The Phone Call Mystery

Hide and Hear

This started like any normal day in Adventure Bay, the pups were playing outside, in the front yard of the Lookout. Like usual, there was no rescue calls that early in the morning, so Rocky, Chase, Rubble, Zuma and Skye were playing hide and seek.

"You think you can hide from my nose, Rubble?" said Chase, sniffling around to catch the bulldog's scent, "I smell with my little nose something that starts with the letter 'S'!"

"'S'? Rubble doesn't start with that letter." Zuma commented, with Skye recovering her breathe after being chased by the Shepherd just minutes ago.

Chase grinned devilishly. "That's because 'S' stands for ... sausages!"

Immediately the construction pup leaped out of his hiding spot behind the bushes. "Sausages?! Where?!" he exclaimed, before looking at Zuma and Skye pointing behind him.

"He's behind me, isn't he?"

"Yes, I am."

With one touch to his shoulder Rubble laughed along with the others. "You're the best seeker ever, Chase."

"Why thank you." he proudly answered. "But I'm just gonna watch you from the tower now, I'm exhausted."

"Can you tell Marshall to come down and play with us?" asked Rocky.

"Marshall?" Chase inquired. He didn't notice until now, but he hadn't seen Marshall since when they went for breakfast earlier. "Where is he anyway?"

"He must be in the tower watching TV or something." said Skye.

This isn't usual from him. he said to himself. What could he be possibly doing up there? He's not like that.

It felt weird at first, talking to himself in his mind, but it was one of that odd habits that stick and don't go away that easily, and it was useful for him. He could say the things he wanted to say as loud as he want in his mind with only him hearing, and his brain could process everything faster than his tongue,  so it was kind of better than talking with someone.

But when he was not in monologue and needed someone real to talk with he could always go to Marshall, his best friend. He stood up from his spot and started his search. He walked into the lookout towards the elevator. When the elevator reached the top, he heard a voice speaking.

"...maybe you could come and stay for a few weeks."

"Uh? What's that?, Marshall?" though Chase, hiding behind the wall.

"Hehe, sure, I don't think Ryder would have any problems with that"

"Who will stay here for a few weeks? Wait a second..."

"Haha... love you too, bye" said Marshall before hang out the call.

...

"Love?!" This made Chase's eyes wide and ran towards the fire pup

"Marshall!"

"Woah! Chase! What... What are you doing here?" he smiled nervous.

"I could make the same question." said the Shepherd getting closer.

"I was, uh..., I-I was...cleaning!, yeah, that's it, cleaning..."

"Cleaning, uh...?

"Ehmm, is there any problem?" said Marshall, looking everywhere in the room but his friend in front of him. When Chase was about to say something, they heard Ryder calling them.

"Lunch time pups!"

"No" said Chase turning backwards "Not at all..." 

*  *  *  *  *

No matter how much he tried to ignore what he heard, it just didn't make sense for him. Marshall saying "I love you" to someone wasn't exactly what you would expect him to say out of the blue on the phone. It was itching in Chase's brain.

Brain fleas, he thought.

After being called everyone arrived to the kitchen. Chase being Chase, an inquisitive handsome devil as he calls himself, knew that his best friend, Marshall, was going to be the last one on finishing his food. Chase being Chase also knew everyone was leaving to the playground one second later after finishing, as usual. So, he just had to wait, and the time eventually come.

"Who were you talking to?" Marshall choked with his food when he heard this. He turned his view to see Chase sitting next to him.

"W-what are *cough*  you talking about...? said Marshall, trying to recover his breath.

"I heard you talking with someone in the living room. C'mon tell me, who is she?"

Marshall changed his expression when he heard the word 'she'. It was a stranged look more than a worried one. "I-I-"

A truck's horn was heard. A very well known truck's horn.

"Sounds like Everest is here." spoke Chase. "Let's go say hi before we continue, shall we?"

Later on Chase would learn that this last decision was just the beginning of his problems.