Hello Everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful and safe Independence Day! I apologize from the bottom of my heart for leaving you hanging for over two weeks. I hope you can forgive me. If you have resolved to persist in reading this story, I thank you so very much for you patience and loyalty. I really hope you enjoy this chapter and that it was worth waiting for :) Shout out to Star Holder Commander for the character idea of Captain Leonas Walker! Enjoy!

Always yours,

Kristelrose


Chapter 3: Silver Lining

Ryder and Blizzard walked up the steps to the police station. Ryder took a deep breath before walking through the door. Despite the fact that the police's missing dog cases were backed up and didn't seem to be of high priority, the Sheriff's assistant had given Ryder permission to personally take over Marshall and Amber's case. Ryder was hoping that someone would allow him to view the surveillance videos from the previous night at the dock. Maybe they would give him a clue as to who could have possibly pupnapped the two of them.

A couple of women were sitting at the front desk. The younger one seemed to be on the phone with someone and the other less friendly looking one took a moment to glare at Ryder and then continue doing something on her desktop. Ryder bit his lip softly before speaking.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," he said politely.

"Yes, what is it young man?" she said dryly.

"I'm Ryder of the PAW Patrol and I was wondering if I could speak to the Sheriff's Assistant," he said keeping his friendly manner.

"He's not here today," she said without removing her eyes from the computer screen. Ryder waiting for more, but she offered nothing so he continued.

"Well, is there someone else I can talk to? It's about a case I was given. I'd really like to-"

"You better not be wasting my time little boy. There are many more important things for me to take care of then to sit here and listen to you tell stories," she said bitterly.

"He's not lying, Lady," said Blizzard standing on his hind legs so that his front paws gripped the front edge of the desk. It was short enough that Blizzard's chin could reach over it. The woman nearly fell out of her seat in surprise. "The Sheriff's Assistant may not be here but someone else has to know about Ryder calling in here last night!"

"Alright, alright! I will see what I can do for you," she said straightening up in her seat. "Now please, go take a seat and I'll have someone speak with you in a moment."

Ryder and Blizzard obeyed.

"You've got to be careful, Blizzard," Ryder counseled. "We don't want one of the only chances we have at finding our friends taken away from us just because we think someone isn't cooperating the way we want."

Blizzard understood and nodded as he watched the older receptionist pick up the phone. There were police officers walking about and a television was playing the day's news in addition to the other receptionist's conversation, so Blizzard could not make out everything she was saying. He could only make out the words "PAW Patrol" and "case," nothing very useful.

Time felt like it was dragging and Blizzard had shifted his position on the floor at least a dozen times. Right now, he was on his back with all four legs in the air. Ryder had been very quietly doing something on his pup pad and would smile occasionally at Blizzard's restlessness. The two had grown so accustomed to the inactivity that they jumped a bit at hearing the receptionist call them over to the desk. They were at the desk again in a heartbeat.

"The Sheriff says he will see you now," she said with a half-surprised expression in her face. Then she continued in her signature grouchy tone, "Don't take too long. He is a very busy man. His office is around the left here, first door on the right. Hurry on now."

Ryder nodded and walked briskly with Blizzard at his heals in the direction they had been told to go. When they reached the door with the word "Sheriff" printed in large letters on the glass, Ryder hesitated before knocking. He then tapped so lightly he was unsure if it was audible from the other side of the door.

"Come on in," announced a strong voice from inside. Ryder gently turned the doorknob and slowly cracked the door open. To Ryder's relief they were greeted by a warm smile. The Sheriff stood up from behind his desk and walked over to Ryder and Blizzard extending his hand. "Ryder, it is very nice to meet you. I have heard so many great things about you and your PAW Patrol. Please, take a seat."

"Thank you! It was very kind of you to make time to meet with me."

"No trouble at all. Before came in, I was just reading the notes my assistant had written on the case." He face morphed into an expression of worry. "It looks we've got a pup named… Marshall missing?"

"Yes, he's one of mine, the team's firepup and EMT," responded Ryder wondering why he asked.

"Hmmm. I see. That is what I thought. I wonder why Jack did not mention that we had a first responder to look for. That is very strange he did not make this of higher priority." The Sheriff stared at the page of notes and rubbed his chin with one hand.

