Lucy on the Loose Read online

  The boys hurried into the store.

  Bobby looked over at the checkout counter. A friendly-looking lady was at the cash register. She was busy ringing up customers. There was a long line. It would be hard to interrupt her.

  But Bobby had to do it. He had to do it for Lucy. He walked up to the woman.

  “Excuse me,” Bobby said very softly.

  The cashier didn’t hear him.

  “Excuse me,” Bobby said more loudly.

  The woman looked down at him. “Yes?”

  “Hey!” A grouchy man was waiting at the counter. “Get in line!”

  “But … but …” Bobby stammered.

  “Is something the matter?” the cashier asked.

  “I’m-looking-for-my-dog.” Bobby said it all in one breath. “She’s lost.”

  Several people heard Bobby. “Lost dog, lost dog.” The news went up and down the checkout line.

  “Could you make an announcement? The kind that everyone in the store can hear?” Bobby asked the cashier.

  “I suppose,” the cashier said. “Tell me what your dog looks like.”

  “Be quick about it,” the grouchy man added.

  Bobby tried not to look at all those grown-ups waiting in line. He turned toward the cashier. But he could feel his cheeks getting red anyway.

  “Her name is Lucy. She’s a beagle, white and brown with black spots. She was chasing an orange cat. They were running toward Main Street.” Whew!

  “Is she wearing a collar?” asked a teenager.

  “Yes,” Bobby said. “Her name and phone number are on her collar.”

  The cashier picked up a microphone and clicked it on.

  “Shoppers!” she said. “Please be on the lookout around town for a brown and white beagle named Lucy.”

  Bobby tugged on the woman’s sleeve. “She has black spots, too,” he whispered.

  “A brown and white beagle with black spots,” the woman added. “She’s lost and was last seen chasing an orange cat. Her name and phone number are on her collar.”

  “Thank you,” Bobby said. “Thanks a lot.”

  “No problem,” the cashier said, “but now I have to get back to work.”

  Bobby had felt happy when he heard the announcement. But no one in the store came up to them and said they had seen Lucy. He and Shawn were going to have to keep looking.

  “You’ll find her,” the teenager said.

  “Have you checked the butcher shop?” asked a woman. “Dogs like bones, you know.”

  Even the grouchy man called, “Good luck” as the boys went out the door.

  “Now what?” Shawn asked.

  Bobby shook his head. He was feeling low. “I guess we could try the butcher shop like that lady said.”

  Shawn shrugged. “Can’t hurt. It’s right across the street.”

  Bobby told himself not to worry. There were still lots of places to look for Lucy.

  But he couldn’t help it. He was worried anyway.

  6

  Mrs. Agatha Adams

  The boys waited at the light to cross the street. Shawn said, “Maybe we should tell your mother about Lucy. She could drive us around town.”

  Bobby thought about telling her Lucy was lost. He could hear his mother saying, “Keep Lucy on her leash. Shawn’s yard doesn’t have a fence.”

  Bobby sighed. She would say he was careless. She’d be mad. Bobby couldn’t blame her. He was mad at himself.

  “Let’s just check out the butcher shop,” Bobby said. “Then I’ll call home and tell my mother about Lucy.”

  They were about to enter the store when a familiar voice stopped them. “Hey, you’re going in the wrong place. The ice cream shop is next door.”

  The boys turned around. There was Bobby’s friend Candy, licking away at a chocolate ice cream cone.

  Candy was another new friend of Bobby’s. They met at dog obedience school. Candy’s dog, Butch, was the worst dog in the class.

  If the teacher said “sit,” Butch stood. If the teacher said “fetch,” Butch lay down. He flunked the class.

  Candy didn’t mind. She liked Butch as much as Bobby liked Lucy. Candy liked something else. She liked to talk! She liked to talk as much as Lucy liked to run.

  She started talking now. “Hey, Shawn, remember me? I met you at Bobby’s house. It was right after I got back from the lake. I still have my suntan. But it’s peeling now.” Candy flicked a piece of dead skin off her arm.

  “Shawn,” she went on, “did you get a dog? You said you might. I was thinking. Maybe you should get a poodle. I almost got a poodle.” Candy glanced at Butch. “Poodles are smart. I love Butch, but he’s not all that smart. I think Lucy would like to be friends with a poodle ….”

