JACK AND THE GIANT KILLER Read online

  Jack inhaled as his eyes traveled over her athletic figure. Her T-shirt wasn’t tight, but the cut of the faded pink fabric made his mind drift to other things.

  “Ready?” Her question broke him out of his daydream.

  Jack took another swig of coffee before he headed for the door. Replacement went first with the dog, and Jack followed at a distance.

  When they reached the Bug, Jack stopped and laughed. “Are you sure it fits?” He opened the passenger door, put down the front seat, and moved out of the way.

  “Come on, Cookie.” Replacement clapped her hand to her thigh and tugged the leash, but the dog wouldn’t budge.

  “I don’t think she’ll fit.”

  “That’s not helping, Jack.” She frowned and then handed Jack the rope.

  The dog growled. Jack took a step toward the car and pulled on the rope. The dog planted her feet and her ears lay back on her head. She barked.

  “Are you trying to get me eaten? How’d you get the beast into the car at Mrs. Sawyer’s?”

  Replacement’s eyes lit up and then she sprinted back toward the apartment building. “I have to go get something.”

  Jack leaned up against the car. “Sit,” Jack growled at the dog, who growled back. Get the information off the chip and the dog off my hands. Happy Replacement, happy me.

  Jack looked back at the dog and a grin spread across his face. A minute later, Replacement dashed back and put her hands on her legs while she caught her breath.

  “While you were gone, I taught the beast a trick,” Jack announced. “Watch. Ready? Stand there.” He thrust both hands out at the dog, who didn’t move. “Ta-da!”

  Replacement laughed.

  “Wait, there’s more.” He theatrically put a hand above his head. “Growl.” He gave a little tug on the rope and the dog growled. “Speak.” Jack took a step forward and she barked.

  “Stop it.” Replacement hopped over to the car. “Come on, girl.” She held up a biscuit and tossed it in the car.

  The dog shot past Jack as she scrambled into the backseat after the treat. The whole car rocked back and forth on its chassis as she grabbed the biscuit and then turned around three times before lying down.

  “Good thinking.” Jack put the front seat up.

  Replacement sighed. “I’d like to take credit but it was Mrs. Sawyer’s idea. She’s so sweet.”

  Jack looked into the backseat. “I’ll follow you in the Charger.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I’m not going to sit in front of the furry gargoyle in that tiny car. Haven’t you seen that show: Animals Gone Crazy?”

  “Don’t be such a scaredy-cat. She won’t bite you.”

  Jack stared at the dog in the back as he hesitantly slid into the passenger seat.

  I’m an idiot. I’d rather risk getting my face chewed off than have her think I’m a chicken.

  “Ready?” Replacement wiggled in the seat as she started the car.

  “Drive fast.”

  Replacement rolled down the windows and zipped out of the parking lot.

  “Mrs. Sawyer lives right over on Acorn,” Jack pointed out. “There aren’t that many homes over there but there’s also Pine Creek golf course.” He leaned against the door and kept an eye on the dog in the backseat. “Did Mrs. Sawyer see which way the dog came from?”

  Replacement shook her head. “No. All she said was she found the dog wedged into the General’s cat door.”

  Jack smirked as he pictured that.

  “When I got there, Cookie was waiting on the porch.”

  The golf course is enormous. If the dog wandered onto it, it could have come from anywhere.

  Replacement chuckled and bit her lip.

  “What?” Jack asked.

  “Mrs. Sawyer told me to say hi.”

  Jack eyed her suspiciously. “Did she say anything else?”

  Replacement nodded. “She told me to hang onto you. She said you’re a keeper.” Replacement grinned and gave Jack a big wink.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  She’s a Queen

  The little blue Bug turned left on the dead-end road.

  “I hope it’s open.” Replacement pointed to the long one-story building set back on a little hill.

  “Someone’s here.” Jack tapped his fingers on the window and pointed to a car parked outside.

  Replacement parked in front of the animal shelter. Jack nearly dove out of the car the second it came to a stop.

  “Wait a minute.” Replacement’s face scrunched up as she got out. “You are scared of her.”

  “Scared?” Jack scoffed. “No. Do I like Franken-wolf breathing down my neck the whole ride while it’s plotting to eat me? No.”

