by V. M. Burns
The skepticism I’d seen in David’s eyes was now replaced with respect and a healthy dose of fear. “Good point.”
We walked over to the dealership lot. Even though it was dark, the moon was exceptionally bright. My pulse was racing. The dogs were surprisingly quiet. They kept their noses to the ground, looking more like hound dogs tracking a scent than retired show dogs. As we got to the building, there was a noticeable change. Chyna and Leia pulled ahead of us. Their steps were deliberate and stealthy. They crept around corners, always sniffing as though they were tracking. We followed their examples and were more cautious, being careful to make as little noise as possible. When we approached the back of the building, the small hairs left unshaved rose across their shoulders and down their backs. It wasn’t easy to see, but it was obvious something changed, and the dogs were wired.
There was a small garage in the back of the lot. Albert referred to it as his barn. It was used for parts storage. There was a metal garage door, but the tin building didn’t have heat or air-conditioning. There was a motion light on a pole near the barn. That was where the light was coming from. We snuck around the side of the building near the opening. We stopped. A low rumble resonated from the dogs. Even Aggie seemed to sense danger. She stood tall and straight next to her canine sisters. We huddled together.
“What now?” David asked.
I quietly peeked around the corner of the building.
Inside, Chip Nelson had parked two cars. Both cars were imported sports cars. One car already had its tires removed, while the other one sat nearby.
“What’s he doing?” Dixie whispered in my ear.
I shrugged then motioned for them to follow me to the back of the building, farther away from the door.
“What’s he doing? Stealing car parts?” Dixie asked.
“Now can we call the police?” David asked.
I nodded. “Dixie, call Officer Harrison. He’s not stealing parts, he’s—”
A growl rumbled through the dogs like thunder rolling over Lake Michigan. The growls started deep inside and by the time they made their way out, there was a great deal of energy behind them. The noise caused us to turn and look at the same time. Bambi stood in front of us.
“Bambi, what are you doing?” I released the breath I’d been holding. “Get over here.” I motioned for her to come away from the door.
The dogs lunged and growled. David strained to keep them from pouncing on her.
She laughed. “What am I doing?” She smiled and then reached out and grabbed me. She pulled me to her chest and then whipped out a large gun. “Apparently, getting the drop on you, old lady.”
Dixie was balancing her cell phone and her gun and was late in getting her weapon pointed.
“Hand it over.” Bambi put the muzzle of her gun to my head. “Or I’ll blow her brains out.”
“Damn!” Dixie slid the gun toward Bambi.
“And get control of those beasts or I’ll shoot all of them.” She did something to the gun that made a clicking sound.
I jumped at the noise.
“Plotz,” Dixie commanded.
I had never seen the dogs disobey a direct order, but there was a delay that made me wonder if they were thinking about it. The dogs eventually laid down in sphinx-like poses. Neither took their eyes off Bambi and the rumbling was still there. Aggie was still growling, and I leaned down to pick her up, but Bambi got nervous and jerked me back against her.
“I was just going to pick her up. She hasn’t been trained like the other dogs,” I explained.
“Let Granny take her.” Bambi kicked Aggie and sent her flying across the ground toward Dixie.
Aggie screamed. As long as I live, I don’t think I will ever be able to forget that sound.
Hearing Aggie squeal lit a fire inside. My blood boiled, and rage rose up in me just as the growls rose up in the poodles. I turned my head and saw Bambi with a large grin on her face. That smile was the spark that started the fire.
I remembered the self-defense classes Bradley Hurston taught us years ago. “SING.” I put all of my weight into an elbow to her solar plexus. Then I stomped down on the instep of her foot with all of my weight. When she doubled over in pain, I took the heel of my hand and thrust upward as hard as I could to her nose. As soon as my palm hit the soft cartilage of her nose, I heard a crunch and knew I’d broken her nose. The blood gushed down her face. She squealed like a pig from the pain and dropped like a rock. I never got a chance to administer a final kick in the groin, which probably wouldn’t have been necessary with a woman anyway. Solar Plexus, Instep and Nose, SIN, had done the trick.