"So, does that mean you can help us find them?" asked Blizzard perking up his ears.

"I'll see what I can do. It might be a while before I can get a team out for you. Unfortunately, it looks like everyone is out on assignments. Things have been unusually busy lately. It feels like I've been running shorter and shorter on officers."

Ryder frowned at this. "Well, at least I still have my pups to help… and a favor from you, if you don't mind."

"What would that be, Ryder, son?" he asked folding his hands on top of the case notes.

"I was wonder if I could have a look at some footage taken by the security cameras near the pier last night. I was hoping it could lead me to something that would help find out who took Marshall and Amber," proposed Ryder.

"Of course, no problem. In fact, since Jack is not in the office today, I can let you borrow his computer. I'll get you started." He stood up and led Ryder and Blizzard to the office next door. It looked like no one had been in there for quite some time. The desk was completely cleared off and only a few reminders were tacked onto the corkboard on the wall. The Sheriff seemed to notice this for a second before logging onto the surveillance video log for Ryder. He stood up from the desk and offered the chair to Ryder who raised a questioning eyebrow. "It's all yours. Just make sure to log out when you're done. And, don't worry. I spoke to Mayor Goodway before calling you to my office. I trust you."

"Thank you!" Ryder finally said after the shock being given so much trust.

"Sure thing. Mayor Goodway says you are a very bright boy. So I'm sure you'll be alright on your own, correct?"

"Oh, yes, I'll be fine," Ryder assured.

"Great! I have to get back to work, but come get me if you need anything and I'll try my best to help you. Oh, and Mayor Goodway sends her best regards and says that all of Adventure Bay is hoping and praying that you bring Marshall and Amber home safe. That town really loves you guys." With that, the Sheriff turned and walked out of the office.

Ryder was touched by what the kind man had said and felt hope growing again in his heart. He sat in the big leather chair and had Blizzard sit next to him. He placed his hand on the mouse and sighed deeply wishing under his breath that soon they would get closer to their goal.

He pulled up the satellite map of Cape Catfish and pinpointed the locations of the nearest cameras to where the pups had been waiting for the van to return. There were about five options. He started with the camera from the smoothie cafe and went back to the footage taken around sunset the previous night. He checked his pup pad for the specific time slot between when Marshall had contacted him and when they had arrived to see the pups missing.

"Let's go back to 8:21pm," he mumbled to himself. Blizzard sat quietly watching the footage. The saw someone walk out of the café and get on his bike. A couple minutes later, a minivan came down the stretch of road visible to the camera. Ryder paused the video to check for a license plate number, but he couldn't make it out because of the angle of the shot. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin in thought.

"Let's try a camera a little closer to the parking lot entrance," he suggested mostly to himself. The souvenir shop was almost directly across from the bench where the two pups had been waiting. It couldn't be seen on camera, but Ryder remembered seeing it. He started the video at 8:21pm again. A couple cars passed, but none stopped or showed any interest in that spot. Then, at about 8:28pm, something glinted at the camera.

"What was that?" asked Blizzard letting out the breath he was holding.

"I don't know. I'll zoom it in." Ryder paused the video and zoomed in the frozen image. "It's Marshall's pup tag and collar!"

"Play the video, Ryder!" insisted Blizzard anxious to see what else they would find.

Ryder zoomed back out and continued the footage. Pretty soon, a small gray car zipped from the area around the entrance of the beach parking lot up the road going northward. Less than a minute later, Ryder and Blizzard the Cape Catfish Guide Dogs van pull in and Chase point out Marshall's collar lying in the middle of the road. Ryder paused the video.

"So, do you think-" started to ask Blizzard.

"I couldn't get a good view of the plate again," said Ryder knowing what Blizzard was insinuating.

"What about a traffic camera? They had to have passed the light further up. There's no other place to go, unless they went off road," suggested Blizzard.

"You're right," Ryder searched for the traffic camera footage as he spoke. "Let's hope they stayed on the road. With a nice car like that, I don't think would do otherwise. Got it! Now, let's go back to 8:28. Keep an eye out for that car."

On the screen, they saw a virtually empty road. Then, came the guide dog van. That was their cue! Ryder slowed the video down and as soon as he spotted the small five-seater, he froze the frame.

