Found and Destroyed: The Second Sarah Martin Mystery

by Danelle Helget

  I quietly closed the door behind me and they stirred. Faith meowed and came bounding over. She stopped short and threw up. Sheesh! Nice to see you, too. I grabbed a rag with soap and water and cleaned it up quickly, then I picked her up. She seemed lighter, like she’d lost some weight. Kat opened her eyes, saw me, and jumped to her feet. After whipping the blanket off herself but accidentally onto Tannya’s face, she ran over to me and wrapped her arms around me.

  “Shit, girl. We were so worried!”

  Tannya threw the blanket off her face and sat up.

  “Ohhhh! You’re back! Are you okay? Man you had us scared!”

  Tannya wrapped her arms around both of us and made it a group hug. Faith meowed and jumped down. I assured them I was okay and went to the fridge and got a bottled water for me and Tannya, who also wanted one. We sat in the living room and I told them the whole story. We talked for a while about it, when it hit me that I had been in serious danger. Not that I hadn’t thought that before, but to hear about what happened after I was discovered missing—the way the bar was locked down for over an hour, the interviewing everyone had to go through, and the huge search effort that went on for me. It was very surreal. I was exhausted and wanted to sleep, but the adrenaline was still there. I’d probably be able to run my best mile right now if I wanted to.

  “So, Tannya, tell me about the rest of your night. Did you and Greg exchange numbers at least?” I asked her with a smile.

  Kat socked her in the arm, bit her lip, and smiled at her.

  “Well … yes,” she said, with a school-girl grin. “After you took so long in the bathroom, me and Kat went in to check on you .When we saw the door had a big dent and you were not in there, we ran to get Derek, and he put the place on lock down. They shut off all the music, turned all the lights on, and stopped serving.”

  “Oh! Ooooh! No, they didn’t!” I gasped holding my mouth. “Ugh. What did everyone look like? I bet the bright lights were not their best friends!”

  “Ohhhhh! They, ah, we, were at our worst as you can imagine,” Kat announced. “It wasn’t a pretty sight, and they wouldn’t let anyone in the ladies room because it was a crime scene.”

  “Wow. It’s the low lighting we depend on to look our best!” I said.

  “Yes it is, and lots of people needed low lighting!” Kat said.

  I was pretty sure she was referring to Tannya and her rather loud outfit of the evening, along with the dirt stains on her knees and butt from falling earlier.

  “Yeah, so anyway, there we were stuck with nothing to do but worry. When Greg realized it was my friend who was missing, he came over and talked to me. I was really upset for you, Sara,” she told me tearing up.

  “Ohhh, thanks, honey,” I said, reaching and putting an arm around her.

  “So anyway me and him went over and sat on a couch in a quieter corner and talked. And about a half hour into that he kissed me.”

  “Ahhh!” I high-fived Kat. “Score!”

  Tannya laughed.

  “He’s a nice man. I like him. Kinda goofy and silly but I like him! And yes, we exchanged numbers. He said he’d call me.”

  “Oh, Tannya, that’s great!” I said. I looked at my watch and it was 7:00 a.m. Faith’s appointment was at eight. “Well, girls, Faith’s appointment is in an hour …”

  “We’ll come with you!” Kat interrupted. “We already talked about it. She’s sick and needs to get in today. We already said that if you couldn’t bring her, we would. And if you could, we’d go with you anyway. You shouldn’t be driving until after you’ve rested anyway.”

  “Oh, okay, thanks! That’s sound like a good idea. I’m going to take a shower and then we’ll go.”

  The shower was nice and hot. I was still a bit chilled from being outside so long. A few tears came while I was washing and thinking about the assault and how much worse it could have been. I was glad to be home. Something simple like a fluffy towel made me feel so blessed to be alive. I knew I was being overly emotional, but I’d had a rough night.

  I dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and threw a Vikings sweatshirt over the top. Then I put on some face lotion, two coats of mascara, and Chapstick. I didn’t really care much at this point. To finish, I threw some mousse in my hair, and shot it quick with a blow dryer. When I got out to the kitchen, the girls were ready to go, with the exception of bathroom stuff. They had made orange juice and toast for me too.

