The Big Bad Woof, page 2
“Oops! Sorry!” Westie said. He turned and the huge wings knocked open the closet door and pushed papers off a desk.
Vicky sprinted across the room trying to save everything. Rora would have laughed, but she was distracted by a set of museum blueprints on Vicky’s desk.
“How about everyone go out on my roof deck?” Vicky said.
As the P.I. Pack went outside, Vicky tried to shove the closet door closed. A pair of stilts was blocking the way.
Why would an art collector have stilts? Rora wondered. Stilts are meant to make someone taller.
“Everyone, hop on,” Westie said, flapping his glider wings.
“You might want to stay behind and call the police, Vicky,” Rider said. “It could be dangerous.”
“Okay,” Vicky said as she picked up her ancient phone.
“Are you sure this glider can hold all of us?” Ziggy asked.
“It can hold the P.I. Pack van,” Westie said proudly. “I think.”
The detectives gulped and climbed on. Then, just before they jumped, Westie said, “Pack Glider—field test—take one. Here goes nothing!”
Everyone screamed as the glider fell toward the ground.
Three Bears Cry Wolf
Down went the detectives, until Westie steered upward at the last minute—and the glider took off!
“Have you really never tested this thing before?” Ziggy shouted.
“One time,” Westie said. “Right now.”
“What?!” the whole gang yelled.
After doing four loop-the-loops in the air, Westie landed perfectly on the roof of the warehouse. Then, on the count of three, Rider kicked in the rooftop door. The detectives ran downstairs and surrounded the bad guys. The three bears and a wolf were still sitting at a table playing cards and eating porridge.
“Do not move!” Rora shouted. “You’re under arrest for theft!”
The three bears shrugged. The smallest bear said, “You don’t want us—we’re just henchbears. The wolf is our leader. We were just following orders. He’s the Big Bad Woof.”
“What?!” the wolf cried as he jumped up from the table. “My name’s Martin, not Big Bad Woof. What are you talking about?!”
“You hired us to steal stuff,” the little bear said. “Art stuff.”
“I would never! I don’t even like art,” the wolf cried.
“Then how do you explain the totem pole on the roof?” Rider demanded.
“The what on the what?” the wolf asked. “Listen, I just met these nice bears, and they invited me over for dinner and a card game.”
“You can tell it to your lawyer—at the police station,” Rider said. He pulled out a pair of handcuffs.
Sirens filled the air. “How’d the cops get here so fast?” Ziggy asked, cuffing the smallest bear.
“It was me. I called the police, remember?” Vicky walked in.
Rider nodded. “That’s right! Thanks for the assist, Vicky, but you should have stayed at home. Criminals are dangerous.”
The detectives handed over the three not-so-little bears and wolf to the police.
“Last chance,” Rora told the crooks. “Tell us why you stole that totem pole.”
The bears said nothing and smiled. They didn’t seem worried at all.
The wolf, however, was still howling, “I’m innocent! I’m Martin! I don’t like art at all!”
There was something about him that didn’t fit for Rora. The wolf was surprised and scared. Maybe he was innocent, but why would the bears frame him? Rora began to suspect they hadn’t caught the real bad guy behind this crime. It all felt a little too easy.
The mayor walked in with the police. “Good job, detectives! You caught the Big Bad Woof. With him behind bars, Pawston museums are safe!”
As the crooks were led away, the wolf was crying, but something else caught Rora’s attention. She saw the smallest bear give Vicky Crown a wink.
The Big (Bad) Reveal
Back at the P.I. Pack office, Rider, Ziggy, and Westie were celebrating.
“Congratulations on yet another crime solved,” Rider cheered.
“I don’t think we solved it,” Rora said. “Rider, tell me. What do you really know about your friend Vicky?”
Rider could not believe his ears. “I’ve known Vicky for years. She’s a great friend.”
“She has a lot of art,” Rora said. “Don’t you ever wonder how she got it?”
“Rora,” Rider said, “we nabbed the Big Bad Woof. In fact, we caught him red-pawed with his henchbears. Case closed. Now, let’s get ready for the big opening at the museum tonight. Vicky put us on the guest list!”
Rora smiled, but she knew that Vicky was up to no good. Whether Rider liked it or not, Rora was going to keep a close eye on Ms. Crown at the Bona Lisa exhibit.
The museum was packed with animals. The entire city seemed to be there—the mayor, Mr. Meow, even Rotten Ruffhouse. When the P.I. Pack arrived, Rora snuck up to the second floor for a better view. A familiar face was there to greet her.
