CHAPTER 12: "Let's Get Out of Here, Gang!"
Free from their prison and their would-have-been grave, the four pups whimpered and yipped, climbing on and clawing at their human rescuers while their grateful mother looked on. Velma finished brushing the last of the burrs from the pup's coat; the little puppy licked her face in thanks. "Hey!" she giggled. "No fair! You're licking my glasses!" The appreciative mother dog licked each human gently on the cheek as if to say 'thank you for saving my babies.'
Daphne scratched Kala gently behind her ears. "It's all over now," she said, softly. "No one will separate you from your babies now." Kala whined softly in response.
"Like, I guess that wraps up this case," commented Shaggy, but his cohorts believed otherwise.
"I'm afraid not, gang," said Fred, shaking his head slowly. "As I had mentioned earlier, this was a different kind of case; there are still a lot of loose ends to be wound up."
Shaggy furrowed his brow, quizzically. "Like..?"
"First, we need to prove definitively that Laura was going to harm these puppies; second, we need to prove that she was using the dog as a pawn in her divorce; and third…"
A sudden whine cut the blond man's explanation mid-sentence. The female Dane had tucked her tail between her legs and was backing away, nervously. "Kala?" Fred asked, troubled by the dog's sudden change in behavior. "What's wrong?"
At the sound of the man's voice, Kala turned and ran away, hiding behind a dead bush and whining fearfully; the bush's dry branches shook with her terrified movements.
"Like, what's with her?" Shaggy asked, noting that his own, normally cowardly dog was still seated, firm and stoic as ever.
Velma took note of Shaggy's comment as she watched Kala trembling in fear. "I think Kala knows something that we don't," the bespectacled girl surmised. "And judging from her behavior, it can't be anything good."
Hearing Velma's words, Scooby trotted over and sat down in front of the dead bush. "Hey, like what's with you, Scoob?" Shaggy asked, noting his dog's uncharacteristic bravery.
"R'im rotecting Rala," the dog explained.
"He's protecting Kala," Shaggy chuckled. "Boy, you must really be in love."
The skinny man's thought was cut off by Fred's sudden order to be quiet. "Shhhh!" Gesturing to the driveway, he directed everyone's attention to the front of the house.
"Zoinks!" gasped Shaggy, recognizing the blonde, high-heeled woman emerging from the car. "Like, Cruella's evil twin is back.'
"No time to lose," ordered Fred. "Gather the puppies and duck out of sight."
Shaggy and Daphne ducked behind the tool shed, followed by Scooby; Fred and Velma took refuge behind a garbage can.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Laura Whitney walked methodically through her back yard, double checking the crime scene, and making sure that she had covered her tracks. As she passed the doghouse, her eyes fell upon the chain link leash lying on the ground and the absence of the dog who had been attached to it. What the hell…she thought to herself. She picked up the chain; no links were broken, but somehow, the dog had escaped. Dumb dog couldn't have freed herself, Laura muttered. "Anybody here?" she called, walking cautiously around the yard.
From opposite sides of the yard, the four humans and five dogs watched Laura's actions. Daphne, Shaggy ad Scooby took a step backwards as Laura passed their hiding place.
YARF! The shrill sound caught Daphne by surprise; looking down at her feet, she realized that she had just made a very careless mistake, inadvertently stepping on a puppy as she backed up.
"Ranger rone Raphne," Scooby muttered in disgust; the redhead shot him a dirty look.
Laura turned a rushed back to the location of the sound.
"Uh oh," Shaggy groaned under his breath, "like I think we've been spotted!"
Daphne looked at her two cohorts. "Look, I realize this was my fault, but I have an idea."
Shaggy and Scooby looked at her incredulously. "Daphne? Has an idea?" they both remarked in surprise.
"Look, this is no time to be silly," she snapped back. "Just listen to me. "Scooby—you create a distraction while Shaggy and I take the pups and meet up with Fred and Velma on the other side of the yard."
The giant dog looked at the redheaded woman. "Re?" he asked in disbelief. He shook his head. ""Ruh Uh. Ro way."
Daphne sighed. Time was running short. "Look, I don't have any Scooby Snacks on me right now, but will you settle for an IOU?"
The giant dog thought it over. "Ruh uh. Ro way." He stated, resolutely.
A series of tiny whimpers came from beside Daphne's feet. Scooby looked down at the source and sighed; for the first time in his life, he had been won over by something other than food. "Rokay," he barked. "R'I'll roo rit!"
Laura picked up a rake as she approached the tool shed, ready to defend herself against any intruder. "Who ever's back there," she yelled, "I'm giving you until the count of three to show yourself." Laura began counting. "One…Two…Two-and-a-half…"
On the third count, a huge, brown form shot out from behind the tool shed; the force of its onslaught knocked Laura off her feet. "What the hell!" she screamed, partly in anger, partly in shock. Scooby had pinned her to the ground; he stood on top of his prey, growling and baring his teeth.
Shaggy and Daphne had managed to meet up with Fred and Velma on the opposite side of the yard. "Let's go gang!" yelled Fred, scooping up the puppies and heading for the safety of the street.
"That wasn't exactly the most brilliant plan, Daph," admonished Velma, panting, as she burst through the front gate onto the sidewalk.
"Maybe not," countered Daphne, following on the younger girl's heels, and climbing into the van, "but it worked."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Get off me you mangy mutt!" Laura yelled, flailing her legs and struggling against the giant dog. "I swear…I'll teach you to…" Rocking back on her haunches, she vaulted forward, kicking Scooby just under his muzzle.
"YOWWR!" Scooby yelped, the pain causing him to momentarily retreat. Expecting Laura to retaliate, he waited, his head lowered, ready to mount a second attack.
But the woman didn't second advance. Pulling herself up from the ground, and brushing the dead grass from her clothes, she made a mad dash towards the driveway. Kala and Scooby tailed her closely, barking and nipping at her heels like two sheepdogs trying to corral a maverick ram. Reaching the side gate, Laura unlatched it and squeezed through it, slamming it in the dogs' faces. "Hah! Beat you!" she sneered, victoriously from the opposite side of the gate where she lingered for a few moments, taunting the two giant dogs. Once she had had her fill of teasing, she turned and sneered at Scooby. "I'll deal with you mutts later. Right now, I've got some meddling humans to care of!"
Jumping into her car, Laura cranked the ignition key, rousing the car's diesel engine from its sleep. With a squeal of tires, she backed out of her driveway, shifted gears, and then turned down the street in hot pursuit of the van.