  “Thanks you, guys. You two are amazing friends,” I told them.

  We shared a group hug.

  Saturday early morning traffic was nothing in the Cities, so we left fifteen minutes before the appointment, as it was only a few miles away. Kat drove, and Tannya rode shot gun so I could be with Faith in the back. Faith paced the car the whole way. She didn’t seem to be slowed down much by whatever was wrong with her. I had packed a wet rag and paper towels and a garbage bag just in case she got sick on the ride, but we made it. Kat parked the car as I threw my purse over my shoulder, then I grabbed Faith. I’d brought a large bath towel to wrap her in because it was so cold, that and I had no idea how she would react to the vet’s office environment. We entered the building and Faith was acting excited.

  “It’s probably the smell,” Kat said. “When I was a kid we had a large dog and I swear that dog could smell the vet two blocks away. It would take two people to shove that dog out of the car, and two more to get him into the building.” We all laughed.

  Faith was trying her hardest to escape my arms. I held tight but didn’t want to hurt her. It appeared we were the first appointment of the day. The staff was still getting settled, and the lights and computers were still warming up.

  “Good morning,” said the young women in scrubs standing behind the counter. “This must be Faith.” She reached out to pet her and I almost dropped her. “You can let her explore if you want. You’re the only other appointment besides Pepper, and he’s a really gentle dog that wouldn’t harm a flea.”

  “Okay,” I said and set her gently on the floor.

  She took off pouncing around and jumping onto all the displays of toys and pet accessories that were lining various shelves throughout the room.

  “Looks like Faith has a lot of fans,” she said smiling at Kat and Tannya.

  “Yes. These are my very good friends, Kat and Tannya. I had a very rough, very long night and they came to help me, and drive for me,” I informed her.

  I was started on paper work when I heard the door chime ring. I looked over my shoulder to make sure that Faith wouldn’t run out. She was busy chewing on a ball-on-a-spring in a toy box on the bottom shelf. In through the door walked a great Dane. It was huge! The dog was almost as tall as the kid walking it. The little girl was probably ten or eleven years old, and the dog was up to her chin. It looked like an adult walking a pony around. The dog was very calm and simply strolled in.

  “Good morning, Pepper!” the receptionist said from behind me.

  My eyes shot open as Faith turned to see him. I didn’t know what to expect. That dog could eat my entire four-month-old cat in two bites easily.

  “Fear not,” the receptionist said holding my arm. “Just watch.”

  Kat and Tannya looked concerned too when Faith pounced over to Pepper. Pepper kept walking the length of the room, with a bit of a limp, towards the desk as Faith caught up to him and was meowing and jumping and pawing at him. Pepper stopped and sniffed Faith. She looked up to him and they were nose to nose. He licked her once. His tongue was as big as she was and knocked her on her back. The room erupted in laughter and Pepper continued on, nose in the air, sauntering to the front desk like he didn’t have the time.

  “Oh, cute,” the girl said. “Is that your kitten?” she asked me.

  “Yes, that’s Faith.”

  “Pepper loves all animals. He won’t hurt her,” she told me. “My mom is on the phone in the car. She’ll be right in,” she said to the receptionist.

  “Sure, have a seat, Hailey. The doctor will be in shortly.�
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  Hailey sat and so did Pepper. Even seated they were about the same height. Faith was on her feet again and back over by Pepper. He bent his head forward as she pawed at him playfully. He again licked her and knocked her on her back. We all laughed. It was really fun to watch. Then Faith stood up on her back legs and put a paw on each side of his jowls and they stayed nose to nose for a second, staring into each other’s eyes, both so very still. It was like watching two people fall in love at first sight.

  “Awww,” Kat said.

  “I know, right?” I said with compassion.

  The whole room including the two ladies behind the desk all stopped and watched with tilted heads. Bing! The door chimed again and in walked a woman with a purse in one hand and cell phone and keys in the other. Pepper’s owner.

  “Hi, sorry. My mother … she’s having some issues.”

