Ten[]
Point of View: April Hall
April heads down Orchard Avenue to Peterson's grocery store to look at the bulletin board. There are some notes about missing or found dogs and cats, but Bear is not among them. April posts her note on the board, but in a way that makes hard for people to notice it - the kids wish to keep the dog.
She notices Toby Alvillar exiting the store, carrying a mop and a paper bag full with cleaning stuff, seemingly in hurry. He appears distant and scared, and April wonders again what is the problem with him.
On her way home, April enters A-Z Antiques and talks with the Professor. She tries to find out if the old man has noticed the dog in the back yard, but apparently he did not, and the window of the storage room cannot be accessed because of the piled up merchandise. Relieved, April returns to Casa Rosada.
April helps Melanie with her chores, cleaning up the rooms, and tells her about Toby. Later that day, she, Melanie and Marshall visit the storage yard, play with Bear and feed him.
On New Year's Eve, Melanie remarks that she does not hear Bear barking, even though dogs usually bark when they hear loud noises such as firecrackers and horns greeting the New Year. April takes a look from the balcony, but the storage yard is very quiet, and she wonders if Bear is all right.