Free Strange Outfit: An Avery Barks Dog Mystery (Avery Barks Dog Mysteries Book 2) by Mary Hiker

rights. 
    According to the bee sting victims’ confession, they had been hired by the Mayor, and Ivan was a rival treasure hunter.  The whole group had come to believe that Ben knew where the treasure was located.  Ivan had been watching Ben’s movements from the tree stand for several days.  The guys had reported the activities of the Ivan, their competition, to the Mayor in the hours before Ivan was found dead.
    The Mayor yelled, “I did not kill anybody!” as he struggled with the deputy.
    Rocky just stood there with an empty look on his face.
    Big T. had jumped in front of Misty and held his arms wide as a wall of protection. 
    Don jumped in to help the deputy wrestle with the Mayor while Ben hid his check under his blanket and stayed in the hospital bed.
    As I backed out of the way as the intense scene unfolded around me, adrenaline energizing my whole body.  AS the scene became controlled and the two men were about to be led away, my eyes landed on the plastic bag of homemade beef jerky sitting on Ben’s hospital bed tray.  It looked so familiar, where had I seen it before?  Then, sorrow filled my heart. 
    I looked up at the deputy and told him.  “You can arrest the Mayor for breaking and entering into Ben’s home last night, but I’m afraid he’s not the one who killed Ivan.”
    Everyone in the room looked at me in a moment of stunned silence.
    My eyes crossed the room and met with Big T.  His arms fell to his sides and he hung his head, his eyes lowering to the floor.
    “I’m so sorry to have to ask this because I really like you two.”  Tears filled my eyes.  “Big T, is that your survival cache that Chevy dug up near the tree stand?  I found Ivan’s wallet stuffed in there along with your things you cleared out of the tree stand. “
    I looked at the deputy. “Ivan was a vegetarian, and the food cache had enough beef jerky for a couple meals.  It was wrapped in the same packaging and has hand written dates labeled in the same way as the beef jerky that Big T. just gave to Ben.”
    I asked Big T., “Did Ivan break the foot stool over your head as you climbed into the tree stand?”
    The deputy ordered Big T. to take off his ball cap.  As he slowly complied, a big knot came into view on the top of his forehead. 
    Don told Big T., “Now is the time to stand up as a man and tell the truth.  Do the honorable thing for your woman’s sake.”
    Big T. stood up straight and said, “I caught him up there watching Misty with binoculars while she was out sunning herself in the back yard.  He was in my tree stand, eating my trail mix and using my good binoculars to gawk at my woman.   I had to protect her. That’s what a man is supposed to do.” 
    He hugged Misty tight as she buried her face into his chest. 
    The deputy asked, “What happened?”
    “I climbed up and confronted him. We got into a scuffle and he went over the edge.” Big T. said.
    Misty started to cry and held her arms around Big T.
    “I panicked, grabbed what I could and stuffed it in the cache.” Big T. finished.
    Back-up law enforcement teams arrived and after getting all the information, helped arrest almost half the people in the room.  The Mayor for breaking and entering, Rocky for selling the stolen jeweled dog collar, and Big T. for Ivan’s death.
    Once all the commotion died down and everyone else rumbled out, just Ben and I were left in his now eerily quiet hospital room.  Ben slowly pulled his hands out from beneath the covers and lifted the treasure check in the air, waving his arms. 
    We both laughed.
     
     

Chapter 16
    A few days later, the dogs and I welcomed Ben back home from the hospital.  I bought some bright yellow poster board and watercolor paints and made a big ‘Daddy’s Home!’ sign for the front door.  Ben loved it, and the dogs surrounded him with affection - like only dogs can.
    As Ben handed out dog treats,there was a knock on the door.  Misty stopped by and said Big T.