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April 26, 2025 · 4:07 am

The Dog That Inherited A Palace Chapter 24

©GeraldineBanksApril2025

Tedi woke up from his dream, the day he arrived safely back at the House after the kidnapping was one of the best days of his life. He lay on his sofa in the drawing room enjoying the moment . Trinnie was beside him and only stirred when she sensed he was about to open his eyes.

Once she knew he was awake, Trinny leapt down from the sofa and went and got a drink from the bowl of water, some of the other dogs stirred and they all decided to go downstairs and see what was going on. Tedi rolled over on the sofa , he would rest a little longer. There was no rush.

Tedi heard a bit of commotion downstairs, the dogs were obviously very excited about something. Probably Mrs Graham had put out some leftovers , or perhaps James had appeared to bring them out for a walk. Tedi rolled over on his back and thought.

“All in good time”.

He stretched his paws and yawned. As he did so , a young boy about sixteen years old appeared at the door and walked towards the sofa. It was Tommy , he was back to visit from boarding school. Tedi immediately jumped down from the sofa and ran over to Tommy. Tommy picked Tedi up and gave him a big hug.

” Hello, my boy, how are you?”

Tedi licked his face. He was very pleased to see Tommy, the school term seemed so long but now they could be together for at least a little while. Tommy put Tedi back down on the floor.

” A bit stiff I see, oh well, a gentle walk will do you good. I need a bit of fresh air.”

Tommy carried Tedi downstairs and put him gently on the floor.

Cross and Lettie appeared, they were married now and had two children, they lived on the Gatehouse at the entrance to the estate. They were both just starting work and were delighted to see Tommy.

Cross , Lettie and Tommy all hugged each other and Tedi was very excited and pleased. Meanwhile James arrived to take some of the other dogs out.

” I’ll take one of the buggies , don’t think Tedi will make it all the way around.” Tommy said to James as he gathered up all the other dogs.

” No, you’re right, I’m just taking this lot for a good run around the fields, catch up later.” James smiled.

Tedi followed Tommy out the door , his days of running around in the fields had long passed and he loved going out in the electric golf buggie with Tommy.

On Tommy’s first day back from school, Tommy and Tedi had the same routine , they would go and visit the place on the estate where Bruno, their friend was buried.

Bruno had lived a year on the estate , he had to have a lot of treatments from the vet during that time, but he was very happy and Tedi had showed him lots of the places that he knew, but even Tedi could see that Bruno had slowed down a lot. Bruno treatments sometimes made him very tired, but he was never grumpy and would always make the effort to go out on their walks.

However as time moved on Tommy realised that Bruno needed help to get around and that is how they started using the Buggie. As Bruno was quite big , they got a special trailer and Tedi and Bruno would sit on it and gaze out at the countryside.

Eventually though they had to say their goodbyes to Bruno, and he was laid to rest in one of Tedi and Bruno’s favourite places, which had a view of the House and the Lake.

Today the buggie without the trailer trundled up a steep incline towards the spot where there was a bench to sit on and a small headstone for Bruno. They had left the driveway and were on the grass. Tedi sat on the seat beside Tommy , it was a bit uncomfortable and he was thrown a lot from side to side , he loved it and he occasionally gazed at Tommy.

” You alright” Tommy would say and Tedi would look up at him with his big puppy dog eyes.

” Not long now”

As soon as they arrived at the top of the hill, Tedi hopped out, he could sense Bruno’s presence and he was excited to be in their special place. Tommy walked over to the bench , which had a little plaque on it .

” Bruno’s Bench”

Tommy sat down and stretched his legs as he was getting quite tall. He gazed at the view, it was magnificent , the sun had nearly risen completely and the lake glistened.

Tedi scurried around and sniffed and licked, while Tommy sat and relaxed.

The estate would be Tommy’s when Tedi passed, a Trust had been set up and Tommy would inherit the Palace and the Estate. Cross knew that he could trust Tommy, especially after what Tommy and Tedi had been through together. The estate would be in good hands. Cross realised that Tommy saw the beauty of what he would inherit, it wasn’t about the land or the money. It was a special place to all of them and Tommy would ensure it was looked after.

The End

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March 22, 2025 · 9:45 am

The Dog That Inherited A Palace Chapter 23

©GeraldineBanksMarch2025

Cross sat by the phone on his desk and gazed out the window from his office hoping to get some news on the whereabouts of the dogs. He distracted himself by looking at the view up the long drive to the House . In the far off distance he thought he saw a small dot moving closer to the house and gradually the small dot became a silhouette of some large dogs, a small dog and a little boy. Dawn had broken and the birds were chirping. The sun was rising behind the little group and the grey drive gradually became bathed in sunshine and appeared to glow beside the trees that lined it . As the colours of the day returned, Cross realised that at the front of the little group there was a little white dog leading the way.

“Teds!”

He immediately got out of his chair , ran out of his office and down the stairs to the front door. He was shouting.

“They’re back, they’re back!” He sprinted down the drive way.

Lettie and the Cook heard him, the Cook appeared out of the kitchen with her hands all covered in flour as she’d been baking bread. Lettie realised what was happening and went and got some camera gear and some dog collars and leads from the storeroom.

Cross ran as fast as he could and as he got closer was getting more and more out of breath.

