachshund puppy from.

After receiving a warning for taking the law into their own hands and going into a potentially dangerous situation, the police asked for their help.

“You’ll be wearing a hidden camera,” the officer explained, he was an older man – in his forties at least. “If anything looks like it’s going wonky, we’ll get you out of there. Normally we don’t get the public involved, especially not a fifteen year old, but you’ve met with the man already. He trusts you. Do you think you can do it again?”

Hannah didn’t even need to think about it. If she could do something to stop all the poor dogs being taken from their owners, she would do it. “I’ll do whatever you need me to.”

The police officer nodded in acknowledgement. “We’re going to need your parent’s permission.”

“My mom will be fine about it,” Hannah replied, wondering if it was actually true or not. Coco was a bit of a drama queen but she normally saw sense eventually. Surely she had to agree? After all, she was the one who demanded Hannah do something in the summer break. Thwarting a dognapping ring classified as something, right?

The police finished explaining the plan and then drove Hannah home, needing to speak with Coco before they could finalize their strategy.

“I don’t know, can you guarantee my daughter’s safety?” Her mom asked after she had heard the story. She had taken it better than Hannah had expected.

The policeman nodded patiently. “If there is any sign of danger we’ll go in immediately. The safety of everyone involved is our highest priority.”

“Will she get her name in the paper? Or a bravery medal?”

Hannah could feel her cheeks redden. “Mom, I don’t need my name in the paper or a medal. Will you just agree already?”

Coco gave her a warning, silently telling her not to boss her around. She knew the look well, she had received it so many times she was practically immune to its affect.

“Fine, she can do it,” Coco finally sighed. “But if she’s hurt, I’m going to make you pay for it.”

“We’ll take care of her,” the policeman assured before turning his attention back to Hannah. “We will need you to make a phone call to the man.”

“Of course,” Hannah replied. They told her exactly what to do before she called the man she had brought the puppy from. This time, she had a friend looking for a purebred Chihuahua. The man agreed to find one for her and hung up. “Now we wait for the call.”