Page 24

He muttered, “For crying out,” and then called, “Guys,thisway! You need to come back!”

He spun around at the rustle and crack of something large moving through the brush beside the road, and swung the high-powered flashlight in the direction of the sound. The bright white beam spotlighted dried switchgrass and huckleberry bushes stripped bare by the winter winds. As he watched, the bushes stopped moving. Ellery’s scalp prickled.

The flashlight beam probed the bulky shadows, but only found deeper shadows.

Nothing moved. He could hear the babble of voices from down the road and the more distant sound of the tide, but the meadow was almost eerily still.

The odds of a stray cow or a hungry deer were a lot higher than Edwin Dolph skulking through the brush. Although cows and deer rarely stayed motionless for long.

The next instant, he heard the jingle of dog tags and turned. The flashlight caught the gleam of Watson’s eyes as he raced back down the road to Ellery. Watson circled Ellery a couple of times, as though inviting him to give chase.

“Did you deliberately take them out to lose them?” Ellery demanded.

Watson, tongue lolling in a goofy grin, circled Ellery one more time and tore off back down the road toward home.

If there had been anything hiding in the tall grass and bushes, wouldn’t Watson have noticed?

Ellery turned at the sound of approaching footsteps—well, truthfully, it sounded like a slow-moving stampede.

“Whose idea was this?” Chelsea’s voice floated through the darkness.

“You want me to answer that?” Ellery called.

This was greeted with guilty laughter.

“Did you see Watson?” Tosh asked, as they reached Ellery. “He came back this way.”

“He sure did,” Ellery said acerbically.

Flip said hurriedly, “Okay, before you say anything—”

“I don’t even know what to say.”

Lenny slipped her arm through Ellery’s. “Good. It’ll be our little secret.”

Tosh took his other arm. “Exactly. You don’t have to tell Jack. Not until he gets to know us.”

“I’m not lying to Jack,” Ellery said seriously.

Chelsea, already walking ahead on the way back to the house, threw back, “No sane person would askyouto lie. But you don’t have to rush to tell him what a bad influence we are.”

“Let him find out for himself,” Tosh put in. “Hopefully, he won’t even notice.”

“You don’t want to place undue influence on the jury,” Flip said cheerfully.

Ellery made a sound of exasperation and shook his head.

“Just like old times?” Flip suggested.

Tosh and Lenny were giggling in agreement as they marched Ellery along, arm-in-arm.

Watson was waiting on the front steps when they arrived back at Captain’s Seat.

To his delight and Ellery’s chagrin, unwarranted praise was heaped on his willful little noggin.

Tosh exclaimed. “Oh no. Look at that sweet little face! He thinks he’s in trouble.”

“Heisin trouble.” Ellery scowled at Watson, who hopped up on his hindlegs and placed his muddy paws on Ellery’s thigh as though asking for clemency. Ellery lightly touched his index finger to Watson’s nose. “You and I will talk later.”