Meanwhile Tedi and the others kept their pace as they were very tired and just wanted to keep going particularly for Tommy’s sake as they knew he needed proper food and a bed. The little boy had done very well , but they were scared he might be sick and knew that he certainly couldn’t run. So they kept walking and everyone stayed together.

James was out walking his new arrival who began to pull on his lead and whine when he saw his friends.

” Hey boy, what’s up?” James said to him, and then looked in the direction the dog was pulling.

” Wow, Good Boy, you want to go and see your friends, steady!” James held the dog on the lead but started heading towards the little group.

Tedi meanwhile had spotted Cross running towards him, it was the best sight ever, he still stayed with his little group but Tedi had a smile on his face, he was home, very tired, very hungry and he thought he might have picked up some fleas or tics and would be so grateful to have his regular worming tablet , but he was home.

Cross reached him and picked him up off the ground in his arms.

“Oh my boy, it’s good to see you!” Cross picked Tedi up and hugged him ,Tedi was light as a feather and had lost quite a bit of weight . He put him down when he noticed the other dogs and the little boy were not too sure what would happen next. Tedi was safe but were they?

“And these must be your friends, come on , come on into the house, you look as if you could do with a good meal!” Cross, though , realised that he would need to contact the doctor and the vet as soon as possible.

James arrived with the other dog and Bruno in particular was very pleased to see him, the other dog let Bruno know that everything was fine here, there was good food and the people were very nice and there was plenty of room for everyone.

Lettie arrived with some collars and leads but they weren’t necessary, all the animals were so tired that they just followed Tedi. Lettie noticed Tommy and his rucksack , she walked over to him and said.

” Hello, what’s your name?”

” Tommy” Tommy said looking up with his big eyes at Lettie.

“Do you want me to carry your rucksack, you look very tired, do you want some breakfast?” Lettie smiled at the little boy.

” Yes please” Tommy replied.” Be careful though it’s got a little fox in it , I rescued it , I’ve given it water and a little food, it’s got a sore leg.”

Lettie , took the rucksack, which wriggled and took Tommy by the hand and began to lead him up to the House. They were just passing by James and Lettie looked down at Tommy and said.

“I’m going to give your little Fox to James, he will look after it and we’ll go and see him after you’ve had breakfast and a bath , is that alright?”

James let the dog he was with , off the lead as it obviously wanted to be with the other dogs and he watched as they all nuzzled each other, glad to know they were safe. He took the fox and when he got back to the House put it in a secure cage with some food and water and made it as comfortable as possible. He then took one of the House vehicles back to collect the dogs who now they knew they were safe were resting on the grass. When he arrived back with the vehicle the dogs all hopped in straight away and Tommy got in the front with Lettie and James.

Once back at the House, word had got around that ” Tedi was back”.

Trinnie was the first down the stairs, but she couldn’t believe how thin and unkempt her Tedi had become. She went over and sniffed him and licked his face, he in turn greeted her and let her know he was very glad to be back home. Then all the other House dogs appeared and there was utter pandemonium

Meanwhile James went and rang the vets as all the dogs would need to be assessed, and Cross and the cook arranged food bowls and water bowls in the drawing room along with some cushions and blankets that the dogs could lie on. The sun shone through the big curtained windows of the drawing room and it was warm and clean and Bruno and his friends could not believe their luck. They ate a little and drank, but mainly they wanted just to lie in the warm sun and have a sleep.

Tedi , Cross and Lettie went upstairs to the office with Tommy. They would have to decide what to do with the little boy, but in the meantime , what he needed was a good bath and to go to bed. They’d get the doctor to visit in the afternoon.

” Thank you , ” was all Tommy could say, he was very tired and barely could stay awake. They found some fresh pyjamas and tucked him into bed near Lettie ‘s room and Lettie stayed with him just in case he woke up and needed something. In truth Tommy had been too tired to eat.

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March 19, 2025 · 4:51 am

The Dog That Inherited A Palace Chapter 22

©GeraldineBanksMarch2025

Cross held the phone and talked , as Lettie looked on.

“Yes a small boy with four or five dogs, including a small terrier. Where? Where are they now? They escaped? You managed to capture one of the dogs. Look give me your address and we’ll come and meet you at the barn. ” He glanced at Lettie, and signalled that they would go over there in the car together.

The farmer whose barn Tommy and the dogs had taken shelter in had seen the story on the News that morning about the dog who had been kidnapped and escaped from it’s kidnappers and seemed to be making his way home cross country from London with some other dogs and a small boy.

So when he went into his barn to get some rusty old equipment that he was planning to clean up and sell, he was surprised when he heard a dog bark and looked up to see a little boy running towards him holding a rucksack, followed by three other dogs and a small terrier. They ran by the farmer and out the barn door.

The dog that had barked and had warned the others stood his ground as there was no room to get by, so the farmer thought quickly and ran out of the barn and closed the door behind him. The farmer just had time to see a white tail and the head of the little boy disappear around the corner of the stone wall surrounding the farm and run onto the road. The farmer thought about following them in his car ,but he decided it was useless. The feature on the News had said to ring a number if you had any information, so that is what he did.

