DUCK DUCK DANGER (PAPERBACK)

Chapter 1

“Hurry up, Ruff!”

Angela Atkinson swung the gate to her driveway wide, waiting for her disheveled border collie to catch up. Ruff was still panting from rounding up the rescue pigs Angela had recently adopted — both of which had a knack for escaping their pen in search of greener grass—or rather, muddier mud.

Ruff jumped into the driver’s seat and scurried to the passenger side as Angela swung the gate shut again and hopped inside.

“Ruff, why didn’t you come get me? We’re going to be late.”

If Ruff could have rolled his eyes, he would have.

As if you would have listened to me and left your garden alone anyway. Besides, I was busy too.

Her phone buzzed through the car speaker, and she glanced at the screen to find her niece’s name popping up with persistent repetition.

Ruff gave her a significant look.

“Oh stop,” Angela sighed. “I’m not avoiding Megan. I’m just practicing safe driving, Ruff.”

However, he noticed she didn’t hesitate to answer the device when it rang a moment later, her best friend Michelle Blackhoof on the line. Michelle was a member of the Shawnee tribe that used to reside prominently in the area but had recently left the reservation to open up Hummings Hollow first official newspaper. Of course, the newspaper was primarily online these days, but both women found it useful to be friends with someone with their ear to the ground.

“Hi Michelle!” Angela greeted her cheerily. “What’s up?”

“Oh, just the first big story of my career.” Michelle was nearly a decade younger than her friend, but the two rarely noticed any difference aside from the occasional disconnect in musical choice.

“Oh?” Angela was immediately interested—and so was Ruff. His ears perked up, and his tail thumped on the seat with anticipation.

“You know that big art show they were selling tickets to over in Charlottesville?”

“‘An Ode to Northeastern Wildlife’?”

Michelle laughed. “That’s the one.”

“What about it?”

“One of their sculptures went missing yesterday.”

“Oh? Was it worth much?”

“Try two-hundred and fifty-thousand dollars. It was the headliner of the whole exhibit and disappeared sometime between the end of the show and when it was supposed to be picked up at the loading bay.”

Angela appeared to be thinking. Ruff watched her think.

“Any suspects?” she finally asked.

Michelle sighed and the truck’s speakers crackled. “Not yet, but I’ll keep you updated. Let me know if you have any of those famous Angela Atkinson insights, would you?”

Angela laughed and Ruff cocked his head, thinking that if Michelle only knew how involved he was in Angela’s investigations, she might ask for his input as well.

“Of course, I will. Hey, I’m just pulling up to work. Can we talk later?”

Michelle agreed, and Ruff turned his attention to the window, putting his paws on the handle as his tail wagged with excitement. He loved coming to work with Angela—the owner of Lake House Coffee didn’t mind him coming with Angela if he stayed out of the kitchen, and even gave him treats sometimes. Still, Angela often dropped him off at her parents’ house in town before going to work—but not today!

The door creaked and a moment later Angela approached his side of the truck to let him out. She clipped a leash to his collar, although they both knew this was for show. Ruff was incredibly well-behaved and didn’t like going anywhere without Angela if he could help it.

Angela and Ruff walked side-by-side into the establishment before she unclipped his leash and went to the back to clock in and put on her apron. Ruff laid down by the door to keep watch as was his habit. The Lake House was experiencing a mid-morning lull, but both knew it wouldn’t last for long. Soon, Angela would be rushing to steam milk and blend Frappuccinos, while Ruff did his best to keep his paws and tail out of stomping reach.

Kathy, one of the high schoolers who worked at the shop almost as much as Angela did, was already behind the counter sorting sweeteners.

“Hi Angie. Hi Ruff,” she said without looking up.
Ruff wagged his tail. Kathy was another one of his friends and could often be relied upon to deposit a dollop of whipped cream onto his nose.

“Hi Kathy!” Angela’s voice was bright as she took her place behind the counter, just in time as a group of middle-aged women squeezed into the little shop in a gaggle of gossip and laughter.

“Ladies day out?” Angela asked the first one, who stood looking at the chalkboard menu over her shoulder.

“We’re the Hummings Hollow Crotchet Club,” the woman replied with a smile. “Got to caffeinate to keep up our speed.”

Kathy shook her head with a small smile that went unnoticed by the women, but not by Ruff. He watched her pass by the whipped cream dispenser with hopeful eyes, but she seemed to have no intention of picking it up yet.

The bell on the door jingled as another person entered the shop.

“I’ll be with you in just one second,” Angela hollered automatically, then looked up to see Randy Miller, beloved carpenter-turned-contractor who had recently retired after a serious back injury. In his hand he held a ‘For Sale’ flyer.

“Can I post this up?” he asked in his gruff voice, but not without kindness.

Ruff, however, heard something more in his voice that he had not heard before.

Randy sounds worried. I wonder if he’s hurt again.

“Of course!” Angela replied, keying in the women’s drink orders before looking up to see what exactly Randy was posting on the bulletin board—one of the biggest sources of local news in a town with no bars, five and a half churches, and one coffee shop frequented by just about anyone in town. The bulletin board was already crammed with job listings, puppies for sale, plumbers leaving their cards tacked up, and the like.

