Free The Silence of the Chihuahuas by Waverly Curtis Page A

giant ferns and under the wide-spreading branches of a magnificent old red cedar. From this sheltered shade, we could see out across a short stretch of lawn to a cottage with grated windows and barred doors.
    We could also see a golf cart drawn up behind the back door. Two men wearing grey uniforms and heavy tool belts sat in the cart. Maybe they were supposed to be working on the yellow hydrant that popped up out of the ground like an unsightly mushroom a few yards outside the door. If so, they weren’t very effective. One guy was smoking a cigarette while the other guy kept his eyes on the cottage. They both wore radio transmitters. I could hear them squawking with static.
    Before I could figure out what to do next, Pepe had taken action. He’s like that: impulsive. He went running toward the cart, barking furiously. I was furious myself. In the past, we would have planned our attack together. What was I supposed to do?
    One of the men jumped out of the cart and tried to grab Pepe.
    â€œWhat the hell?” said the other guy, getting out as well. He threw away his cigarette.
    Pepe danced around their heels. This is a good strategy for a Chihuahua. I didn’t have a good strategy myself.
    â€œOh, look, it’s that Chihuahua,” said someone inside the cottage and the back door opened. A heavy-set woman in a white nurse’s uniform came out onto the concrete pad that served as a stoop. She looked just like Nurse Ratchet, but she wasn’t holding a giant syringe, just a pair of handcuffs.
    She didn’t seem startled to see the men in the maintenance uniforms.
    â€œIt’s that dog again!” she said. “Where did he come from?”
    â€œI don’t know,” one guy said. As he bent over to grab at Pepe, I saw that he had a gun in his belt. Pepe danced out of his reach and dashed through the open door.
    â€œDarn it! Now I’ve got to chase him down. Do you suppose he’s a security risk?” The nurse laughed, but it was a sinister laugh.
    â€œI don’t know,” said one of the men. “Seems unlikely he’s carrying a bomb.”
    â€œYou never know,” she said. “Last time a dog came in here—and I swear it was the same dog—one of the patients insisted she knew the dog and the dog was talking to her.”
    Oh, joy! I could hardly believe it. Pepe wasn’t talking to me, but he seemed to be talking to someone else. I just had to get into Serenity so I could find this person.
    â€œMaybe he has a walkie talkie attached to his collar,” said the other guy. “Go find him and we’ll check him out!”
    The nurse went back inside and a few minutes later came back out with Pepe in her hands, wriggling and trying to get loose.
    â€œHe didn’t get far!” she said.
    â€œDid you check him out?” one of the guys in uniform asked.
    â€œYes, he’s clean!” said the nurse. “But the tag on his collar says he belongs to G Sullivan.”
    The two men looked at each other. “That’s not good,” said one of them.
    â€œSeems like a security breach,” said the other. “I’m going to contact headquarters.”
    I shivered in the bushes. It seems like these guys recognized my name. Could they possibly be the men who were trying to kill Teri?
    The nurse turned her head. “Phone’s ringing. I’ve got to get that,” she said. She set Pepe down on the ground and he made a beeline for the bushes.
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    I swear I heard him say, “This way,” in a whisper. And then he trotted off to the left, leading me down a maze of rabbit trails that took us through stands of salal and giant horsetails until we finally emerged by the main building. Looking out over the campus, I could see several blue-clad employees all rushing toward the cottage closest to the woods.
    â€œWhat have we done?” I wondered aloud.
    â€œEstablished that your sister is in Serenity,” I