Mango Lucky (19 page)

I got the same story at the next three homes. No one had seen a stray dog.

At the fifth house, there was no answer when I rang the bell at the gate. The property was surrounded by an eight foot concrete wall, and I wasn't able to see inside.

The driveway leading to the gate didn't show any signs of recent traffic, so my guess was no one was home.

Not wanting to leave the place unchecked, I walked the full length of the street side wall until it ended at a heavily overgrown vacant lot.

I could see that the vacant lot rose up onto a dune, and from up there I would be able to look down into the yard of the walled property.

I made my way through the vegetation on the vacant lot, and as I expected, from the high point I could look down onto the property beside it.

There were no signs of life. No car, nor any lights on inside the large house. It looked vacant.

I couldn't see all the way around the house though. The far side of the yard was blocked by the house itself.

Surveying the property, I could see that like most beach homes in this area, it had a deck overlooking the ocean, with steps leading down to the beach.

If I got down on the beach, and then climbed the steps, I could hop the fence around the deck and gain access to the yard.

That was my plan.

As I was approaching the steps from the beach, my phone chimed. It was Anna.

"Walker. I've checked all three shelters, and no Jake. I left fliers at each one, and asked them to call if anyone brings him in.

"I've got one more place to check, then I'm coming back to the island. How's it going with you? Find anything?"

"Nothing so far. I've checked four places and I'm about to check the next one now. No one has seen a stray dog."

Anna sighed. "We'll find him. Call me if anything comes up." She ended the call.

I put the phone back in my pocket and headed toward the steps leading up to the vacant home.

From the beach, the house still looked empty. No lights. No open windows.

I climbed the steps up to the deck, and stopped. So far, so good.

From the top of the steps, I turned toward the beach to see if anyone might be watching me.

The view out over the Atlantic ocean was spectacular. The water was deep blue, with an occasional white top. Sea birds roamed the beach, pecking at the crustaceans that rolled in with each wave.

With a view like this, it was easy to see why so many people fell in love with this side of Florida.

Fortunately, there was no one on the beach this time of the day. That was good. No witnesses to see what I was going to do next.

I hopped over the wooden fence that surrounded the deck, and quickly made my way into the yard of the home.

Since I'd already checked the south side from the adjacent lot, my plan was to walk around the north side. If I didn't find Jake there, I'd leave the way I came in.

A stone walkway led to the base of the home. From there, the walkway went both north and south.

Following the walkway north, I came to the edge of the home, and at that point I noticed a well tended vegetable garden.

This was my first indication that someone was either living here, or visiting regularly to tend the garden.

As I got closer to the garden, I could see a large hole dug out of the center. Muddy paw prints led away toward one of the doors under the house.

Was it possible that these paw prints were left by Jake?

Looking around and not seeing any sign of him, I called out his name.

"Jake!"

Almost immediately, I heard a muffled bark.

I called his name again, and again heard a muffled bark.

The bark sounded like it was coming from within the home.

Walking over to a ground floor window, I peered in. A curtain blocked my view.

While squinting through the glass, I heard the very distinctive sound of the hammer being cocked on a revolver.

A woman's voice behind me said, "Hands in the air!"

62

"Now, turn around slowly. No funny stuff."

As I turned around, hands above my head, I saw a woman holding a gun.

About five foot four, maybe ninety pounds, silver hair. Probably in her late sixties.

In her right hand she held a black six shot revolver. Pointed directly at me.

She said, "So tell me why I shouldn't shoot you."

"Ma'am," I replied, "I'm looking for a lost dog. I think he might be in your basement."

I reached for my shirt pocket.

"Sonny, unless you want a new hole in that shirt, put your hands back up over your head."

"Yes, ma'am."

"So, tell me more about this dog you're looking for."

With my hands still over my head, I answered, "It's a big black Labrador. And he's bad about digging holes in the dirt. Maybe he dug the one in your garden over there?"

The lady with the gun looked at the garden then back at me.

"Let's say I might know something about that dog. And maybe he did dig up my garden. Who's going to replant my tomatoes?"

"Ma'am, I'll be happy to fill in that hole and replant your tomatoes. Even if you don't have the dog, I'll be glad to do that."

She nodded, then said. "I'll tell you what. You fill in the hole and plant the tomatoes first. Then we'll talk about the dog. How does that sound?"

"That's fine with me. Just one condition. You quit pointing that gun at me."

"No, can't do that. As soon as I put this gun down, you could jump me. Or run off and not fill in the hole that dog dug."

I smiled, "How about this? I call a friend and she'll pick up some tomato plants from town.

"Then she and I will replant your garden, and then you can release Jake."

The woman shook the gun, "Who's Jake?"

"Jake is the dog. I've got his photo in my shirt pocket."

The woman shifted her gaze toward my pocket, then said, "Okay, here's what I want you to do.

"With your right hand, slowly reach into your shirt pocket and get the photo. Then bring it over here and place it on the picnic table. Then stand back. And no sudden moves."

I did as instructed.

The woman picked up the flier and looked at it carefully.

