Don't Tell Anyone by Peg Kehret Read Free Book Online

she asked.
    â€œCall one of the groups who help animals, such as PAWS or the Humane Society. See if they will get involved. There’s even one group called Feline Friends that does nothing but help homeless cats; I read an article about them recently. An organization will have a lot more clout than you will if you try to rescue the cats alone.”
    â€œThat’s a great idea.”
    â€œI’m afraid you’re in for a big disappointment,” Mrs. Perk said. “Even with help, it may be too late. Still, I’m glad my daughter is a compassionate person who wants to solve problems instead of just looking the other way.”
    â€œIs it okay if I keep feeding the cats until they’re rescued?One of them is going to have kittens any time. She needs good food.”
    â€œAll right. Just be careful. I don’t want any more scratches.”
    â€œThanks, Mom.”
    It wasn’t until she was in bed that Megan remembered the man in the blue truck, who had offered to call the building department. She had forgotten to tell Mom about him. Well, it didn’t matter. Mom’s suggestion to call the groups who help animals was a better idea anyway. They would know the right way to catch the cats, and where to take them.

8
    Dinkle howled in the night. Megan got up twice to quiet him, but each time she left him alone, he immediately began howling again. The third time that Megan went to the kitchen, Mrs. Perk got up, too.
    â€œHe’s lonesome,” Megan said.
    â€œOh, all right,” Mrs. Perk said. “Let him sleep on the floor beside your bed. None of us will get any rest if we leave him in the kitchen.”
    Dinkle did not stay on the floor. He curled up next to Megan, and she petted him until he fell asleep. After that, the only sound from Dinkle was a gentle snoring.
    The next morning, Megan dressed quickly and brought in the
Daily Tribune.
She imagined the headline: YOUNG HEROINE RESCUES SCARED DOG . She wondered if it was too early to call Chelsea.
    She flipped through the front section of the paper, looking for a picture of herself and Dinkle. It was not there. She went back through the paper more slowly and found the headline: POLICE SEEK DRIVER IN FATAL HIT-AND-RUN ACCIDENT .
    The article said that a twelve-year-old girl who was feeding some feral cats in a nearby field had witnessed the accident, but it did not mention Megan’s name. It didn’t give the dead woman’s name, either. Megan wondered if the woman’s family knew yet. The article had a description of the tan car and a number to call if anyone had information about it. The artist’s sketch was there, but it didn’t look much like the driver Megan remembered. She wished she could have given a better description.
    Disappointed not to find a picture of herself and Dinkle, Megan laid the paper on the table. She had expected to be a celebrity at school today. She had planned to cut her picture out of the paper and show it to all her friends.
    The journalist, Amy somebody, had said she was going to use Megan’s picture. Why had she changed her mind?
    Megan fed Dinkle and took him for a walk. Afterward, while she ate her breakfast, she looked in the telephone directory. She wrote down the numbers of three agencies that help animals.
    She tried Feline Friends first but got a message saying that the office opened at nine o’clock. It was too early. She got similar messages when she tried PAWS and the Humane Society.
    She didn’t want to explain the situation on voice mail, so she left no messages. She would call after school.
    She hoped one of the agencies would be willing to help the cats. If they weren’t, Megan wasn’t sure what she would do.

    Shane shifted in his chair at the county building department, waiting for his number to be called. He needed to be sure that nothing would hold up the construction of the apartment complex.
    â€œThere has been no opposition to the