Land of a Hundred Wonders by Lesley Kagen

Author:Lesley Kagen
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Penguin Group USA, Inc.
Published: 2010-02-28T23:00:00+00:00

The No Good, the Bad and the Ugly

"Well, my oh my. Who do we have here?” Sneaky Tim Ray says, coming out in the open and dropping to his feet a burlap sack he’s got slung over his shoulder. He’s been doing some hunting and has come up with a coon. Maybe a possum. It’s the first time I’ve seen him since Teddy Smith gave him that hayloft whuppin’. An oily rag is barely concealing the black socket that should be filled up by his glass eye. His nose looks farther east than it used to. And some confused soul’s been kissin’ on his neck, leaving strawberry-colored lip prints behind. Dang. If Grampa was here, he’d exclaim right about now, “Boy looks like somethin’ the dog’s been keeping’ under the porch.”

“What ya got in the sack, Holloway? Your brain?” Clever taunts. (She is not at all afraid of him, or anything else for that matter, because, really, what does she have to lose?) “What the hell ya want?”

“Ain’t ’bout what I want.” Sneaky Tim Ray tugs on the rope that’s holding the bag closed. After rootin’ around some, he yanks my Keeper out by his front legs. “ ’Bout what y’all want.”

“Jesus,” I yell. Billy’s gotta hold me back when Sneaky Tim Ray circles his hands around Keep’s throat.

Clever shouts, “Hand over the dog, ya one-eyed fool.”

Keeper doesn’t seem right. He’s logy looking. Isn’t he s’posed to be at St. Mary’s guarding over Grampa? “How’d you get ahold a him?” I ask, completely confused.

“Well, the Lord do work in mysterious ways, don’t He, darlin’? There I was over to the hospital payin’ a visit to a lady friend of mine,” he says, puffin’ up. “And who should I find sittin’ outside one of them rooms but this here mutt.”

When Billy pounces off the ground toward him, Sneaky Tim Ray pliers his hand around Keeper’s neck tight enough to make his legs go rigid. “One step closer, soldier boy, and this dog’ll be headin’ off to the happy huntin’ ground.”

“Wwwhat do you wwwant?” Billy says, gripping and ungripping his fists. He wants to get at this louse so bad, but he can’t, and it’s causing his stutter to flare up.

“Wwwhat I wwwant is that mmmap,” Holloway mocks.

“Give it to him,” I command to Clever.

“But . . . but . . . what about the treasure and the baby and—”

“He’s got Keeper!” I holler.

“A course,” she says, popping open my briefcase and removing the map. “Don’ know what I was thinkin’.”

“Leave it there on the ground,” Sneaky Tim Ray instructs, smug.

Keep hasn’t moved for the longest time.

“Whatcha do to the dog?” Billy is not tripping over his words anymore. I knew it’d be just a matter of time before his torrential temper poured into his head and swept away his fear.

“Back off, Brown,” Sneaky Tim Ray warns, sensing the shift in Billy.

“You ready-set?” I call, hoping Keeper can hear me.

His right ear cocks. Then his left. His tail gives a feeble tock.

All right then.

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