The Case of the Diamond Dog Collar Read Online Free Page A

time is illogical,” I said. “But we don’t know for sure that Hooligan’s was even stolen. So what if first we look around and see if we can find it?”
    This was the most obvious idea ever, but Tessa nodded like I had said something smart. “That could work. But where do we look?”
    â€œGood morning!” Ms. Kootoor was standing in the kitchen doorway. “Here—let me take those.” She took bowls of cereal from Granny and brought them to us at the table. “Did I hear you girls say you’re looking for something?”
    â€œThe diamond!” Tessa said.
    â€œAh.” Ms. Kootoor nodded. “And where do you think it might be?”
    I explained about the bent and broken prongs. “We think it came off yesterday when Hooligan was being chased.”
    â€œSo here’s the plan,” said Tessa. “We’ll start looking in the shrubs and trees on the South Lawn—right after Canine Class.”
    A few minutes later, we ran into Mr. Mormora and Aunt Jen’s secretary, Mrs. Crowe, in the Dip Room.
    â€œOh my goodness!” said Mr. Mormora when we stepped out under the awning. “The backyard is enormous!”
    Mrs. Crowe laughed. “You haven’t been out to the South Lawn yet?”
    He shook his head. “I have not had the chance. I believe everything has been made ready for us, though?”
    â€œFollow me,” said Mrs. Crowe.
    The class was going to be held on the grass in the middle of the driveway—the same place the helicopters land.
    To my surprise, Nate was already there waiting.
    And guess who else?
    Puppies!
    Big ones, small ones, all different breeds plus mutts—but here’s the thing: They were all around six months old . . . and Hooligan is two
years
old! When Mr. Ng brought him out a few minutes later, Hooligan looked big and goofy—like a fifth grader repeating kindergarten.
    Hooligan wasn’t embarrassed, though. Dragging Mr. Ng by the leash, he charged right in, bumping thelittle guys with his nose and rolling them over to get a good sniff. Soon there was a spiderweb of leashes, and Mr. Ng and the rest of the humans were going over and under to sort things out.
    It took a while, but eventually Hooligan’s leash was attached only to Hooligan. That’s when Mr. Ng came over and handed it to me. “Good luck, Cameron,” he said.
    Mr. Ng is tall and skinny and kind of serious. Mr. Bryant says he’s shy, but he makes me a little nervous.
    Now—and it wasn’t his fault—he made me a lot nervous. “What?!” I said.
    Mr. Ng shrugged. “Somebody’s got to be the Canine Buddy. Your dad talked to me about it, and . . .”
    I took the leash but immediately held it out to Tessa. “Don’t you wanna—?”
    Tessa put her hands behind her back. “No, no, no, Cammie! You’re the responsible older sister.”
    â€œNate?” I tried. But that was hopeless. He’s into piano, not pets.
    Mr. Mormora was calling the class to order when the last puppy pupil arrived, a black puffball mutt, along with his owner, Mr. Bryant. Of course, Hooligan was thrilled to see Mr. Bryant! He lunged and would’ve pulled me over, but I leaned back with every ounce I own. “
Hooligan! Stay!
”
    Too bad he actually did, which I never expected. Unbalanced, I sat down on a cockapoo. The cockapoo wasn’t hurt, but he snapped at me, which madethe owner squeal and Hooligan growl. This got the rest of the dogs excited, and we were on the verge of total puppy upset when Mr. Mormora dropped to dog’s-eye level and spoke: “
Amigos, perros
, dogs of my heart . . .”
    And like magic, every pup was quiet.
    In Canine Class, the people are known as Canine Buddies, CBs for short, and the dogs are Canines in Training, or CITs. To start with, we all went around in a circle and introduced ourselves.
    Hooligan and I were