Super Amos (4 page)

Amos stopped and shifted the fifty-pound sack of Crunchy Bites dog food from his lap up to the handlebars.

Dunc looked over his shoulder, made a U-turn, and pedaled back. “Hurry up, Amos. Hercules is waiting.”

“Look at me closely, Dunc. Does this look like the face of a person who cares?”

“We promised Mr. Smith we’d take good care of Hercules while he was gone.”

“Mr. Smith forgot to tell us that Hercules was a bottomless pit. I’ve spent most of this week’s allowance on dog food, not to mention the wear and tear on my bike from
bringing it out here. Which reminds me, how come
you
never have to carry the dog food?”

“I thought you were trying to establish a relationship with Hercules.”

“Oh yeah, great relationship. I pour the food and he practically rips me apart trying to get to it.”

“I thought it went a little better yesterday.”

“Yesterday you held him in the house while I filled his dish. Even then he knocked me down on his way out the door.”

“He’s just being playful. Deep down he really likes you.” Dunc helped straighten the sack of dog food. “Now try to hurry. I told you, we have some investigating to do.”

Amos started pedaling. “What you really mean is you want to go snooping around in other people’s business. Mr. Smith said he was going to the FBI to report on Brainard, remember?”

“Maybe we can help him come up with some new evidence. In the meantime, we don’t want Brainard to get away with anything else, do we?”

Amos ignored him and coasted to a stop by the junkyard fence. “Open the gate. And keep an eye out for that rhino disguised as a dog.”

Dunc stepped off his bike and rolled it through the gate. “I don’t see him.”

“Keep watching. He’s probably hiding in there waiting for the right moment to pounce on me.”

Dunc whistled. “Here, boy. Come on out. We brought you some food.” He turned to Amos. “Something’s wrong or he’d be here by now.”

Amos quickly poured the dog food. “Now’s our chance to get away. Let’s go before we get mauled.”

“This could be serious, Amos. Something could have happened to him. You look over there by the cars. I’ll check on this side.”

Amos headed reluctantly toward the piles of junk cars. “Some people wouldn’t know a good thing if it ran over them. Or in this case if it was missing and didn’t run over them.”

“Amos! I found something.”

“Oh well,” Amos sighed. “It was nice
while it lasted.” He trotted over to the fence where Dunc was kneeling.

Dunc pointed to a mound of soft dirt and a large hole under the fence. “Hercules is gone.”

•
10

“I’m telling you he’ll be back.” Amos watched Dunc crawl through the hole and study the dog’s tracks. “Anything with an appetite like his wouldn’t miss too many meals, believe me.”

“Looks like he took off in that direction.” Dunc started walking.

“Wait a minute.” Amos scooted under the fence. “The old Grogan place is that way. If Hercules is crazy enough to go there, let him. I don’t want anything to do with that guy. Mr. Smith said he’s dangerous.”

Dunc kept walking. “Mr. Smith said the professor was a hypnotist. Now that we
know, all we have to remember is not to look into his eyes.”

“I really think I could handle that a lot easier from here.”

“Look, Amos, there are Hercules’ tracks. They lead straight toward the mansion. He’s probably lying in the backyard munching on something right now.”

“Yeah, the cat.”

Dunc walked around to the back. A high iron gate was hanging open on one hinge. Dunc poked his head in and whistled softly. “Here, Hercules. Time to go home now.”

“There he is.” Amos pointed under the porch. “Looks like they have him chained up.”

Dunc chewed on his lip. “I guess we better go get him.”

Amos considered the situation. “We could leave him. Mr. Smith said he’d be back today or tomorrow. He could come get him.”

“We can’t leave him here. They didn’t even set out any water for him. Come on.” Dunc headed cautiously toward the back porch. He dropped down on all fours. “Here,
boy. We’ve come to take you home. Come on out of there.”

Hercules inched farther back. Dunc tried pulling on the chain. He couldn’t budge the big dog.

Amos crawled under the porch and grabbed the dog’s collar. “Come out of there, you big hunk of guts. We’re risking our lives here.”

The back door slammed. Amos froze. He saw Moose grab Dunc’s shirt front and raise him off the ground.

“This is private property, squirt. What are you doing here?” the big man growled.

Moose didn’t wait for an answer. He slung Dunc over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and started back into the house. Amos peeked over the edge of the porch in time to see Dunc mouth the words
Go for help!

•
11

Amos counted to ten, quickly unchained Hercules, and scrambled out from underneath the porch. He and the dog both ran all the way to the junkyard.

Breathlessly he fumbled in his pocket for the key to the house. Once he had the door open, he raced for the telephone and dialed the police.

“Hello. This is an emergency.… No, I don’t want to be put on hold.” The phone line went dead. Amos dialed the number again. “There’s been a kidnapping at the old Grogan place. Okay, I’ll wait while you transfer my call.”

Amos tapped the table. “Come
on
.”

A gruff voice came on the line. “This is Sergeant Walker. What’s all this about a kidnapping?”

