Strange Outfit: An Avery Barks Dog Mystery (Avery Barks Dog Mysteries Book 2) by Mary Hiker
Authors: Mary Hiker
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“Hazel invited him over for a nice dinner and all the boy ate was the vegetables.”
At Ivan’s name, the hair stood up on the back of my neck. But the couple didn’t seem to notice my surprise. Hazel just clutched her hands together and piped in, “And pie. He loved my pie, Henry.”
“Yea, Ivan the vegetable and pie lover.” Henry laughed at his own joke. “Young lady, you wait and get yourself a good, strong, meat loving mountain man.”
“Okay, pie… meat,” I muttered, still distracted.
Hazel put her hands on her cheeks, “Henry was such a strong young man when I met him, and he was so handsome.” She blushed at the fond memory.
Henry said, “Yeah I was a looker all right.” He rose out of his chair and strutted around like a showboating rooster. “Hazel worked hard to catch me.”
I smiled as the couple flirted with each other, then I picked up a couple of their hand-made brochures and stuffed them in the doggie stroller. A few minutes later, I said good bye to our new birdwatcher friends and headed to the truck.
Wow, poor Ivan. I still don’t get why he was on Ben’s land.
Chapter 12
I arrived back at the house to find Bullfrog using one of Ben’s old shirts as a pillow. He must have raided the dirty laundry basket to sooth his longing for Ben. He looked so sad lying there, he didn’t even want to get up to take a potty break.
I squatted down next to his dog bed to pet him, “Sorry buddy, I hope your daddy comes home soon too.”
I let Bullfrog keep the shirt and went to the kitchen for a snack. I pulled the left-over chicken wings from the refrigerator and relaxed at the table with my plate. Instantly, I became the most popular person in the country to the three dogs that now sat around me.
I took some of the soft dog treats out of a package sitting on the kitchen counter. I tossed a handful across the room so they would chase after their edible prizes.
My eyes landed on the California news article and the mysterious poem as it rested on the table.
“Fly like a cardinal to see the site”
The statement reminded me of the many search and rescue missions that required us to look at the land from photo images taken overhead, like a bird’s eye view. These types of images let us see what the overall landscape looked like before we went out to search.
My thoughts drifted to the day that Ben told me he had decided to buy this place. He mentioned he decided to buy it as he flew over it.
I used the internet feature on my smartphone to find a satellite photo of this land. It was gorgeous, covered with beautiful maple trees and flowing pastures in several shades of green. But nothing sprung out at me that brought to mind a treasure.
As I ate a chicken wing and looked out the kitchen window, my eyes rested once again on the beautiful maples out in the yard. A few leaves fell in the breeze, and my mind wandered to the beauty that would appear next month when the leaves would explode in full fall color. I would need to get out my sweatshirts before long.
I glanced back at the poem.
“The air grew cold and the bears grew fat”
Grew cold. Grew fat. GREW. GREW COLD! It is talking about FALL!
I looked at the internet screen again. The photos were obviously taken in summer when everything is green and plush, but Ben said he flew over in the fall. And he had pictures in a box! I remembered seeing a couple small boxes hidden behind his couch and went over to investigate.
As I stood over the couch and looked at the photos taken of this land from the bird’s eye view of a small airplane during fall, the tops of the trees were awash in spectacular color. Amongst the sea of red maples, several bright yellow sugar maples stood out and actually formed a design. My heart leaped when a giant yellow number “26” created by the tops of the sugar maples stood out on the red background. And the roof of Ben’s mobile home was
At Ivan’s name, the hair stood up on the back of my neck. But the couple didn’t seem to notice my surprise. Hazel just clutched her hands together and piped in, “And pie. He loved my pie, Henry.”
“Yea, Ivan the vegetable and pie lover.” Henry laughed at his own joke. “Young lady, you wait and get yourself a good, strong, meat loving mountain man.”
“Okay, pie… meat,” I muttered, still distracted.
Hazel put her hands on her cheeks, “Henry was such a strong young man when I met him, and he was so handsome.” She blushed at the fond memory.
Henry said, “Yeah I was a looker all right.” He rose out of his chair and strutted around like a showboating rooster. “Hazel worked hard to catch me.”
I smiled as the couple flirted with each other, then I picked up a couple of their hand-made brochures and stuffed them in the doggie stroller. A few minutes later, I said good bye to our new birdwatcher friends and headed to the truck.
Wow, poor Ivan. I still don’t get why he was on Ben’s land.
Chapter 12
I arrived back at the house to find Bullfrog using one of Ben’s old shirts as a pillow. He must have raided the dirty laundry basket to sooth his longing for Ben. He looked so sad lying there, he didn’t even want to get up to take a potty break.
I squatted down next to his dog bed to pet him, “Sorry buddy, I hope your daddy comes home soon too.”
I let Bullfrog keep the shirt and went to the kitchen for a snack. I pulled the left-over chicken wings from the refrigerator and relaxed at the table with my plate. Instantly, I became the most popular person in the country to the three dogs that now sat around me.
I took some of the soft dog treats out of a package sitting on the kitchen counter. I tossed a handful across the room so they would chase after their edible prizes.
My eyes landed on the California news article and the mysterious poem as it rested on the table.
“Fly like a cardinal to see the site”
The statement reminded me of the many search and rescue missions that required us to look at the land from photo images taken overhead, like a bird’s eye view. These types of images let us see what the overall landscape looked like before we went out to search.
My thoughts drifted to the day that Ben told me he had decided to buy this place. He mentioned he decided to buy it as he flew over it.
I used the internet feature on my smartphone to find a satellite photo of this land. It was gorgeous, covered with beautiful maple trees and flowing pastures in several shades of green. But nothing sprung out at me that brought to mind a treasure.
As I ate a chicken wing and looked out the kitchen window, my eyes rested once again on the beautiful maples out in the yard. A few leaves fell in the breeze, and my mind wandered to the beauty that would appear next month when the leaves would explode in full fall color. I would need to get out my sweatshirts before long.
I glanced back at the poem.
“The air grew cold and the bears grew fat”
Grew cold. Grew fat. GREW. GREW COLD! It is talking about FALL!
I looked at the internet screen again. The photos were obviously taken in summer when everything is green and plush, but Ben said he flew over in the fall. And he had pictures in a box! I remembered seeing a couple small boxes hidden behind his couch and went over to investigate.
As I stood over the couch and looked at the photos taken of this land from the bird’s eye view of a small airplane during fall, the tops of the trees were awash in spectacular color. Amongst the sea of red maples, several bright yellow sugar maples stood out and actually formed a design. My heart leaped when a giant yellow number “26” created by the tops of the sugar maples stood out on the red background. And the roof of Ben’s mobile home was
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