Spot and Smudge - Book One

by Robert Udulutch

  “Spot,” Kelcy said, nodding to the right, “And Smudge,” she said, patting the pup on the left.

  “Duh,” Ben said.

  Mimi dropped down next to Kelcy. She leaned forward and stared at the pups.

  Spot and Smudge stared back at her, and the difference between them jumped out at her as if they were wearing name tags.

  “I love it!” Mimi said as she nodded at each pup in turn, “Smudge and Spot. Now I know how to properly address whomever I’m skelping.”

  She took both of their faces in her hands and leaned in to nuzzle them. She received a barrage of tiny, perfectly coordinated kisses.

  Chapter 33

  Alpha was back on the knoll overlooking the goat pen. The moon was high and the sky was clear. He could see his hunters silently taking their positions in the shadows downwind, on the opposite side of the pen.

  On a warm moonlit night he knew the younger captive birds would often sneak out of the coop for a snack, and he was right. About a dozen or so small birds pecked near the base of the shed.

  He waited. His hunters were in position, but still he waited. One young bird moved away from the shed towards the edge of the pen as it searched for the better morsels.

  Weasel One peeked out just for a second and shot Alpha a question.

  No, we don’t go yet, patience, Alpha replied.

  A second small bird joined her brood-mate, and then a third. Alpha dropped to his belly and crawled forward towards the pen. He was upwind on purpose but didn’t want to tip his hand and let the birds smell him until the last moment for maximum effect.

  As a fourth bird approached the edge of the pen he shot forward, growling, and then let out a loud bark as he smashed into the fence less than a foot from the group of small birds. They panicked and scrambled to get away. The entire shed and coop erupted in squawks and bleats. All of the birds near the shed dove for cover, either inside or under it. The goats in the shed screamed and stomped noisily, but didn’t show themselves.

  Two of the terrified birds nearest Alpha crashed into each other and hop-flew in opposite directions. One of the four birds streaked straight back through the open shed door, and the final bird raced past the coop. It hit the far fence and half crawled, half flew over the top of it.

  Weasel Two was there in a flash and caught it before it hit the ground. He disappeared into the bush as quickly as he had appeared. The birds that had collided were still frantic and one had looped in an arc that took it back to the fence not far from Alpha.

  He repeated his fence attack and the crazed bird did another small arc and scrambled up and over the back side of the fence. It flopped in the grass a few yards outside of the pen until it got to its feet and ran. One Ear pounced from the shadows and deftly snatched the bird before it took two steps.

  The outside lights above the kitchen door came on and flooded the driveway. A second later the flood light above the shed came on, but only for a second. The bare wires of the old socket sparked, and the shed light went off. The remaining rattled bird headed in the direction of the kitchen light and crashed into the fence right next to the pen gate. It flapped and clawed its way up the fence and over it, hitting the ground with a thud. It flailed and scurried and came to rest in the middle of the driveway, halfway between the pen and the kitchen door. It sat there frozen and dazed, directly in the center of the pool of light cast by the floodlight above the kitchen door.

  Weasel Two stepped from his hiding spot and looked at the small bird, but only for an instant. Per his Alpha’s training, he moved silently away from the light at a run, darting back into the shadows. He joined his twin and One Ear at the edge of the woods. They were standing on their dead birds, and watching Alpha.

  Alpha had not fled from the side of the pen.

  He took his coyotes near houses often to scavenge but there were strict rules. He had trained his hunters, and the entire pack, to run far and run fast when presented with this situation regardless of the opportunity to eat.

  Human light meant death.

  Alpha was breaking his own rule and his hunters had never, ever seen that happen before. He was actually breaking several rules. Even though he was in shadow he had his back to the pen and had left himself only one retreat path. A basic mistake he would have nipped hard for had one of his young hunters done it.

  Still, he waited. The door flung open and a human came out with one of their weapons. That was enough to throw a switch in Alpha. He had seen the results of that weapon before.

