The Case of the Kidnapped Collie by John R. Erickson Read Free Book Online Page A

Sally May and I had suffered our share of misunderstandings, don’t you know, and I had no wish to throw gasoline on that open wound.
    We had been getting along pretty well, see, and I wanted to keep it that way.
    I sneaked past the yard gate and around to the north side. From that vantage point, I could see him—Pete, that is—hunkered down and lurking in the irises.
    I tossed a glance over my shoulder and dropped my voice to a whisper. “Pssst! Pete, come here.”
    His eyes swung around. He was grinning. “Hi Hankie. How’s the quail hunting?”
    â€œNot too swell, Kitty. Come over here to the fence.”

    â€œBut I’m so comfortable, Hankie. I just love to lie here in the shade and watch the world go by.”
    â€œI know, but this is important. Come.”
    He ran his tongue over his left paw. “But Hankie, you haven’t said the magic word. I can’t move until you say it.”
    I noticed that my lips were beginning to rise into a snarl, but I shut them down just in time. “I don’t know any magic words.”
    â€œWell just darn the luck. I can’t move until I hear the magic word.”
    I gritted my teeth. “Okay, magic word. Abra­cadabra?”
    â€œNope. You missed. Try again.”
    â€œTry again, magic word . . . okay, I think I’ve got it: shazzam.” He shook his head. “Pete, that’s a perfectly good magic word.”
    â€œI know, Hankie, but it’s not the right one. Keep trying. I’ve got all day.”
    Once again, I glanced over both shoulders. So far, I hadn’t been spotted. “Okay, Pete, I’ve got it this time. It’s slightly longer than one word but it ought to work.”
    â€œWell, give it a try and we’ll see.”
    â€œHere we go: Come here immediately, and that’s a direct order from the Head of Ranch Security.”
    He shook his head. “Won’t work, Hankie, but I’ll give you a hint. It’s a six-letter word that begins with P and ends with E, and it’s one of the most powerful words in the world.”
    I ran all that through Data Control. “How about a five letter word that begins with P and ends in D? Pound, as in ‘If you don’t get your carcass over here this very minute, I’ll pound you into the ground like a tent stake.’”
    â€œNo, no. You’re getting it all wrong, Hankie, and I guess I’ll have to tell you. The magic word is . . .” His eyes popped open like two big moons. “. . .‘please.’”
    I stared at him in disbelief. “Please? You think I’m going to say . . . ha, ha, no I don’t think so, Kitty. I came here to do a little business with you, but I can’t do business with a cat who’s totally unreasonable. Sorry, Pete, I’ll just take my deal down the street.”
    â€œBye, Hankie.”
    I turned and marched away. “See you around, Kitty. Too bad for you. You’ll be sorry, of course, but . . .” I turned and marched back to the fence. “Pete, will you please come over here so that we can talk?”
    â€œHmmmm. What was the magic word again?”
    â€œPlease. There, I’ve said it twice.”
    He lifted a paw and slapped at an iris leaf. “You know, Hankie, if you’d said it right away, I think ‘please’ would have been good enough. But you didn’t, so maybe you should say . . . ‘pretty please with sugar on top.’”
    I glared at him. “What? Pretty please with . . . no, I will never say that to a cat, never! Sorry, Pete, you’re just . . .” I turned and marched away. “You’re being totally unreasonable about this and . . .” I stopped and marched back to the fence. “All right, Pete, one of us has to walk the extra mile, so . . . pretty please with sugar on top.”
    I almost choked on those words.
    He grinned, pushed himself up, stretched each of his four legs, and