When Cross and Lettie arrived and talked to the farmer , they were very happy to hear some good news, and they arranged to take the dog that was in the barn. They told the farmer that James would collect him later that day. They also had a look at where the dogs had ran around the stone wall. They could see paw prints and the footprints of a small boy. After following the prints for a short while , they realised that the little group were long gone. Cross found the spot where they had crossed the road and ran into the undergrowth, Cross couldn’t follow, but he checked his GPS on his phone and he reckoned that they were heading in the right direction to get back home. He just hoped they would be safe on their journey.

Tommy, Tedi and Bruno along with the other dogs had kept going until they were well away from the farmer. They were now in fields and countryside and they were making their way through open fields which had crops in them. Tedi was sure of his navigation now and there wasn’t any need to follow roads, the terrain was flatter and easier and there were lots of small brooks and rivers that the dogs could get a drink out of.

Tommy was very tired ,he wasn’t too sure where they were going , but he did his best to keep up and knew if they needed anything that there were built up areas in the distance, which were sure to have shops or petrol stations. As it was after their experience at the barn , for the moment they all wanted to stay clear of anyone. They missed their friend , but what could they do? Tedi thought that if he could get home , then they could search for him then, Bruno agreed. They couldn’t go back now.

They made good progress , they had been travelling by daylight and it was about three o’clock in the afternoon. They had came to a stile and they all crossed over it but they were so tired they decided to rest up, and found a sheltered area under some trees and lay down together. It was a beautiful day and the sun was warm. They all fell soundly asleep.

They were rudely awoken by the sound of dogs barking and the horses and people running from the other side of the field. They watched in amazement at they saw the red coats of the people on the horses and the hounds running in all directions barking , not knowing quite in what direction to go. One lady went to jump a fence and fell out of her saddle with a thump on the ground. This stopped the progress of the hunt somewhat as some of the riders stopped to see if the lady who had fallen was alright, others jumped off their horses to catch the stray horse, who had kept going for a short distance after losing it’s rider but was now standing around not too sure what had happened. It was easy to catch.

Tommy then noticed the fox, it was moving slowly along the edge of the field , obviously looking for somewhere to hide and keeping an eye on the people in the red coats on horses. The hounds had lost the scent and that is why they were confused.

The fox clung to the hedgerow and almost seemed to be crawling on all fours. Bruno thought about distracting the hounds, but Tedi said it would be too dangerous, that the hounds as a pack could be very vicious and they might attack Bruno. Luckily the fox had made it to the other side of the field and was hunkering down in a hedgerow.

Tedi , Bruno and Tommy looked on as they watched the lady who fell off her horse remount and the hunters and their pack began to regroup.

They hoped that the fox would stay where it was and not move and indeed , the hunt changed course and went off in the opposite direction with the hounds braying and running around trying to find another scent.

” Stay where you are little one, you’re safe.” Tommy said out loud, but speaking to himself. The dogs had lost interest in the fox and wanted to go back to sleep.

After the hunt had disappeared, Tommy decided to check out the area where the fox was. It was still light and the dogs were fast asleep. Tommy walked over to the hedgerow and once he had cleared away some undergrowth he saw the fox laying low on the ground, it was injured , there was dried blood on it’s back leg, and it looked in pain. Tommy didn’t want to leave it there , so he gave it some water and the last bit of food that he had left in his rucksack. The fox was very thin, so Tommy decided that it would fit in his rucksack, he would take it to safety and see if he could make it better.

That evening , they set out on what Tedi knew would be the final leg of their journey home. Tedi could almost smell home. It took a few hours and it was dark when they arrived at the outskirts of the estate. Tedi was relieved, but the estate was quite big and it would still take some time to reach the House.

Meanwhile , Cross and Lettie were back a the House awaiting any news. James had picked up the stray dog and had settled it in one of the kennels. All they could do was wait and hopefully hear some good news soon.

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March 16, 2025 · 7:49 am

The Dog That Inherited A Palace Chapter 21

©GeraldineBanksMarch2025

Meanwhile the dogs and Tommy made good progress, fortunately Tedi’s navigation brought them through two Country Parks, they were called Langley Country Park and Black Country Park. They were safe places for the dogs to be , the weather was pleasant and not too cold even though it was night time, there was good ground coverage of trees and shrubs that they could all hide when necessary.

Bruno kept watch all the time, he was wary of people , however as they walked through the woodland and across the heathland of South Buckinghamshire, the only thing they could hear and see was the nocturnal wildlife that surrounded them. There were many bats flying around , the dogs listened as they whizzed through the air. Tommy wasn’t frightened as the dogs didn’t seem bothered by them and increasingly as Tommy’s eyes became accustomed to the dark, he began to see more and more.

There were lots of voles wandering around, they smelt the dogs and would move back into their little burrows, but the mice seemed oblivious and scurried around in the twigs and moss underneath their feet. Tommy heard and saw frogs and toads, and the air was full of insects, which buzzed around them and drove the bats crazy. Hedgehogs wandered back and forward scurrying along and sometimes you could hear them crunching on the shells of snails and munching on slugs.

