Merry Christmas - Peter Abrahams

Not long after that, we turned onto a single-lane road, a very unusual road paved with red and green bricks. Soon we rolled up to a gatehouse and came to a stop. A very tall dude with a tiny strip of tinsel caught in his beard stepped out.

“Merry Christmas!” he said.

“Well, it’s a little early, but – “

“And welcome to Kringle Ranch! Mr. Little, I presume?”

“Bernie,” said Bernie.

“And this must be Chet. My goodness!” He pressed a button and the gate swung open. “Second left, third right’ll take you straight to Cratchit House. Key and welcome note are under the mat. Enjoy your stay! Merry Christmas!”

“Same to you,” Bernie said.

“That’s what I like to hear! They don’t call me Santa’s gatekeeper for nothin’.”

A Cat Was Involved

As fans know, Chet first met Bernie on that fateful day when he flunked out of K-9 police school. The details of that day though have always remained a little vague (like so much in Chet’s doggy brain). All we know is that Chet had been the best leaper in his K-9 class, but for some reason he failed his final leaping test...and that a cat was involved...and that there was some blood. But whose? The test, the cat, the blood—all pieces of a puzzle that, when solved, will bring down a dangerous gang of thieves—and signal the start of a beautiful friendship.

This fateful day has been alluded to in every book in the series, and now fans of Chet and Bernie will finally get to find out what actually happened. For these two beloved characters, it was something like love at first sight—and, for Chet, at first smell, too.

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