“Randy!” Ruff cocked his head at the surprise in Angela’s voice; she was looking at the flyer Randy had posted.
“You’re getting rid of your truck? I’ve never seen you without it.”

Randy smiled, but Ruff felt an uneasiness behind it.
Is he hiding something?

“Just time for something new, I guess,” he replied, his gaze resting on the flyer for just a moment longer before he turned and raised a hand in farewell as he quickly exited the shop.

Ruff gave Angela a querulous look and she met his gaze, shrugging before returning to the order at hand.

***

Angela’s shift flew by. Although her hands were fast at work and her ears open for interesting gossip, her mind was ruminating on the missing sculpture and wishing desperately for more information to puzzle out what had happened to it.

Ruff stood and stretched as Angela clocked out, checking the texts on her phone, and noting that she had a new text from her father and her niece. Instead of texting back right away, she called him on her way out the door into the brisk breeze and early-evening sunshine.

“What’s up, Dad?” she asked as she opened the door for Ruff.

“Got something for you.” Charlie Atkinson was a man of few words.

“What? Like a present? My birthday was last week, Dad.”

“It’s from Megan.”

Angie rolled her eyes. “Is it a sign to wear around my neck that says, ‘forty and chronically single’?”
Charlie gave a short laugh. “You’ll just have to find out. Oh, and bring pizza. Your mom has been craving it.”

Angie smiled and agreed, hanging up as she buckled her seatbelt.

“How does pizza sound, Ruff?”

Ruff wagged his tail with enthusiasm as he began to drool.

It didn’t take long to pick up the pizza her parents had already called in. As she pulled up to the retirement community, she reflected on how peaceful the neighborhood seemed, particularly at sunset. Ruff hopped out of the car after her and followed her up to the door as she dug around in her purse for the spare key while balancing the pizza boxes in her other hand.

Ruff sat on the welcome mat and let out a single bark. A moment later the door opened, and Charlie stood looking down at the dog with a raised eyebrow. He had never been much of an animal person, and although he had warmed up to Ruff, he did not understand his daughter’s penchant for accepting any animals in need that crossed her path.

“Ruff,” he greeted the dog with a cordial nod. “Hi Angie. Come on in—your mother is resting in the living room.”
Angie followed her father inside and deposited the pizzas on the counter before leaning over the couch to kiss her mom on the cheek, who was too absorbed in the soap opera on-screen to notice—at least until Ruff jumped onto the cushion beside her.

Abigail Atkinson’s eyebrows drew together for a moment before she grinned and threw her arms around the dog while Ruff happily wagged his tail and panted as she scratched behind his ears.

“Who’s my good buddy?” Abigail asked, and Angela smiled, enjoying not for the first time how well Ruff and her mother got along. Finally, her mother’s gaze rose over her shoulder, and she passed on her beatific smile to her daughter. “Hey, Angie.”

“Hi, Mom.”

“Bobby asked about you when he came by to fix our computer,” she said with a wink, to which Angela rolled her eyes and Ruff grunted. He wasn’t a fan of Bobby Tehella.

“Bobby is nineteen years old, Mom,” Angela chided, taking a plate from her father already loaded with pizza and handing it to her mom.

Ruff’s mouth watered even more.

“It’s a crush, honey,” her mom replied. “It’s cute.”

Angela shook her head but smiled. “I don’t know about cute, but maybe flattering. That boy has a lot of heartache in his future.”

But her mom wasn’t listening anymore; she seemed to have lost her train of thought before the soap opera on television caught her attention again. Angela turned her attention to her father.

“Did you hear about that art theft in Charlottesville?”

Charlie nodded, no hint of surprise crossing his face.
“One of my old buddies from the force called and told me about it.”

“Oh?” Angela served up two slices of pepperoni for herself. “Do they have any leads?”

Charlie smiled; his daughter had always been too nosy for her own good, but he liked that. He liked to think that whilst she had gotten her mother’s looks, she’d gotten his propensity for investigation.

“Only that one of the security guards was bribed to turn off the cameras in the loading bay.”

“Hmm.”

“Did you see they finally reopened the walking trails around Lake Hummings?”

Angela nodded. “Yep, I did. I pass it on my way to work every day—sometimes I roll down the windows for Ruff so he can get a better look at the ducks.”

Charlie nodded toward Abigail, attention glued to the television, pizza forgotten, while one hand continued to stroke Ruff’s head absentmindedly. “I was thinking of taking your mother out there this week, if she’s feeling up to it.”

Angela nodded and smiled despite the pang of sadness in her chest at how her mother’s life—and all of their lives as a result—had changed with her diagnosis. Yet Abigail had always been an optimist, and her recent struggles had not diminished the cheery disposition she seemed to have been born with.

“Ruff and I will go scope it out for you tomorrow morning,” Angela promised. “Right, Ruff?”

Ruff turned his head to rest his chin on the back of the couch and barked once in assent.

Charlie considered the unusual pooch for a moment before shaking his head. “Sometimes I think that dog of yours understands every word we say.”

Angela shrugged and smiled, taking a bite of pizza instead of replying. Ruff’s tail thumped softly on the couch.

If only you knew, Charlie.