"That's the car!" Blizzard shouted widening his eyes. "I think I remember it now! That was the car that almost got us into an accident."

"I think you're right, Blizzard," said Ryder turning to look at him with an equally cognoscente expression. "No wonder they were in such a hurry. It wasn't because of the storm."

"It was because they were making their escape!" Blizzard finished.

"P-U-P-S-4-C-C-P," Ryder read aloud as he saved the number in his pup pad.

"Pups?" questioned Blizzard.

"Huh? Oh, that's probably coincidental. It probably doesn't mean anything," Ryder explained. He smiled and winked at Blizzard and told him, "I'll keep in mind, though, just in case it does mean something."

"Can I just tell you how awesome it is to be on a real mission right now? Because, it's really, really awesome!" Blizzard exclaimed almost jumping out of the seat.

Ryder chuckled. "I'm glad you are enjoying yourself, but we're not done." Ryder opened up another program on the desktop to run the license plate number. "We've got to figure out who this car belongs to."


Chase gradually powered down his glider and landed right in front of a bench, that bench. He stared at the area where his friends had probably been sitting right before they were taken. The rain had washed away any trace of the happenings from the night before. This frustrated Chase, but he still held on to the scents of the two pairs of boots that had made away with Marshall and Amber. He held on to them tightly.

He turned his head from side to side deciding where to start. The pupnappers escaped in a car, so they weren't going to go anywhere too close to the beach, but maybe to a nearby hotel or something. The Coral Inn was just past the dock and that's the direction Chase chose to go in. The concrete was cool under his paws from the rain from the night before. The sun was still hidden behind some buildings casting a large shadow along the road that ran along the boardwalk.

It was still early and only the few shop owners had arrived to open up for business, but Chase payed no attention to their stares. He was deep in concentration trying to pick up even the slightest whiff of Marshall, Amber, or those two pairs of shoes. This is why he was startled when a man approached him.

"Excuse me, Sergeant," the man called out with an amused smile.

"Huh?" Chase's focus was broken. He blinked and looked around to find where the voice was coming from. He then saw a tall man walking down the dock in his direction. Chase stiffened up. He remembered what Ryder said about being cautious of any trying to pupnap him and removing his collar like they did to Marshall. The man had a power manner in his stride, but his face was only showing calm and curiosity.

"At ease," he commanded kindly. Chase couldn't help but soften the grip he had on the pavement. "What's a pup in uniform doing strolin' around these parts unaccompanied? Are you patrolling the pier? Or maybe, takin' a morning walk in the cool sea air like me?"

"Um…" Chase raised an eyebrow. Who was this man? He seemed friendly enough. And, had he actually called him sergeant?

"Oh, I'm sorry. I let my curiosity get ahead of my manners. Captain Leonas Walker of the United States Airforce at your service." The man showed Chase a shiny badge he had pinned to his jacket. Chase marveled at it for a moment. "What your name, Sergeant?"

"Oh, um, I'm Chase of the Adventure Bay PAW Patrol," Chase said staring up at the man's bright green eyes. They were kind of cool looking with purple flecks in them. Chase wagged his tail a little. Who could tell this man was no threat.

"PAW Patrol, huh? Sounds interesting. Is that a police dog training program?" Captain Walker said crouching down to look at Chase at eyelevel.

"Not exactly. It's a rescue team made up of pups and led by Ryder our human. I'm actually on a mission right now. One of our pups and a good friend were pupnapped last night here at the pier and we haven't been able to find them," Chase explained furrowing his brow.

"Have you contacted the police about it?" asked the Captain showing concern in his crystal-like eyes.

"Yeah, but they can't help. They said there were a bunch of other pups missing too and they had to work on their cases before they could get to ours. It's only fair, I guess," Chase sighed tensely.

"Hmmm… That does not sound right to me. All those pups are important too, but we've got a rescue personnel missing. That should be something of priority. Don't you think?" Captain Walker pushed a stay strand of his shoulder-length black hair behind his ear. "So, it's just you and your team searchin' for these pups?"

"Yes, Sir. They at least gave us permission to conduct the search ourselves," Chase said staring at the sun glinting off some of the windows of the Coral Inn. Captain Walker could tell something was bothering the pup.

