Alice-Miranda to the Rescue (20 page)

Daniel jumped the stile and jogged alongside the fence that led down to the lane. He liked the feeling of the rain on his face, and every now and again he stuck out his tongue to slurp some drops. He ran on and on, counting his footfalls as he dodged puddles along the road. Soon, the wooden fencing morphed into barbed wire, large sections of it overwhelmed by thick, tangled shrubs and tall weeds. As he passed a locked gate, he heard the whine of an engine and the grating sound of worn brake
pads on metal. Instinctively, he hid behind a bush. He looked back, thankful that his grey raincoat provided camouflage against the foliage.

Daniel saw a scrawny young man unlock the gate and a white van drive through – the same white van he'd seen tearing up and down the road many times before. But what were they doing coming out of the government land?

‘Hurry up!' a gruff voice called out.

‘Yeah, all right, keep your hair on,' yelled the lad who was closing the gate. An explosion of barks rang out from inside the van. ‘Shut it, you lot!' he shouted, and thumped on the side panel before leaping into the passenger seat.

Daniel blinked, his mind racing. Millie had been right about the dogs. Was it possible the police had missed something?

The van pulled out onto the road and sped away. Daniel waited until it was far enough out of sight and then hurried back to the gate. He climbed over it and ran up the track, which wound its way across the field, down over a creek and then up into the woods. He pushed on from one small rise to another until the foliage cleared and he could see several sheds that looked like long cylinders cut in half. He remembered
his father telling him once that that sort of building was called a Nissan hut; they looked as if they were made of concrete and half-buried in the mountain.

The rain was coming down even heavier now as Daniel raced towards the closest shed. There was a huge padlock hanging loose on the door and he could hear something scratching to get out. Daniel turned the handle and pushed. The door scraped across the concrete floor and a pungent stench smacked him in the face. Daniel retched as a bundle of caramel curls leapt up at him. He grabbed the dog in his arms and cuddled him close, then peered into the darkness. ‘Who are you?' he said as the pup licked his face. ‘And what is this place?'

Cages upon cages were stacked against the walls. Daniel walked further into the shed, holding the pup in his arms. And then he saw her.

‘Molly!' the boy exclaimed. The dog flinched and lifted her head. ‘What have they done to you?'

Daniel set the pup down on the ground and unlatched the cage, reaching in to touch the cavalier King Charles spaniel. The skin under her belly hung loose and her teats were cracked and raw. The pup nudged his head past Daniel and whimpered, its mother whining in reply.

‘Let's get you out of here.' Daniel looked around for something to carry her in. She was far too weak to walk. He lifted her out of the cage and she stared into his eyes. ‘It's okay, girl, I'm taking you home.'

Alice-Miranda and Millie had the ponies tacked-up and ready to go in record time. The school was crawling with thousands of people and it seemed as though there were that many dogs as well.

‘We'd better go cross country,' Millie said as she spied the line of cars clogging the front driveway.

They took a left out of the stables and headed for the field and the right of way that cut the school in half. The girls urged their ponies into a trot, then a canter, and soon reached the main road. They crossed into the lane that led to Chesterfield Downs. The rain pelted their backs as they rode as fast as they dared past the emerald fields of Her Majesty's property and Becca Finchley's cottage.

‘How much further to the army land?' Alice-Miranda called to Millie.

‘I don't remember but, now that I think about it, we should be able to tell by the barbed wire.' They
rode on for at least ten more minutes and, just as Millie said, the fencing changed. ‘Keep your eyes open for a gate,' she called.

Half a mile further, Alice-Miranda pointed to a break in the wire. ‘Look!'

Sure enough, there was a gate partially hidden by thick overgrowth. It was open and the girls raced through, urging Bony and Chops along the muddy track. They rode on for quite a while before slowing to a walk.

‘I don't know if we've thought this through properly,' Millie said, suddenly plagued by second thoughts.

‘What do you mean?' Alice-Miranda replied.

‘If those guys have gone to all that trouble to steal Fudge, I don't think they'll want to give him back,' Millie said.

‘No, probably not. But you can't just go around taking dogs that don't belong to you,' Alice-Miranda replied, wondering if Millie was right.

