By the time they had finished their Lemon Drops, Maria and Kat had discussed the relative merits of the furniture and come up with a list of prices. Kat promised to call the newspaper to run classified ads.
Kat hugged Maria. “I have to go. Thanks for selling off my old life for me.”
“It was a good life. But I think you may be working on finding a better one.”
“I hope so.”
After Kat got back to her apartment, she tried to call Joel at Chez Stinky. There was no answer and she left a message. It was odd to talk to herself on her own answering machine.
On her way inside, she had noticed some cardboard boxes next to the Dumpster, so she grabbed them. It would be good to get started on the whole sorting and packing program. She started pulling dishes out of the cabinets and placing them in piles: keep versus unload. The pots and pans she had here were in far better condition than the ones at Chez Stinky. She was looking forward to using younger, less-burnt cookware again.
The phone rang and a little thrill of happiness coursed down Kat’s spine when she heard Joel’s deep soothing voice on the line. “Hi. How’s it going?” she said in a cheerful voice.
“It has been an interesting day. I thought you were going to call when you got there.”
“I forgot how awful traffic is. By the time I got to my apartment, I had to run to the meeting with the manager. Then when that was done, I had to go meet Maria. But everything worked out and I’ll be out of here soon. I think.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“I do need to ask you one thing. Do you think I could borrow your truck? And your body. I need help moving. Maria’s selling my furniture for me, but there’s other stuff.”
“That’s fine. I think you’ve already had my body.”
“True. That doesn’t mean I don’t want it again, though.”
Joel laughed. “Okay, that’s really good to hear.”
“So how’s life at Chez Stinky?”
“Fine. I walked the dogs, fed the cats. Watched furry animals sleep. The usual. But I did buy a computer. I researched it and found just what I wanted. I made the call to the catalog company this morning.”
“You can spare me the details. If you say megahertz or CPU, I’ll just fall asleep.”
“I’ll control myself. Another thing did happen while you were gone. Lady tried to chase Louie. He just sat there. I don’t think she knew what to do. She sniffed and poked at him and then he whapped her on the nose. Lady went and hid under the table with Chelsey.”
Kat giggled. “Good for Louie!”
“Yeah, but I decided to take her outside and do some remedial ‘leave it’ training. She knows the command, but I’m not sure she gets that it applies to all things. So I threw a ball and didn’t let her chase it until I said so. She’s disgusted with me.”
“No wonder Lady is so well behaved. I’m impressed.”
Joel cleared his throat. “There’s one more thing. Tonight something strange happened. I was sitting around reading, and Linus ran out of here barking frantically in a way I’ve never heard before. He completely lost his mind about something happening outside the house. Then I heard a gunshot. I ran outside and tried to call him in, but I couldn’t find him in the dark. For a few minutes he was gone. I’m not sure where he went. But then he came back a little later.”
“Is he okay?”
“He seems fine. But he got really angry about something. Maybe someone was outside. I guess he’s a good watchdog.”
“I wouldn’t have guessed. He seems like such a pushover. Having armed people in my forest is a little creepy.”
“You do realize that almost everyone is armed here, right? All those hunters have guns.”
Kat sighed “I suppose so. I just hope no one hurts Linus. Could you lock the dog door?”
“I already did.”
“Tomorrow, I’m just going to make a couple of calls and then drive back. I miss it there. I miss you.”
“I miss you too. We’ll be here.”
Chapter 11
What Happened?
By the time Kat got back to Chez Stinky, it was early afternoon. Traffic had been terrible in the city and she was not feeling love toward her fellow drivers. It was a relief to drive down the largely empty rural roads as she got closer to Alpine Grove. By the time she got to her driveway, she was beyond ready to get out of her car.
As she pulled boxes out of the trunk of the Toyota, Lori ran up to her with a welcoming bark and a steady wag. Kat looked up. “Hi, Lori. Where is your buddy Linus?”
Joel walked up from the back of the house toward the driveway. Kat smiled, but her smile faded when she saw the expression on his face. “What happened?”