  The dog jumped out of the car and the little Bug rocked back and forth. The dog shook as if she just got out of a bath.

  Replacement patted her back. “Good girl. You were such a good baby on the ride,” she cooed.

  Jack headed up the ramp; the dog yanked Replacement forward, so she stumbled up next to Jack. Replacement started to loop the rope around her wrist. Jack grabbed the rope and stopped her.

  “Seriously, kid. Don’t do that. You won’t be able to let go if the beast takes off. Chewbacca here could pull your arm off.”

  “Chewie!” Replacement hopped up and down. “That’s perfect.” She leaned over and hugged the dog.

  Jack rubbed between his eyes and chuckled. “Just, don’t do it.” He walked up and held the door open.

  They walked into a large, empty waiting room with two rows of attached chairs in the middle. A counter was against the far wall next to a large double door. Replacement headed straight to the reception window behind the counter.

  A young woman typed into a computer. A prominent, dyed-pink streak ran down the middle of her jet-black hair. A silver nose ring and a short-sleeved shirt that revealed arms covered in tattoos completed her ensemble. Although she appeared fierce, she nervously smiled.

  “Are you looking to adopt?” She looked up, hopeful.

  Jack shook his head but returned her smile. “Not today. We actually found a lost dog.”

  “You’re dropping off?” Her shoulders sagged.

  “No,” Replacement replied. “We’re here to get her checked for a chip. We hope to locate the owner, but we’re not leaving her.”

  The woman’s smile returned. “Have you checked the board?”

  Replacement shook her head. The woman hopped off her stool, came out the big doors, and strode over to an old chalkboard on rollers. One side was covered with pictures of lost pets. Missing, beloved family dog, like our own child—the words hit Jack hard as he searched for a picture of the dog that sat next to him.

  “If someone’s lost a dog, we help them create a flyer. Do you see her here?” the woman asked.

  Jack scanned the posters and frowned.

  Replacement shook her head. “I don’t see her.”

  “I’ll let Ryan know you’d like him to check for a chip. I’d really recommend you have the dog examined, too. If she was lost, you want to make sure nothing happened to her.”

  “They can do that here?”

  “Sure. It’s not too busy. I think he can do it after he checks the chip. There’s a small fee.”

  Of course there’s a fee. Maybe I can talk Replacement into charging the dog’s owner to cover some of these expenses.

  “Do you get a lot of missing animals?” Replacement asked.

  The woman nodded. “Too many. Sometimes they have a chip, but there’re a lot that don’t. The guys here do what they can to place them, but it’s hard.” She made a face. “Too many dogs—not enough homes.”

  Replacement’s lip curled. “I heard. That blows.”

  The woman sighed and her hand shot out. “I’m Lacie.”

  “I’m Alice. That’s Jack, and this is Chewie.”

  Lacie rubbed behind the dog’s ears. “She’s so fluffy.”

  Replacement grinned and joined in patting the dog.

 
; “Let me go see if they can squeeze you in.” Lacie headed back through the large doors.

  Jack scanned the board again and his eyes narrowed.

  “What?” Replacement asked.

  “There’s no flyer for the dog. That means the owner hasn’t been here.”

  “Do you think they aren’t looking?”

  “They haven’t looked here. I’m just thinking it through. Dog food is expensive. The dog’s huge. She seems young, so maybe they got her as a puppy. The dog keeps growing and it keeps getting more expensive to keep it.”

  “You think they don’t want her?” Replacement pulled the dog closer to herself.

  Jack held up a hand. “It’s just a thought. It’s a possibility, though.”

  “But she looks taken care of.”

  The doors opened and Lacie’s voice boomed, “They’re ready.”

  As they followed her down a small linoleum-tiled hallway, the dog whined and pushed against Replacement, who almost fell into Jack. Lacie walked through the door on the right into a large room with a metal table, three plastic chairs, and a couple of cabinets.

  “We’ll just get Chewie up on the table and take a look at her.”

  Replacement eyed the waist-high table and then asked Jack, “Can you pick her up?”

  Jack scoffed. “Why don’t I just put barbecue sauce on my nose and ask her to bite my face off?”

