Wrinkles and the Bank – The Adventure of a Psychic Dog

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FINDING SOME ANSWERS

“Winkie! Let me lock the door!” Shelby demanded, still playing tug of war with him and his leash. She finally wins and gets the door locked before he drags her to the truck.

“Ugg!” She grunted, lifting his 75-pound frame onto the passenger’s seat. “Winkie, you are all muscle and I need to get you a set of stairs.”

“Aa-rf, Aa-rf,” he replied, watching her step into the truck and thinking I think you’re right.

“Here we go, boy,” she said as she pulled out some pictures and tossed them onto the dash. Then she flipped her briefcase into the back seat. “Let’s start where dad was run down. I need to see where it all happened.”

“Aruuf,” as if to say me too.

Shelby recalled the police report. “I know where we’re going. I did my rookie patrol in the area.” About twenty minutes later they had stopped, both were looking out the windows. “Now which way do we go east or west? There’s yellow police tape in both directions of the alley.”

“Arf, Arufff.” He barked, pouncing his stubby left leg into her right thigh.

“Ouch Winkie, move!” Shelby quietly yelled, grabbing his leg and lifting it off. His other paw landed on the seat between her legs. Then using both her hands she shoved him back to his seat. “Stay!” she said sternly looking directly into his small eyes and pointing her finger at his bobbing nose. Which he promptly licked.

Shelby turned the truck to her left. They slowly proceeded east onto the dirt and gravel road lined with patches of green grass against a variety of back fences. Shelby and Winkie both saw the remnants of yellow police tape hanging limp on telephone poles, while other pieces lay on the ground. “I know the detectives have already been down here, but they didn’t have a Winkie.”

The two pulled up to the far end of the alley where it had been taped off. “We’ll start here and walk down to the other set of police tape,” Shelby said, looking down the alley and across the street trying to visualize what had happened.

“Arf-ff, Arf-ff.” Winkie placed his left paw on her right thigh thinking he’s going out first, but Shelby was quicker. “Whoa, boy, me first,” and she pushed him back to his seat. He just sat there looking at her, whining as she grabbed his leash and got out. “Okay, come on,” she called as she looked at a very impatient Winkie. He was so excited he jumped into her arms. Then slid down her body and landed nose-first into the dirt. Shelby snatched the photos from the dashboard and pushed the door closed.

“Alright, let’s go,” she managed to say before being dragged to a small patch of green grass a few feet outside the remnants of the yellow, “do not cross” tape lying on the ground. They both stopped as Winkie found a good spot to water the grass.

“This looks like where it happened,” Shelby said, comparing the site to a copy of the crime scene pictures she had gotten. Suddenly, Winkie jerked his end of the leash. “What do you see?”

“Ruff- rufff,” Winkie barked in his high-pitched voice, pulling her to the gravel near the center of the alley. With his nose to the ground, he began sniffing. He continued sweeping and following his highly sensitive black nose combing through the gravel, picking up every scent there was.

No, that’s a cat, that’s a person, no that’s not Jake, thought Winkie, and quickly moved to the greenish grass growing along the fences. There he started crisscrossing the right side between the gravel and the grass. His nose kept skimming the surface of the dirt, leaving no inch untouched. Shelby followed right behind him as he moved to the other side of the alley, his keen sense of smell still looking for anything that vaguely resembled Jake. They walked about halfway further down the alley, then turned around and started back to the truck.

“Not finding anything? Look, there’s a camera on that house!” She pointed, as one of the houses caught her attention.

Shelby then began looking around at all the houses and noticed many of them had cameras pointing toward the alley. She jotted down on the back of one of the photographs, which houses she needed to check in the police report when they got back home. She penciled the house numbers, which were stamped on the meters, the color of the house, and which street it was located nearest to.

Winkie began pulling the leash again. “What’d you find, boy?” She asked as she looked down at him. He pulled her a few feet and then he lay down in the middle of the alley, and began to howl, “Awooo, Awooo!” Here right here! This is where Jake was hit.

Shelby shuffled through the pictures and pulled out the one which matched the exact spot where Winkie was lying. The blood spots were faint, but still visible on the ground. “This is the spot, but you already knew that, didn’t you? I miss him too.”

She looked at his sad brown eyes and saw a tear running down his golden brown face.

Then off to the side a small bright light caught her eye. Something was glistening on the ground above his head. Shelby bent down and picked up a couple of pieces. She examined it. A moment later she said, “This is headlight glass,” and looked at Winkie. “Come on, we’re finished here. Let’s go up to the hospital. I want to talk to that maintenance man again, David or Daniel.”

“Ar-woof,” he barked looking at her with his head cocked to the left side and his eyes wide open as if to say, me too. I bet Danny has something to say. Yes, I remembered his name, you mentioned it a couple of times in your sleep.

