The Phantom Photograph Read online

  It was time for Henry to deliver his papers, and since Sal and Phyllis had some wedding preparations to do, they offered him a ride.

  Ryan thanked Sal for his help and hugged his mother goodbye.

  Henry was reluctant to leave Grace. She had vomited again and seemed to be in pain.

  “I’ll come back to see you tomorrow.” He promised the sick little dog. “Please feel better, okay?” Henry stroked her floppy ears before leaving the shelter.

  Chapter 22

  After hours of searching, Ryan finally found a supply of x-ray film for the machine, and was taking some test pictures.

  Lana finished some paperwork for a family who had adopted a kitten, and was closing the shelter for the day. She locked the shelter door and entered the clinic, where Ryan was holding an x-ray film with a triumphant look on his face.

  “It works!” he announced proudly.

  “That’s g-great!” Lana clapped her hands together. “C-c-can we use it t-t-to help Grace?” Lana asked.

  “Let’s give it a try. Will you hold her, while I take the picture?” he asked.

  “Of c-course.”

  Ryan handed Lana one of the protective lead vests he’d found, and gently picked up Grace. The little dog whimpered in pain as he positioned her on the x-ray table. Lana donned the vest and held Grace still while he took the picture.

  “Keep your fingers crossed,” he told Lana as she returned Grace to her blanket.

  Lana stroked the sick little dog while Ryan retrieved the film.

  “Oh my,” he said when he held the x-ray up to the light.

  “W-What is it?” Lana asked.

  Ryan showed her the picture. Among the shades of grey that marked the little dog’s organs and intestines, a bright white circle was clearly visible.

  “There’s the blockage. She must have swallowed a metal object, like a coin,” Ryan said. “She needs surgery.”

  “Right n-now?” Lana asked.

  “The sooner the better,” Ryan replied.

  Ryan looked around the ramshackle clinic. He got his medical bag, and gathered some of the medical tools he’d discovered in the storage room. He shook his head as he surveyed the available equipment; the surgical conditions were far from ideal.

  It will just have to do, he thought. What choice do we have?

  Lana got some clippers and washed down the exam table. Ryan washed his hands thoroughly before laying out his surgical instruments and a syringe of anesthesia.

  Lana placed Grace on the table. Using the clippers, she shaved the dog’s front leg so Ryan could find the vein. As he administered the anesthesia, Grace went limp in Lana’s arms.

  “We’ll have to work quickly now,” Ryan said.

  While Grace slept, Lana shaved and sterilized her abdomen. Then, Ryan took a scalpel and began the operation. While Ryan worked, Lana monitored Grace’s breathing, and made sure her tongue and gums stayed pink.

  Zena whined and paced anxiously around the clinic.

  “I think I found it,” Ryan said. He used a surgical instrument to pull a small, plastic wrapped package from Grace’s abdomen. He handed it to Lana.

  Ryan stitched the incision, while Lana rinsed the strange little package in the sink.

  “They look like c-coins,” she said. “B-But I don’t recognize the c-currency.”

  Lana carefully opened the package to reveal three gold disks. They had strange markings and appeared to be very old.

  Once the incision was closed, Ryan carefully laid the unconscious dog on the blanket to recover. Zena padded over and sniffed the wound on Grace’s belly while Ryan and Lana looked at the coins.

  “I don’t recognize them either,” Ryan said. “Usually if a dog swallows a coin, it’s a common penny or quarter… these coins are very unusual, and were packaged as though they were put there on purpose. Smugglers sometimes use animals to transport contraband.”

  Zena gave a sudden, warning growl. Ryan felt a blinding pain right before the world went black and he crumpled to the floor.

  Chapter 23

  Sam and Rodney had waited until after dark before coming back to the shelter. Using a crowbar to pry open a window, they slipped silently inside the shelter. They were surprised to hear voices coming from the clinic. They peered into the clinic and saw the little brown dog lying unconscious on the floor. Lana and Ryan had their backs to them. They were examining the stolen coins.

  Sam whispered instructions to Rodney, and the two men stormed the clinic.

  Sam hit Ryan on the back of the head with the crowbar. Lana cried out when she saw Ryan drop to the floor.

  “Give me the coins, lady!” Sam shouted at Lana.

  Zena bared her teeth and stood in front of Lana, her fur bristling.

