Rescued: A Story of Cats, Dogs, Crooks, and Cops: The Detective Whiskers Cozy Mystery Series, #0

By Chris Abernathy

When lost animals start showing up at crime scenes, Officer Fred Mason decides to sniff out the culprit. He'll need some help, though, from the residents of the local animal rescue, including one exceptionally bright and determined cat. Along the way, people and animals find their way home.

This novella is a complete standalone story and is the prequel to The Detective Whiskers Cozy Mystery Series.

There are happy endings for all of the characters in this book, humans and animals, with the exception of the one bad guy who ends up in jail.

When you can't find your way home, home will find you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wright on the Mark LLC
• Release date: Jul 18, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227080974

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Bully

Monday

Bully loved his home.

The big bulldog rolled onto his back in the soft grass, letting the sun warm his belly. It was a good day to be outside. He liked being outside, as long as his family remembered to leave plenty of fresh water in his bowl. Which they always did.

They were a good family. He was especially fond of the girl, Emma. Some girls preferred little dogs like toy poodles and Pomeranians but she’d walked past the small dogs at the adoption day event and chosen him with his big bulldog head and stocky frame. It was love at first sight. He didn’t even mind it when she made him wear funny outfits. She’d told him the other day that something special was coming for the 4th of July. Bully was going to be in a pet parade. His first time, and he was excited about it.

Nobody was at home at the moment. They’d all driven away a few minutes earlier. He had watched through a crack in the fence and listened as the family car disappeared past a van parked by the curb and then down the street out of sight. They would be back. They always came back.

The neighborhood was quiet. Bully could barely hear the rumble of cars on the busy highway a couple of blocks away. Birds chirped. Leaves rustled in the big maple tree. And there was a soft clink followed by the creak of an opening door. Or gate.

Bully flipped over and stood on his four paws, staring at the open gate. He hadn’t heard the car pull up. Was Emma home again already?

The gate remained open but nobody walked in.

Bully went to investigate.

Standing with his head poking just beyond the frame of the fence, Bully still didn’t see anyone. But he smelled something. Something good. Like the treats Emma often gave him after dinner. Looking down, he saw one in the grass just outside the fence.

Bully knew he wasn’t supposed to leave the backyard without Emma or her parents. But it was just a step or two for a yummy treat. He gobbled it up, smiled, and started to turn around before noticing another treat a few steps away. It was yummy, too. And so was the next one, and the one after that. A trail of yummy treats had appeared on the lawn, leading to the street.

Bully nosed his way ahead, devouring each treat as he came to it, feeling like the luckiest dog in the world. At the end of the trail was the van he’d seen parked on the street. The back doors were wide open now. On the floor of the van, the treat bag had spilled over. Bully hopped in, ready for a feast.

The doors closed. The back of the van got dark and Bully felt himself moving away, away from home.

CHAPTER 2

Bananas

"Get ‘em inside quick, boys. I need this produce sorted and on the shelves before the store gets busy."

Three teenage boys hustled to pull boxes of fruits and vegetables off the delivery truck and into the back of Sammy’s Downtown Market. Sammy watched and barked instructions while enjoying his third cup of coffee. He’d unloaded plenty of trucks in his day. It was somebody else’s turn now. He watched his young employees and wondered if one of them had what it took to work their way up the chain like he had. That thought didn’t last long.

Stop! You don’t stack apples on top of strawberries! Do I still have to do this myself?

Sammy set his coffee cup on the asphalt and grabbed a heavy box. If he was honest, he still enjoyed this part of the job — as long as he didn’t have to do too much of it. Paperwork. That was what he was avoiding by being out here with the truck.

A crash inside the store got Sammy’s attention. It was followed by yelling, then somebody stuck their head out the back door.

There’s a dog loose in the store! The young woman disappeared back inside. Sammy and the three boys followed in a hurry.

A tall man in blue jeans, a T-shirt, a baseball cap, and bright red cowboy boots waited for the door to close, then stepped out from behind the corner of the grocery store. He quickly walked between boxes of apples, strawberries, potatoes, and lettuce until he reached the bananas. Picking up a box, he carried it around the corner and set it down in the back of his van before returning for another box. When all of the bananas were in the van, he got into the front seat and drove away.

CHAPTER 3

The Queen’s Crown

Tuesday

If you had one of those stones on top of a ring, Grady, even you could get a girl to say yes!

The four policemen walking in the door of the museum exhibit hall laughed good-naturedly at the young officer standing inches away from the glass display case in the center of the room.

Grady stood up straight and pretended not to be interested. It’s not the real thing, you know.

An older officer walked up to the display and stared inside at the golden crown encrusted with massive diamonds. It’s an exact replica, though, of one of the most valuable crowns in the world, The Queen’s Crown of Denmark. And the diamonds are real enough. So is the gold. They borrowed diamonds from all over the world to make it for this fancy tour. And until Saturday, it’s our job to protect it.

Best week ever, said a third officer who had sat himself down on a plush, velvet chair in the corner. Relaxing in air-conditioned comfort instead of pounding the streets. He put his hands behind his head and slid down in the chair, letting his feet stretch out in front of him. Ahhhh, yeah. Best week ever.

The tallest of the policemen kicked the sitting man’s feet, making him fall out of the chair. "We ain’t here to guard the chair, Barney. We’re guarding The Queen’s Crown and we won’t be taking it easy. Get up. They’re opening the doors