Free Putting on the Dog by Cynthia Baxter

of my car, a bunch of teenage girls were hanging around, looking for celebrities. When they spotted me, they started squealing and giggling.” His cheeks turned pink. “Look, I’m not saying I deserve that kind of treatment, but it happens, okay? Anyway, they were asking for my autograph and all that...and then they spotted Rufus. They started laughing, saying he was wanted by the police, that he was one of ‘America’s Most Wanted,’ stuff like that.
    “Having people act crazy around me is one thing. But seeing them respond negatively to Rufus—who’s, like, my main man—really bothers me, you know? I know he wasn’t really responsible for Devon Barnett’s death. If anybody’s to blame, it’s that ice sculptor guy.”
    I was about to say something consoling when Emily came trotting back with Rufus at her heels.
    “Did you two have fun?” I asked her.
    “Kind of.” She wrinkled her nose, then paused as she pushed her glasses back into place. “At least, we were until this mom came by with her little boy. He got all excited when he saw Rufus and came running over to pet him. But then his mother started yelling, saying, ‘That’s Shawn Elliot’s dog! Keep away from him!’ ” She shrugged, then handed the leash to Shawn. “I think you’d better take him.”
    Glancing over at Shawn, I saw that his mouth was pulled into a tense line. I didn’t know him very well, of course, but I still had a sense I was seeing a side of him that didn’t come out very often. I could feel my heart clench.
    “This will blow over,” I assured him, reaching over and putting my arm around him. I rubbed his shoulder consolingly, leaning forward so I could speak to him without Emily overhearing. “I’m sure that in a day or two—”
    “ There you are! I was beginning to think I’d never find you!”
    I glanced up and saw Nick striding across the grass. My arm dropped to my side as quickly as if I was doing jumping jacks. But it was too late. I saw his smile fade as he took in the scene he’d walked in on.
    “Hey, Nick!” I exclaimed, trying to sound glad to see him. In fact, I was glad to see him. It’s just that my timing suddenly seemed to be disastrous.
    Shawn didn’t help. “Hello, Mick,” he mumbled.
    “That’s Nick. ” Glancing at Shawn coolly, he added, “I seem to be interrupting something. Again. ”
    “Hardly,” I said cheerfully. I took a giant step away from Shawn. “Shawn was just telling me how bad he feels that people have been acting strange toward him since his dog—”
    “ ‘His dog’?” Nick repeated.
    “Exactly. I never got a chance to explain, but the police seem to think that Shawn’s bulldog—Rufus, this guy over here—might have had something to do with Devon Barnett’s death last night.”
    “I guess trouble runs in the family,” Nick observed.
    When I heard a low growl, I couldn’t tell if it was coming from Nick or Shawn. But then I glanced down and realized it had come from Rufus, who was probably picking up on the bad vibes between his beloved master and this interloper.
    “I hope you’ve got that animal under control,” Nick said through clenched teeth.
    “He’s highly trained,” Shawn returned calmly. “He only bites people who deserve it.”
    “Uh, Shawn, I think they’re getting ready to start the opening ceremonies over at the Blue Tent,” I interjected. “Maybe you and Rufus had better head over—especially if you want to make sure he’s featured in the videotape.” Just for the heck of it, I added, “Besides, I heard they take off points if you’re late.”
    “Then we’d better get going.” His eyes fixed on Nick, Shawn said, “I always believe that, in the end, people get what they deserve. Dogs, too. And Rufus here is definitely a winner, so I don’t want to stand in the way of him getting his due recognition.”
    “Did you actually manage to string all those words together yourself?” Nick asked pleasantly. “Or do you keep a