Dog Gone

by Shannon Esposito

  “Anything’s possible at this point. Where did you meet Georgy Gold?” Devon asked.

  Before I had to answer that, and bring up the HOA Christmas party, I caught a glimpse of white fur running between two patrol cars. “Oh no! Buddha!” I took off after him, my legs shaking like Jell-O. They wouldn’t shoot him, would they? Devon’s feet pounded behind me.

  We reached the circle of people just in time to hear, “Whoa! Where’d that dog come from?”

  “No!” I shrieked, pushing my way past a few officers. “He’s mine. I got him.”

  “It’s all right,” I heard Salma yell. “He’s friendly.”

  I collapsed onto Buddha, grabbing his collar and gulping air. I didn’t have the breath left to scold him, though I really wanted to. Especially because he was looking so pleased with himself. I glanced from his moon-eyed stare to the object of his affection.

  Ginger lay in the wire crate, her head resting on her paws. Her eyebrows ticked up as her round, black eyes moved from Buddha to me. No wagging tail.

  My heart squeezed. I scratched her paw with one finger through the wire. “Oh, Ginger. It’s all right girl. You’ll be back with your mom soon.”

  “They’re on their way with Talia now,” Salma said from above me.

  I released Buddha’s collar and stood. “This news couldn’t have come soon enough. Talia was so depressed.”

  “At least it’ll be a happy ending for someone.” Salma shook her head as she glanced into the cab of the rusty truck beside us.

  I followed her gaze and my stomach clenched, roiled and threatened to push up my dinner. My hand went to my mouth.

  Leo had fallen forward, and his head rested on the steering wheel. Luckily I couldn’t see his face, but a strong smell drifted on the wind. I quickly took a few steps back and turned away.

  Two sets of headlights were approaching us. As they moved in to park nearby, I could see one was a police cruiser, and the other one was the ME’s white van.

  The cruiser’s front doors opened and Talia jumped from the passenger’s seat, tripping as she ran towards us. She wore the same flannel pajamas as when I’d first met her, and her hair was a tangled mess down her back. She almost glowed in the moonlight, her skin was so pale and waxy. Everyone parted to give her a path Ginger.

  Not acknowledging any of us, she collapsed in front of the wire crate, sobs of relief echoing in the stillness.

  Ginger finally moved. She popped up onto her stubby legs, her tail wagging fiercely, beating the sides of the crate. A sharp, happy yip! came from her.

  “Oh, Ginger,” Talia whispered. All the grief and hope and pain she’d been through evident in those two simple words.

  I bent down to help her as her shaking hands fumbled with the clips to open the cage. Ginger scratched at them from the inside now, whining, impatient to be released.

  “Here, let me.” I popped the three clips opened and then grabbed Buddha’s collar and backed up, giving them space.

  “Thank you.” Talia smiled up at me, her eyes shining.

  And then Ginger flung open the door and was on top on Talia, knocking her over and licking her face madly. Tiny whimpers were mingled with soft laughter. I glanced around. Everyone was smiling. I bet they never got to see this kind of joy at a murder scene.

  Buddha pulled from my grip and leapt over to sniff at Ginger, his whole butt wriggling. I gave him a few seconds, and then got him back under control.

  “Are you ready to go home?” Talia whispered, as she held Ginger’s furry face in her hands.

  Ginger licked her chin. Her whole body vibrated with excitement.

  Talia was radient as she looked up at me. “Elle, can you give us a ride?”

  I cringed as I thought about Talia riding in my little rust bucket. But, I couldn’t say no. “Sure.”

  As she stood, her gaze caught on the cab of the truck. The ME had opened both doors. Her eyes blazed as her face stilled. “That’s him? The man who took Diggs away from us? And stole my Ginger?”

  “Looks like it.” Salma stepped into her line of sight. “You really shouldn’t focus on him, though. That kind of anger can change a person.”

  Talia nodded. “You’re right. All that matters now is Ginger’s safe. Thank you, Detective.”

  I turned to Devon. He had his hands shoved in his jean’s pockets, watching everything unfold. “See you back at ... the bungalow?” “Home” seemed too presumptuous.

  He nodded once. That was good enough for me.

  I tried to roll my window up, but it was busted. Buddha must’ve broken it when he pushed it down to make his great escape. “You little bugger.” Sighing, I cranked the engine, praying it would catch. It did, filling the car with exhaust fumes.

  Talia sat next to me with Ginger panting happily on her lap. “Does this car have sentimental value to you, Elle?”