Joel hugged her tightly. “I tried to call you, but I guess you’d already left. Something is wrong with Linus. I’m glad you’re here. We have an appointment at the vet in half an hour and I need to get him into the truck.”
Kat pulled away from him. “Linus! Oh, no.” She ran down the hill to the back door and went inside. Linus was lying on the floor with his head between his paws. He did not look happy. She stroked his head. “What happened, Big Guy?”
Linus raised his head and wagged the tip of his tail. Joel walked in the back door. “We need to go.” He bent down and cradled the large dog in his arms. “Could you get the door?”
Kat rushed to open the door. Tears were streaming down her face. “What happened to him?”
Joel met her eyes over the large pile of brown fur in his arms. “He was fine this morning. We went for a walk and he hung out outside for a little while afterward like he always does. Then he came inside and took a nap.”
“About a half-hour ago, I got up and went outside. But he didn’t follow me. When I came back inside, he didn’t get up, which is unusual for him. I went over to him and he wouldn’t get up. That’s when I called the vet.”
Kat reached over to pet Linus. “Don’t you dare get sick, just when I finally have gotten to know you.”
Joel loaded the big dog into the cab of the truck and he and Kat sat on either side. Kat stroked the big dog’s head and leaned over to whisper that everything was going to be okay. This had to be the longest car ride she’d ever taken, even though the vet clinic was only a few miles away in downtown Alpine Grove.
They walked into the vet clinic and the receptionist exclaimed, “Good heavens, he’s huge. Why don’t you just carry him in there.” She pointed down the hall, directing Joel to bring Linus into an exam room.
Joel carefully placed the big dog on the examination table. Linus was drooling and looking queasy. A tall woman in a white coat walked in and extended her hand to Kat. “Hello, I’m Dr. Cassidy, the veterinarian here.”
“Hi. I’m Kat Stevens and this is my dog Linus. I think he’s sick. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but he doesn’t want to get up and he’s never like that.”
The vet went over to the table and lifted Linus’s large jaw with one hand and stroked his head with the other. “What’s the trouble here, big fella?”
Linus moved his tail in a half-hearted wag. Then his brown eyes widened, and he looked startled. With a giant heave, he threw up on the veterinarian. Dr. Cassidy leaped back, looked down at herself and said, “I’m guessing you might be feeling better now.”
Kat reached out as if to help, but pulled back her hand. Attempting to scrape the goo off the vet’s lab coat probably wouldn’t be constructive. “I’m so sorry about that. Maybe he ate something?”
Linus stood up on the table and wagged vigorously. Joel reached over and grabbed the dog’s collar to keep him from jumping off. “Settle down, Linus. I fed him his kibble this morning and he didn’t eat anything odd that I saw. The only time he wasn’t right next to me was for a few minutes after we went for a walk.”
Kat volunteered, “He’s not a trash-eating dog, either. I have one of those, but he’s not it.”
The vet looked down at her no-longer-white coat. “I’m going to take
a sample, just in case.”
Kat asked, “In case of what?”
“Poisoning.”
Joel and Kat looked at each other. Kat said, “That’s horrible. Who would do that?”
Dr. Cassidy said, “From your description, this dog hasn’t had hamburger. And this…” she pointed at a spot on her lab coat “…looks like hamburger. Why don’t you carry him outside, so he doesn’t get into it again? Let me change my coat. I’ll get someone to clean up in here and I’ll give him a quick look in the other room.”
Kat said, “I’m sorry he threw up on you…and the mess. Linus really is a nice dog.”
“It’s an occupational hazard. This happens a lot more than you might think. Fortunately, I have a lot of lab coats. They’re very washable.” Dr. Cassidy smiled sympathetically and left the room.
Joel picked up Linus, who was less amenable to being carried around now that he was feeling better. After carrying the squirming dog to the other exam room, Joel placed him on the floor. Linus sat next to Kat, slowly wagging his tail as they all waited in silence for Dr. Cassidy to return.
