The Club CSI: kids are counting on forensic science to find Hannah’s missing dog! Hannah’s dog Molly wins first place in the neighborhood dog show, but her family doesn’t get to celebrate for very long. Soon after they return home, Molly goes missing! Hannah’s parents are convinced that she left the back gate open by mistake, but Hannah knows she didn’t. Her Club CSI: friends help investigate and find a crushed orange dog treat (Molly’s treats are brown) and a piece of ripped red fabric that snagged on the back gate. Was Molly the victim of a dog-napping? If so, who took her and why? Club CSI: is on the case! David Lewman has written more than sixty-five books starring SpongeBob SquarePants, Jimmy Neutron, the Fairly OddParents, G.I. Joe, the Wild Thornberrys, and other popular characters. He has also written scripts for many acclaimed television shows. David lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Donna, and their dog, Pirkle. Chapter 1 Even though Hannah thoroughly enjoyed her mom’s delicious rosemary roasted chicken, she was really happy when dinner was finally over, because it meant it was time to go to the park with her dog, Molly. “C’mon, girl, park time!” Hannah called, and moments later Molly appeared by her side, wiggling with excitement as Hannah attached a leash to her collar. “I’m meeting up with Corey and Ben after the park to work on homework,” she reminded her parents as she headed out the door. “Bye, honey!” her parents called after her. “Be careful!” Going to the park after dinner had become a ritual for Hannah and her dog. But Hannah didn’t just play with Molly at the park. Together they were working on agility training. She was teaching her dog to run through an obstacle course and to practice skills like jumping over barriers and weaving between posts. Molly was becoming very good at agility training. She seemed to love it. And not just for the treats she got as a reward for mastering a skill, though they helped a lot. “Good girl!” Hannah said after Molly jumped over a low metal bar people used for push-ups and sit-ups. She snapped off a piece of a biscuit and gave it to Molly, who crunched the biscuit and wagged her tail. “Hannah!” She turned to see Ben and Corey, her two best friends, approaching. Together the three of them had formed Club CSI, a club dedicated to using the skills they’d learned in forensic science class. Their teacher, Miss Hodges, was their faculty advisor. She was also their favorite teacher at Woodlands Junior High. They felt lucky that she’d moved to their small Nevada town. “Hi!” Hannah answered, waving. Molly barked a loud greeting. “Hey, Molly!” Ben said, bending down to greet the bluish-gray dog with a pat on the head. She had a strong body with short fur and a black circle around one eye. She sat right by Hannah, looking as though she were smiling. “What kind of dog is Molly again?” Corey asked. Hannah started to answer, but then Corey stopped her. “Wait, don’t tell me,” he said. “I know you’ve told me before. I’ll remember.” He stared at Molly and pursed his lips, thinking. “An Austrian candle dog?” “She’s an Australian cattle dog,” Hannah said, shaking her head. “Oh, right,” Corey said, nodding. “What would a candle dog be, anyway?” Ben asked. “One that’s really bright?” Corey suggested. Hannah laughed. “Well, she is really bright, that’s for sure. She knows lots of commands: sit, stay, come, down, over, under . . .” “I read that dogs can understand two hundred words,” Ben said. “Which ones?” Corey asked. Ben looked confused. “Which dogs, you mean? All of them.” “No, I mean which words,” Corey explained. “I think it varies from dog to dog,” Ben said. “And what language their owner speaks.” “I saw a video of a dog on the Internet saying ‘I love you,’” Corey said. “At least, that’s what they claimed the dog was saying. To me, it sounded more like ‘Ah wuh woo.’ And I’m not sure the dog really meant it.” Ben turned back to Hannah. “Are you still having problems with Molly ripping things up? And nipping at people’s heels?” “Nope,” Hannah said, scratching Molly’s back. “No more ripping and nipping. She’s been so much better since we started agility training.” Molly wagged her tail as Hannah spoke, as if she understood what she was saying. “Australian cattle dogs were bred to herd cattle, so they have a lot of energy. If they don’t get enough exercise, they can get destructive. That’s what was happening with Molly, but she’s much better now.” “I’m kind of the same way,” Corey admitted. “What’s agility training, anyway?” “We’ll show you,” Hannah said. She found some sticks and then stuck them in the ground, so they looked like a line of poles. “Come on, Molly! Weave!” With a little encouragement from Hannah, Molly wove in and out of the poles, making her way from one end of the line to the other. When she made it past the last stick, she got another treat from Hannah. “Good girl!” Hannah cooed, rubbing