  Lana stared at Ryan, lying motionless on the floor of the clinic.

  “You m-may have k-k-k-killed him!” Lana stuttered in a choked voice.

  “I asked for the coins!” Sam shouted again. Sam raised the crowbar threateningly and moved toward Lana.

  There was a blur of speckled fur, as Zena leaped at the advancing man; snarling.

  Sam swung the crowbar as the old dog hurtled toward him. The smuggler struck with such force that the old hound was flung against the wall of the clinic. She yelped once upon impact, then slid down the wall to lie in a crumpled heap on the floor.

  Lana gasped and fell to her knees, her face white. The coins dropped from her limp fingers and rolled away.

  Rodney watched the dramatic scene with a stunned look on his face. Sam called to him. “Rodney! Don’t just stand there… tie them up!” Sam yelled as he retrieved the coins.

  Rodney found some dog leashes. He used them to tie Lana’s hands and feet together. Lana didn’t resist. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at the heroic old dog and the kindly vet, both lying motionless on the floor. While Rodney tied Ryan’s hands and feet, Sam made a call on his cell phone.

  “It’s me… Yeah, we got the coins. Now where do we bring them?” Sam said. He grabbed Lana’s clipboard and scrawled something on it. He tore off the top sheet and carelessly tossed the clipboard aside. “Got it, we’re on our way.”

  Sam hung up the phone and stuffed the coins in his pocket. Grace whimpered on her blanket. She was starting to wake up from the anesthesia.

  “What about the dog?” Rodney asked, pointing at Grace.

  Sam shrugged. “We’ve got the coins. We don’t need the mutt. Let’s go.”

  Rodney took one last look at Lana, bound and sobbing, before following Sam out of the shelter.

  Chapter 24

  Phyllis and Sal sat on the couch watching ‘Jeopardy’. Phyllis usually enjoyed the trivia game show, but tonight she felt distracted. The back of her neck kept prickling and she had an uneasy feeling… like something was terribly wrong.

  Teeny seemed restless too. Suddenly the tiny dog began barking and scratching at the door.

  “Maybe he needs to go to the bathroom,” Phyllis said.

  Sal opened the door for Teeny, but the little dog ran back and forth, in and out of the house, barking at Sal and Phyllis.

  Finally, Teeny jumped into Phyllis’s giant purse. He emerged with the photograph, brought it to Phyllis, and placed it on her lap. Phyllis looked at the photo and gasped.

  Sal hurried to over to look. In the photo, Betty was frantically pointing and waving. She looked like she was shouting, but she didn’t make any sound. In desperation, Ernest pointed to his chest. The letters on Ernest’s T-shirt changed. They used to spell ‘OLD FART’. Now, the shirt read ‘ALL PAWS’.

  “ALL PAWS…” Phyllis read out loud.

  “Oh no! Ryan and Lana!” Phyllis shouted in alarm. “Sal, we have to get to the shelter… right away!”

  Teeny jumped into Phyllis’s big bag, and the elderly couple hurried to the car.

  *****

  Back at the shelter, Lana sat on the floor of the clinic and tried to stop crying. She managed to scoot closer to Ryan,
and was relieved to see that he was breathing. She nudged him with her feet, and he moaned and opened his eyes.

  “R-Ryan? Ryan? Are you okay?” she asked with concern.

  “What happened?” Ryan asked groggily. “I can’t move.”

  “They t-tied you up,” Lana said. She explained what had happened. Her voice broke when she told Ryan about Zena. Lana looked over at the devoted hound’s crumpled form… the old dog still hadn’t moved.

  Ryan tried to sit up, but his head throbbed, and he almost blacked out again. He felt guilty, knowing he’d lain unconscious, unable to help Lana when she needed him.

  I’ll bet if Mike were here instead of me, he would have done something, he thought.

  “It’s n-not your fault.” Lana said.

  Ryan blinked. It was as if Lana had read his mind.

  They heard noises coming from the shelter.

  “Oh n-no. They’re b-back!” Lana cried fearfully.

  Lana heaved a sigh of relief when Teeny burst into the clinic, running and barking wildly. Teeny stopped suddenly at the sight of Zena’s silent, speckled form. The tiny dog whimpered as he approached the old hound and gently nudged her with his nose.