  “No problem, the doctor is just getting set up, so have a seat,” the receptionist told her. “You can enjoy the love story unfolding between Pepper and Faith.”

  “Oh, wow, she’s cute. Is she yours?” she asked me.

  “Yes, and she seems to really like your dog.”

  “Everyone and every animal likes my dog,” she said, patting Pepper on the head.”

  Then she turned to her daughter and told her that grandma was not doing well and they might need to go there. Hailey seemed upset and asked about missing school. Pepper lay down and Faith curled up next to him. The mom told her they would have to do what they needed because from the sound of it, Grandma wouldn’t be going home from the hospital but rather into a nursing home. The drive sounded long, and from what I got from the conversation she was a single mom with an only child.

  “Okay, Sara, the doctor is ready for you,” the receptionist announced.

  I gave Tannya and Kat the “come with me” head nod, then I went over to Faith and peeled her away from Pepper, and we walked back into an exam room. The doctor walked through the door, and Kat elbowed me.

  “Mine,” she whispered.

  He came over and introduced himself and shook our hands. He was around our age and thin with light-blonde hair and blue eyes. Very nice looking. He was clean shaven and sported a white jacket, stethoscope, and clip board.

  “Hello, ladies. I’m Doctor Rittgers, but please call me Wes. This must be Faith? Sweet baby girl, what’s upsetting your tummy?” he asked Faith taking her from my arms. I heard Kat exhale and shot her a look. She was behind him fanning herself. “Which one of you is the owner?”

  “I am. Hi, I’m Sara. These are my friends, Kathrine and Tannya.”

  “Nice to meet you. So tell me, Sara, what’s been going on with Faith?”

  I explained to him that she was four months old and that over the past week she had started throwing up. Tannya and I both told him that it was a clear fluid and, other than the puking, she seemed happy and she was eating and voiding normally.

  “Did you get her at a breeder?”

  “No she was a gift, from my friend Kat here,” I said gesturing to Kat.

  “Her mother and I got her at the humane society here in town.” Kat told him with a lingering smile, and slow blink.

  “And did they tell you that she had gotten her shots?” he asked her.

  “Yes. They said she’d gotten her first shot, and was de-wormed.” Kat told him.

  “Shot? Not shots? Did they give you any papers about that shot?” he asked.

  “Um, I’m not sure if they said shot or shots … and no paperwork other than a receipt for adoption.”

  “Okay. I’m going to have my nurse see if she can get hold of anyone over there. That place has been known to lie to people about shots to increase adoption rates and keep their fees down. Maybe we can find out if she had the necessary shots. I’ll be right back,” he said.

  He handed Faith back to me and excused himself.

  “Oh … my God!” Kat said. “He’s perfect! And no ring! Did you guys notice that? No ring,” Kat excitedly announced.

  “Yeah, a fellow that nice looking without a ring … he’s gotta be gay. Sorry, sista,” Tannya said.

  The door opened and Wes walked in again.

  “Okay while she’s on the phone I want to do an exam and take some blood from her.”

  He took Faith up on the table and looked in her eyes, mouth, and ears. He worked his hands over her entire body, and then listened to her heart.

  “She looks good. Let’s get some blood and run a couple tests,” he said then poked her with a needle and sucked some blood out. Faith meowed, making me cry too.

  I didn’t like seeing her hurt much. Plus, I was so tired I could’ve cried at the drop of a hat. Wes tipped his head and gave me a tight-lipped grin.

  “Do you have kids?”

  “No.”

  “I heard that’s even worse,” he told me with a head tilt. Kat and Tannya giggled. “I’m going to get this to the lab. I’ll be back in a little while. Have a seat, ladies.”

  We sat in the room, me and Kat on the two chairs and Tannya stood. We talked about Wes and how Kat should go about getting his number or giving him hers. In the hall I could hear the nurse bringing Pepper and his family to a room. I thought I may fall asleep sitting up, but when the doctor finally returned twenty minutes later, I was back on my feet.

  “Well, just as I suspected, no one was at liberty to say,” he told us with air quotes. “If the kitten had any shots there isn’t any record of it. So, just like I thought the blood test proves she has a condition called Dirofilaria Immitis, otherwise known as heartworm.” I put my hand over my mouth.

