Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4 The lettuce trail got much harder to see once they left the barn. The grassy fields leading away from the fair were the same color as the lettuce! Thankfully, Barkley didn't need to see the lettuce to find it. "Good boy," Abbi encouraged him. "Use that nose. Keep going." The three friends followed Barkley as he sniffed out the path. "Since obviously Ms. Margery wasn't involved—" Lydia started. "Probably," Abbi whispered under her breath.

Lydia didn't hear and continued, "Who do you think did do it?" Abbi thought about it. She wondered what her mom would say. What clues would she have seen that Abbi missed? Who would seem suspicious to her? Where would she find a motive? Abbi wasn't like her mom or her mystery- solving friends from Green Lawn, Connecticut. She liked puzzles, but she wasn't the best at them. She was good with animals. Learning about them. Listening to them. Because animals weren't puzzles to be solved. They were creatures to be known.

"I don't know," she finally admitted. "I think we should just focus on finding them first." Lydia tightened her ponytail. "I think it was the protestors." "Really?" Daniel asked. "Wouldn't thieves hate having that much attention on them?" "Come on, you heard how angry they were about the costume contest!" "That's true," Abbi said, "but I still don't think—" The trio stopped short. They had reached the edge of the fairgrounds. Beyond the open back gate were a dirt road and woods. Barkley lay down. There was no more lettuce for him to follow. A dead end. Lydia sighed in frustration. "Well, what now? Where could they have gone?"

"There must have been a truck waiting here to pick up the alpacas," Abbi guessed. "Can't we follow the tire tracks, then, or something?" Lydia asked.

Daniel scanned the road. "I doubt it. This road is so full of ruts, I don't think we could tell which tracks were the right ones." Suddenly Barkley jumped up and started barking. Not his guard dog bark. It was his friendly, excited bark. Abbi looked toward where he was barking. It was the German shepherd from earlier! The big dog pulled on his leash, tugging his owner to Barkley.

"Hi again!" the woman said. "How are you all enjoying the fair?" Abbi and Daniel looked at each other, unsure how to answer. "Um, it's definitely been interesting!" Lydia said. Barkley and his new friend sniffed each other and exchanged a few licks. The bigger dog looked a bit different, though. He was wearing a cape! "That's new," Abbi said, pointing to the bright-red fabric. A giant letter A was stitched in