  “Candy,” Bobby interrupted, “Lucy is missing.”

  “What! When?” Candy sputtered. For once she let Bobby do the talking. Quickly, Bobby told Candy about Lucy and the big orange cat.

  “Oh, no!” Candy said. “We have to find her. Butch and I will help you look.” Butch barked loudly and pulled on his leash.

  “We’re going to ask in here,” Bobby said, pointing at the butcher shop. He looked at Butch. “Maybe you should stay out here with Butch.”

  Candy nodded. “He’d go crazy trying to get at the hamburger meat.” She took hold of Butch’s leash with both hands.

  The boys went into the store. A large man with a black mustache stood behind the counter. He was wearing a white apron and a small white cap on his head.

  Inside the glass cases were chops, roasts, and hamburger meat.

  “Have you ever been in here before?” Shawn whispered to Bobby.

  “Once or twice with my mother,” Bobby whispered back. “The man behind the counter is named Joe. He’s nice.”

  Joe was chopping meat with a huge meat cleaver. Whack!

  Bobby cleared his throat. “Excuse me.”

  Joe peered over the counter. “Sorry, I didn’t see you. What do you need?”

  “I’m looking for my dog,” Bobby mumbled.

  “Hot dogs, you say?” Whack! “I have hot dogs in packages.” Joe jerked his thumb toward a cooler. “Over there.”

  Nervously, Bobby tried again. “Not hot dogs. A regular dog. With four legs.”

  Now Joe stared down at Bobby. “A dog! I couldn’t have a dog in here! The health department would shut me down.”

  Shawn pulled on Bobby’s arm. “Let’s just go,” he whispered.

  “Can’t,” Bobby whispered back. “My dog is lost,” he continued in a louder voice. “Did you see her?”

  Joe stopped whacking. “What does she look like?”

  Quickly, Bobby told Joe that Lucy was a white and brown and black beagle with chocolate brown eyes and soft floppy ears.

  “She sounds pretty,” Joe said.

  “She is,” Bobby answered. Just thinking about how pretty Lucy was made Bobby feel like crying again.

  “Well, I haven’t seen her,” Joe said. “But sometimes dogs come sniffing around back.” Then he put his meat cleaver down. “Wait a minute.”

  He wiped his hands on his apron. He went to the refrigerator and pulled out some cooked ribs. He dropped them in a paper sack.

  “All the dogs like my rib bones,” Joe said. “Take them with you. Maybe Lucy will smell them and find you.”

  Just then, a customer walked into Joe’s butcher shop. She was a big woman. She was wearing an orange dress and a little hat. Her hair was a funny color. It was almost as orange as her dress.

  “I’ll be with you in a moment,” Joe said to her. He handed Bobby the rib bones. “Good luck finding your dog.”

  The woman with the orange hair looked at Bobby. “Is your dog lost?”

  Bobby nodded.

  “You poor boy. The same thing happened to me. My cat ran away. She’s been gone three days. I feel terrible about it. Terrible. Terrible.” The lady with the orange hair shook her head.

  Bobby had a thought. “What does your cat look like?” he asked.
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  “My cat is beautiful,” the woman said with a sniff. “He’s quite large. He has a long fluffy tail. He’s a special color, too.”

  “What color?” Bobby asked.

  The woman patted her hair. “Very much like the color of my hair.”

  “Orange!” Bobby said with excitement.

  The woman frowned. “I would not call my hair orange. It is ginger. And that’s my cat’s name. Ginger.”

  Bobby and Shawn looked at each other.

  “The last time anyone saw my dog she was chasing a cat,” Bobby said. “It was big and—” Bobby almost said orange.

  “It was big and ginger.”

  7

  The Parade

  “Ginger!” the lady cried. “You’ve seen her?”

  “I think so,” Bobby said.

  The lady forgot about buying anything. She hustled Shawn and Bobby out of the butcher shop.

  “We must find Ginger,” she told them. “It’s been three days.”

  Candy was still licking her ice cream cone. She was confused.

  “Who is Ginger?” she whispered to Bobby. “And who is that woman?”

