Play Fetch: An Avery Barks Dog Mystery (Avery Barks Dog Mysteries Book 3) by Mary Hiker Page B
Authors: Mary Hiker
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again as he put down his bottle of water.
“Look at this artwork,” I said.
“A black skull,” he said.
“Yea, a meticulously STENCILED black skull,” I agreed. “Remember all those stencils and paint in Miss Brenda’s craft room?”
“Okay,” Don said, squishing his eyebrows together.
“The black skull on the sweatshirt the shooter wore at the school was spray painted by free hand.” I said as I touched the design on the sweatshirt.
Don looked off in the distance. “Hmm. Travis said the kid that shot at him had a shirt with a skull design that looked like it was hand drawn,” he said.
I grabbed the collar of the sweatshirt and looked at the tag. It was an adult’s size Large.
“Don, the sweatshirt the school shooter wore was way too big on him to be a size large,” I said.
I tried to remember the exact words Anna used when she answered my questions about the USB drive. “Anna said Austin was arrested, and her cousin had told her it could get him arrested…. I had assumed she was talking about the same person. “
“You’re babbling,” Don said.
“Listen, Anna has another cousin.” I glanced up at the artist sitting in the truck with the two older men. “The same young man that sat in front lawn drawing pictures during the search for Mr. Leeder.”
“And?” Don urged.
“I think Anna might have been actually telling me that – Austin was arrested, and she overheard the cousin, the artist, say it could get him, meaning Austin, arrested. That’s why she hid it, to help Austin.”
I looked over at the trio sitting in the truck, and they stared back.
“You think it’s a set up?” Don asked.
“Maybe. She found Austin’s hat on the porch outside, with the USB conveniently tucked inside the pocket for someone to discover. What if they set it up for deputies to find it after a school shooting tragedy? But Anna found it first.” My mind was racing and anger rose up inside of me.
“We can ask Anna when the paramedics release her,” Don said.
“Don, someone shot at me and I’m going to find out if this young artist draws skulls by freehand,” I said. I grabbed the sweatshirt and waved it in the air for the three men to see, then walked determinedly up the long driveway directly toward their truck.
I heard Don call from behind me, “Avery, don’t.”
It was too late. The biggest one revved up the motor and hit the gas, driving straight toward me. I stared them down as they approached, but my presence did not intimidate them in the least.
As the truck roared toward me, I closed my eyes and dove out of the way, hearing gunshots as I rolled on the ground. Don shot two of their tires out at close range and the truck limped down the road before several deputies boxed it in.
I jogged over to the scene as the guys were dragged from the truck and put face down on the pavement. One of the big guys yelled out, ”I had nothing to do with it!”
I threw the sweatshirt down on the road and yelled, “Prove it!”
“They wanted the land,” he cried as a deputy knelt on his back.
“Shut up,” the biggest one growled, then spat at him.
The young one rested the side of his head on the road as the deputies cuffed him, revealing an orange flame design on the side of his black sunglasses.
Don and I looked at each other, stunned.
“You might want to check for evidence regarding the school shooting this morning,” I told the officer arresting the kid, before being asked to back away from the scene for my own safety.
I took his advice and trotted over to the side of the road next to Don. “Did that whole thing really just happen?” I asked.
“Yeah, you almost got killed by those fools twice in the same day. You’ve really got to stop with your wanna-be detective routine,” Don chuckled.
###
I rested under the search and rescue canopy watching the bag of hot dogs get cold until Don returned from the chaos out in the road.
“Geez
“Look at this artwork,” I said.
“A black skull,” he said.
“Yea, a meticulously STENCILED black skull,” I agreed. “Remember all those stencils and paint in Miss Brenda’s craft room?”
“Okay,” Don said, squishing his eyebrows together.
“The black skull on the sweatshirt the shooter wore at the school was spray painted by free hand.” I said as I touched the design on the sweatshirt.
Don looked off in the distance. “Hmm. Travis said the kid that shot at him had a shirt with a skull design that looked like it was hand drawn,” he said.
I grabbed the collar of the sweatshirt and looked at the tag. It was an adult’s size Large.
“Don, the sweatshirt the school shooter wore was way too big on him to be a size large,” I said.
I tried to remember the exact words Anna used when she answered my questions about the USB drive. “Anna said Austin was arrested, and her cousin had told her it could get him arrested…. I had assumed she was talking about the same person. “
“You’re babbling,” Don said.
“Listen, Anna has another cousin.” I glanced up at the artist sitting in the truck with the two older men. “The same young man that sat in front lawn drawing pictures during the search for Mr. Leeder.”
“And?” Don urged.
“I think Anna might have been actually telling me that – Austin was arrested, and she overheard the cousin, the artist, say it could get him, meaning Austin, arrested. That’s why she hid it, to help Austin.”
I looked over at the trio sitting in the truck, and they stared back.
“You think it’s a set up?” Don asked.
“Maybe. She found Austin’s hat on the porch outside, with the USB conveniently tucked inside the pocket for someone to discover. What if they set it up for deputies to find it after a school shooting tragedy? But Anna found it first.” My mind was racing and anger rose up inside of me.
“We can ask Anna when the paramedics release her,” Don said.
“Don, someone shot at me and I’m going to find out if this young artist draws skulls by freehand,” I said. I grabbed the sweatshirt and waved it in the air for the three men to see, then walked determinedly up the long driveway directly toward their truck.
I heard Don call from behind me, “Avery, don’t.”
It was too late. The biggest one revved up the motor and hit the gas, driving straight toward me. I stared them down as they approached, but my presence did not intimidate them in the least.
As the truck roared toward me, I closed my eyes and dove out of the way, hearing gunshots as I rolled on the ground. Don shot two of their tires out at close range and the truck limped down the road before several deputies boxed it in.
I jogged over to the scene as the guys were dragged from the truck and put face down on the pavement. One of the big guys yelled out, ”I had nothing to do with it!”
I threw the sweatshirt down on the road and yelled, “Prove it!”
“They wanted the land,” he cried as a deputy knelt on his back.
“Shut up,” the biggest one growled, then spat at him.
The young one rested the side of his head on the road as the deputies cuffed him, revealing an orange flame design on the side of his black sunglasses.
Don and I looked at each other, stunned.
“You might want to check for evidence regarding the school shooting this morning,” I told the officer arresting the kid, before being asked to back away from the scene for my own safety.
I took his advice and trotted over to the side of the road next to Don. “Did that whole thing really just happen?” I asked.
“Yeah, you almost got killed by those fools twice in the same day. You’ve really got to stop with your wanna-be detective routine,” Don chuckled.
###
I rested under the search and rescue canopy watching the bag of hot dogs get cold until Don returned from the chaos out in the road.
“Geez
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