The Killer Dog and the Dognappers

By Rick Hughes

Quinn brings home the worst grade six report card ever, so bad that it makes his mother cry and hire two tutors.

The first one, Vicky, takes one look through Quinns schoolbag and decides that her mission is to improve his organization skills, starting with backpacks.

The second tutor doubles as a dog walker. He calls himself OnTime because its his job to keep Quinn from always being late. Things start to look up. Quinn even starts bouncing on a trampoline!

Thats when it all starts.

His best friends dog gets dognapped!

All his mothers bank accounts get cleaned out in a case of identity theft!

Then a killer dog attacks one of OnTimes dogs!

Then Quinn is trapped by the killer dog!

Who is doing all this to them?

How can they be stopped?

Quinn will need all his new skills to solve the mystery, and he will need all his courage to tackle the killer dog and the dognappers!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: May 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466933743

Book preview

The Killer Dog 

 and 

 The Dognappers

Rick Hughes

Order this book online at www.trafford.com

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© Copyright 2012 Rick Hughes.

Cover Author Photo: Jim Hamilton

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4669-3373-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4669-3375-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4669-3374-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012908339

Trafford rev. 05/09/2012

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Contents

Chapter One

The Worst Report Card of All Times

Chapter Two

OnTime

Chapter Three

The Tutor Academy and the Gym Socks

Chapter Four

The Dog Park

Chapter Five

The Reward Posters and Another Tutor

Chapter Six

The Trampoline and The Bright Pink Plastic Dog Bone

Chapter Seven

Tracking the Dog

Chapter Eight

Math Homework and Weird Calls

Chapter Nine

A Dog Gets Loose!

Chapter Ten

The Killer Dog

Chapter Eleven

Two Dogs

Chapter Twelve

No Money

Chapter Thirteen

The Science Project

Chapter Fourteen

Talking Like Grandma

Chapter Fifteen

Queen Street

Chapter Sixteen

The Same Guy!

Chapter Seventeen

Trapped with the Killer Dog

Chapter Eighteen

The Dognappers

Chapter Nineteen

Bouncing Again!

Also by Rick Hughes

Novels

The Hands Gang

The Dream Dragon

The Porterhouse X-Women

In This Series

In Front of The Whole Class

The Camp Crowfeather Mystery

Musical Comedies

Quickchange

The Planet Pluto

Boy Meets Girl

Dessert Island

On a Mission

Ten Foot Pole

The Mall

The 88’s

Nikita For President

The Famous Door

Plays

Bedroom Colony

Anything On?

The Statue in the Park

A Sheltered Life

Dedication:

For my father

Who taught me how to read

And my mother

Who taught me how to laugh

For my wife

Who loves books

And my sons

Who love life

Chapter One

The Worst Report Card of 

 All Times

Quinn Compton stared at his report card. It was the worst report card he’d ever had. It was the worst report card in his Grade Six class, he was pretty sure of that, although kids didn’t usually talk about their report cards if they were bad, only if they were good.

Was it the worst report card of all times? It might be. Maybe he could look it up online sometime, but it really wasn’t what he was worried about right now. He was worried about his mother.

He’d been so afraid to show it to her. What was she going to think? What was she going to say?

He’d even thought of throwing it away or something like that, but he knew it would never work. She was going to find out sooner or later.

So he decided to show it to her and when she opened it and sat there looking at it for a long time, he was so terrified. He felt like he was going to be sick.

Then she didn’t do anything. She just sat there with her head down, staring at it. Then he really felt like he was going to be sick. He felt like running away. But he just stood there, waiting for her to do something.

He wanted her to yell at him, hit him even, do something, just so she wouldn’t just keep sitting there staring at that terrible report card.

Then, finally, she did something. What she did was worse than yelling at him or even hitting him.

She cried.

It was hard to tell she was crying, because she just kept sitting still, but he could see tears sliding down her face and dripping on to the report card. Quinn had never felt worse in his life.

Then his mother did something. She didn’t yell at him or even speak to him.

She picked up the phone and started calling the tutors.

Chapter Two

OnTime

His mother was standing by the window, looking out.

I’d like to take you myself, but I’ve got meetings all day.

She glanced at her watch. He should be here any minute.

She looked out the window again and then she smiled. Ah, here he is. Right on time. She turned her smile to Quinn. Maybe you can help with some of the dogs.

Quinn had no clue what she was talking about. His mother had told him that he had an appointment at The Tutor Academy, but she hadn’t said anything about any dogs.

He got up to look out the window and what he saw was dogs. There were big dogs, two of them, a German Shepherd and a Retriever, smaller dogs, both of them Beagles, and a little Chihuahua who was barking at the rest of the dogs. Attached to the dogs by the five leashes he was holding was a young man who looked like he was trying to be a rock star. He had blonde hair pressed down over his face by a black toque and he had an amazing smile which he was now turning on them both as they went out the door to greet him.

Here I am, right on time! His smile got even brighter. And that’s what your son will be from now on, Ms. Compton or my name’s not OnTime!

Out on the street, Quinn marvelled at the way that the young man could keep all the dogs going in the same direction, especially the Chihuahua who showed no signs of ever stopping barking.

I used to have a problem with lateness. Same as you. You know what the French word is for late, don’t you?

Retard. It was one French word that Quinn found easy to remember. You do know. Well, that was me all over with a capital ‘R’. I was late for everything. That was one reason I got this job. Well, that and to pay my tuition fees. He gave all the leashes a tug to try and keep the dogs going in the same direction. You see, with this job, I can’t be late. See Huckleberry there? He pointed to the Retriever. In the morning, he’s got to be picked up by eight on the dot and returned by nine or I lose the gig. The owner is very precise. He pointed at the little Chihuahua that had still not stopped barking. Paco there gets picked up at three thirty and is supposed to be back by five, although if it was up to me, he’d be back a lot earlier than that.

As if to prove his point, the Chihuahua made a sudden lunge for