  The woman heard her. She pulled herself up to her full height. “I am Mrs. Agatha Adams,” she said. She pointed at Bobby. “And his dog is chasing my sweet cat, Ginger!”

  Candy turned to Bobby. “I just saw a friend from camp. I told her about Lucy running away. My friend said she saw a beagle chasing a cat near the fire station.”

  “Wow!” Shawn said. “Let’s go.”

  Bobby jogged toward the fire station. Shawn was right behind him, holding the bag of bones for Lucy. His shoelaces were flapping, but he didn’t stop to tie them. Mrs. Agatha Adams was huffing and puffing behind Shawn. She clutched her tiny hat. Butch pranced next to Mrs. Adams. Candy brought up the rear. Butch’s leash was in one hand. Her chocolate cone was in the other.

  Bobby looked over his shoulder.

  Somebody watching might think they were a crazy parade. Another time it would be funny, but not today.

  It was only a short block to the fire-house. The firehouse door was open. A big red fire truck was inside. A fireman was sitting outside reading a magazine.

  “Excuse me,” Mrs. Adams said with a gasp. “Have you seen a big, beautiful cat being chased by a dog?”

  The fireman put down his magazine. “Why, yes,” he said.

  “When? How long ago? Which way were they headed?” Candy asked.

  “Slow down,” the fireman said. “It was maybe ten minutes ago. Those two went flying by.”

  “Did the cat look harmed?” Mrs. Adams demanded.

  “She looked fine to me,” the fireman replied. “She was leading that little dog on a merry chase.”

  “I believe the dog was chasing my cat,” Mrs. Adams said stiffly.

  The fireman grinned. “Maybe. But the cat looked like the one in charge.”

  “If my poor Ginger gets scared and runs up a tree,” said Mrs. Adams, “I hope you’ll bring a ladder and get her down.”

  “Okay, but I don’t think Ginger was all that scared,” the fireman said.

  “But please, sir,” Bobby asked, trying to sound bold, “where were they going?”

  The fireman pointed. “They were running toward the baseball field.”

  Bobby thanked the fireman. “Let’s go,” he said.

  The parade was off again. Bobby was running as fast as he could. Mrs. Agatha Adams was running as fast as she could, too. It wasn’t very fast.

  There was a small picnic area next to the ball field. A mom, a dad, and a set of twins about three years old were eating lunch at one of the picnic tables.

  “Did you see a dog chasing a cat?” Bobby asked. Now he wasn’t so afraid to speak up. He was close to finding Lucy.

  “Doggie, doggie,” the little boy yelled.

  “Kitty, kitty,” the little girl yelled back.

  “Sshh,” their father said.

  Mrs. Agatha Adams looked like she was about to burst. “Did you see them?”

  The mother nodded. “A little while ago. That orange cat almost knocked me over. A cute brown and white dog was after her.”

  “Lucy!” Bobby said. “Ginger!” Mrs. Adams said. Together they asked, “Which way did they go?”

  “Toward the baseball diamond,” the woman answered.

  The parade was on the move again. Butch was pulling hard on his leash. Candy had dumped her ice cream cone. She needed both hands to control Butch. Shawn had tied his shoelaces at the fire station. He was running right next to Bobby. Mrs. Adams had a burst of energy. She was keeping up with the boys. “There it is,” Bobby shouted. The baseball field was in sight. It looked like a Little League game was going on. There were parents in the stands. One team was in the field. The other team had a player up at bat.

  Bobby pulled ahead of the rest of the parade. He ran over to the baseball field.

  He looked all around. “No Lucy,” he muttered.

  Mrs. Agatha Adams came hurrying up. Her hair was the color of an orange. Her face was the color of a tomato.

  “Do you see them?” she demanded.

  Bobby shook his head. He looked toward the batter’s box.

  The boy at bat took a swing at the ball that was coming his way. It was a good solid hit. The boy started running.

  He wasn’t the only one. A brown and white beagle with black spots dashed out from under the bleachers. She ran on the field, too!

  8

  Play Ball!

  “There’s Lucy!” Bobby yelled.

  “Where’s Ginger?” Mrs. Adams yelled.

  All the players were yelling, too. “Get that dog off the field!”