  Lacie laughed. “I got it.” She reached under the table with her foot. She pressed a pedal and then the table lowered almost to the floor.

  “Thanks.” Replacement smiled. “Have you worked here long?”

  “Only a few months. I’m technically the assistant office manager.”

  Lacie attached a leash connected to a pole on the table and then she and Replacement managed to coax the dog onto it. They stood on either side of the table while they tried to comfort the giant animal as she trembled and whined. Lacie felt around with her foot until she located the right pedal and the table rose to waist height.

  The door swung open and a man in his early thirties with round glasses and a wavy brown ponytail entered. Medium height and thin built, his khaki shorts and blue T-shirt gave him a youthful appearance. “Wow,” he exclaimed and stopped, “you’re a big girl.” He leaned forward and walked past Jack’s outstretched hand as he came over to the table. “Look at you.” He held his hand out in a fist for the dog to sniff and then patted her head. She’s a king.” He turned back to Jack. “Ryan Warner.”

  “Jack Stratton. Alice Campbell. We found this lost dog, and we’re hoping you can help us find the owner.”

  “She’s beautiful.” Ryan nodded to Alice and then patted the dog’s back. “She’s a King Shepherd.”

  Replacement’s eyes widened. “I’ve heard of a German Shepherd.”

  Ryan felt around the dog’s neck. “Regular Shepherds aren’t this big, especially females. She’s a mix of Shiloh, German, and long-haired Shepherd. It’s a giant breed. A King Shepherd.”

  Replacement beamed. “She’s a girl. That makes her a Queen Shepherd.”

  Jack started to open his mouth, but closed it when she shot him a look.

  Ryan pulled out a penlight and looked at the dog’s eyes. “My, what beautiful eyes you have,” he said.

  “I’d be careful,” Jack joked. “Little Red Riding Hood said that to the big bad wolf, and I think this dog’s bigger and badder.”

  Ryan laughed. “It ended okay for Riding Hood, if I remember correctly.”

  “It didn’t end too well for the grandmother,” Jack muttered. Replacement’s eyes narrowed. Jack cleared his throat. “When a dog’s lost, how do people find the owners?”

  “Usually it’s the owner who finds the dog.” Ryan spoke as his hands moved over the dog’s chest and throat. “Is this her regular collar?”

  “It’s the collar she had on when we found her,” Replacement said.

  “Why?” Jack asked.

  “She has some bruising around her throat.” Ryan lifted up the fur, but a rumble in the dog’s chest made him lower it back down. “Let’s just take my word for it. She’s a little sensitive around her neck, so I wondered if you were using a choke collar. Sometimes those aren’t the best.”

  Replacement rubbed Chewie’s back. The door slowly swung open and a man in a wheelchair rolled in.

  The man smiled as he wheeled forward. “Lacie, Mrs. Thornton’s trying to pay her bill, and I think I charged her twice.”

  Lacie grinned mischievously. “Just say it’s a donation.”

  “Lacie.” Ryan peered over the rim of his glasses.

  “I’ll go fix it.” She headed around the table while the man in the wheelchair held the door for her.

  “Carl, can you get me a scanner?” Ryan asked. “Hopefully Chewie here has a chip that’ll let us know exactly where she lives.”

  “Chewie? Cool name.” Carl wheeled back around and then handed Ryan a scanner.

  Jack tried not to stare at his legs. As he looked at the man in his late twenties with black hair buzzed military short, Jack wondered whether Carl was a wounded veteran. “Jack Stratton.” He held out his hand.

  “Carl Harris.”

  “This is Alice.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” Alice stepped forward and her small hand disappeared into Carl’s large grip.

  Ryan picked up a scanner. “Carl, can you give me a hand with the leash?”

  Carl wheeled over to where Lacie had stood and took hold of the leash.

  “I’m just going to check for a chip.” Ryan gently patted the dog’s head. While he stroked her fur, he moved the scanner down her back.

  The dog trembled and whimpered loudly. Her nails clicked off the metal table.

  “It’s okay, girl.” Replacement rubbed her neck. “I think she’s been to the vet before.”

