There were two main themes running through the book that were cut, the tv cameras and the two old ladies.
This whole chapter was cut out. It comes just before Danny and Nicki go to the park with Patch.
When Nicki and Danny walked into Almond Grove, after school, they saw a TV truck parked outside their house.
“Oh Man! TV!” breathed Danny. He rushed up the driveway and around the corner of the house.
“Oh great! TV!” grouched Nicki. “That’s all I need.”
She forced herself to put one foot in front of the other as she walked up to her back door.
As she passed Danny's bag, where he had flung it onto the deck, she gave it a hefty kick.
“TV! Blech,” she gagged.
No one was in the house. She dropped her bag on the floor and looked out the window to the back garden.
A cameraman, balancing a TV camera on his shoulder, was taking shots of the garden. Policemen were looking busy.
A reporter in a dark red suit was talking to her mother and Detective Sergeant Wilson. She could see Danny hanging on to Patch's lead, just begging for a chance to get on TV. The reporter talked to the camera for a while and then asked Detective Wilson some questions.
Finally Danny had his chance.
“So Danny, tell us about Patch, does he usually bring home bones?” said the reporter.
“Ah no,” said Danny. “Not usually. Sometimes he brings home old shoes.”
“Shoes,” echoed the reporter, trying to look serious.
“So this is the first time he's brought home bones?”
“Yes,” said Danny.
“Detective Wilson, can the public help you in any way with this investigation?”
“Yes Marcia,” said Detective Wilson, “If anyone has seen this dog going up their street or in any other unusual place, could they contact Operation Patch at their local police station.”
“Jack, get a good long shot of the dog would you,” said Marcia to the cameraman.
Jack nodded and stepped back into the herb garden to get the shot just as Mr Cooper came around the corner of the house.
“Get out of my garden you vandals,” screamed Mr Cooper at the camera crew.
“Out! Out!”
The camera man leaped out of the garden.
Marcia smiled. “Great, some action,” she said. “Keep it rolling Jack.”
Mr Cooper raced up to the garden waving his arms in the air.
“Leave. Now! Take that dog with you. Look at this mess! My garden is ruined, and the only piece I've managed to fix, you step on with your great clumpy feet.”
Mrs Cooper went to soothe Mr Cooper. “Detective Wilson will see them off, Gary.”
Detective Wilson told the camera crew that Mr Cooper had had a stressful time just recently and asked if they got enough footage of the dog.
The reporter said they just had to do a wrap and they were finished.
“Move out of the garden this time, Jack,” she grinned at the cameraman.
“If anyone has sighted this dog, in the Murphy Street area, contact the Operation Patch team at your nearest police station.
This is Marcia Elvistone reporting.
Long focus on the dog Jack.”
“Ok, Marcia, got it.”
“Right we're off now,” said Marcia. She glanced over at Mr Cooper who was glaring at them.
“See you on the next case Dave,” she said to Detective Wilson, as she gathered up some camera gear.
