Frankly Speaking - A Frank Rozzani Detective Novel (#1)
Page 4
Frank pulled into his pseudo-driveway next to the trailer and something immediately struck him as odd. He had installed a doggie door for Lucy so she could come and go at will. Her sharp hearing could distinguish the sound of the Lexus from at least a mile away and she usually bounded for the door or from wherever she was exploring nearby to greet him. At this time of day, with the Florida heat at its peak, she was usually lazing on his bed basking in the air conditioning and shedding short black hair all over his sheets. As he got out of the Lexus, he heard an unmistakable low growl coming from the trailer as if Lucy were either cornered or had cornered someone or something inside.
Frank reached into the Lexus glove compartment and pulled out the Glock that he kept there. One good thing about living in Florida was the ease of being able to legally carry a concealed weapon. He was surprised that, along with the free orange juice that they give you when you stop at the welcome center on I-95 when you enter Florida, they don't hand you a gun as well. Florida is the "stand your ground" state where you can literally shoot first and ask questions later. His home state of New York had gone the other way. If New York Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Cuomo had their way, guns would be exchanged for love beads or flowers and people would be put in jail for drinking large sugared drinks.
Frank found the door still locked. Whatever was inside with Lucy either came in through a window, courteously locked the door behind him or her, or crawled through the doggie door. Frank disengaged the lock and decided to throw open the door as the element of surprise had already been lost. When the door opened, Frank first saw Lucy, hackles raised, ears back, and lips curled into a non-characteristic, menacing growl. He then saw the subject of her anger. Coiled on the floor, fangs bared, in the corner of the kitchen was a two-foot snake. It looked like a water moccasin with its darkened body and broad head with distinct facial markings. Frank had learned a few things about these snakes. They are poisonous, they can be aggressive when cornered, but are rarely aggressive enough to perform breaking and entering.
He tried to call Lucy back, but her protective instincts were too strong. She put herself between Frank and the snake making a shot impossible without risking hitting her in the crossfire. She lunged at the snake just as it sprung to attack. The result was that Lucy's jaws clasped around the middle of the snake. Lucy's powerful bite sank into the snake's soft tissue. She began to shake the snake into submission. With its last bit of strength, the snake brought its head around and sunk its fangs into Lucy's right hip. Lucy gave out a whimper and dropped the now dazed snake. She then began walking around the room heavily favoring her injured hip. Frank thought about shooting the snake, but in the closed quarters of the trailer and with Lucy's proximity to the snake, he didn't want to risk it. He looked around the kitchen and found the heavy duty fire extinguisher that he had next to his small propane stove. As the bleeding snake tried to regroup and begin moving across the room, Frank brought the fire extinguisher down on the snake's head. It stopped moving.
The bite from a water moccasin is not generally fatal, but it does require immediate treatment. The venom is rich with tissue-destroying properties and Frank knew that he had to act quickly to get Lucy some help. He thought about bagging up the snake and bringing it to the vet to be sure, but that would mean two trips to the car and he didn't want to waste the time. He checked the snake again kicking it to make sure it was dead, grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and snapped a quick picture of it and then scooped up the 55 pound Lucy and ran out to the Lexus with her in his arms. He jumped into the driver's seat and screeched onto the road.
Nancy Rafferty, the closest veterinarian, and the only one from whom Lucy would accept an examination, had a small clinic about a mile from Frank's trailer. Frank had met her at the Sun Dog one morning, about a year before, when he and Lucy were enjoying breakfast. Nancy immediately made friends with Lucy, and by extension, with Frank. She was a thirty-something, attractive brunette that had a strong dedication to her work and to the community.
When Frank burst into the clinic, the receptionist/veterinary technician, Rusty, recognized them right away.
"Frank, what happened to Lucy?" she asked excitedly.
"Snake bite. I think it was a water moccasin. It bit her on the right hip," Frank answered still cradling the dog.
"Take her to exam room 1. I'll get Nancy," Rusty replied with professional efficiency and urgency.
Nancy was behind the property at the small kennel building where she boarded some of her strays and recuperating patients. When Rusty alerted her to the situation, she rushed to the supply cabinet and grabbed a vial of CroFab anti-venom which is used to counteract water moccasin bites. She flew into the exam room where Frank stood over Lucy who he had placed on the stainless steel examining table.
"Frank, are you sure it was a water moccasin?" Nancy asked while filling a syringe with the liquid from the vial.
"I'm pretty sure, but I took a picture," he said holding the phone where she could see.
"That's definitely a moc," she said.
Nancy quickly examined the bite and injected the anti-venom into Lucy's hip. "Frank, what happened?" she asked.
"The snake got into my trailer and Lucy decided to play super dog and attack it," he said, exasperated. "She shook it pretty well, but it bit her before I was able to finish it off."
"She's a tough girl to take on one of those snakes," Nancy said. "The area where she was bitten is a little tricky. Although the venom doesn't cause systemic failure like some other snake venom, the area of the bite is close to her kidneys so we'll have to monitor renal function. She's lucky that she didn't get bitten near the face where the venom could reach brain tissue. I'll need to debride the tissue around the bite and then watch her for a couple of days to make sure her kidneys keep working properly and she doesn't have an anaphylactic reaction. Hopefully she'll be as good as new in a week or so."
As if she understood, Lucy let out one of the trademark heavy sighs usually reserved for the end of a busy day of dog business. Her sigh caused Frank to let out a nervous laugh. Somehow the thought of losing his faithful canine companion after all he had lost already was too much to bear.
"How can I thank you, Nancy?" Frank said obviously relieved.
"Well, first you can pay me to replace the anti-venom. At fifty dollars a vial, it doesn't come cheap. After Lucy recovers, why don't you take me out to that new seafood place for dinner and we'll call it even," Nancy said with a devilish smile.
"Um...sure. That would be great," Frank said nervously as he felt that still too familiar twinge of guilt. "Let's do that sometime."
"Wow that sounded encouraging. Well, you can't blame a girl for trying," Nancy said looking deflated.
"Nancy, I...it's not..." Frank started.
"Don't say it's not you, it's me or I will give you a complimentary neutering right on the spot," She replied.
"I'm sorry. I'll explain some day," Frank said as he backed toward the exam room door.
"Frank, it's OK," as long as you have Lucy, I will forgive you. By the way, you said the snake was in your trailer, did you leave a door or window open?"
"No, I assumed in came in through Lucy's dog door," Frank replied.
"I don't think so," Nancy said. "First, the aggressive nature of Agkistrodon piscivorus is exaggerated."
"Astro who," Frank asked quizzically.
"That's the scientific name of the water moccasin," she replied. "Second, snakes don't know about dog doors and would only pass through one to escape to the outside or if they were forced by someone or something to go through it. They would never go willingly into a structure through something they can't see through."
"What are you saying?"
"Do you have any enemies? I think someone purposely put that snake through your dog door."
"Great. A self-propelled murder weapon." "Not a murder weapon, just something to scare the hell out of you." "Well, it worked. Now I need to find out who and why so I can r
eturn the favor," Frank said with a twinge of anger.
CHAPTER FOUR