The Secret in the Whiskers by Patricia Fry

Author:Patricia Fry [Fry, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781734875119
Publisher: Matilija Press
Published: 2020-04-19T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

“What do you mean, ‘he disappeared’?” Craig said, sounding exasperated.

Harrison looked around. “Where’d he go? Did you see where he went?”

“I know exactly where he went,” Savannah said.

Before she could continue, Damon called out, “Craig. I think you’ll want to see this!”

“What now?” he complained. “Is it going to add to the case or just confuse us even more?”

Damon chortled. “Well, I don’t know, but I think you’ll want to take a look at it. I found it inside the handlebars of this bike. It’s a map, and it’s all marked up.”

“Let me see that,” Craig insisted, walking swiftly toward Damon.

“Yeah, I noticed the grip was askew, so I removed it and found this rolled up inside there.” Damon pointed. “See, it shows a route from near San Diego to the northern tip of Washington. It looks as though the rider planned to come right through here. See, he has rest stops and parks marked all along the way. There’s our Plaza Park. Looks like he expected to stop over there. Someone must have sent him this direction for some reason, or he happened to stumble across it, but why? There’s nothing out here to attract a cyclist.”

“It depends on when he arrived in Hammond,” Savannah said. The others looked at her, and she continued, “They had a big shindig at the park Friday and Saturday. Maybe he wanted to rest in a more quiet environment.”

“Or he’s one of those who’s into the more rugged camping experience,” Harrison said.

Damon nodded. “Extreme camping.”

Craig studied the map. After grunting a couple of times, he looked around and asked, “So where the hell is he? If his bike’s here, he’s gotta be around here someplace, but where?” He was suddenly shaken from his thoughts by Savannah’s shrill call.

“Now what?” he asked, turning to face her.

“Craig,” she said breathlessly, “Rags just came out from behind that big rock with this.”

Craig took it from her and turned it over in his hands. “Bruce Lang’s ID bracelet,” he said. “What grown man wears an ID bracelet?”

“One who has a medical condition, maybe,” Savannah offered.

“Or whose mother or girlfriend gave it to him in case he ran into a problem on this trip,” Damon suggested.

Craig carped, “You’d think you two were fiction writers.” He studied the bracelet and said, “His family lost contact with him three days ago. Folks, it’s more than likely this is who we’re looking for.” He frowned. “But where does Jim Alexander and…what’s the other fellow’s name?”

“Cody Byrd,” Damon said.

“Yeah, how do they fit in?” Craig moved closer to Savannah. “Where exactly did the cat come from just now?”

She pointed. “From behind that big rock.”

Craig kneeled and examined the area around the boulder, finally calling, “Hey, guys, need a hand over here.” As Damon and Harrison approached, he said, “Let’s move this rock. I want to see what’s behind it.”

After the three men tried to use brute strength to move the boulder, Damon pulled back. He looked around, then picked up a sturdy piece of wood.

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