  He turned to run but then he heard a pair of small yaps. He turned back to face the doorway, and saw the outline of two small black captive pups. They were being held back by one of the smaller humans.

  So my escaped prey had two pups that survived? he said to himself as he licked his fangs, Interesting. Your mother owes me a successful hunt, and a meal. It’s a debt that I intend to collect from the two of you.

  Flame shot from the doorway, followed by a large boom. The ground next to Alpha exploded as dirt and stone peppered his face and neck. He flinched and took one last look at the pups before bolting around the edge of the pen. The big brown and black killer disappeared into the shadows and silently rejoined his hunters.

  Alpha ignored their questioning looks as they carried the birds back to the den.

  Chapter 34

  As Mimi was shooting Papa’s shotgun at the coyotes, Doug and Liko were navigating a crowded sidewalk in downtown Providence. They had just stepped out of a trendy new nightclub located between the Providence Performing Arts Center and a strip club. There was a new ballet at the PPAC, a new headliner had just finished her set at Angel’s, and the nightclub was having its grand opening. The smoking crowd on the sidewalk out front was an interesting mix.

  Liko pulled Doug into the pet shop alcove two doors down from the club and said, “Let’s hold out for thirty percent. I don’t want to give my shit away but we do need them more than they need us. Don’t jump in so much with the real estate crap, it just pisses him off and we can work that into the deal later.” Liko didn’t wait for Doug to acknowledge him and started walking back to the bar.

  Doug thought, Give MY shit away? but he didn’t say it. He had not been feeling well on and off for two weeks and the last thing he needed now was to fight with Liko. His headache wasn’t too bad yet tonight but it had been coming on like a freight train around midnight lately, and it was eleven forty-five.

  Liko dropped his cigarette and they weaved back to the bar, past islands of people in tuxedos, tight dresses, and a group of girls wearing insanely tall high heels and hastily tied robes. They nodded to the large bouncers in black t-shirts and headed back into the strobe lights and noise of the club.

  Liko cut a wide swath when he walked, and Doug followed in his wake. They pushed through the crowded bar and the packed circle around the sunken dance floor. He led them past jammed bar tables, stopping just long enough to get an eyeful of a pack of ladies who could have been working next door before heading to the VIP area.

  Their round table was one of several curtained off on a raised section that ran the length of the back wall of the club. Liko nodded to the even larger bouncer manning the steps to the VIP area and puffed up the stairs. He dropped his weight onto the padded circular bench. Doug took the empty spot on the opposite side of the table. At the back of the table sat a tall, middle aged man with thinning hair and glasses. He was wearing a fashionable gray suit and a platinum chronograph diver’s watch.

  Doug coughed a few times, and as he reached for his beer Larry Calvin Davis said, “You boys should really think about giving those up. Filthy fucking habit.”

  Doug was about to protest that he didn’t smoke and was just a little under the weather when Larry removed a gold cigarette case from his jacket. He looked around before flipping it open and removing a gold straw. He bent to do a line of coke from its gold cover before he passed it to Liko.

  “It’s a good thing I don’t really have any vices,” Liko said as he pus
hed his glasses farther onto his nose. He rolled up a bill and bent to finish the line. As he straightened up and pushed his glasses back onto his nose he said, “I only smoke and do bumps to keep me connected to my working-class, immigrant roots.”

  Larry laughed and looked at his watch. He saw the pencil thin, short skirted waitress dropping off drinks at the next table and waved to her. Pointing his finger over the collection of empty and half-empty glasses on the table he shouted, “Do that again,” with a wink.

  No one spoke for several minutes. They pretended to watch the steady flow of tight and low-cut dresses but Doug was pretty sure this was some kind of bullshit negotiating tactic. He was indeed starting to fade and just wanted the night to be over. He almost spoke first, knowing it would earn him a ration of shit later but it was Liko who finally slid closer to Larry. Doug leaned in as well so he could hear over the thumping of the house music.

  “Look Larry, we made the clinic stuff possible,” Liko said, “and the kennel stuff is the only thing that makes the batches work right with the clinic stuff. The drugs you arranged to pull out of there are good, no argument, but they’re only part of the equation.”