“Hello, Frenchie,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m running security tonight at the museum,” Frenchie explained. “I don’t think we’ll have any problems now that the Big Bad Woof is behind bars. Ms. Crown says with the international art thief in jail, everything will be fine.”
“Hold on. You know Vicky Crown?” asked Rora.
“Sure, I do,” Frenchie said. “Ms. Crown organized this entire show. She brought the painting to the city so that all of Pawston could see it. She even asked for me personally to handle security.”
“Interesting,” said Rora. “I’ll let you get to work.”
Frenchie waved good-bye, and then he went back downstairs, just as it was time for the big reveal. Vicky Crown stood in the spotlight with Mr. Meow and Mr. Mayor by her side. The Bona Lisa was hidden beneath a big red curtain on the wall behind them.
“Welcome to all the art-loving animals of Pawston,” Vicky said. “I am excited to share this rare painting with you so that every member of this fine city can see its famous beauty. And now, I give you—the Bona Lisa!”
She pulled down the red curtain and everyone gasped. It was beautiful. The Bona Lisa had a perfect smile.
Suddenly, all the lights went out!
When they came back on, both the Bona Lisa and Vicky were gone! In their place was a sign that read:
“The Bona Lisa!” the mayor cried out. “It’s been stolen!”
“Vicky Crown is missing too!” Frenchie shouted.
“And for once, it wassssn’t me,” Mr. Meow whispered to Rotten Ruffhouse. “Oh my! Just imagine, a crime I am not ressssponssssible for! How ssssilly!”
“There’s the culprit—it’s the Big Bad Woof!” Rider pointed up toward a tall figure in a red riding hood. The Big Bad Woof had the painting in his clutches and was escaping through the skylight.
The Great Rooftop Chase
“P.I. Pack! Catch that Woof!” Rora shouted.
As quick as greyhounds, the detectives raced up through the skylight and onto the roof. “There’s nowhere to run!” Rider said. “Put the painting down.”
The Big Bad Woof laughed. Then with his long legs, he leaped from the museum rooftop to the next building with ease.
“How are we going to catch him now?!” Ziggy yelped.
“With my Boing-Boing Shoes!” Westie said. He pressed a button on his belt and giant springs sprung from the bottoms of his shoes. Then Westie grabbed Rider, Rora, and Ziggy. Together, they bounced from rooftop to rooftop, chasing the red-hooded crook.
“He has the painting, but where is Vicky?!” Rider asked.
“Don’t you get it?!” Rora said. “The Big Bad Woof is Vicky!”
“It can’t be!” Rider said. “The crook is a wolf!”
“And the crook is a he!” added Ziggy. “Right?”
“We’ll see,” Rora said.
“We certainly will,” Westie said, “in about two seconds.”
With one more huge bounce, the P.I. Pack landed on top of the crook. The Bona Lisa flew across the rooftop.
Ziggy chased and caught the painting just in time. “The Bona Lisa is safe!”
Then Rora pulled out the Crime Comb-Over device that Westie had invented. With a click of a button, the comb popped open, caught the Big Bad Woof’s cloak, and pulled it off.
The Big Bad Woof wasn’t a wolf. In fact, he wasn’t a he either. He was a she, and she was Vicky Crown, standing on a pair of stilts.
“You may have the Bona Lisa, but you’ll never catch me!” Vicky shouted. Then she hooked the stilts to the edge of the roof and flipped over the side.
Below, Vicky landed safely on the ground and got into a getaway car.
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you,” Rider apologized to Rora as the car drove off.
“Save it for later,” Rora said. “We’re going on a fox hunt!”
You Can’t Keep a Good Dog Down
“Ziggy,” said Rora. “You take the Bona Lisa back to the museum. Tell the mayor that Vicky Crown is the real Big Bad Woof. If my plan works, we’ll see you soon.”
“What plan?” asked Rider. “I love a good plan!”
Rora smiled. “Westie, you still have that glider?”
“Of course!” Westie said as a set of wings popped out behind him.
“Rider, buckle up for a ride on the Westie Express,” Rora said. “We’ll use his glider to catch up with Vicky! Now, let’s go! We need to stop that art thief!”
Ziggy watched as the other detectives leaped onto Westie’s glider and then flew into the air. “I’m glad I’m not on that ride again,” Ziggy said.
As Westie dived down toward the street, Rider turned to Rora. “How did you know about Vicky?”
“Using good old clues,” Rora said. “We tracked the helicopter to Vicky’s place. She knew we would find it. That’s why she gave Big Al the address. Then Vicky framed Martin the wolf. The police thought they’d caught the Big Bad Woof, so they weren’t expecting the Woof to strike again. Oh, and Vicky had museum blueprints in her apartment. Not to mention stilts in her closet too.”
