The Legend of Diamond Lil Read online

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  Lillian

  Last Seen September 12th outside our home in Princeton, New Jersey.

  Lillian is a six-year-old Samoyed and a champion show dog. We miss her terribly.

  Please call Alix at 555-111-6776 or email [email protected].

  The picture left no doubt.

  There was Lillian with a big smile on her face and a blue ribbon around her neck.

  22

  There’s No Place Like Home

  “The agility jumps, the beauty tips, the posture,” I said, “it all makes sense. You really are a champion show dog.”

  “No,” said Lillian, shaking her head.

  “Lillian, that’s you in the picture,” I said. “It’s time to stop lying.”

  “Yes, it’s me,” she said. “But I’m no champion.”

  “It’s you or it isn’t,” I said gruffly.

  “That’s not what I meant,” she said. “I meant I’m not actually lost.”

  “Nice try, Beauty Queen,” said Vince.

  “I ran away,” she said.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “I’m not a champion anymore. I stopped winning. I was hoping they didn’t really care so much about the ribbons and the trophies, but I heard Alix on the phone one day trying to get rid of me.”

  “That’s terrible,” said Moosh.

  “I left that day, and I’ve been on my own ever since. Ida Rose was the first friend I’d made in a long time … and then I met you all.”

  Moosh was shaking her head.

  “I understand,” Lillian said. “I’m sorry I made all that stuff up. I don’t deserve to be your friend.”

  “Why would they be looking for you if they didn’t want you?”

  “To sell me, I guess,” she said. “Champions—even former champions—can go for a lot of money.”

  Barb had heard all the commotion and was standing at the back door.

  “What’s going to happen now?” asked Sugar.

  “I’m going to stop running,” said Lillian.

  She picked up the LOST notice in her teeth and walked across the yard, directly under the bright light, and right through the kitchen door.

  She was turning herself in.

  There wasn’t a dry eye in the yard.

  Except mine.

  Search-and-rescue dogs don’t cry.

  But we occasionally get debris in our eyes and then they water up a bit.

  Good thing I had those sunglasses.

  Epilogue

  Barb did exactly what we knew she would do—she gave Lillian a good meal and a warm bed and then called the number on the LOST flyer. It was true Lillian hadn’t won any ribbons lately, but Alix, her owner, didn’t care about that. She had been looking to find Lillian a new home because she was moving overseas to join the Peace Corps. She was just thrilled to know that Lillian was okay and insisted that Barb take the reward money. Barb, being Barb, donated it to the local animal shelter.

  After a long talk with Bobby’s dad, Barb knew that Lillian had found the home she was meant to have. The family fixed up the doghouse and got her a great big fancy dog bed for the kitchen—and, of course, a doggie door. I gave her the doggie sunglasses as a welcome present—she wears them all the time. She doesn’t need them, really, but she says it’s rude to turn down a gift.

  About the Author and Illustrator

  DOREEN CRONIN is the New York Times bestselling author of picture books such as Rescue Bunnies, the Diary of … series, and Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, a Caldecott Honor Book. She also wrote The Trouble with Chickens, the first book in the J.J. Tully Mystery series. When she was growing up, Doreen’s dogs were Archie and Trapper (after two of her favorite television characters). She lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can visit her online at www.doreencronin.com.

  KEVIN CORNELL spends his days writing and drawing from his doghouse outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He can do several popular tricks, including “Sit,” “Stay,” and “Illustrate Books”—such as The Trouble with Chickens, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: A Graphic Novel, and Mustache! by Mac Barnett. Visit him online at www.kevskinrug.com.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors and artists.

  Praise for The Trouble with Chickens

  “Fast-paced and funny, with interesting vocabulary and a well-constructed plot, this is terrific fare.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “Tidily embedded clues, a generous scattering of vignette and full-page illustrations, a dandy plot twist, and a cast of hilarious characters add up to a treat of particular delight.”

  —The Horn Book

  “Spot-on humor and a clever story ensure this latest from Cronin will be a favorite.”

  —New York Times

  “Teachers will embrace the story as a great read-aloud, while reluctant and nonreluctant readers will savor this quick read of a mystery and eagerly await the next case for J.J. Tully to crack.”

  —School Library Journal

  “It would behoove you to have a rendezvous with this uproarious tale. Be prepared for a full-feathered flight of fancy, with a most surprising twist.”

  —Kathi Appelt, Newbery Honor winner for THE UNDERNEATH

  Other Works

  ALSO BY DOREEN CRONIN:

  The Trouble with Chickens:

  A J.J. Tully Mystery

  Credits

  Cover art © 2012 by Kevin Cornell

  Cover design by Carla Weise

  Copyright

  Balzer + Bray is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

  THE LEGEND OF DIAMOND LIL: A J.J. Tully Mystery

  Text copyright © 2012 by Doreen Cronin

  Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Kevin Cornell

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  www.harpercollinschildrens.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  ISBN 978-0-06-177996-1 (trade bdg.)—ISBN 978-0-06-198578-2 (lib. bdg.)

  EPub Edition © FEBRUARY 2012 ISBN 9780062099334

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