chapter One<br > oe Talbot stepped out of his house， adjusted his<br > black-leather jacket over his white T-shirt， and ran a<br > comb through his slicked-back brown hair. He flicked<br > open a pair of sunglasses， put them on， and swaggered to<br > the sidewalk， his biker boots clacking on the pavement.<br > Wishbone， a white-with-brown-and.black.spots<br > Jack Russell terrier， trotted beside his best friend as Joe<br > headed downtown. Hmm . . . there s something different<br >about today， Wishbone thought as they hurried along.<br >Let s see， nice warm Saturday morning at the end ofsum-<br >met， sort of lazy-- Nope， I just can t put my paw on it， but<br >something is definitely different.<br > Wrinkling his forehead in thought， Wishbone<br >looked at his friend. Joe Talbot was fourteen years old，<br >athletic， and usually a cheerful guy. Well， Wishbone<br >decided， that hadn t changed. Joe grinned as he strode<br >along， the August late-morning sunlight reflecting<br >brightly off his shades. He looked down and said，<br >"Come on， buddy. Race you to the corner!"<br >"