Bruno signalled to Tommy that he wanted to go off alone, so Tommy untied himself. Tedi understood and stayed close to Tommy, they were both at the front. They heard a scurrying and snuffling sound that was near them as they approached some woodland. They had came across a Badger Sett, which had a few families of badgers within it, all the families were out , looking for food and getting some fresh air, the cubs were playing and although the parents heard the approach of Tommy and the group , they were not frightened. To the badgers, the little group were part of nature, they smelt just like them. So Tommy gleefully looked on as he walked by and saw the cubs wrestling and playing and screeching and squeaking.

Tedi though kept up the pace, and Tommy kept going, as they walked through the woodland they noticed picnic tables where food had been dropped and apart from Tommy who had a rucksack with fresh food in it, the dogs scavenged a little, but it was not the best of food and they were wary of getting sick. As Tedi explained to them, it wouldn’t be long before they’d have the best of food and a nice bed to lie in.

They reached the end of the wood and Tedi looked up in the sky and checked the stars against his internal GPS.

” Yes, we are heading in the right direction”. He thought to himself.

The terrain they came to after the forest was known as the Carr, it was a landform that is a type of waterlogged wooded terrain, that is a precursor to the formation of land. The land became marshy and there were a lot of shrubs. The dogs sensed the wetness and tried their best to find a way that wasn’t too marshy.

It was then that a group of Roe Deer appeared in the distance being chased by Bruno. Tommy watched fascinated as Bruno ran around them and chased them backwards and forwards. They were getting tired and Bruno was going at full pelt. Tedi and the other dogs looked in awe, however , they all stood still as they knew what was coming next.

One of the deer slipped in the muddy ground and fell and within moments , Bruno , being the Podenco he was , jumped on him and the other deer ran even faster away from the inevitable fate of one of their own.

“What is he doing?” Tommy asked. Tedi looked at him , he couldn’t explain it , it was nature, it was a natural instinct in hunting dogs. The deer would make a good meal for the dogs and then they would be on their way.

By the time they reached Bruno , the deer was dead and Bruno signalled to the dogs to have their fill. Tommy wandered off to a nearby stream so he wouldn’t see them eat and then joined the other dogs. The meat was delicious and by the time they had finished there was nothing left apart from the bones. There was no denying it , it was the best meal any of them had ever had.

It gave them energy for the next phase of their journey and Tommy had understood the importance to them and that it was natural. However, he was certainly put off when he saw the faces of the dogs all covered in blood and led them back to where he had been sitting to have a drink and he helped them clean up. As soon as this was done they continued on their journey, the dogs with renewed energy. Bruno dutifully linked up with Tommy as before. It was going to be hard for the little boy and he needed all the help he could get.

They walked through the marshy area and through more forest until eventually they came to a car park at the end of the Country Park. The moon had disappeared and the first birds were beginning to sing. They would need to find somewhere to shelter as Tedi and the other dogs could smell rain in the air. Bruno thought that it would be best if they followed the road, there weren’t many cars at this time of night. So they padded along gently heading West. Whenever they saw the lights of a car or a delivery van they hid in the undergrowth beside the road.

They came to what looked like an abandoned farm, there were many buildings that looked disused. It was three hours since they left the Country Park and they were all tired and it was getting light. Tedi and Bruno , said to the others to wait while they checked the farm out. Luckily quite near the road was an old barn, which had straw in it , but no sign of any other animals.

” This will do” Tedi said,” We can stay here until it’s dark again tonight and tomorrow we will be home.”

Bruno went off to get the others. They were all ready for a sleep, but it was agreed that one dog would stay awake and be on guard to listen out for anything untoward. So they lay down together, while each dog took turns guarding to protect the others while they were asleep.

Tommy was exhausted and after having some of the juice he had in his rucksack and a sandwich, he fell asleep almost immediately and slept soundly. Bruno lay beside him to keep him warm.

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March 9, 2025 · 7:08 pm

The Dog That Inherited A Palace Chapter 19

©GeraldineBanksMarch2025

On Friday morning Chief Superintendent Napper drove up the long driveway to the ” House” . He was driving his wife’s car to maintain the status that the Police were not involved, even if he knew Tedi was not in danger , at least from the kidnappers.

It was a pleasant day and the Superintendent was pleased to say that he had some good news. There had been a two or three reports of sightings of a white dog with a small boy and it appeared that they had travelled out of London and had been spotted with some other dogs. The little group had so far evaded capture and seemed to be heading West. Increasingly the Chief Superintendent felt that Tedi was heading home. Even better he had CCTV photographs of the little gang which he felt would reassure Cross.

Napper was intent on getting the kidnappers, he hated kidnappers with a vengeance. One of his most difficult cases was a kidnapping that was never resolved to Napper’s satisfaction. So he was determined to get the person responsible . This was an opportunity to get the main protagonist and he had to persuade Cross to follow his plan. He felt Cross would be reassured that they could proceed with the plan without endangering the little dog.

” So there you are” Napper handed Cross and Letitia the photographs.

” Yes, that’s definately him! ” Cross and Letitia gasped. ” I don’t know the other dogs with him or the little boy”.

“They seem to mainly travel at night, how they got out of London and crossed the Motorway without being killed, I don’t know, but now we’re beginning to get reports from the smaller villages. Some people have reported the dogs sleeping in their outhouses and have given them food and water. The little boy has stayed out of the way when people are around, might be he’s scared someone will catch him. Either way , they’re covering a lot of ground , about twenty miles a day.”