One of the poodles, Chyna, was in the air before my final blow fell. Like a gazelle, she leapt into the air and knocked Bambi to the ground. Then she stood on her chest with her teeth bared and growled, inches from her face.
Chip Nelson came out of the barn when Bambi screamed. When he turned the corner, Leia shot past me. She flew through the air and landed on Chip, who screamed and cried like a baby. “Get off. Help.”
“Mom, are you okay?” David hugged me.
“Yes. I’m fine.” I looked to Dixie. “How is Aggie?”
Dixie held her shivering body close. “I think she’ll be okay, but we should get her to a vet.”
I reached out and took my quivering dog into my arms and my heart broke. She held onto me with her little paws and put her head on my shoulder.
Sirens blared and at least five police cars pulled into the dealership. Officer Harrison and Turbo led the pack. The officers ran up to us, weapons drawn and pointed. Everyone was shouting, and the scene was chaos. Once the police were on the scene, Dixie called Leia, who reluctantly left Chip and pranced over to her owner. Chyna took a bit of coaxing before she could be convinced to relinquish her prisoner. Eventually, Dixie took her by the collar and pulled her off Bambi, who lay quiet, probably passed out from the shock and blood loss.
Officer Harrison pointed out who the bad guys were. Chip was rolled onto his stomach and handcuffed. They had to call an ambulance for Bambi.
“Do you want to tell me what the—” Officer Harrison started, but something in my face must have warned him to proceed with caution. He took a deep breath. “What happened?”
Still cuddling Aggie to my chest, I walked to the garage. “I remembered seeing a light on the night before the funeral, but in the excitement, with nearly getting arrested, I forgot about it. Tonight I remembered and we decided to come down and see for ourselves.” I skirted around some of the details. He didn’t need to know about our pizza party stakeout. “We came over and saw Chip taking the tires off of these cars. Before we could call the police, Bambi showed up and pulled a gun on us.”
Officer Harrison looked in the barn. Something in his jaw got hard and taut. He looked down at Turbo by his side, but his ears were set back and he paced nervously. “Stay here.” He gave an order in German and Turbo got to work.
Turbo immediately went to one of the cars and started to aggressively dig at the tire. Officer Harrison called to one of his fellow policemen lined up near us. One of the officers entered the barn and inspected the tire rim. After a few moments, he pulled out a large plastic bag full of a white substance.
“Sweet mother of God,” Dixie whispered.
Turbo went to each tire and did the same thing.
After he finished with the first car, the officers had a powwow. When they were finished, Officer Harrison and Turbo came out to where we were. He removed the dog’s vest and pulled out a white towel. Instantly, Turbo changed from the super serious drug sniffing police dog into an oversized puppy. His ears went back, and his tail wagged. He looked as though he smiled. Officer Harrison played tug of war with him with the towel for a few seconds. Eventually, he released the towel and Turbo took off. Chyna and Leia stood with tails wagging and looked longingly after their new friend and his towel
.
“Is it okay if they play too?” Dixie asked Officer Harrison.
He nodded.
She unhooked their leashes and they took off after Turbo. The three dogs chased each other and played tug of war and keep away with the towel.
I watched for a few moments and then turned back to Officer Harrison. “Aggie was injured when that B…Bambi kicked her. I need to find someone to make sure she’s okay.”
He looked at the dog in my arms and nodded. “There’s an emergency vet on Lakeshore Drive.” He pulled out his cell phone. He pushed a button and spoke. “This is Officer Harrison. I have an emergency. A lady is going to bring a toy poodle in who was injured apprehending a suspect.” He grinned. “She might have internal bleeding or a broken bone.” He listened and then thanked the person and hung up. “It’s all set. Take Highway 2 toward the lake and then left onto Lakeshore Drive. It’s about two miles down on the left.”
