4. Where Is Officer Fallon

Chapter 4 Where Is Officer Fallon? The kids walked up onto the front porch, and Lucy rang the bell. They heard it chime inside the house. Nobody answered the door. Bradley looked through a window. "All I see is a Christmas tree," he said. "And the lights are on."

"It's Christmas Eve," Brian said. "Officer Fallon might be Christmas shopping." "If this is his puppy," Bradley said, "maybe Officer Fallon went out looking for him." Lucy glanced at the other houses along the street. "The puppy could have come from one of those houses," she said. "Just because Pal found the tracks in front of this house doesn't mean the puppy lives here." "Right," Bradley said. "Maybe he just ran across Officer Fallon's driveway on his way to Main Street." "We should take him home," Brian said. "He must be hungry." "Wait a minute. I just thought of something," Nate said. "Jimmy Fallon lives over on Pheasant Lane. That's near here." "Who's Jimmy Fallon?" Lucy asked. "Officer Fallon's grandson," Nate said. "If Officer Fallon adopted this puppy from Furry Feet, Jimmy would know it." "Great idea, Nate! Let's go ask him!" Bradley said.

Nate led the kids and Pal farther down the street. They crossed a dirt road without a name, and turned right onto Pheasant Lane. "It's the green house," Nate said. "We played soccer over here last summer." "Let's see if they're home," Brian said. "But what if the puppy was meant to be a Christmas present to Jimmy from his grandfather?" Bradley asked. "We'll be spoiling the surprise." "Or maybe Jimmy is giving his grandfather a puppy for Christmas," Nate said. "Only the puppy ran away!" "Let's find out," Bradley said. He rang the doorbell. A tall woman wearing a red sweater answered the door. "Hi, Mrs. Fallon. Is Jimmy home?" Nate asked. She smiled. "No, I'm afraid not," she said. "He's gone off with his grandfather. Some secret mission!"

She looked at the puppy, whose head was sticking out of Bradley's jacket. "Oh, how cute," she said. "Is it yours?" Bradley shook his head. "No, ma'am," he said. "We were wondering if it was Jimmy's. Or Officer Fallon's." Jimmy Fallon's mom smiled again. "Nope, no puppies live here. And I know Jimmy's

grandfather doesn't have one, either." "Do you think Jimmy was giving the puppy to his grandfather for Christmas?" Lucy asked. "Goodness, no," Mrs. Fallon said. "I helped pick out Jimmy's gifts for his grandfather. He's getting a new pocketknife and a wool scarf." She petted the puppy's head. "Do you mean this little tyke is lost?" The kids all nodded. "We found him on the sidewalk near Furry Feet," Brian said. "We're pretty sure Mrs. Wong gave him to someone. And Pal traced him back to Officer Fallon's house. We saw his tracks in the snow by the driveway!" "We don't know who he belongs to," Bradley added. "But we think he's supposed to be someone's Christmas present!" "Goodness, a Christmas mystery," Mrs. Fallon said. "Good luck finding the right owner!"