Life takes a perplexing turn when Patty May, Ms. May to her science students, takes an early retirement. As the only witness to a very strange event, she finds herself the caretaker of an abandoned dog, Scout, and decides to make it her mission to find out why the dog was left behind. When the locals get wind of Patty's story on social media, she is inundated with a cornucopia of strange theories and wild accusations from nosy neighbors, total strangers, and well-intentioned family and friends.After a summer of chasing vague leads and many perplexing local characters, Patty comes to accept, in life, humans are not always what they seem and not all mysteries are meant to be solved.—Patricia Cary