  “And it’s tied to the real estate deal,” Doug added, “You can’t do the kennel stuff without the real estate.”

  Liko shot him an annoyed look and said, “Yeah, whatever, we can figure that shit out later.”

  Larry leaned back and took a long pull from his scotch and soda. He fished out the lemon and sucked on it.

  Doug leaned back and looked at Liko, What the fuck?

  Liko gave him a small shrug of a reply, Just shut up and let the man fucking think.

  After a long while Larry rubbed his temples and leaned forward, as did Liko and Doug.

  “Okay boys, here’s the thing. You’ve done an okay job with the clinic so far. It took me too many hours to get the midget Gandhi’s books set up right but it will be generating good returns for me for a few months until we burn it down,” Larry said.

  Doug and Liko both thought, Generate fucking cash for him? but they didn’t say it.

  Larry continued, “The freaky kennel thing is an interesting concept. I’m not convinced the right protections are in place, but you can’t argue with the numbers, so we’ll keep testing those waters.” To Doug he said, “The real estate thing is a cluster fuck. I can bail you out but it’s going to be steep. I told you from day one we needed the whole parcel, from the clinic to the water for it to make sense. We did okay on your land if we can develop it but you really fucked up on the factory. I told you to let me handle it. If I didn’t know any better I’d say the old man was playing you, not the other way around.”

  Larry leaned back again. He drained his drink and pulled out a silver cell phone from his jacket pocket and thumbed through the screens, tapping a huge gold ring on the rim of his glass while he read his messages.

  Liko frowned at Doug, Dumb ass, what did I say?

  Doug frowned back at Liko, I thought he said no fucking cell phones?

  The waitress brought the drinks and was clearing the empties as Dalaja and a tall, pale redhead in a red skintight dress carefully navigated towards them from the center of the dance floor. They were holding hands and weaving through the thick crowd, swaying to the music as they half-walked half-stumbled toward the VIP area.

  Larry mimed signing for the check to the waitress and smiled and waved at the girls as they steadied themselves before coming up the steps.

  He thought they look fucking hysterical next to each other. To Liko he said, “The ginger giant and her pet baby elephant have returned.”

  Dalaja was dressed in a tight grey dress that truly did make the poor woman look a bit like a tiny elephant. The girls had the sweating glow that came from effort mixed with lots of alcohol.

  Doug scooted out to let the redhead slip in next to Larry while Dalaja practically fell onto Liko and grabbed her fresh drink with both hands. Her cheeks were pink and she had beads of sweat on her face. She spilled some of her drink on Liko’s sleeve and wiped it off with her hand.

  “Sorry,” she whispered loudly in his ear, and planted a kiss on his fat cheek.

  Doug’s fever was now coming on with a vengeance, and as he watched her pull away the red smear left by her lipstick started to move across Liko’s wide face. The lipstick circled the triangle shaped tattoo under Liko’s right ear and started to eat it. Doug pressed his palms into his eye sockets and tried to push back the sharp little teeth that were gnashing on his optic nerves.

  “Having fun babe?” Larry asked the raccoon-eyed redhead.

  “Of course baby,” she said, stifling a yawn, “Just the best.”

  “You are an awesome dancer,” Dalaja gushed, pointing to the redhead with both index fingers. To the rest of the table she said, “I could never hope to move like that, she should be a professional.”

  Larry burst out laughing and almost choked. He took a big sip from his drink.

  “Mr. Davis,” Dalaja said.

  Larry held up a hand to correct her and she started again, “Sorry, right, Larry. I meant so say Larry. Larry, I cannot thank you enough. I know I embarrass you by continuing to bring this up but you have saved my business and…,” she paused to hold down a burp, “…and this is yet another wonderful evening you have provided. I am most grateful. We’re most grateful.” She took Liko’s arm and he added a nod.

  Larry reached out his hand and took one of hers. He kissed it with a loud smack, “You are most certainly welcome my dear” he said, “Glad to be of service.”