"Chase? Is that what you said your name was, Sergeant?" he asked softly.

"Yes, Sir. And, why do you keep calling me Sergeant?" Chase asked turning to look at the Air Force Captain.

"Because that's what you are. Aren't ya? I doubt those three chevrons on your vest are just for show," He gave Chase a small smile.

"Well, no… I guess I just haven't heard anyone call me that in a while," Chase admitted.

"Well, that title's a part of ya," the Captain said tapping the symbol by Chase's left shoulder. "The least that police department could have done was place a few officers under your command to help with the search."

"I guess so…" Chase looked back away.

"That's not what's bothering you, pup, is it?" The Captains tone became that of a father.

"What are you talking about?" Chase trying to sound genuinely confused. The concerned frown on the Captain's did not waver. Chase felt an urge to reveal what he had been thinking since the night before. He frowned and nearly mumbled, "I can't help feeling that this is kind of my fault."

Captain Walker gave him a look that pressed him to continue talking.

"After Ryder, I'm supposed to be the leader of our pack. I'm supposed to be the one all the pups can count on to keep them safe and out of trouble. I'm not the kind of pup who would miss a detail or be careless about stuff, but… with all the commotion and loading the van, and making sure we got home before the storm hit… I honestly thought one of her sisters would walk with her. I didn't think to look back and check… And then, Marshall, of course, good old Marshall, was the only one who would have everyone else's needs in mind before his own. He stayed behind to help her and we left them. I left them!" Hot tears had collected in Chase's eyes and surprised him when a couple dripped onto the sidewalk by his paws that he was staring at so intensely.

Captain Walker was slightly confused about what Chase had just told him. Why did the girl pup need help? Who exactly had been on the beach with the PAW Patrol? Those questions didn't really matter, however, and what he did know was that this pup had been holding that in all to himself. He was sure he probably hadn't even told their leader, Ryder. He placed his rough hand gently on the German Shephard's back.

Chase couldn't believe he had just revealed all that to a perfect stranger. Why couldn't he help himself? Of course this man was going to believe he was unworthy of being a leader, especially if he was a teary-eyed mess like this.

"Chase," Captain Walker finally said soothingly. When Chase didn't respond, he said it again, "Chase."

"Y-yes, Sir? I-I'm sorry," he said permitting himself one last sniffle. "I didn't mean to do that."

"Do what? You didn't mean to show me how much you care for your friends? I know you may think that I'm some tough Air Force Captain who thinks tears are a sign of weakness or some crazy mumbo jumbo like that; but I have feeling just like any other person. Sure, there are times when I'm working that I have to keep my mind clear and free of any distractions, but that doesn't mean I don't love or appreciate the important people in my life. What do you think I'm doing in Cape Catfish? I've got people here who I miss very much. I thought of them every day I was away. They were what drove me to do my best and get home safely."

Chase sat still quietly listening.

"Another thing is, don't beat yourself up about being the perfect leader you think others want you to be. You're still a growing pup. You're always learning. You need to find the lesson in this and hold it in your heart. If your friends care about you as much as I know you do them, they are not going to reject you. I know you are capable of getting those two pups back, no matter what the Cape Catfish police may think."

"Do you really think so?" Chase asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Absolutely, Sergeant. And, as a matter of fact, I am going to help you out," the Captain said standing up again.

"You are? I mean, thank you, Sir," Chase said turning up the corners of his mouth hopefully.

"Pups? I have some news," Ryder announced from the speaker in Chase's pup tag.

"Go ahead, Ryder," said Skye followed by confirmation from the other pups.

"We've found out that the car that took Amber and Marshall belongs to a man named Mike Tackle. He lives in the Cape Catfish Oceanview Apartments. That's in the Northwest side of town. So, I'm gonna ask Zuma and Rocky to start heading over there. It's a tall coral colored building of about ten floors with an attached parking garage. It's pretty close to that school that we landed the Air Patroller in last night. I and the rest of the pups will meet you over there soon."

"Copy, Ryder," Zuma and Rocky declared.

"Any luck getting the police to help us out, Ryder?" asked Chase.