Dixie called Chyna and Leia and we headed back to the commuter lot. David took the standard poodles home in his car. Dixie drove while I held Aggie and we sped down the road to the emergency vet.
The vet’s office was fairly busy, considering it was nearly five in the morning. I saw from a sign on the door, the emergency vet opened after most vet’s offices closed at nights and on weekends. The staff was waiting for me and rushed us back into one of the examination rooms immediately. Dr. Shah was a short woman with a dark complexion, dark hair and soft, kind eyes. She was gentle and smiled at me and then immediately examined Aggie. She was gentle and spoke with a soft voice that reassured as her hands probed.
She turned to me. “I don’t think anything is broken, but we won’t know for sure unless we take x-rays. We’ll need to sedate her to make sure she stays perfectly still,” she explained.
I nodded and handed Aggie over to the assistant, a young girl with pink hair and a nose ring.
When she took Aggie out, it was as though someone had opened the flood gates. In an instant, I was crying like a baby. Dr. Shah looked stricken and reassured me Aggie would be perfectly fine. I tried to nod I understood, but nothing coherent came out.
Dixie said, “She’s had a rough week.”
Something about the total inadequacy of her words and her tone made me laugh.
“Am I going to have to slap you?” Dixie asked.
I shook my head. “I’m okay. It’s just…‘a rough week’ has to be the understatement of the decade.”
Dr. Shah hurried out of the room. The look on her face showed she thought we were a few fries short of a happy meal.
While we waited for Aggie, I filled out nearly as much paperwork as I did the last time I went to the doctor. “Insurance? This form is asking about insurance.”
“You should consider it. I have insurance for both of the girls. It can save thousands.”
“You’re serious.”
She reached in her backpack and pulled out two insurance cards; each had one of her dog’s pictures.
When the paperwork was completed, Dr. Shah came back in with the x-rays. She put them on a machine and explained Aggie had no internal bleeding but did have a small fracture in her leg. She would put a splint on and wrap the leg. With rest, she should be fine within four weeks. She was almost finished and would bring Aggie out shortly.
Within the hour, I carried a groggy poodle with a bright pink gauze-wrapped leg home with medicine for pain and instructions to see my vet. By the time we drove home, the sun was up. We’d been up all night.
CHAPTER 15
When we pulled into the driveway, there was a car parked in the driveway that I recognized as belonging to Detective Wilson. In addition to that one, Officer Harrison’s car was there. Since Turbo wasn’t pacing in the back, he must be inside, hopefully getting some rest with Chyna and Leia. The garage was blocked, so Dixie parked on the street. By the time we got to the front porch, Stephanie opened the door and rushed out. She flung her arms around my neck and hugged me, careful not to crush Aggie, who was curled up on my chest.
“Oh, Mom, I was so scared when Joe told me what happened.”
“Joe?” I must have looked as puzzled as I sounded.
Her neck flushed. “Officer Harrison.”
I nodded. “I’d forgotten his first name. I’m sorry we worried you, dear.” I stopped before entering the house. “What’s with all of the cars?” I motioned at the cars lining the driveway.
She rolled her eyes. “Detective Wilson arrived a few minutes ago with a warrant. She wants the books, laptop and the evidence about embezzling you found.”
I nodded and walked into the house.
Officers wearing gloves were rummaging through drawers and cabinets.
“Is that really necessary?” I looked at Detective Wilson. “The books are upstairs. If you give me a minute, I’ll go and bring them down.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Detective Wilson waved off my assistance. “That’s not how this works.”
If I hadn’t been awake all night and been through a roller coaster ride of emotions, I might have taken offense at the offhand manner in which she dismissed me. But I was too tired to care. “Fine. I need coffee.” I walked toward the kitchen. A police officer who had been standing in the living room extended an arm to prevent me from entering the kitchen.
“The items you’re looking for aren’t likely to be in the coffeemaker.” Stephanie argued.