  “I have to be excused,” Dalaja drunk whispered. To the redhead she said, “Would you like to accom, accomany,…go with me?”

  “Sorry Hun,” she said, “my puppies are barking. You go on.”

  Dalaja got up on unsteady feet. “Puppies, that’s funny,” she said to no one, and then barked a few times. She almost pitched over the railing as she slid from the booth. Being drunk wasn’t the only impediment to her balance as she had never worn high heels until she started dating Liko. She looked back and waved to the table before lunging around the corner towards the bathrooms.

  Larry waved back at her. He checked his watch and turned to the redhead.

  “Well?” he said.

  “Well,” she said with a bit of a sneer, “It fucking took twice as long as you said it would and took two bumps in the bathroom.” She fingered the gold bullet dangling from the chain around her neck that held a little coke. “We danced some more and she did another bump on the dance floor. I felt her up, and yes she enjoyed it,” she said, looking at Liko.

  Larry pulled out two hundred dollar bills and folded them. He held them out and the redhead grabbed them, but Larry didn’t let go. “And?” he asked.

  “And, she said she was working with you guys on some stuff about her business. At first she said she can’t really talk about it but by the second time I stuck my tongue down her throat she was telling me all about how you ordered a lot more stuff than she could ever use at the clinic. She blah blah blahed about drugs and supplements but everything after that was a sloppy mess, I couldn’t make it out with her fucking drunk-ass accent.”

  Larry let go of the cash. “Lovely my dear, please go get the car,” he said, “Let’s find a way to give you another hundred, shall we?” He tossed her the valet slip and she left without a word to Doug or Liko.

  Larry leaned back and took a long drink from his glass as Doug slid back onto the seat. The waitress came and Larry settled the check while all three of them stared down her top.

  Liko leaned in after the waitress left. “Mr. Davis, I assure you I can take care of her,” he said as he thumbed over his shoulder at the bathroom hallway.

  Larry gave Liko a long look, and then he paused for a moment as he stared at Doug whose head was tipped to the side. He looked like he was about to fall out of the booth.

  Larry leaned forward and said, “You two fuckups had better secure that shit or I will. And if I secure it, it stays secured.�
� He started to move and Doug got up to let him out of the booth.

  Larry paused at the end of the table and smoothed the collar and sleeves of his jacket, opening it enough for Doug to clearly see the pistol handle in his armpit. He turned, looked at Liko, and said, “Twenty percent, and you fund the runs down south.”

  Liko held his gaze without blinking, although with Liko it was hard to tell if he blinked, and said, “Thirty five.”

  Larry smiled curtly and said, “Eighteen.”

  Liko thought for a moment, avoided Doug’s glare, and said, “Done,” as he held out his fat hand.

  Larry looked at the hand for a moment and then shook it without looking at either one of them.

  “Please say our goodbyes to Dalaja,” he said. He left the table and tipped the bouncer as he walked down the VIP stairs.

  Chapter 35

  “What’s parvo?” Ben asked.

  He and the family were standing around one of the exam room tables at the clinic.

  Ronnie said, “Parvo is short for parvovirus. It attacks the intestines, making it very hard for dogs to process the food they eat. It can make them very sick.”

  Ben was holding a shaking and very thin Smudge in his hands. The little black puppy whimpered and struggled until Spot, who was standing at the opposite end of the table and being corralled by Kelcy, yapped quietly to her.

  “How did she get it?” Kelcy asked.

  “That’s a good question,” Ronnie said, taking another close look at Smudge, “Dogs typically get it by eating the feces, the poo, of other infected dogs.”

  “Eww,” Kelcy said as Spot licked her chin. The teen wiped her chin with the back of her hand a few times and gave his little black head a playful shove. She asked, “Is it dangerous to us?”

  “No,” Dr. D said mechanically, “The canine intestinal parvovirus is genus specific. It cannot be transmitted from canines to humans.”

  Mimi thought for a minute and asked, “How long does it take for symptoms to present?”