"Looks like you're telling the truth about the dog. That's one thing in your favor.

"Who's the friend you're going to call about the plants? What's her name?"

"Anna. Anna Parker."

"She your wife? Girlfriend?"

I shook my head, "Neither. Anna's just a good friend."

The woman rubbed her chin with her free hand and said, "Anna Parker? Why does that name sound so familiar?"

Oops. Anna had told me that a lot of people around Vero Beach would recognize her name. And that might include the woman holding a gun on me.

The woman brightened, "I remember now. Anna Parker is the girl who shot that guy last year. Is your Anna related to her?"

"Yes ma'am. My Anna is the one who did that."

She put the gun down, "Why didn't you say so in the first place? That girl is my hero. I want to meet her. Call her. Tell her to come over, right now.

"And be sure to tell her to bring six tomato plants. Three romas and three cherries."

I reached into my pocket and slowly retrieved my phone and called Anna.

"Anna, I've found Jake. He's safe. But he dug up a garden, and we need to replace some tomato plants. Are you still on the mainland?"

"Yes," she replied. "Just getting to the bridge now."

"Good, before you come back, stop and pick up six tomato plants. Three romas, and three cherries.

"Get the biggest, nicest ones you can find. Then come back on the island. I'm at the fifth house down from the treasure museum. Ring the bell at the gate when you get here."

"Walker, is everything okay?"

"Yep, everything is fine. Just find some tomato plants and get over here as quick as you can."

We ended the call.

The lady pointed at my phone, "Was that really Anna Parker? Is she really coming over here?"

"Yes ma'am, that was Anna, and yes, she's coming over here."

The lady smiled brightly, "I've got to go inside and get ready. I can't let her see me like this. She's famous."

Then she said, "I'm going to trust that you won't run off when I go in. You'll stay here, right?"

"Yes ma'am. I'll stay right here."

"You do that." She turned and went inside.

After a few moments I picked up my phone and called Walt.

No answer, so I left a message, "Walt, we found Jake. He's safe. I'll call back later with details."

Then I called Anna again.

"Anna, couldn't talk earlier. But here's the deal. Jake's safe. The woman who has him wants us to replant the tomatoes Jake dug up in her garden. That's why we need the plants. How long before you get here?"

"I'm paying for the plants right now. I should be there in about fifteen minutes."

"Good. I'll be waiting for you."

63

I was waiting outside the house. Alone. And thinking about the hole Jake had dug.

The last time he had dug a hole, we found treasure in it. Gold and silver. And Walt said this was Jake's secret talent. Finding treasure.

Was that why Jake dug up the garden? Had he found treasure again?

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the sliding glass door behind me.

The woman no longer held a gun. She had changed clothes, combed her hair. Applied some makeup. She looked nice.

Looking at me, she said. "So, you didn't leave."

"No ma'am, I'm still here.'

She held out her hand, "Please don't call me ma'am. My name is Frances Ford. Just call me Frances."

I shook her hand gently, "I'm Walker. Glad to meet you, Frances. And I'm real sorry about what Jake did. We'll clean it up."

"So is Jake your dog?"

"No ma'am, I mean Frances.

"Jake belongs to Walt, a man we met on the beach a few days ago. He's had Jake since he was a pup, and he's worried sick that he might lose him."

Frances nodded and said, "I once had a dog that looked a whole lot like Jake. He was my best friend and companion for years. Eventually old age got to him."

I nodded.

She continued, "Jake looks so much like the one I had. I wonder if they might be related?"

"Might be," I replied. "Walt said that someone abandoned Jake as a pup on his property about six years ago. He lives a few miles up the road from here, so who knows, the two dogs might be related."

Frances nodded, then said, "Tell me what you know about this Walt. Is he single?"

I nodded, "Yes, ma'am, Walt is single. He told us his wife passed several years back, and it's just been him and Jake ever since.

"He's about your age, and he seems like a decent sort of guy. I imagine he'll be thrilled and thankful that you rescued his Jake."

Frances smiled, "I'd like to meet this Walt."

I nodded, "I think I can arrange that."

I pulled out my phone and called him. This time he answered. I told him Jake was safe, and I gave him directions to Frances Ford's home. Asked him to come over as soon as he could.

Ten minutes later, the driveway bell announced Anna's arrival at the gate. Frances brightened and asked me, "How do I look?"

"You look great."

Frances pressed the gate unlock button and Anna drove in. I walked around the house and met her as she was getting out of the Cruiser.

She pointed to the rear, "Tomato plants are in the back."

I walked around, opened the hatch, and grabbed the flat which contained six very healthy tomato plants.

"Follow me," I said to Anna, "there's someone I want you to meet."

When we came around the corner, Frances was waiting for us.

"Anna, this is Frances Ford."

"Frances, this is Anna Parker."

Anna looked at me and frowned, reminding me she wasn't comfortable letting people know her last name.

Frances said, "Anna, I'm so excited to meet you. You're my hero."

Anna blushed, "I'm pretty sure I'm not a hero."