  But Lucy knew what to do when she saw a ball go flying—chase it and bring it back. She ran past the pitcher’s mound. She ran into left field. She was following that ball.

  Just then, Bobby noticed a patch of orange under the stands. “Look, Mrs. Adams, it’s Ginger,” he said.

  Ginger ran out on the field.

  “Where’s he going?” Mrs. Adams asked.

  Shawn, Candy, and Butch joined them. “Lucy was chasing Ginger,” Shawn said. “Now it looks like Ginger’s chasing Lucy.”

  Sure enough, Ginger stayed right on Lucy’s heels.

  The teams were in an uproar. The umpire was yelling, “Who do those animals belong to?”

  Uh-oh. Bobby was going to have to claim Lucy in front of all the baseball players, and the umpire, and the fans.

  But before Bobby could say anything, Lucy found the ball. She picked it up. She looked around. Then she saw Bobby.

  Lucy galloped over to him. She proudly dropped the ball at his feet. Then she lay down next to the ball. She was tired.

  Ginger was still right behind Lucy. He took a long stretch. Then he lay down, too.

  “Oh, my poor Ginger,” Mrs. Adams said. “He’s such a delicate kitty. I’m sure all this has been too much for him.”

  The umpire hurried up to them. “Are these animals yours?”

  Mrs. Agatha Adams looked down at the umpire. “The cat is mine.”

  “That’s my dog,” Bobby said.

  “Can you get them out of here?” the ump asked. “They’re lying right on the baseline.”

  “Of course. Sweetie,” Mrs. Adams called, “it’s Mama. Wake up.”

  Ginger slowly opened his eyes. He took one look at Mrs. Adams and squeezed them shut.

  “What about your dog, kid?” the ump asked.

  By now, Lucy was snoring. Bobby shook her lightly. “Fun’s over, girl. Let’s go home.”

  Lucy kept right on with her soft snores.

  Bobby looked up. Most of the Little Leaguers and a few of the parents were milling around. Everyone was watching. He wished they would just go away. He pretended he was alone with Lucy.

  “Come on, girl,” he said. “Time to go.”

  Lucy wagged her tail. But she didn’t wake up. Then Bobby had an idea.

  “Shawn, do you still have those bones?”
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br />   Shawn handed over the bag of bones from Joe the butcher.

  Bobby waved the bag in front of Lucy’s nose. Lucy gave one huge yawn. Slowly, very slowly, she got up.

  “That’s it. Good dog,” Bobby said. “I’ll give you one of these to chew on later.”

  Lucy gave a happy bark.

  All the baseball players clapped.

  That woke up Ginger. “ME-OW!”

  Bobby grabbed Lucy’s collar. He didn’t want the chase to start again. But Lucy didn’t seem interested in running anymore.

  Ginger didn’t seem very interested, either. He started licking his paws.

  Butch, on the other hand, was tugging on his leash. He wanted to see his pal, Lucy. And he was curious about that big orange-colored ball of fluff with a tail.

  “I’m getting Butch out of here,” Candy said. “Lucy and Ginger might be tired, but Butch isn’t.”

  Candy pulled Butch away. “Come on, Butch. Maybe there will be some bones at home. Or if there aren’t, I’ll give you one of those cookies that look like bones. Or if we’re out of those …”

  “All right, show’s over,” the umpire said. “Everybody back to their positions.”

  Bobby felt so happy that without even thinking he said, “Thanks, everybody.”

  The players said things like, “No problem” and “So long, doggie.”

  Mrs. Adams picked up Ginger. He was a big load, but she didn’t seem to mind. Ginger was so tired, he didn’t even wiggle. Lucy rubbed against Bobby’s leg. “I think Lucy wants to go home,” Bobby told Shawn.

  “I should think so,” a familiar voice said. “I think it’s time you came home, too.”

  Bobby didn’t have to turn around to see who was speaking.

  It was his mother.

  9

  Lost and Found

  “Uh-oh,” said Bobby under his breath.

  His mother looked mad. Usually, Bobby could see his mother’s dimples, even when she wasn’t smiling. But not now.

  “Bobby, what’s going on?” Mrs. Quinn asked.

  “Lucy ran away,” Bobby started to explain.