The girls rounded a corner and the timber cleared, revealing three concrete sheds built into the side of the hill. Parked in front of one of them was the battered white van. The two fellows she had encountered outside Mr Munz's shop were just getting out of it.

‘Quick, over there.' Millie pointed to the left of the first shed.

The girls slipped down to the ground and led their ponies to a cluster of thick trees, where they tied them to a low branch. They crept back towards the van, taking care to stay out of sight.

‘You're such an idiot! How did you
not
put the pup in the van?' the taller of the two men yelled.

‘I thought you had!' the scrawny lad snapped. ‘I was concentrating on getting the rest of them – except that old one.'

‘So much for your bright idea of taking the lot of them – then you forget the one we've actually got a buyer for.'

‘I'll get buyers for all of them – you wait and see, Dec. When we're rich, you'll be eating your words.'

The first fellow shook his head. ‘You're a bigger moron than I first thought.'

The girls inched closer. The rain had eased off to a steady drizzle. Alice-Miranda looked at Millie and put a finger to her lips. She motioned to the van, and they hurried over to it. It had two windows high up in the back and muffled whimpers were coming from inside.

‘What do we do now?' Millie whispered.

Alice-Miranda peered around at the lads, who were about to enter one of the sheds. ‘We wait,' she said, her lips set in a grim line.

‘Hey! What's the door doing open? Did you do that too? Now the pup'll be gone, you idiot,' one of the men shouted.

They stalked into the darkness.

‘Who the heck are you?' the taller of the two silhouettes demanded. ‘And what are you doing with that dog?'

Alice-Miranda and Millie looked at one another in surprise. ‘There's someone else in there,' Millie whispered.

Alice-Miranda motioned for Millie to follow her. She dashed to the open door and squinted into the shed, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. ‘It's Daniel,' Alice-Miranda gasped. She wondered what he was doing up there.

Millie's eyes widened as she spotted the familiar bundle of caramel curls skittering around the boy's legs. ‘And there's Fudge.'

Daniel's heart was racing. His mind was too. ‘I … I was just out running and I heard the dogs barking,' he said.

‘Didn't you see the signs on the fence?' the shorter fellow demanded. ‘This is
private
property.'

‘Hey, I've seen you before,' the first bloke said, his eyes narrowing. ‘You're that Finchley kid.'

The shorter lad shook his head. ‘Cripes, what are we going to do with him now?'

‘Just let me go home and I won't tell anyone,' Daniel begged.

The taller man snorted. ‘As if.'

‘We've got to help him,' Millie said, tugging on Alice-Miranda's sleeve.

Alice-Miranda shook her head. ‘Wait, let's see what they're planning first.'

The brothers looked at one another and the shorter one motioned to Molly's cage.

‘Righto, get in there,' the taller fellow ordered, pointing at it. ‘Both of you.'

Daniel felt as if his feet were buried in concrete.

‘Go!' the shorter lad ordered. ‘Now!'

Daniel walked to the cage and put Molly in first. She whimpered and cried but settled down once the boy climbed in with her. The pup rushed to Daniel but the taller lad snatched him up. The shorter fellow snapped a lock onto the cage door.

‘You're never going to get away with this!' Daniel shouted. ‘You're going to jail.'

‘We're not going to jail,' the taller lad scoffed. ‘And I'd pipe down if I were you. I can't imagine the boss will be quite as understanding as we are. I mean, we could have done away with you good and proper.'

‘Puppy farms are illegal, you know. You can't keep dogs like this. It's immoral!' Daniel yelled at them.

‘Puppy farm?' Millie mouthed, her mind reeling. ‘What monsters.'

Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘Those poor animals.'

‘Who's your boss?' Daniel shouted.

‘Why should we tell you?' the shorter lad snapped. ‘Though, it would be a nice surprise.'

His brother grinned a yellow smile. ‘More like a shock.'

‘Come on, Declan, let's go or we'll be in some
major
trouble,' the shorter man chuckled. ‘Get it? Major trouble? I'm a genius.'

Alice-Miranda gasped and looked over at Millie, the pair reading each other's minds. They jumped into action and pushed against the shed door, which scraped like fingernails down a chalkboard.

‘What the?' The taller of the two lads rushed towards the entrance. Suddenly, the pup wriggled free from his captor and leapt to the ground. He raced through the narrow opening to freedom just as the door clanged shut. Millie quickly slammed the bolt across. Alice-Miranda grabbed the padlock and secured it.