  Moving as quickly as they could with their cane and walker, Sal and Phyllis entered the clinic.

  “Ryan! Lana! Are you alright?” Phyllis cried, hurrying to her son’s side. She tried to untie the straps that bound him, but her arthritic fingers were too stiff to work out the knots.

  Sal put his hand on her arm. “I’ll free them, Phyllis, why don’t you call the police,” he said, reaching for Lana’s wrists.

  The little old lady hurried to the phone.

  Once free, Lana ran to Zena and knelt beside her. The heroic hound was still breathing, but just barely. The trusty old dog opened one milky eye and whined softly. Tears streamed down Lana’s face while she stroked Zena’s smooth, speckled coat.

  “I love you, Zena… Please don’t go.” Lana’s voice shook, but for once, she didn’t stutter.

  Zena pushed her soft, grey snout into Lana’s hand for the last time. Lana felt the old dog’s final breath. It felt warm and moist in her palm.

  Lana choked back a sob and wrapped her arms around Zena’s lifeless body.

  Teeny howled his grief for the big, gentle dog who had nurtured him as a puppy.

  Ryan, now free, crawled over to Lana and hesitantly placed his hand on her shoulder. Lana leaned against him, and Ryan held her as she cried.

  Chapter 25

  The police arrived at the shelter.

  Sal and Phyllis already knew the lead investigator, Officer Gumshoe. They had met last winter when Sal and Phyllis had helped the police catch a gang of jewelry thieves. Initially, the cop had doubted the elderly couples’ capabilities, but changed his opinion after working with them.

  Ryan held Lana’s hand while she answered the officer’s questions. Sal and Phyllis listened quietly.

  After hearing the whole story, Officer Gumshoe shook his head sadly.

  “It’s a shame we don’t know where those crooks were headed. I believe those coins are priceless artifacts, stolen from The Museum of Human History a few days ago. I’ll put out an All-Points-Bulletin on the men, but they could be anywhere by now.” Officer Gumshoe shrugged and began speaking into his radio.

  Ryan put a blanket over Zena, and went to check on Grace.

  Sal picked up Lana’s clipboard and looked at it thoughtfully. He limped over to Lana’s side and gently touched her shoulder. Lana was staring at the blanket-shrouded figure on the floor.

  “Lana?” Sal asked. Lana looked up at the old man; her green eyes were red-rimmed from crying.

  “Is this the clipboard the man wrote on?” he asked softly.

  Lana nodded.

  Sal turned to Phyllis and asked, “Do you have a crayon or a piece of chalk in there?” He pointed to her giant purse.

  “I’m sure I do,” she replied. “What color do you want?”

  “Any dark color will do,” Sal answered as she rummaged around in her big bag.

  Teeny dove into the bag to help. Moments later, he poked his head out, a box of crayons in his teeth.

  “Good boy, Teeny,” Phyllis said, taking the box. She selected a dark blue crayon and handed it to Sal.

  Sal carefully peeled the paper from the crayon, and began rubbing the flat side of the crayon over the top sheet on the clipboard.

  Phyllis smiled and nudged Officer Gumshoe.

  When Sam had written the information, he’d unknowingly made an impression on the page beneath. As the page turned blue, an address became visible.

  “You can cancel that All-Points-Bulletin,” she told him. “Sal knows exactly where the smugglers are headed.”

  Chapter 26

  Rodney was quiet as he drove the van toward the shore. He couldn’t stop thinking about those they’d left behind at the shelter. Were they seriously injured? When would they be found?

  Unlike Rodney, Sam was excited and talkative. He was eager to meet with Stan and Rich Nickelson.

  “I can’t wait to get my cut of the money,” Sam said, rubbing his hands together. “I’m going to Las Vegas with mine. What are you going to do with yours, Rodney?” Sam asked his partner.

  Rodney didn’t answer right away. He was thinking about the green-eyed woman they’d left at the shelter, helpless and sobbing.

  “Oh, I don’t know… I’ll spend it, I guess,” Rodney answered half-heartedly.

  Sam grabbed his arm. “Turn here,” he said, pointing.

  Rodney steered the van into an overgrown parking lot. They had arrived at an abandoned warehouse. The old storage building sat right on the ocean’s edge. Beside it, a series of rundown docks extended out over the water.

