Deke Devlin Dog Detective - The Case of the Hit and Run Hubcap

Chapter 9 - The Takedown

A white Cadillac Sedan Deville was passing by as we rounded the corner of the house. It was the Colonel's car, the one he lent to Mike. The Devlins were returning from church. They stopped when they saw me. The man chasing me grabbed me by the collar again as Mike got out of the car.

"This your dog?" the man asked Mike.

"Yes sir, it is," Mike said apologetically. "He didn't cause you any trouble, did he?"

"No. But you should really keep him chained up. Him and that cat," the man said, rubbing is arm. I noticed he had a tattoo on it - a skull with a dagger in it.

"Deke. Deke. Are you okay boy?" Josh said as he put his arms around me. "What are you doing here? You know you're supposed to stay in the house when we're not home."

"I'm really sorry, sir. He never gets out like this. I'll make sure he stays locked up at home," Mike apologized again. "But we don't own a cat. What cat are you talking about?"

"That one," the man said, pointing to Chloe who was now perched on the hood of the car.

"Oh, that's Mrs. Giovanni's cat. Deke, here was probably chasing her, and they ran into your yard," said Mike. "Again, I'm really sorry. I'll take the cat back to Mrs. Giovanni's house, too."

"Hey, Deker," Chloe meowed, "this car looks just like the one in the shack, except that one's kinda purplish. Is this what a Sedan Deville looks like?"

That was it. I had the proof. The car in the shack was definitely the car that hit Mike's Ford Focus. And the guy with the tattoo was the one riding in the car, just like Pablo had said.

"Mike! Mike! This is one of the guys that hit your car. The 1990 Cadillac Sedan Deville is in the shack behind the house," I growl-barked and turned my head to the left.

"You trying to tell me something, Deke?" Mike asked, amused.

"Mike! Go around back. The Sedan Deville is in the shack," I growl-barked again.

Another car drove up and stopped. It was Mr. and Mrs. O'Shaughnessy. They were coming home from church, too.

"What's going on here, Mikey?" asked Mr. O.

"Not much, Patrick. Deke got out and was running around, terrorizing the neighborhood," Mike said.

"No, Deke doesn't terrorize the neighborhood. He protects it. Don't you, boyo," Mr. O said.

"Mr. O! This is the guy that crashed Mike's car. Arrest him," I said. I really wished I could speak human.

"He's trying to tell us something, Mikey. What'cha know, Deke?" Mr. O asked.

The man with the tattoo started to back up slowly toward the house. He obviously knew that Mr. O was a police officer and didn't want to answer any questions. No one noticed but me. I had to do something. I had to show them the truth. I broke away from Josh and ran, limping into the backyard.

One of the carriage doors on the shack was ajar. I pushed it open with my nose, just as Mike, Mr. O and Josh raced up. There it was. A burgundy 1990 Cadillac Sedan Deville with damage to the front end and a missing hubcap. Mike stopped and looked dumbfounded. It took a while to sink in that this was the car that had smashed up his car.

Mr. O was a bit quicker. He recognized this car as the one that he'd seen on the video leaving the Liberty State Bank on the night of the robbery. The man in the shack started to run, but Mr. O grabbed him, put him on his knees, and held him in an arm lock. It was quite impressive. I didn't think Mr. O could move that fast.

"You are under arrest for bank robbery. You have the right to remain silent," Mr. O told the man. "Oh, Mikey, would you mind calling 911 and getting some backup?"

"Bank robbery? But isn't that the car that hit mine?" Mike asked. He was confused.

"They are one in the same, boyo. The caddy that hit your car was also the getaway car from the bank robbery the other night. That license plate matches the one from the surveillance video, AY9287. If it wasn't for ol' Deke, here, they may have gotten clean away. Good work, Deke. I really do wish I had you on the force."

Even though it hurt, I wagged my tail with pride. I had done what I had set out to do. I had caught the guys that smashed Mike's car. And it just happened to be the same guys that robbed the Liberty State Bank. Mike told Josh to put me in the car while he stayed behind to help Mr. O with the bank robber.

When Josh and I got to the car, the guy with the tattoo was nowhere to be seen. I wondered where he had gone, but I wasn't worried. I knew the police would catch him soon enough. As Josh was opening the car door, the man with the tattoo emerged from the house and ran toward us holding a gun. He was going to carjack Carol and try to get away. My instincts and training took over. I bolted toward him. In an instant, I had his arm in my mouth and was yanking him to the ground. He tried to hold onto the gun, but I bit down harder and tugged him right off his feet. He dropped the gun and screamed as I pulled him around in circles.

Police cars converged on us and three police officers jumped on top of the tattooed man. I let go so they could put handcuffs on him. Two others went around back help Mr. O with the man he had caught. Three more went into the house, and minutes later, brought the third guy out in handcuffs.

Carol, Josh, and Jenny crowded around me. "Thank you, Deke. You saved us," Carol said as she gave me a big hug. The cops were all calling me a hero, but I really didn't feel like one. I was just doing my job - protecting my family. Anybody who tries to mess with them is going to have to go through me.