"Not exactly. Unfortunately, there are no men available to spare. Looks like we're on our own pups. But don't forget. No job is too big; no pup is too small!" Ryder encouraged.

"Well, actually… I think I found someone who can help us out," Chase declared glancing over at Captain Walker.

"Really? Who's that, Chase?" asked Ryder curiously.

"May I?" asked Captain Walker gesturing to Chase's pup tag. Chase nodded. "Captain Leonas Walker of the United States Air Force at your command, Ryder, Sir."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Captain Walker. Thank you for offering your help. I know I am speaking for the whole team when I say that your concern is much appreciated," said Ryder with gratitude.

"Anything for fellow protectors. And, if I might add, I'm very interested in meeting the rest of your pup-powered team," said Captain Walker with an audibly kind smile.

"I'm sure it'll be very nice to meet you in person too," Ryder returned. "I guess we'll see you at Oceanview."

"See you there," Chase and Captain Walker said together before the call ended.

Chase started to turn to get a running start before activating his glider but then halted. "We've got a fair distance between here and the Northwest side of town."

"Don't worry, Sergeant. I've got my transportation covered. I've got my motorcycle parked right by the beach over there. You're definitely welcome to ride. I wouldn't want you to run all the way there," he answered.

"Actually, I've got my transportation covered too," Chase said opening up wings of his glider. He smiled at the Captain's astonished look. "Don't worry. I'll do my best to not go too fast and keep close. You know better than I do where those apartments are."

"Right…" the bewildered Captain said before patting Chase's helmet with a smile and heading for his bike.


Marshall hopped out of the car and crinkled his nose at the heavy stench of garbage that lay in the air. He turned and helped Amber step out onto the gravel. She was a bit hesitant to receive his help, but he wasn't sure why.

"Guess we should get to work," Marshall said first glancing at their two escorts and then at the list they had been given.

"What are we supposed to look for, Marshall?" Amber asked surveying the area as best she could.

"First on the list is… 'Large scraps of metal'? That's not very specific."

"Let's just see what we can find," Amber said shuffling toward a promising looking mound of trash.

She and Marshall sifted through the heap pulling out sheets of metal roofing, old baking pans, and even a bent up car door. All the while the two escorts jotted things down in their notebooks.

"Next, we need to find… 'Six car tires'. At least he said what kind of tires he wanted," Marshall said trying to joke around. Amber smiled a bit and then started scanning around for anything that was the color black and smelled like rubber. Marshall wondered why Amber was being so weird. Maybe she just felt nervous about doing well.

The sun was starting to reach its hottest when the pups had reached the fifth out of six items of their list. Amber had been doing better than she thought she would. Most of the things that she found were things she had mostly sniffed out or even listened for. Of course her eyes were the first things she used to scavenge for the objects listed, but after that she relied on her other senses just like Ryder had helped her practice.

"Alright, one last thing," Marshall huffed. The heat was starting to get to them. "We need… a 'Small plastic pool'. Where are we going to find that? I haven't seen one all day."

"Hmmm…" Amber pondered aloud. She walked here and there pay close attention to her surroundings. The stench of the garbage had grown less unbearable as time passed but it still lingered. Amber picked out distinct smells just as she had done before; metal, rubber, wood. She took a couple of steps forward and felt trash beneath her shift a bit accompanied by a kind of popping sound. She lifted her paw up to relieve the tension in that spot. As she expected, there was the pop. It sounded like some sort of thick plastic was bending under the weight. "Marshall, I think I found something!"

"Really?" he said scampering over to her. "Let's dig it out!"

The two pups dug quickly through the pile of rotting food and miscellaneous junk, something that had slightly grossed them out a while ago. Amber hoped that she hadn't been misled. She knew it wasn't a good thing to always be concerned with what others thought of her, but she really didn't like looking like a fool in front of anyone, especially if they were a supposed friend. She felt like any little thing she did wrong just added to the view that people had of her of being incapable of doing anything. If someone made a mistake, it was forgivable, but if a blind pup made that same mistake, it made a drastic impression on her overall appearance. At least, that's how Amber saw it.

Finally, the pups reached something wide and made of plastic. "I think this is it!" exclaimed Marshall. "C'mon let's clear some more of the stuff on this side."