” Is there nothing we can do, put out a search party, posters anything?” Cross asked.

” If you don’t mind, they seem to be doing OK, we can’t say anything yet, I want to get this kidnapper, you said that you were getting a call at 6.00 o’clock tonight , to arrange a rendezvous to hand over the money. “

The Chief Superintendent continued.” You’ll get full backing and I’ll get whoever is behind this. I’m pretty certain the kidnapper will ask for a meeting tonight. We’re going to fill a suitcase full of monopoly money and a little surprise, the techhie people will brief you. You know he hasn’t got the dog, but you can bluff it. Whoever the kidnapper is , they aren’t going to trust their underlings with ” a million smackers”. The Chief Superintendent smiled.

So Cross took the call as agreed at 6.00pm, the technicians were listening in and gathering evidence. They managed to trace the call to a telephone box in Oxford, and the local Police , once they knew the coast was clear , followed through and took finger prints from the phone in the box. It was a long shot but it had to be done.

The kidnapper was oblivious to all this evidence gathering and was pleased with himself for setting up the rendezvous. He would handle this alone, he would have some dinner at a local restaurant and then make his way to the Industrial Estate he had chosen for the money to be handed over and agreed Ten O’clock. He would bring a little white dog which looked like Tedi, it was in the back of his car. In the dark no one would know and anyway if there was any trouble he would use his gun.

Cross was in his car , waiting at the agreed Rendezvous spot in the middle of the Industrial Estate the kidnapper had requested. Cross had been waiting in his car for ten minutes , when the kidnappers car pulled up beside him.

Cross rolled down his window.

” You got the money in small bills in a suitcase.”

” Yes, I have, let me see my dog.”

” Look he’s there in the back, happy as Larry to see you he is.”

” It’s very dark, but yes , I can see his tail wagging, so he’s alright then?” Cross played along.

” He’s fine” The man took out a gun and said to Cross. ” Get out of the car, I’ll check the suitcase on the bonnet, no funny business, you’ve seen the dog”.

” Yes , that’s fine.” Cross wasn’t worried about the weapon, in his youth, he’d looked after many shooting parties, there wasn’t much he didn’t know about guns.

Lettie, however, was in the Chief Superintendent’s car watching on videocam and she was very worried.

” Oh no!” she put her hand to her mouth.

” Be careful everyone, suspect has a gun. Approach with care, but move fast if anything untoward happens. Listen for instructions and act when I give the command.” The Chief Superintendent said over the radio.

” Untoward?” Lettie looked at Napper.

In the meantime Cross had got out of the car with the suitcase in his hands and moved to the front of the car to lay the suitcase on top of the bonnet.

The kidnapper moved beside him but keeping his distance and pointing his gun at him.

“Open it”

” Surely that isn’t necessary, I hardly would have come here by myself without the money.”

” I wasn’t born yesterday mate, you posh ones are all the same, forget it , there’s no honour among thieves. “

” What ? What Century do you think we’re living in” Cross looked at him calmly.

” Open it!”

” Alright” Cross moved his hands towards the two locks on the suitcase.

As he pressed the locks, the case flew open and jets of orange gas spewed into the atmosphere.

” Go!” Napper shouted on the radio.

Meanwhile Cross jumped behind the passenger side of his car, and ran around the back . At the same time covering his face with the mask he had in his pocket. He ran around the back of his car over to the kidnappers car.

The Police came from everywhere, they shouted at the kidnapper to put his weapon down.

The kidnapper’s eyes were streaming and he couldn’t see a thing, the Police shone a beam of light on him and watched as the kidnapper threw the gun on the ground and bent over and began rubbing his eyes. The Police officers grabbed his arms and moved him away from the gas towards a wall of a building and then searched him.

The message came over the radio. ” Suspect detained. Weapon retrieved, cleared of live ammunition and bagged for evidence.”

” Right , lets go and see this fellow.” Napper said to Lettie.

“Is that OK? Well I’d appreciate it, I mean I ….”

” Right come on….” The Chief Superintendent said gruffly, he had cottoned on to the fact that Lettie was fond of Cross.

So as Napper walked up to the officers who had handcuffed the kidnapper, Cross appeared with a little white dog in his arms.

” I’ve no idea who this is ” He said to Lettie.

Lettie looked at him relieved and petted the little dog on the head.

” Are you alright?” she asked, really meaning Cross but looking at the dog.

” He’s fine, fortunately I got him into the fresh air before he breathed in any of the orange gas.”

” And how about you, you OK?” Lettie enquired .

” Oh yes, I think it all went to plan what do you think?”

” Sounded pretty good.”

They both looked over at the man in handcuffs being questioned by Chief Superintendent Napper. They spoke to some of the other officers involved and checked if it was alright for them to return home. The Chief Superintendent would be occupied for quite some time and while Cross and Lettie wanted the go ahead to start the Publicity to find Tedi and his gang. It was agreed they would speak to the Chief Superintendent tomorrow. So they said their goodbyes to the officers and some of the technical staff and headed back to the Palace with the new addition to their brood, James would be delighted and they had already decided he would be called ” Napper”

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March 7, 2025 · 7:17 am

The Dog That Inherited A Palace Chapter 18

©GeraldineBanksMarch2025

Tedi looked at the frail little boy that was Tommy and wondered how they were ever going to make it. Still ,Tedi’s homing instinct was very strong, he knew he had to just keep going. It was three O’clock in the afternoon and he knew the right direction to go. Tedi got up and Tommy followed him.