‘Fudge!' Millie picked up the pup and cradled him close. The pup licked the tip of her nose.

‘Sit tight, Daniel,' Alice-Miranda called. ‘We're getting help!'

‘We can get out of here, you know,' one of the men yelled, banging against the door.

‘I don't think so,' Millie shouted back. She'd checked either side of the shed. There were no windows and the back half of the building was wedged into the hillside.

‘Alice-Miranda, I think the van's full of dogs,' the boy shouted.

‘Got it!' the child replied, and rushed over to the vehicle. Sure enough, there were cages of the creatures as well as two boxes of tiny writhing puppies.

Millie almost threw up at the sight of them. ‘What should we do?' she said, looking around. ‘We can't leave them in the van.'

Alice-Miranda thought for a moment, then ran to the next shed and pulled open the door. An awful smell of damp dirt hit her, but at least it didn't reek of animal waste and fear. Millie put Fudge on the ground, then picked up a box of pups from the back of the van, and carried them carefully to the shed. Alice-Miranda followed with the other one. They returned to the van and opened the cages inside. The adult dogs, though cautious, followed the pair to the shed.

‘Sorry, guys, but someone will be back to get you soon,' Millie promised as she closed the shed door.

Fudge danced around at Alice-Miranda's feet. ‘You're coming with us,' the girl said, bending down to pick him up. She stuffed the pup down the front of her sport's shirt and zipped her jacket.

‘Good thinking,' Millie said as the two girls raced over to their ponies and took off down the hill.

Becca Finchley glanced at the kitchen clock as Vera brushed Siggy for the tenth time that morning.

‘I'm sorry, dear, but we have to go if we're to make it in time,' the older woman said, patting Becca on the forearm.

‘Can we give him another ten minutes?' she asked.

Vera Bird shook her head. ‘Afraid not.'

Becca had woken up early and had been surprised to find Daniel gone. She was used to his
early morning runs but she hadn't expected he would head out this morning – not when they had the show. Now, two hours later, she was beginning to worry. She wondered if he couldn't face going back again today. There had been so many memories for both of them.

‘Why don't we drive over to the school and, once we're sorted, I can come back and pick him up?' Vera suggested. ‘We can leave a note so he knows that's what's happening.'

Becca nodded. ‘That's probably the best idea.' She wheeled herself to the sideboard and hastily scribbled him a message, then folded the paper in half and propped it up on the middle of the kitchen table.

‘I've got the dog bag packed in the car,' Vera said. ‘I added another spray bottle too. I noticed Siggy's coat was a bit dry yesterday, so I've got a Listerine mix.'

‘You've been doing your homework. That's an old trick,' Becca said as she rolled herself out the back door to Mrs Bird's car.

Vera put Siggy into the dog carrier on the back seat, which was strapped in safely. ‘Well, dear, this is it. I wonder if we can do it again,' Vera said, shutting the door.

Becca frowned. ‘Do it again?'

‘Oh, I meant I wonder if
you
can win Best in Show again,' the woman corrected herself.

Becca took one last look across the field, hoping to see Daniel jump over the style, but he was still nowhere to be seen. She sighed and wheeled herself around to the passenger door.

‘Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, what a wonderful day,' the announcer's voice blared through the speakers.

Ophelia Grimm didn't quite agree with his assessment. Charlie Weatherly had already pulled two bogged cars from the bottom of the oval and the school was beginning to resemble a pigsty. The rain had eased off for about half an hour but it was now coming down heavier than ever and Ophelia had just heard from her husband that there was some imminent flooding of the local creeks and rivers. All she could hope for now was that the crowd would be gone by half past three as Myrtle Parker had promised.

Vera Bird and Becca Finchley had arrived half an hour ago, having sat in traffic outside the school
for the best part of forty-five minutes. They were now inside the gymnasium, which smelt like a rather nasty combination of wet socks and damp fur.

‘I'm afraid I haven't got time to go back and get Daniel now,' Vera said, glancing at her watch.

Becca nodded. ‘I don't know why he had to go out this morning. He was supposed to help me present the Finchley Award too.'