When the vet walked into the room, they all looked up at her expectantly. She nodded at Joel. “Would you put him on the table for me?”
Joel hoisted Linus up from the floor to the table. Dr. Cassidy looked in the dog’s mouth, in his ears, and gently prodded various parts of the dog’s body. She looked up from her examination toward Kat. “We did a preliminary look at the food under the microscope. It appears that there was something in there. We’re not sure what, but it looks like it may have been a sleeping pill.” She stroked Linus’s head. “He seems fine now, but we’d like to keep him for observation for a few hours, just as a precaution.” She nodded at Joel. “You can put him back on the floor now.”
After Joel put Linus down, the dog was obviously thrilled to be going home. He walked around the room wagging his tail enthusiastically, eager to be on his way. Dr. Cassidy clipped a leash on Linus and he stopped wagging when the vet opened the door that led to the back and walked him out of the room.
Kat turned to Joel. “What happened?”
He frowned. “I told you exactly what happened.”
“Yes. I know that. I’m not blaming you. Do you think it’s the guy who shot at Linus last night? Did we lock the dog door? What if there’s more poison out there? We need to get home and check before one of the other dogs finds it.”
Joel reached out and pulled her into a hug. “I know. Let’s get out of here. Linus is in good hands.”
Back at the house after a high-speed drive home, Kat and Joel went downstairs and checked on all the animals. All dogs and cats were accounted for and apparently healthy and well-rested, having been awakened from their afternoon naps. They seemed to wonder why the humans were agitated, but willingly participated in being checked over. The barn cats Butch and Sundance were sleeping on shelves near their food bowls in the Tessa Hut. Although they wouldn’t be happy about it, Joel quietly secured the door of the outbuilding to keep them safe for the time being.
After the flurry of activity, Kat locked the dog door, walked into the downstairs bedroom Joel was using as an office, and flopped onto the bed. A tear slid down her cheek as she looked up at Joel, who was standing at the foot of the bed. “I’m so sad and mad all at the same time. Who would want to hurt Linus? Or any of these dogs? Or any animal, period. It makes me sick.”
Joel crawled onto the bed and stretched his body alongside hers. He propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at her. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. I’ve never heard of this type of thing happening around here. People generally don’t even lock their doors.”
Kat rolled over to face him. “Thank you. If you hadn’t been here paying attention, Linus might have died.” She smiled. “It seems like I’m always thanking you for something.”
He reached out to caress her cheek. “You just like that I can fix stuff.”
“No, that’s what your sister likes. I like you for way more reasons than that.”
Joel gathered her in his arms and kissed her tenderly. “Good to know.”
Kat curled up closer to him and closed her eyes. Before long they were both fast asleep, joining the dogs and cats in an afternoon nap.
Kat was jarred awake by the sound of the phone ringing. She ran up the stairs less than gracefully as her sleepy muscles cramped. It was beyond time to get a phone extension in the downstairs bedrooms. She recognized Dr. Cassidy’s voice. “You can pick up Linus now. He seems fine. It’s a good thing your husband is so observant and got him here quickly. Throwing up all over me was probably the best thing the dog could have done.”
Kat giggled. “Linus is a smart dog. Thank you so much! We’ll be back there in a few minutes to get him.” Oops. She hadn’t corrected the vet about her marital status. Joel wasn’t her husband. She’d only known him a few weeks.
Joel and Kat drove back to the vet clinic and collected Linus, who was thrilled to see them both. He wagged and trotted happily around the reception area, panting and smiling while Kat paid the bill. She sighed as she signed her name. As if her credit card needed any more workouts. She looked down at Linus. “Please stay healthy, Big Guy.”
Louise came into the clinic lobby where Kat and Joel were standing next to Linus. The older woman sneezed mightily and pointed her handkerchief at Kat. “You! I heard you were here. You poisoned your dog. How could you?” She sneezed again for emphasis.