They walked along streets and alleyways heading towards what everyone would know as the North Circular, fortunately there were a lot of cafes and shops along the route where they were going. Food seemed to have been dropped everywhere and now and then Tedi stopped and ate what he found on the ground which was actually quite tasty, there were meat sandwiches, burgers and fries and his favourite fish and chips. Tommy couldn’t eat that , but he was quite capable of going into shops and shop lifting, he knew how to get in without being noticed and he came out with all sorts of things , drinks and food, even a dog bowl to put water in and finally a rucksack to put everything in.

However, one observant shop keeper, spotted Tommy and nearly caught him. Tedi was just having a wee when he saw Tommy running out of the shop being chased by three young men.

” Ooops” Tedi thought” and started running too, Tommy followed him. They crossed roads dodging the traffic and came to a load of abandoned road works, there were lots of signs but no one working on them. Tedi popped behind one of the big orange signs and onto the edge of one of the holes Tommy followed him. They hunkered down and waited for the men to pass.

The men were were quite out of breath, but still managed to talk to each other.

” We should report it to the Police, a little boy out on his own like that with a little white dog. It’s not right.” Said one of the men.

” Yes, poor little blighter , the little boy was skin and bone, ran like the wind though, best report it , someone might be looking for him.” One of the men gasped.

And so Chief Superintendent Napper, got the report of the little dog and a boy who matched the description of Tedi and Tommy and it looked like they were heading West out of London.

” That’s going to make the meeting with the kidnappers very interesting, I think I’ll pop in and see Mr Cross later on today. He’ll be glad to know that I don’t think that the kidnappers have the dog either.” Napper thought to himself, and decided to issue a request for other nearby Police Forces to report any sightings of a small white dog accompanied by a little frail boy.

So Tedi and Tommy sheltered behind the roadworks for a while and then continued their journey. The roads were very busy , it was getting to five o’clock and everyone was going home from work. It would be light until about seven O’clock and Tedi was beginning to feel tired, he knew he’d rather travel at night as it would be safer and less likely to attract attention. Also he needed the stars and the moon to help him navigate, he couldn’t rely on them but if he could see them it would reassure him.

Tedi decided that as they were near some very big concrete roads that they would find a culvert and hopefully find somewhere comfortable for him and Tommy to hide and have some rest.

Tommy was slowing down and he was really grateful when Tedi made a left turn and went under a bridge. Someone had discarded loads of cardboard and Tedi and Tommy were able to gather it up and protect themselves from the hard ground. The traffic was very noisy , but Tommy had something to drink and put some water in Tedi’s bowl and then they lay down, hidden from everyone and they both fell asleep , cuddling each other to stay warm.

They woke up at midnight, much longer than they intended sleeping. Tedi was woken by a paw in his face, it was a large brown mongrel who was fast asleep on the cardboard beside him. Tedi opened his eyes and raised his head to see four other dogs huddled together with Tommy and him. Despite being a chilly night they were all very cosy and all the dogs were snoring gently. Tedi looked at Tommy and saw how comfortable the little boy was cuddled up to the dogs.

Tedi wanted to get up and moved out of the way of the large brown dog, who he later found out was called Bruno. Bruno woke up and in a few minutes both dogs knew each others history. Bruno looked after the other four dogs with him, they’d been strays in London for a long while. Bruno found out Tedi was heading back to the Countryside and Bruno asked him if he and his friends could go with them. Tedi liked the idea immediately and said yes.

Tedi explained that he wanted to set off while it was still dark and his plan was to find shelter, food and water on the way. Bruno told him he knew the best way to get out of London and that there were loads of tunnels under the motorway that they could go through in safety and he knew a lot of the towns on the way to the Countryside. Bruno had had enough of London and it’s business and pollution. He wanted to live like a Lord like Tedi. Tedi said he would see what he could do. He really liked Bruno.

And so , one by one they woke up the little pack of dogs and finally they woke Tommy up who was very reluctant to get up . Tommy yawned, but brightened up when he saw the dogs, and patted each one and said hello. Bruno was nearly as big as Tommy, and Tommy hugged him.

Before finally leaving , Tommy opened up his rucksack and got some water for the dogs and some sausages, and Tommy drank a small carton of fruit juice he’d taken from one of the shops and an out of date bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich for himself which he ate, throwing small bits of bacon to the dogs who were delighted.

So guided by Bruno and the night stars, Tedi, Tommy and Bruno passed underneath the big motorway and began their journey into the Countryside.

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March 2, 2025 · 7:04 am

The Dog That Inherited A Palace Chapter 16

©GeraldineBanksMarch2025

Tedi rolled over onto his tummy on the posh velvet padded chair that was his favourite in the State Drawing Room of the Palace. All the other dogs were asleep and Trinnie was beside him in her favourite chair. Meanwhile the dream Tedi was having continued and he began to growl and his paws flicked backwards and forwards as if he was indeed running.