Vera looked past the woman's shoulder and caught sight of Major Foxley ambling over to them. She quickly turned away and began busying herself with Siggy. ‘Becca, dear, I think I'll take her for a walk. She needs to loosen up a bit and I'll give her coat a spray.'

‘Good morning, Becca,' the man said. ‘All set for a big day?' The brass buttons on his double-breasted jacket gleamed.

‘Hello Alistair. What a shame – you just missed my neighbour, Mrs Bird,' Becca said, gesturing to the woman hurrying away. ‘I couldn't have done any of this without her. Her sister used to show dogs, and breed them too.'

‘Really? And what was her name?' he asked. He squinted at the old lady, a cloudy memory scratching at the back of his mind.

Becca hesitated, her forehead puckering. ‘Isn't that funny? I've never thought to ask her that,' she said.

‘And where's your boy?' the man asked.

‘Daniel wasn't feeling well,' she lied.

‘Oh, what a pity,' the man said, patting her on the arm. ‘I do hope you're still planning to present the Finchley Award for Excellence. Your husband would be so proud.'

Becca smiled. ‘Yes, of course.'

At the other end of the sports hall, Roberta Dankworth's stomach was in knots. She had located a power point and was now fluffing Citrine's coat with her supercharged hair dryer. ‘This wet weather is wreaking havoc on your fringe, baby girl,' she mumbled, wondering if there was time for another round of hot rollers.

Barry ran over and passed his wife a spray bottle. ‘Here you are, darling,' he said. ‘Sorry I took so long.'

‘Where have you been?' she hissed. Ever since they'd arrived Barry had kept disappearing and, quite frankly, she was fed up. She snatched the bottle and furiously pumped it all over Citrine's coat, then pulled out a large round brush and started up the hair dryer again.

‘How are you feeling today, Roberta?' a voice shouted over the wail of the hair dryer.

‘How do you think I feel?' she snapped. She looked up and realised that it was Darius Loveday and his crew. Her angry face instantly melted into a smile and she flicked her hair. ‘I mean, it's a bit tricky with the weather and the last-minute change of venue but we're excited about the competition. Aren't we, baby girl?' She kissed Citrine on the nose and grinned at the camera.

‘Ladies and gentlemen,' the announcer boomed, ‘it gives me great pleasure to announce that the Best in Show will be starting in ten minutes' time, so take your seats and get ready to cheer for the prettiest pooches at this year's Chudleigh's Dog Show!'

Alice-Miranda and Millie turned into the driveway and trotted as fast as they dared. Fudge had stopped squirming long ago and Alice-Miranda wondered if the rhythm of Bony's movement had put the little fellow to sleep.

‘Hey!' Sloane called out, waving to them. She and Caprice had been keeping watch for the past hour.
‘We called Constable Derby. He said that he'd go and have a look as soon as he got back from another job over at Downsfordvale.'

‘Thanks, but I need to talk to him right away,' Alice-Miranda said, slipping down from the saddle. ‘Can you take Bony?' she said to Millie as she unzipped her jacket and reached under her shirt.

‘Fudge!' Sloane and Caprice gasped in unison at the sight of the puppy. ‘How did you get him back?' Sloane asked.

‘Did they just hand him over?' Caprice weighed in.

The child shook her head. ‘Not exactly – we'll tell you about it later. I need to call Constable Derby.'

‘Do you want me to look after him?' Caprice asked, stepping forward.

‘Yes, please.' Alice-Miranda smiled and passed her the puppy.

‘I'll meet you back at the gym as soon as I put these two away,' Millie said, gesturing to Bony and Chops.

‘I can give you a hand,' Caprice offered.

Millie nodded.

‘I'll come with you then, Alice-Miranda,' Sloane said.

As the girls took off towards the school office, Alice-Miranda relayed everything that had happened to a wide-eyed Sloane. There was no one about but it didn't take long for them to locate Constable Derby's number. The man was already on his way back to town and couldn't believe his ears when Alice-Miranda told him what was going on.

‘What's he going to do?' Sloane asked once the girl hung up the phone.

‘He's coming straight here but he'll call for back-up from Downsfordvale to go and get Daniel and arrest those villains,' Alice-Miranda replied. In the meantime, we need to find Mrs Finchley and tell her what's happened.'

Sloane chased her friend across the quadrangle, heading for the gymnasium.