Detective Wilson nodded to the policeman, who dropped his arm, allowing me to enter my kitchen. However, after a half second, he followed me into the kitchen. I put Aggie down on her dog bed and watched while she curled up into a ball and slept. The officer stood by and watched while I made coffee.
In a previous life, several centuries before my husband tried to divorce me, before I was not only accused of murdering him, but arrested for it, and before I discovered a long-time family friend had not only embezzled money from us but had used the business to smuggle drugs, I would have offered the police coffee too. I had been a different woman back then. The new Lilly Echosby still believed the police were my friends, but I had developed a tougher shell.
The new Lilly Echosby sat at the kitchen table with my daughter, best friend and our new friend, Officer Harrison, and drank coffee. I looked around and saw Chyna, Leia and Turbo curled up on the floor under the window. Aggie whined, and I picked her up and cuddled her for a few seconds until she settled down again. When she was still, I sat back down and drank coffee with her on my lap. It didn’t take long before she was back asleep. Every time I looked at the pink gauze around her leg, my heart skipped a beat. I caressed her leg absentmindedly while I sipped my coffee.
After about fifteen minutes, David and a policeman came downstairs carrying a laptop and the box of books and papers I’d taken from Albert’s office. The officer gave David a receipt for the items and the search warrant. David escorted the police from the premises. Detective Wilson stopped before leaving and stared at Officer Harrison for several seconds, as if to mark his presence as one of us rather than one of them. Officer Harrison, true to his training, didn’t blink.
She then turned her attention to me. “You’ll need to come down to the station later and make a statement.”
I nodded.
Detective Wilson stared again at Officer Harrison. After a few moments, she turned and walked out.
When David closed the door on the last policeman, he grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down. We all breathed a collective sigh and then laughed that we all felt the same emotional release.
“I hope you won’t get in trouble.” I looked at Officer Harrison. “I don’t think Detective Wilson liked your being here.”
He shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”
Stephanie poured the last of the coffee into Detective Harrison’s mug. Then she went to the coffeemaker and made another pot. When she was finished, she filled all of our mugs. She sat
down and looked around the table. “Okay, somebody needs to fill me in and start at the top.”
We spent the next hour going through the details. By mutual consent, we left the details of our pizza party out. When we got to the part about Bambi kicking Aggie, tears welled up in my daughter’s eyes.
“Oh my God. What a monster. How could she do that to a poor defenseless creature?” Stephanie dabbed at the tears that filled her eyes.
David reached over and patted Aggie as she slept on my lap. “I’m not disagreeing with you, but this little dog has the heart of a lion. She may be little, but she proved she’s pretty fierce too.”
“She’s not the only one.” Officer Harrison’s lips twitched as he tried not to smile.
“Aggie apparently takes after her mama.” Dixie smiled.
“Remind me never to get on the wrong side of Mom. She’s got a mean right hook.” David joked.
“I’ve never hit another human being in my life…well, I hadn’t until this whole thing with your father and Bambi.” I patted Aggie but then looked up. “How is Bambi, anyway?”
“Two black eyes, a broken nose, bruised ribs and a broken foot. She’s pretty beat up, but she’ll live.” Officer Harrison’s lips twitched.
“How did she get the black eyes?” I asked. “I didn’t hit her in the eyes.”
“When you break your nose, the bruising often shows under the eyes,” Officer Harrison explained.
“Was she involved with Chip and the drugs and everything?” I asked.
“Looks that way, but we haven’t gotten much from her yet. She’s still in the hospital and pretty heavily sedated,” Officer Harrison said.
I felt bad about breaking her nose for about five seconds and then Aggie shuddered in her sleep and the remorse I felt moments earlier vanished. Aggie was just a six-pound dog. She hadn’t deserved the way she was treated. Bambi, on the other hand, held a gun to my head and threatened to shoot three human beings. She deserved everything she got.