“I bet the rope she gave me isn’t even art,” Rider said, pulling it from his pocket.
“I’m afraid not,” Rora admitted. “But that gives me an idea. Westie, swing in closer to Vicky’s car. She might collect art, but let’s show her how the P.I. Pack collects criminals!”
Rora made a lasso with the rope and spun it in the air. When they were close enough, she threw it. The loop caught Vicky, and Rora hoisted her out of the car.
“Where did you learn to lasso like that?” Rider asked.
“Yee-haw! There’s a lot you don’t know about this detective, boys,” Rora said.
Vicky dangled below, struggling in the rope, as the detectives glided through the air. “Let me go!” she yelled.
“Oh, we’ll let you go,” Rora said. “Let you go right into jail!”
Westie landed at the Pawston Police Department, where the famous art thief went to jail with her three bad bears.
Martin the innocent wolf was set free. Then Ziggy arrived after he returned the Bona Lisa to the museum, safe and sound.
“Gosh, P.I. Pack. You’ve saved the day again!” the police dog said.
“You lousy detectives got lucky!” Vicky screamed from behind bars.
Rider laughed at his old friend-turned-enemy. “Actually, you big bad crook, you’re in jail thanks to one detective and her super-sleuthing. See, you can huff and you can puff all you want, but you will never be able to outsmart Rora Gooddog.”
Check out Rider Woofson’s next case!
“P.I. Pack, we need to talk,” Rider Woofson said. Rider was Pawston’s best detective. His team—the Pup Investigators Pack—was made up of three other dog detectives. They gathered around their boss in the office. Rider seemed very serious.
The others were ready for bad news. Was there a jewelry heist? Was there a bank robbery?
Instead, Rider smiled. “I have decided we need a vacation!”
“Hooray!” Ziggy Fluffenscruff yipped. He was the young detective with an amazing nose.
“Brilliant!” noted Westie Barker, the team’s inventor.
“Well, it’s about time,” added Rora Gooddog, who was Rider’s second-in-command.
“I’m glad you agree,” Rider said, handing out some travel brochures for different vacation spots. “Now we just need to decide where to go.”
“How about a tropical beach?” asked Rora.
“Well, we just came back from a beach where we nabbed the Sunburn Bandit,” Westie said. He pointed to his red face. “I’ve had a little too much sun. Perhaps we can go on an underwater submarine and explore the ocean.”
“Well, we just got back from putting the Smelly Jellyfish behind bars,” Rora said. She shook her head and water flew all over the office. “I need time to dry off. What about an old-west ghost town?”
About the Author and Illustrator
WALKER STYLES grew up reading kids’ books, so it makes sense that he’s writing them now. And when he isn’t writing books, he’s out solving mysteries around the city of Manhattan, where he lives. Just the other day, he lost the book he was reading. Following all the clues, Walker deduced the couch ate it! (Well, the book was under the couch cushions. Still, mystery solved!)
BEN WHITEHOUSE is an illustrator based in Birmingham, UK. He has previously worked in the animation industry as a character designer, animator, and stop-motion puppet maker before finding his feet within the world of illustration. You can visit him at stopmotionben.com.
Little Simon
Simon & Schuster
New York
Visit us at
simonandschuster.com/kids
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Walker-Styles
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Ben-Whitehouse
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
LITTLE SIMON
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
First Little Simon hardcover edition July 2017
Copyright © 2017 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Also available in a Little Simon paperback edition. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. LITTLE SIMON is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc., and associated colophon is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or business@simonandschuster.com.
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Designed by Laura Roode.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Styles, Walker, author. | Whitehouse, Ben, illustrator.
Title: The Big Bad Woof / by Walker Styles ; illustrated by Ben Whitehouse.
Description: First Little Simon paperback edition. | New York : Little Simon, 2017. | Series: Rider Woofson ; 8 | Summary: A new criminal in Pawston is stealing priceless works of art, but Rider, busy with an old friend, may not be able to prevent the theft of the Bona Lisa. | Identifiers: LCCN 2016048174 | ISBN 9781481491884 (paperback) | ISBN 9781481491891 (hc) | ISBN 9781481491907 (eBook) | Subjects: | CYAC: Mystery and detective stories. | Detectives—Fiction. | Dogs—Fiction. | Animals—Fiction. | Art thefts—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / General. | JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / General. | JUVENILE FICTION / Readers / Chapter Books. | Classification: LCC PZ7.1.S82 Big 2017 | DDC [Fic]—dc23 |
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016048174
Walker Styles, The Big Bad Woof
