A Doggone Dead End

“Come on!” Kate said. “We can’t let Louie’s disappearance interfere with Red’s hitting streak. We’ve got to find Manny and see what’s going on.”

The cool night air hit Mike and Kate as they walked outside. Streetlights lit the loading zone, but the sky was dark.

VROOM!

The tractor trailer loaded with horses pulled away from the parking area. A security guard waved to the driver as the truck drove off. The guard rolled the loading zone gates closed after the truck had passed by.

Mike and Kate waved their arms. “Wait! What about Louie?” they shouted over the noise of the truck. “Come back!”

The truck rumbled off into the night.

Mike’s and Kate’s shoulders slumped.

“I can’t believe Manny and Tommy just left!” Mike said.

“I know!” Kate said. “Now what?”

“No! No! It’s okay,” said a voice.

It was Manny! He walked out from behind the other tractor trailer.

“Tommy had to get the horses back to the stables,” Manny said. “He left me behind to search for Louie.”

“We’ve looked everywhere,” Kate said. “There’s no sign of him.”

“I know,” Manny said. “Now that I’ve finished helping Tommy, I’m going to find Mr. Lee. I can’t search the entire stadium, even with you two helping. Plus, the Cardinals have to be involved if we need a World Series trophy for the ransom.”

Mike glanced at Kate. He pointed at the truck disappearing into the distance. Kate nodded.

“What if Tommy had something to do with Louie’s disappearance?” Mike asked. “Tommy really doesn’t seem to like him. Maybe he made Louie disappear.”

Manny’s mouth dropped open a little. Then he shook his head. “That’s an interesting idea,” he said. “But I know that Tommy loves Louie. He wouldn’t have taken him for the ransom, or anything else. Plus, Tommy just left with the horses, so he won’t be here in the ninth inning to pick up the ransom!”

“Oh,” Mike said. “Well, it seemed like he doesn’t care for Louie.”

Manny waved his hand. “No, he does,” he said. “You should see them back at the stables. He gives Louie treats all the time. Tommy just gets grumpy when we’re out parading and he has to care for the horses and watch Louie.”

“Well, if Tommy didn’t take Louie, we need to figure out who did!” Kate said.

“I don’t think we have time to figure that out now,” Manny said. “It would be great to catch the criminal, but I really want to get Louie back. That’s the most important thing, even if the Cardinals have to give up a trophy to do it.”

Kate snapped her fingers. A big smile spread across her face. “But maybe we can figure out a way to do both,” she said. “What if we could get Louie back and catch the criminal? All without giving up a World Series trophy!”

Manny tilted his head and stared at Kate. “How could we do that?” he asked.

“Well, the note said to leave the trophy in a bag by the Stan Musial statue with no security around,” Kate said. “What if you do that, but have the Cardinals put security people across the street and at the corners?”

“But how would that help catch the dog-napper?” Mike asked. “Won’t he or she get lost in the crowd?”

“Yes, for a little bit. But here’s what we can do. When banks get robbed, tellers sometimes put an exploding dye packet in the bag with the money. Then, about ten seconds after the robber leaves the bank, the packet explodes and covers the robber with bright red dye. If we ask the police to put a dye packet in the bag with the trophy, the dog-napper will be easy to find even if security people aren’t close by!”

Manny nodded. “That’s a great idea, Kate,” he said. “I’ll see if Mr. Lee can arrange that. Then we’d be able to catch the dog-napper, save the trophy, and rescue Louie!”

“Perfect!” Mike said. He gave Kate a fist bump. “Way to go!”

“Thanks,” she said. “Manny, while you’re working on that, Mike and I will continue to investigate. How can we get ahold of you if we find something?”

Manny handed Kate a business card. “Here’s my number,” he said. “Call or text me if you come up with anything. I’ll see what I can do.”

Mike and Kate followed Manny inside. As they headed up the hallway back into the main part of the stadium, they ran into Harry, the hot dog king.

“Oh, hi, guys!” Harry said. “Relish a hot dog? If you do, I’m up near the main entrance. Stop by my stand. I was just coming down to get the charger for my phone. I left it plugged into the wall.”

Mike and Kate shook their heads. “We can’t think about eating now. Louie is missing!” Mike said. “Someone left a ransom note, and we’re trying to find him.”

“Oh no!” Harry said. “That’s awful!”

“Did you see anything when you were selling hot dogs here earlier?” Kate asked Harry.

“No,” Harry said. “I brought my cart up to the main entrance in the first inning. When I left, Louie was lying on a mat near the wagon. Is there anything I can do to help? Maybe if we leave out some hot dogs, he’ll find his way back.”

“We just searched the area,” Kate said. “Louie’s definitely not here, so I don’t think the hot dogs would help.”

“Thanks, Harry,” Manny said. “But I’m heading upstairs to try to arrange the ransom. We have to set it up before the ninth inning or, the note said, we won’t see Louie again.”

Harry sighed. “This is bad,” he said. “I hope you’ll be able to rescue Louie. I’d hate to see anything happen to him.”

Manny nodded. “Me too,” he said. “We can’t replace Louie.”

“Good luck!” Harry said. “I’ll keep my eye out for anything strange.”

Harry walked into the groundskeepers’ area and unplugged his phone charger. Mike, Kate, and Manny continued up the hallway. Once they passed the security guard, Manny waved goodbye and headed for the stairs to the security office.

Mike and Kate stepped into the main walkway. Fans were streaming by to visit the restroom or buy food. Mike and Kate pushed through the crowds to the railing overlooking the field. It was the bottom of the sixth inning. St. Louis was still behind by one. There was a man on first and two outs. But at least Red would be up next if the current Cardinals batter didn’t strike out.

“Now what?” Mike asked. “Tommy’s gone. We don’t have any real clues. Maybe it’s time to get something to eat.”

Kate shook her head. “Not yet,” she said. “There’s still something we can investigate.”

Mike raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Maybe one of the groundskeepers took Louie!” Kate said.