The 12 Dogs of Christmas by Emma Kragen Read Free Book Online Page B

It’s getting hard to keep up. But I can’t bear the thought of even one of them going hungry. I just worry that I can’t finish what I started.”
    The coach looked at Cathy and realized that maybe she was crazy—but only in an insanely generous sort of way. And Coach admired that kind of crazy. “You need help,” he said feeling inspired. “I’ll make a deal with you. You come play the piano for the program, and the kids and I will help you find food for the dogs.”
    Cathy laughed off the suggestion at first, but the coach was insistent. Maybe everything Mike had been telling her was true. The coach certainly was the only other adult who had offered to help. She warmed at the thought of a new helper and friend.
    â€œLet me think about it, okay?”
    â€œOkay!” the coach said, filled with hope.
    When Dolores had received the call from Cathy Stevens telling her that she would be happy to have Emma stay with her, Dolores heard two voices within her with two separate opinions. One said, Good riddance, you’re well rid of the brat! But another one said, Ah, Dolores, you’re going to miss her, aren’t you? Dolores was still not sure which one to listen to when Emma showed up after school to get her things. The one voice made her say to Emma, pointing to her shoes, “You are making a mess. Mud!” But the other voice made her say, “Look, sweetie, I got to thinking about you staying with Mrs. Stevens, and, well . . .”
    â€œCan you still get me that job with the dogcatcher?” Emma did not mean to be rude and cut Dolores off— but she had a plan.
    â€œWell, you certainly don’t have to pay me if you’re staying with Mrs. Stevens.”
    â€œI need that job.”
    Dolores was impressed. Emma did want to pay her own way in the world. “Well, okay. If I ask him, he will give you the job,” she said with a smile Emma had never seen before—and one that Emma hoped she would see more often.
    Mike had been inconsolable about Yeti’s capture, and Emma was just angry—angry enough to want to do something about it. But what could a kid do? Emma then decided she couldn’t be a kid right now; she had to be an adventure hero for real. However, an adventure hero knows when she is outnumbered, and knows when it is time to go undercover. That’s when Emma knew she had to ask Dolores to get her that job with the dogcatcher.
    Emma started working that afternoon. Norman and bug-face Melvin had set up the city’s new “dog pound” in an old abandoned buggy-whip factory. Its vast interior provided plenty of room for all the criminal dogs, which they kept in all manner of makeshift cages. They had covered the floor with hay to catch the dog “doody” that Norman hated so much, and they fed them very little, which kept them hungry, which Norman, for a particular reason, thought was a good thing. But it did mean that they whimpered a lot, and that got on Norman’s nerves.
    After Norman had told her what to do, which entailed a lot of lifting and carting and cleaning, he went into his “office,” a room in the back. Emma took the opportunity to look around. The sight of all the dogs, whimpering in cages, just about broke her heart. But she couldn’t help them all. Right now she had to find Yeti and the puppy, for she had promised Mike she would. After searching what seemed like hundreds of cages, she finally came across the one that contained Yeti. And next to it was a small cage with the puppy in it. She petted them both and whispered, “Don’t you worry. I’ll get you all out of here soon.” She was just trying to figure out how to unlock the cages when, suddenly, a greasy-gloved hand grabbed her braids and pulled her away from the cages.
    â€œI told Dolores that hiring a girl would be stupid,” Norman said into Emma’s face, his hot, stinky breath making her cringe