  Rodney parked the van and followed Sam onto one of the docks. The old wooden boards creaked underfoot as the two smugglers stepped onto the pier.

  They heard the sound of a boat motor moments before a large yacht appeared from the mist. The boat pulled alongside the dock where Sam and Rodney stood. The name on the side of the boat read ‘The Franklin Mint’.

  Two men emerged from the yacht. One was Stan, the thief who’d stolen the coins from the museum, and the other was Rich Nickelson, the wealthy collector who wanted to buy them. They tied the boat to the rickety dock before climbing onto the pier with the smugglers.

  “Do you have the coins?” asked Stan. He looked around nervously.

  Sam stepped forward.

  “Yeah boss. We delivered ‘em safe and sound… just like I promised you.” Sam drew the coins from his pocket. Moonlight glinted on the priceless gold pieces.

  Rich Nickelson stared hungrily at the coins in Sam’s hand.

  “Before I pay, I’ll need to check them for authenticity,” the collector said.

  Sam handed one of the gold pieces to Mr. Nickelson, who examined it carefully with a magnifying glass.

  “Yes, this is the genuine article,” the coin expert concluded. He pocketed the artifact and reached for the other two coins.

  Stan interrupted. “Not so fast… the money first,” he said.

  Rich Nickelson nodded and reached under his shirt. He pulled out a thick money belt and tossed it to the wary coin thief. As the money belt sailed through the air, the dock was suddenly surrounded by flashing lights and wailing sirens, startling the four criminals.

  The money belt splashed into the sea.

  “Cops!” Sam yelled, pocketing the remaining coins. “Run!”

  The criminals soon realized there wasn’t anywhere to run, as police officers surrounded the pier.

  Stan jumped into the ocean.

  Rich Nickelson leaped onto his yacht and gunned the motor.

  The yacht, still tied to the decaying pier, strained against the rope. Two officers managed to jump onto the boat before it broke the mooring.

  Sam and Rodney stood on the pier, looking for an escape. They heard a loud groaning noise as the dilapidated dock gave
way beneath them. The two smugglers fell into the cold water, coughing and sputtering.

  “Help! I can’t swim!” Sam shouted. The terrified man clung to one of the rotting posts that had supported the dock before it collapsed.

  Rodney slowly paddled ashore and surrendered himself to the waiting officers.

  After a brief scuffle on the yacht, Rich Nickelson was apprehended. The police used ‘The Franklin Mint’ to retrieve Stan, who’d been trying to swim away. They hauled the exhausted coin thief onto the boat and handcuffed him.

  The officers now steered the yacht toward Sam, who desperately clutched the swaying pillar.

  Sam felt a prickle on his neck and heard a faint whistling sound. He looked up to see a large owl land atop the rotten post, causing it to wobble precariously.

  “Nice birdie… easy now,” Sam begged the owl as the post teetered back and forth.

  The owl pooped in Sam’s eye before suddenly launching itself from the rickety post; the sudden movement jarring it loose. Sam clung desperately to the rotten pillar as it collapsed into the water with a splash.

  Sam thrashed around in a desperate struggle to save himself. As he fought to keep his head above water, Sam thought about the awful things he’d done, all in the name of greed. In his mind’s eye, Sam saw a series of images: A little brown dog, shivering with fear... a kindly veterinarian falling to the floor… a speckled dog lying in a heap… and a green eyed girl, sobbing.

  Just then, his hand touched something. Sam grabbed it and held on tight.

  The police had thrown a life preserver to Sam, and were now pulling him toward the boat.

  “Thank you for saving me… oh, thank you,” Sam blubbered as the police officers heaved him onto the deck.

  “You’re welcome,” one of the cops answered politely. “You’re also under arrest.”

  Chapter 27

  Back at the shelter, Grace was now fully awake, and whimpering in pain. Teeny touched noses with her, while Ryan administered some pain medication to the little brown dog.

  “You’ll be okay, little girl,” Ryan told her, stroking her curly fur.

  A paramedic arrived to treat Ryan’s injury; he had a large lump on the back of his head.

  “You should go to the hospital for observation,” the paramedic advised him, after applying an ice pack to his head.

  Ryan refused; he didn’t want to leave Lana. She had been traumatized by the events of the evening, and now clung to Ryan’s hand.

  A call came in over Officer Gumshoe’s radio. As he listened, a smile came over his face.