Tommy and Tedi had heard the man and woman downstairs who came to look at the puppies. Tommy got washed in the bathroom and signalled to Tedi that he would bring him outside. They walked down the stairs and passed by the couple who were looking at the cages where there were a number of female dogs who had either recently had litters or were about to have them.

” Oh , do we need to get a puppy? Look at that nice little dog , can’t we get that one, look he’s house-trained and he’s walking so nice with that little boy”. The detective said out loudly , turning around to pet Tedi.

The two detectives realised who Tedi was.

” That one’s not for sale, he’s the little boy’s dog, special he is , Tommy wouldn’t be parted with his little dog would you ? Tom.”

Tommy looked up and shook his head, he wondered who the man and woman were who were looking at the puppies.

The dealer who was selling the pups said. ” Now rung along , you let the dog out in the garden and get some breakfast, good lad.”

” Shame, he would have been ideal. ” The two detectives looked at each other.

Tedi and the little boy disappeared downstairs and out through the back of the house.

Back at Police HQ, the detectives who had been looking at the puppies and had indeed purchased two of them were now in the meeting room.

” You’re not getting those on expenses!” Chief Superintendent Napper said gruffly.

“No Sir, we just wanted to keep our cover straight, and anyway I couldn’t leave them there, some of those dogs are in a hell of a state. We need to raid the place.” The puppies licked the police officers faces.

” Well, looks like we know where our little Lordship is and there’s nothing to stop us now. ” The Chief summarised the situation. ” We best move quickly as we don’t want to lose them. Lets put our plan into action.”

So just after lunch, the kidnappers had a knock on their door and all hell let loose.

The plain clothes officers who entered the building, knew exactly where to go, they had weapons because the police knew that this group, as they were involved with drugs, as well as illegal puppy farming could be dangerous and sure enough once the criminals realised that it was the Police all hell let loose. They ran into different rooms and into the garden trying to hide evidence and escape if they could.

Meanwhile Tommy and Tedi were upstairs in Tommy’s room looking out into the garden below.

Tommy heard the word “Police” and said to Tedi, “We got to get out!”

In the chaos , Tommy and Tedi ran by everyone on the stairs and out the front door and down the street. Tommy was so small and the Police and the gangsters so big and everyone was fighting that no one saw them leave.

Back at base, once the raid was over and the relevant agencies contacted. Chief Superintendent Napper was not happy.

” Great Job on animal welfare, rubbish job on solving the kidnapping, where is the little dog now?”

” We’ve checked the cctv and the bodycams , it looks like Tedi escaped down the street with a little boy. None of the others we arrested will say anything about who the boy is and they won’t admit that the dog is theirs either. We’ve got a description. Should we go public?” One of the officers said.

“Great !” The Superintendent said exasperated ” The Police are after a little boy and his dog, the News will have a field day. What a mess!” Chief Superintendent Napper barged out of the room. Thoughts raced through his head. No he was not going public, but he knew he had to get hold of Cross and tell him what had happened. What would the kidnappers do now? Would they still try to get the money off Cross? That was a possibility. No , no publicity. He quickly turned around and went back to the room.

” Guys, we need to keep the lid on this a bit longer, I’m going to speak to Cross , in the meantime let the uniforms and anyone else you know in London keep an eye out for the little boy and the dog. Great if we find him, but if not the kidnappers are going to still be looking for him. We need to find them first, or keep the kidnappers sweet, they’ve got to think that we still think they’ve got the dog.”

Team meeting 5.00pm and I’ll update you.

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March 1, 2025 · 7:05 am

The Dog That Inherited A Palace Chapter 15

©GeraldineBanksFebruary2025

Lettie found Arthur in his local pub and it didn’t take her long to get the whole story. Arthur’s loose tongue had led to Tedi being kidnapped and it was now very serious as they had no idea where the little dog was. She realised, while she was talking to him, that he was very unhappy and needed help .She changed her approach.

He wanted his old job back and he knew he had blown it, she knew he meant it. Lettie needed someone to start collating the photographs and researching the archives of the House for Tedi’s biography.

” I don’t want this to have a sad ending”. Lettie said.

” Neither do I , Lettie, you’ve got to believe me, I don’t know who that man was I talked to , but you’re right , it is my fault, and I’ll do anything to get that stupid dog back, and get a job. I can’t go on living like this.” Arthur put his elbows on the table and pushed a half finished drink away from him.

OK, well , I don’t think there’s anything you can do at the moment, to be honest. I can’t say much, the less people who know the better about what is going on, but when we get him back , it’s going to be quite a story and you are a good photographer, start writing a list of the equipment you’ll need and in the meantime I’m going to send you some archive files which I want you to start collating and getting into order for the book….. oh and Tedi is not a “stupid dog” far from it. In fact ,he might just save you , if we can save him.”

This took Arthur by surprise, but he smiled; ” It’s too early for thanks but I’m not going to mess up this time.” They both stood up and gathered their things .

Lettie looked him straight in the eye. ” No , Arthur something tells me you won’t.” They left the pub and went their separate ways.