Shelby led the way back to the truck. “I’m thinking he could build you some stairs,” she remarked, helping him up. “Don’t get me wrong; you’re a good workout, but I’m not used to this. Then comes the fun part, you get to learn to use them.” Winkie sat down in the driver’s seat. “Keep moving, boy, I’m driving!”

“Arf grr, arfff” Winkie barked A-ha, sure and he turned toward the window.

About thirty minutes later they pulled into the hospital’s parking lot. Then she pulled out her phone and dug into the center console for his number. That’s where Shelby kept all the important numbers and business cards, all in one handy spot.

“This is Danny, how may I help you?”

“Hi, Danny I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Detective Burns, Shelby. I met you a week or so ago. I was visiting my friend and you came in to fix the window.”

“Yes, I remember you. You had on a red leather jacket.”

“You remembered. Well, my friend is part of what I wanted to talk to you about. Do you have some time today?”

“Sure, I could take my lunch break early and meet you at the front entrance in, ahhh, a couple of minutes?”

“Perfect, thank you. I’ll be outside waiting.”

“Okay,” and he hung up.

“Here we go, Winkie,” and he walked on the sidewalk next to her as she led him to the lobby entrance.

“Hold up, boy, you can’t go in. We’ll have to wait here for him.”

No sooner did they sit on the nearby cement bench a few feet from the front door, when Winkie barked, “Wooff, wooff.” Shelby turned to find Danny stepping out though the automatic doors.

“Shelby,” he said with a big smile as he looked at them.

“Hi,” she returned the smile as they both walked to him.

“You, you never said how your friend was.”

“Actually, that’s the reason why I’m here. It’s an ongoing investigation, so I can’t really discuss the details, but I need a favor. I could really use your help. I need to get up to the roof and take a look around. It won’t take long.”

“That’s not a problem, but your dog’s going to have to stay outside.”

“Grrr,” Winkie stated, staring at Danny and showing him how white his teeth were. You’re not going to leave me out of this.

“That’s the favor… please,” she said looking up at him with her hazel-green eyes. “It’s really important for him to come too, please. It’s police business, if that helps.”

“Umm, alright. I guess I can take you through the back and use the service elevator. Sure, follow me.”

“Arrrrf,” he barked, wagging his tail following Danny. I told you so.

“He’s a very unique dog and quite well-behaved too,” Danny remarked as they entered the elevator.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Shelby said, shaking her head with a smile and patting him. “Isn’t that right?”

Exiting the elevator, Winkie led them to the edge of the roof. “Now,” she said concentrating on the roof and its surroundings. “The bank’s over there,” Shelby said out loud, then fished out a basic telescope from her purse. Looking through it she found the bank with the yellow police tape moving in the wind. She began walking the roof line looking for where SWAT had set up. “Here, here is where the rifle was set up, right here. It’s the perfect spot,” Shelby nodded as she looked across to the bank, then she bent down to find the scratch marks left by the rifle stand where it was steadied on the roof. “That area over there is slightly cleaner, so that’s where they laid and took aim.” Shelby began staring at the bank trying to visualize what the SWAT sniper saw and how everything went down.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Danny asked, walking over to her from about fifteen feet away. “Excuse me,” he said, getting no answer.

“Sorry,” Shelby said, turning to him.

“I asked if you got everything you were looking for.”

“I think so,” she replied, thinking the rifle and then the shot. As she took a few steps toward the elevator she muttered out loud, “There’s got to be something else. What am I missing?” Suddenly her right arm, the one holding Winkie’s leash, jerked backward. “What the …,” she said looking back at Winkie who had stopped. “Come on, boy. We’re finished here,” Shelby said tugging on his leash. But he wasn’t budging.

“Aaarfff, aaarf,” he barked, wagging his tail, then he promptly sat down.

“Did you want me to pick him up?” Danny asked, stepping toward him.

“Grrr…” Winkie’s ears folded back to his head and his lips lifted up again showing his white teeth. Don’t even think about it, bub.

“I, I guess not,” Danny stuttered, taking two steps backward.

“What’s underneath where he’s sitting?” Shelby asked, walking over to Winkie. Then to the edge of the roof and glanced over.

“Hmm, let’s see,” he said, as he walked toward her and stopped far enough away from Winkie to feel safe. Then he gestured to the east. “The air conditioner is over there and the elevators are on this side, so it must be Room 250, I think.”

“Are you, sure?” Shelby asked, thinking he’s mistaken.

Danny paused, rescanned the roof and revised his assessment. “No, it’s 252, actually. Yep, it’s Room 252 right below where Winkie is,” he nodded his head, sure of his answer. “Why?”