  “What does that mean?” I said scared.

  Wes put his hand on my shoulder, “It’s curable,” he told me. “It means we need to give her medicine to treat her tummy and a stronger drug to kill the worms. If we caught it early enough, which I think we did, she’ll be fine. I have already written her prescriptions, which you can fill here if you’d like, then you will take her home administer the meds as directed and we will see her again in a week. We’ll check her blood again then and hopefully all will be well. In two weeks, if she’s better, we’ll vaccinate her too. Keep her indoors and avoid contact with pets that are not vaccinated. And as always wash your hands. Lots!”

  “Okay, thank you, Doctor.” I said, scooping up Faith.

  “You’re welcome. Ladies …” he said holding the door for us. “So Kathrine, you’re a cat lover huh?”

  Kat stopped and talked to him while Tannya and I scooted to the lobby. I filled the prescriptions there. Then Tannya and I sat down to wait for Kat. Faith wanted down and went off exploring again.

  “Aww … she misses Pepper already,” the receptionist said.

  “I think you’re right,” I said. “Was Pepper here because of the limp?” I asked.

  “Yes. Unfortunately he needs a very expensive surgery, very soon. The doctor is giving them the news in a minute. It’s not good. Kerry, the dog’s owner, just recently divorced and was left with the house and the dog, neither of which she can afford. And now her mother, who lives in Iowa, is sick. Kerry needs to sell that house and get her mother moved out a.s.a.p. The poor woman. And on top of it, she has Hailey, who’s in school. Kerry moved here from Iowa when she married. She doesn’t have any friends here and only has an entry-level job.”

  “Oh, no. Can’t her ex-husband help with Hailey while she’s in Iowa?”

  “Her husband took off to New Mexico with his secretary,” she divulged.

  “Oh, geez.”

  “Yeah, not good. Kerry loves Pepper, but she doesn’t have the time or money for him. She’s been trying to find him a home, but who wants a great Dane with a bad hip?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  After a few moments, Kat came strutting into the waiting room with a huge smile on her face.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  “Yup! Sure! Ready!” she said and skipped out the door to the car.

  She was pretty stoked all the way back to my apartment. They’d both ex
changed numbers, and Wes told her he’d call her later. He had a group of friends, along with their wives and girlfriends, going out that night and thought it would be great if she joined them. From the smile on her face it appeared she planned to.

  “He told me to extend the invite to you guys too. It’s just a big group thing. I think you should both come. Maybe Derek and Greg can join, too?” Kat said with puppy-dog eyes and her hands held up in prayer form begging please.

  I laughed, which took a lot of effort. “I need sleep, lots of it, and so does Derek. So it’s a distant maybe for me. Tannya, you’re welcome to stay tonight again if you want to go with. I won’t be much fun today and I’m not sure about tonight, but if you want to go with, you sure can, and still crash at my place. It’s totally up to you.”

  “Well, I don’t know. Go out clubbing two times in the same week? Gosh. Well … sure! Why not! You only live once, right?” Tannya laughed.

  She was very excited, but her face suddenly changed to fear as we approached our parking spot. I tossed Kat the keys and went to the back door.

  “I only brought one nice outfit with. If I ask Greg to join me, he’ll see me in it two days in a row.”

  “Ah, plus there’re a few stains on it,” Kat added. “Well, I guess then you’ll have to spend the day at the Mall of America with me!”

  “Wow, really? I’ve never been there. Is it far?” she asked as we loaded into the car.

  She rode shotgun again, and Faith stayed cuddled in the towel with me in the back. She’d had a big day and the receptionist said that she might be sleepy from the meds. Kat pulled out of the lot.

  “No it’s minutes from Sara’s apartment, and they have a huge food court so we can grab lunch there too.”

  So it was decided. I’d go home to sleep and Kat and Tannya would spend the day at the mall. Later they’d go out and I’d play it by ear. Going out didn’t sound appealing to me after what had happened the night before. My phone vibrated. It was Derek.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, sweetness, how you doing? Did I wake you?”