Kat was too stunned to speak for a moment, but then gathered her wits enough to blurt out, “I did not! I would never poison Linus. Or any dog. But I intend to find out who did.”
Ignoring the protestations of innocence, Louise marched up to the receptionist. “I’m here to pick up Dr. Cassidy’s donation for the Ladies Auxiliary auction.” She started waving her handkerchief in front of her face more frantically. “Oh, oh, there’s too much hair in here. I need to go outside! Can somebody bring it to me outside?”
Having paid their bill, Kat, Joel, and Linus followed Louise out to the parking lot and walked toward the green truck. Louise turned around to face them and pointed at Kat. “You are just irresponsible. I knew it. I can’t believe Abigail thought you could take care of her animals. You are just like your mother, and you’ll never see a cent of Abigail’s money! I’ll make sure of it!”
Joel looked at Kat and raised his eyebrows. “You weren’t kidding. She really doesn’t like you at all.”
“I know. It’s a problem.”
Kat spent the rest of the day worrying about Linus. Keeping an eye on him was easy, since he liked to be within 18 inches of her anyway. Joel retreated to his office. Kat noticed that he tended to escape into the rationality of numbers and calculations when he was disturbed about something. The day had certainly been disturbing and exhausting, so she couldn’t blame him for wanting to think about pretty much anything else.
That afternoon they walked all of the dogs on leashes. Fortunately, Joel was heavy enough and strong enough to deal with Tessa. He attempted to give her a few insights into the “heel” command, with limited success.
After dinner, tired of feeling anxious and helpless to do anything about the mysterious someone who might be lurking outside in the forest waiting to hurt her animals, Kat announced, “I’m going to go read in bed. Come on, Linus.” Linus happily trotted into the bedroom after Kat.
Joel stood in the doorway. “Everything okay?”
“No. But I’m going to read for a while and try to forget about today.”
“Good idea. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
As Joel’s footsteps thumped down the stairs, Kat picked up her book and rolled over on her side. She reached down to pet Linus’s head every once in a while to make sure he was okay.
Linus growled quietly and stood up next to the bed. Kat looked at his giant muzzle, which was now about three inches from her face. “What’s up, Big Guy?” Linus growled more loudly and menacingly. The growl rose in pitch and then he barked sharply,
spun around and ran to the window. Kat jolted up into a sitting position and put her hand on her chest. “Linus! You scared the crap out of me.”
Linus had his paws up on the windowsill and was barking furiously. Joel ran into the room. “What is going on?” he shouted over the din.
Kat looked at Joel and raised her eyebrows. “I don’t know. We were just sitting here. Linus, stop that!”
Linus was running around the room, periodically running back to the window, jumping up on the sill, and barking hysterically. Joel went over to the window and looked out. “There’s somebody out there. It looks like an old man.”
Kat jumped and ran to the window. “Who is it?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. You stay here.”
“I will not.”
“Yes, you will.”
“Don’t get all macho on me. It’s my house. If there’s some guy in my yard, I want to know who it is.”
“He could be the guy who shot at Linus last night. Or who poisoned him. You stay here.”
“No way.” Kat turned and went toward the front door.
Joel grabbed her arm. “Don’t be stupid.”
“Let go of me,” Kat snarled as she wrestled her arm out of his hands. “Don’t you be stupid. And don’t tell me what to do in my own house. We’re just going to have to be stupid together. Deal with it.”
Linus was jumping and barking at the front door. Kat looked at Joel and pointed at the dog. “Put a leash on him and bring him with us. He’s pretty intimidating when he’s like this. I wouldn’t want to tangle with an angry 200-pound dog. Maybe he’ll chase the guy off. Or at least bite him.”
Joel nodded and snapped a leash on Linus’s collar. They opened the door and went down the stairs. Joel shouted toward the forest. “Whoever you are. Get off this property.”
Kat gripped Joel’s hand and they walked closer to the man, who didn’t move at all. Kat glanced at Joel. “Is he dead? Why is there an old dead guy in my yard?”
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