Eventually, they uncovered their target, and indeed, it was a small round kiddie pool. Amber was ecstatic. "We found it!"

Amber gave a little jump and landed on top of a loose piece of surfboard. She felt it sliding and tried to balance herself again, but the board took her with it down the large pile on which they had been standing. Amber yelled and closed her eyes. The board bounced and swerved taking Amber past broken furniture and rusty car parts until finally it sent her through a shattered window that had jagged shards of glass all around the frame, like a mouth full of shark teeth. Luckily she was only cut across her left front leg.

"Amber, are you okay?" Marshall asked running up to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said checking herself for any other scratches. Ow, that stings. Great. Leave it to me to find some way to mess up, she scolded herself interiorly.

"Ouch, that cut looks bad. We've got to get that patched up right away," Marshall said inspecting her leg. "I wish I had my first aid stuff with me."

The pups walked over to the two escorts after picking up the kiddie pool and dragging it over. Marshall insisted to do most of the dragging.

"Um… would you happen to have a first aid kit with you?" asked Marshall timidly. The two men had barely said a word to the pups since they met at the CCCPP building.

"Sure, pup. I'll get it out of the trunk," one of them said almost emotionless. He went to the car and came back holding a small red box. "Here you go. Just so you know, we're not supposed to help you."

"Um… that's fine. This is kind of my specialty," Marshall said with a half-smile. These guys were under pretty strict orders. He opened the kit and got out what he needed. "This might sting a little."

"It's fine. I'm starting to get used to it," Amber sighed.

"Tell me about it," Marshall laughed. "This stuff happens to me so often; I just joke about it all the time. It's kind of how I deal with it, I guess. Laughing it off makes me feel less embarrassed."

"Yeah, I guess it does feel better when you can make others laugh with you rather than at you," Amber concluded. Marshall had already cleaned the cut and was adding pressure to it to stop the bleeding. The two escorts were scribbling away in their notebooks again. Amber could tell because they were holding up brown rectangular things and she could hear their pens scratching away. She felt that cold sting of shame in her stomach. For sure they were writing about how unfit she was to be on the team, which meant she was definitely going to lose her chance at escaping. But, she was more concerned that Marshall made it out. Hopefully they were taking note of what an expert medical pup he was.

Although the escorts said they were forbidden to help the pups, they assisted in loading the supplies into the trunk of the car before heading back to the base. The car ride back was deafeningly quiet. The only recompense was that the pups were allowed to look out the heavily tinted windows. Marshall strained his eyes searching for any sign of Ryder or the pups, but they had taken a thickly forested route, apparently one that not many people used. Marshall only saw two cars and one house the whole rode back.

When they arrived back at the secret pup training facility, they entered through a backdoor instead of through the lobby. A man and a woman met them there and exchanged some words with the escorts. The materials they had found were taken into the darkness on the other side of the door. Their escorts then told Marshall and Amber to go in next. They walked through and the door shut behind them leaving them in just a faint blue glow from a lightbulb hanging in the middle of the high ceiling.

Amber gave a small nervous gasp when she realized she was no longer able to find her own way. Marshall taken a few steps ahead but then went back to get Amber. "I'm right here. Come on, just stick right next to me."

Amber complied quietly careful to stay right by Marshall's side. The room smelled musty, like old cardboard boxes. It looked to be a storage room of sorts. Shelves lined the perimeter with semi-organized piles of crates and bins formed rows upon rows across the room. They finally reached another door hidden in the back. Thankfully, they entered a hall with much more light, surely one of the more remodeled portions of the building. Marshall and Amber's eyes darted around as doors to small offices passed them by. The walls were white and blank. As they reached the end of the hall where there was a sharp turn to the left, something caught the pups' attention, barking. The escorts who had been with them all morning stopped in front of a blue painted door that stood right before the turn in the hall. They unlocked it with a key and ushered the pups inside. This time they didn't follow the pups in. Instead, they closed the door and locked it. The pups could barely here them walk away over all the barking and talking. After the initial shock of being left behind a locked door, the pups spun around to see they were not alone. The room they were in was filled with over fifty pups. Then slowly, the noise simmered down as, one by one, the pups noticed the newcomers.