“It’s my friend. He’s been kidnapped. Hurry.”

“Calm down, son. First give me your name and location.”

“It’s Amos. Amos Binder. And I—”

“Binder!” The sergeant yelled in the phone. “Aren’t you the one who called a few weeks ago about seeing a terrorist down at Burger World?”

“It was a simple case of mistaken identity. You see, I saw this poster at the post office and—”

“And didn’t we have to send a car to the supermarket last week because you went crazy and wrecked half the store?”

“That’s easy to explain too, Officer. I heard a telephone ringing and I was just trying to—”

“And didn’t we just miss charging you with breaking and entering at … let me check … oh yeah, the Weatherbys’?”

“That was me, but listen, Officer—”

“Look, Binder. I don’t ever want to hear your name again. ’Cause if I do, you’re going to spend some time with the men in the white jackets down at the psycho ward of the county hospital. Do you understand me, son?”

“I think so, but listen, Officer …”

The phone line went dead.

Amos looked at Hercules. “What are we going to do now? Dunc needs us and I can’t get any help.”

The big dog barked at him, then turned and ran down the hall. Amos followed him into the bathroom.

Hercules sat down and barked at the red suit hanging on the door.

•
12

“Look what I found nosing around on the back porch, boss.” Moose carried Dunc into the parlor still slung over his shoulder.

Dunc raised his head in time to see the professor quickly throw a sheet over one of the open crates.

“Put our young friend down, Moose.”

The big man dropped Dunc on the marble floor.

Dunc struggled to his feet. “Sorry to drop in like this. I was just looking for my dog. You’ve got him tied up out back.”

“
Your
dog?” The professor raised one eyebrow. “I was under the impression that
dog belonged to a certain nosey neighbor of mine.”

“He does.” Dunc couldn’t help staring at the man’s misshapen face. He shook himself and looked at the floor. “I mean he belongs to Mr. Smith over at the junkyard. He asked me to keep an eye on him.”

“Smith? Is that what he calls himself these days? No matter.” The professor played with the end of his mustache. “The question is, what shall we do with you?” He stared deep into Dunc’s eyes.

Dunc quickly turned his head. “Nice place you have here, Professor. The decorating is coming along great. I hear sheets are in this year. Well, I’ll just be going now. Nice talking to you.”

Dunc backed into a wall. Or what seemed like a wall. It was Moose. He felt himself being lifted off the ground again.

“What you want me to do with him, boss?”

The professor moved closer. His face was only inches away from Dunc’s. Dunc squeezed his eyes shut.

“Drat!” The professor stomped around
the room. “He knows about me, Moose. Take him upstairs and lock him in one of the bedrooms until I figure out what to do with him.”

“Whatever you say, boss.”

Moose started up the stairs but stopped when he heard furious barking coming from the back porch. “What now?” He walked back down and yanked the door open.

“What the …” A bright yellow glow moved inside the house and then disappeared. Hercules leaped on Moose and knocked him backward. Dunc fell, slid across the floor, and landed under the staircase.

Professor Brainard came running in from the kitchen. “What’s going on in here?”

A coatrack floated mysteriously across the room and jabbed the professor in the stomach, forcing him to crouch down behind one of the crates. Then a sheet rose into the air and dropped over the professor’s head.

“Now’s your chance. Run, Dunc!”

Dunc stood up. “Amos, is that you?”

“Who else?”

“I thought you were going for help.”

“I
am
the help!”

“Oh.”

They heard a loud yelp from Hercules. Moose was sitting on him.

Amos picked up the lid of one of the crates and started after Moose. The muscle man swung his fist in the air but didn’t hit anything. Amos laughed. “You big ape. You couldn’t whip my grandmother.”

Without warning, a yellow glow filled the room and Amos became visible. He felt a large hand on his shoulder. “It’s not nice to call people names, sonny.” Moose wadded Amos into a ball and tossed him across the room.

Hercules snarled and grabbed the big man’s pants leg.

Dunc ran over to see if Amos was all right. “Can you stand up?”

Amos rubbed his head and watched Moose dragging Hercules, who still clung to his pants leg, across the room toward them. “Somehow I don’t think there’s much point to it.”

The professor pulled the sheet off his head and stormed over to them. He gave
Amos a look of disgust. “Well, if it isn’t Super Dud. What exactly did you think you were going to accomplish?”

Amos looked down at the suit. It was a little large. Both pants legs were rolled up, one of his sneakers had come off, and the mask had slipped halfway down his face.

“No need to answer,” the professor continued. “By the time I’m through with the two of you, even your own mothers won’t recognize you. Lock them up, Moose.”

“I think not.”

The professor turned. Six men were standing behind him. The one in front flashed his FBI badge. “Cuff ’em and take ’em to the car, boys.”

Mr. Smith stepped around the agents and patted Hercules on the head. He looked at the boys. “We went to the junkyard first and found your bikes and the hole in the fence. I thought it might be a good idea to check over here.”