Meanwhile, Chief Superintendent Napper was presenting his plan to his group of handpicked detectives. The House where they suspected Tedi was being held had been watched by a number of Crime Agencies in the past, covering drugs, and illegal dog breeding and now kidnapping. They had enough evidence to raid the place, although they could not be sure that they would get Tedi out without harming him. They wanted the little dog back safe and unharmed. Not finding him alive; was not an option ; so they would hold off until they were sure they could rescue him unharmed.

” How can we know for sure? Should someone go in undercover, maybe looking to buy a dog, or a puppy whatever?”

“Best try the internet, Facebook or whatever, then get someone to send you to the address, that ‘d be a good cover.”

“Sounds good” said Chief Superintendent Napper. ” Get on to it. First one who gets an appointment at that house, I’ll buy them a pint. You can toss who does the visit.”

By the time the detectives had done their searches and finally got the appointment, it was too late in the evening to do anything and they needed some rest. The appointment was booked for the morning. They were all pleased with the result and they made some more preparations before they went home, they had to be ready if they managed to find Tedi.

The phone rang as the Chief Superintendent picked up his car keys from his desk, it was Cross, he had received a call from the kidnappers, they wanted to arrange a meeting to hand over the money and get Tedi back.

Napper immediately said “When?”

” They want to meet on Friday, it’s Tuesday now. “

” What did you say ? I said I’d have the money by then, I want Tedi back.”

” Interesting, that’s OK. Thanks for letting us know, we’re working on something tomorrow, but to keep them sweet, we’re up for the Friday meeting. Can you text me the details of what they want and where they want to meet. I’ll update you tomorrow. “

” Great Chief Superintendent, speak to you tomorrow.” Cross felt relieved something was happening, the waiting was awful.

So Tedi spent another night in the strange house with it’s comings and goings at all hours. The little boy , whose name was Tommy, would pop into the room and bring Tedi some food and biscuits and refill his water bowl.

Tommy even managed to bring Tedi up to his bedroom at night, it seemed that the person who was supposed to be looking after him had been taken unwell from something he’d eaten or drank or worse and Tommy had been asked to look after the little dog.

Tommy was delighted and his regular visits cheered Tedi up. When Tedi followed him up the stairs to the little room at the top of the house and hopped on top of Tommy’s bed, he snuggled up to the little boy. The bed clothes smelt stale and unwashed and the boy’s bedroom was very neglected , Tedi couldn’t see any toys or books, but nevertheless Tommy found a little rag for him and Tedi to play with. Still Tedi felt safe with Tommy and he hoped Tommy felt safe with him. They both fell asleep in each others arms.

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February 27, 2025 · 6:01 pm

The Dog That Inherited A Palace Chapter 14

©GeraldineBanksFebruary2025

Tedi was very annoyed with himself, he had brought all this trouble on him and the House through his own carelessness. Cross had tried to tell him not to go wandering off by himself, that he was at risk of being kidnapped and now it had happened.

The first night he was there he had been let out in the garden accompanied by one of his minders, the same thing had happened the next morning. However, it had been a while since anyone had came, and there had been a lot of noise in the house. Tedi thought he heard the whining of puppies and barking of dogs somewhere but he wasn’t sure where. There were slamming of doors as well as regular arguments and men and women shouting.

Suddenly the door opened and a little boy aged about ten came in the room. He looked very uncared for and very thin and there were holes in his teeshirt and jeans. He closed the door very gently and walked up to Tedi and said.

” You alright little fellow?” and bent down and rubbed Tedi on his tummy.

Tedi looked up at him with his big eyes and gave him his paw.

” Aw you are so cute, I wish you were mine. I’ll wait until it’s clear and get you some nice biscuits and some fresh food. The door hasn’t got a lock on it , so as long as no one sees me coming in and out you and I can be friends. I can’t stay long but I’ll be back.” The little boy tickled Tedi under the chin and stood up and quietly went out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Tedi watched as the little hand of the boy closed the door gently. The little dog saw this as a ray of hope and it cheered him up.

Later that evening the little boy came in again and this time he had some kibble biscuits and half a tin of fresh dog food. Tedi had to eat it out of the tin but the little boy helped him, he gobbled up the biscuits and then the little boy poured some fresh water into one of the bowls.

” That will keep you going for a while, I’ll just take a little out at a time, they never feed the dogs enough.” He said.

Tedi looked up gratefully and held his paw out in thanks. ” I wonder how many dogs are here?” He thought to himself.

“That’s alright, they’ll be up later to take you out in the garden, I’ll be going to bed , but if you look up you’ll see my window, it’ll have the light on. I’ll make sure you’re alright little one.” Again the little boy left the room very quickly.

Tedi was amazed , who was this little boy? Sure enough, that night the man came with the slip lead and roughly dragged Tedi out to the garden. Fortunately, when they reached downstairs, he just let him go into the garden as it was totally enclosed. Sure enough Tedi looked up at the back of the building and timed it just as he took his wee. There, indeed,was a light on in the window.

Tedi counted the floors and the position. Perhaps he may visit the little boy some time, maybe not tonight, but he knew where he was. The strange man put the collar over Tedi’s head again and pulled him roughly. Tedi cooperated resentfully so as not to get hurt. He was tired and wanted to go to bed. Once he got back to the smelly , dark room, he lay on the floor and fell soundly asleep.

Unbeknown to Tedi , the Police had enough information to know the location of where he was being kept and they were watching the house.

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