  “Seems it. She’s acting like a kid remembering the shot they got after the last trip to the doctor’s office. Almost done.” Ryan spoke softly.

  “Easy, baby.” Replacement rubbed the dog’s head.

  Ryan moved the scanner closer to her fur and then he shook his head. “Sorry, but she doesn’t have a chip.”

  Replacement frowned and rubbed the dog’s neck. “It’s okay,” she whispered in her ear.

  “Let me give her a quick once-over.” Ryan handed Carl the scanner. “It looks like she got into a briar patch. I see some scratches and would like to check her for thorns.”

  “You are a brave man.” Jack took a step back.

  Carl spoke softly to the dog while Ryan examined her. After a few minutes, Ryan stood back and nodded his head. “She’s a King Shepherd all right. Beautiful dog and she looks healthy as a horse.”

  “She’s as big as one,” Jack mumbled, receiving three sideways looks in response.

  All three held onto the dog while Ryan stepped on the pedal and lowered the table.

  “Sorry about the chip,” Ryan said as Carl undid the leash.

  “Thank you for checking,” Replacement said.

  “She looks in great shape and very well cared for.” Ryan pushed his glasses higher on his nose.

  “Can you tell how long she’s been gone?” Replacement asked.

  “I can’t tell she’s been gone at all. She’s well-brushed. No matting. It couldn’t be more than a few days—four or five tops.”

  “Can you call me if you hear anything?” Replacement handed a card to Ryan.

  She had her own business cards printed? Good kid.

  Jack gave her a wink and she stood a little straighter.

  “Well, thank you very much.” She shook his hand and so did Jack.

  “We do offer dog boarding,” Carl said.

  “No, thank you,” Replacement responded quickly.

  “It was nice to meet you.” Carl then turned to Ryan. “A big Husky just came in. Do you want me to get her ready?”

  “That’d be great. You can get her up on the table and start the pre-exam. I’ll be there in a minute.” Ryan said.

  “
Before you go, is there anything else we can do to find the owner?” Jack asked.

  Ryan exchanged a look with Carl. “You could check the dog park. It’s right over on Honeycutt.”

  “People post flyers on the board there.” Carl held the door open with the wheelchair.

  Jack and Replacement made their way to the front. As Replacement brought the dog outside, Jack walked over to Lacie at the counter.

  “Did she have a chip?” Lacie lifted her chin.

  Jack shook his head. “How much do I owe you?” He cringed when she showed him the bill for forty dollars.

  “Thanks.” She grinned.

  “Please give us a call if anyone comes in.”

  Replacement’s going to ask Mrs. Sawyer for a hundred dollars. The dog’s eaten that in food and sneakers already and now another forty bucks. I better find the owner of this money pit soon.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Almost Doesn’t Count

  As they pulled into the dog park on Honeycutt, the dog’s head shot up. Jack noticed a blonde-haired woman in the fenced area throwing a ball to a little collie.

  “One second.” Replacement turned fully around in her seat to reach back toward the dog. She loosened the big knot on the dog’s collar. “This looks uncomfortable on Chewie.”

  “The rope should be tight.” Jack leaned away as the dog turned her snout toward him.

  “Did you see how cute she was?” Replacement’s voice went up. “I wanted to pick her up and give her a big hug.” She held both sides of the dog’s face and got nose to nose with her.

  “Three things I’m going to say. One. You’d need a forklift to pick her up. Two. I wouldn’t keep putting your face near that lion’s mouth. I’ve seen enough videos on the Internet—it never ends well. Three. Loosening that knot is not a good idea, kid.”

  Replacement stopped and looked at him as she mashed her lips together. Her face suddenly lit up and she fluffed the dog’s head. “Jack’s just jealous,” she said in baby-talk. “Yes he is.”

  The dog wagged her tail and Jack was almost sure she smirked at him.

  “I wouldn’t do that, kid. You’re running with scissors.” Jack opened the door.

  When Replacement got out of the car, the dog leapt out of the backseat and surged forward. Replacement held tightly to the rope, but the rope didn’t hold tightly to the dog. Replacement stood holding just the cord; the other end now lay on the ground. The dog galloped toward the fence and then effortlessly leapt over it.