Barkley the detective dog dropped into the kitchen. CLATTER went his bowl — empty.
He sniffed the floor. Nothing. Then he saw it — a red yarn tail leading out the back door. "My bone!" he barked, and bolted after it.
Barkley trotted past the bakery. Mrs. Paws was kneading dough. "Have you seen my red bone?" Barkley asked. She shook her floury paws and pointed toward the park. Barkley wagged once and dashed on.
At the park, Barkley followed the yarn to a hollow log. He peeked inside — a fluffy tail twitched, and a small gray cat emerged, chewing happily on the red bone.
Barkley froze. His ears lay flat. The cat looked up, bone in mouth, and yawned.
Barkley's tail gave one slow thump. The cat dropped the bone and nudged it toward him with one paw.
Barkley picked up the bone, then nudged a stick over. The cat pounced!
The cat batted the stick back and forth until they were both chasing it in circles around the log.
Barkley and his new friend chased the stick in happy circles.
When the stick finally stopped, the cat curled up beside the log and purred.
Barkley rested his head nearby. Maybe he didn't need to solve every mystery alone.
The red yarn bone stayed right between them. Perfect.