Bones Omnibus Read Online Free Page A

were on a collision course. There was no question who would emerge victorious.
    “Stop!” he yelled at the Yorkie, knowing it would do no good.
    Sensing the danger, Bones broke from Billy. As he hurried protectively after Bitch, it looked as if the shepherd was soon to be struck as well. But then the Yorkie took a sharp right. Rather than cross the tracks or hit the train, she moved alongside it. As the freight train roared past, the Yorkie continued on her quest, sniffing at the air.
    Billy wasn’t sure what to make of the dog’s movements. He was glad she hadn’t been struck by the engine, but now he fretted the Yorkie might dart under its wheels. He didn’t blame the dog for being messed up in the head, but if it led to his animal getting killed, he was sure to be suspended.
    What came next happened so quickly that the handler wasn’t able to process it until minutes later. The trail Bitch was following on the ground ended suddenly, and she turned and jumped at the train. Billy thought she would bounce right off, but instead she vanished. When the car passed the officer half a second later, he saw the reason: the freight car’s door was open and Bitch just visible inside. The sergeant caught a brown flash in his peripheral vision. As he turned, he glimpsed Bones’s tail disappearing into the open freight car, too.
    “Bones! What the hell?!” he yelled.
    But by the time the words were out of his mouth, the train’s last car rumbled past his position, disappearing into the deep thicket.
    The freight car Bones and Bitch leaped into was empty save for a few yellow straps, the kind used to rope cargo onto pallets. The steel walls, having baked in the sun all day, radiated heat, though a cold wind blew in through the open door. This combined to make just about any spot in the car unbearable.
    Regardless, Bones chose a spot near the door and curled his body into a circle, his thick coat keeping himself warm. Bitch settled first into one corner, then a different one. After failing to locate a comfortable spot in the third, she moved next to Bones. When the shepherd didn’t appear to mind, the Yorkie gradually scooted in close until she was cuddled up next to the larger dog.
    Then they slept.
    It was hours before they reached the Bessemer Yards on Pittsburgh’s north side. The train eased alongside a warehouse where workers would offload the freight, much of it having crossed into Buffalo from Canada to then be sent off to destinations around the country. By the time any workers reached Bones and Bitch’s car, the dogs were long gone.
    The German shepherd let the Yorkie lead. At first, the little dog seemed as confused by her new surroundings as she was outside the shack. Then a new scent reached her nose, and she hurried across several tracks and under a two stationary trains. When they emerged on the far side of the rail yard, they found a break in the fence. Bones had picked up a human scent as well now, but stayed behind Bitch as she slipped past the fence and into a stand of trees.
    “What do we have here?” thundered an old man’s voice.
    Bitch and Bones found themselves at the campfire of a squat man in a heavy coat. He had thick stubble on his cheeks and chin, but a recent haircut suggested he hadn’t been fully away from civilization for that long.
    “Henry,” the man said by way of introduction, tossing slices of lunch meat to the two animals. “A couple of them call me ‘Crazy Henry,’ but that’s just because they ain’t got nothing nicer to say. You look like you got into some kind of trouble.”
    He was eyeing Bitch’s torn ear. When Bitch wouldn’t come any closer, Henry poured some water from an old plastic jug into an empty pie plate. This time, both dogs moved in, lapping it up quickly.
    “I’ll give you a little more in a minute,” Henry said. “There’s a tap down the yard a bit. Only, the yard bulls don’t like us around, so we’ll have to wait until dark.”
    He eyed the