  “Not really.” I cast one last glance at the crime scene as I steered us out of the parking lot. “Why?”

  “Oh, just wondering.” She kissed Ginger between the ears.

  I smirked. “Wondering why anyone would drive such a rust bucket?”

  Talia laughed easily, the joy back in her spirit. “Well, I wouldn’t have put it that way but yes.”

  Reaching back, I pushed on Buddha’s chest. “Stop breathing on Talia,” I admonished. “You drive what you have, I guess.”

  I pulled around Talia’s circle drive and scratched Ginger softly under the chin. Her eyes twinkled, too, but she did look a bit thinner than the last time I saw her. “I can’t believe she’s really here.”

  “I can’t either. It still feels like a dream.” A beaming Talia hugged me tight. “I can’t thank you enough for helping me get her back, Elle. I’m going to throw a dinner party for you and all your friends, so we can celebrate together. I’ll call you.”

  Buddha pushed his face between the seats as Talia opened the car door. She patted his head. “Of course, you can come, too, Romeo.”

  I waited until they got safely inside and then made my way back to the bungalow, anxious to talk to Devon.

  When we got there, he wasn’t home yet. But I did notice the Christmas decorations didn’t make me feel so bad now.

  I went in and checked on Mom, who was sleeping. Then I decided it couldn’t hurt to create a little romantic atmosphere. I quickly opened a bottle of red wine and threw together a plate of cheese and crackers.

  The air held a chill, but it was still nice enough to sit outside. I arranged the food and glasses on the patio table outside and lit some candles. Then I sat out there, sipping on a glass of wine and watching the dogs play in the yard. Anxiously, I kept checking my phone in case he’d changed his mind.

  I got a text from Sunny asking to set up a private doga session which, after a back and forth schedule check, we made for Thursday, two nights from now. I might need the money if Devon asked me to move out.

  While I waited, I called Hope and told her everything that’d happened tonight.

  “What are you wearing?” Hope asked.

  I glanced down at my yoga pants and gray sweatshirt with the words “I don’t need therapy, all I need is yoga” on it. Which was a flat out lie. “Does it matter?”

  “Yes, of course it matters. Go put on something besides yoga pants. Something sexy.”

  I laughed. She knew me too well.

  The dogs suddenly stopped playing and were looking into the house with alert expressions and wagging tails. “Too late. I have to go. He’s home.” After some final encouraging words from her, I hung up. Glancing up at the stars twinkling in the velvety sky, I said a little prayer that this wouldn’t be our last night together.

  Devon came through the opened slider and walked over to me. He looked really beat, with dark circles under his eyes and a shadow of stubble on his face.

  I waved awkwardly. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” He took in the table with an unreadable expression. Then he sat down and sighed.

  The dogs ran over, sniffing him excite
dly. With his head bent, he rubbed both of them under the ears.

  I watched him silently, my back stiff, anxiety starting to creep in. Would he tell me it’s over? Ask me to leave now?

  “Go on, go play.” He shooed the dogs back into the yard and turned his attention to me. “Long day.” Then he picked up his wineglass and took a swallow. “Hits the spot, thanks.”

  I relaxed a little under his soft tone. The anger seemed to have dissipated. “Oh, before I forget, last night the dogs were barking around two in the morning. I didn’t think anything of it, until this morning when I found a note at the front door. It said stop interfering or the dog dies.” I watched Devon’s protective instincts rise with the heat in his face. “But the threat is over now, anyway,” I quickly added.

  His jaw twitched and his eyes blazed dangerously. “I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

  I reached over and grabbed his hand. “I was fine. But Salma did say you should put up some security cameras.”

  He nodded and took a deep breath in through his nose.

  I released his hand reluctantly and then sat back in my chair. Time to change the subject. “Did the ME confirm Leo had a heart attack?”

  He shook his head, stretching out his legs and crossing one ankle over the other. “Actually he thinks the poor fella was poisoned.”

  I blinked. “Poisoned?”

  He twisted his glass thoughtfully on the table. “There was some vomiting, a strange rash ... some things that made him suspicious that, if it was a heart attack, it was caused by somethin’ else.”

  How awful. “If that’s true, then Leo definitely wasn’t acting alone. Would Eva or Georgy be cold enough to poison a member of their own family?” I thought about how they both treated him at the HOA Christmas party. Not very kindly.

  “Salma’s betting on Eva, since the Moon Key Gazette was used for the photo of Ginger, which probably meant she was being held on the island. Salma’s getting a search warrant. See if they can’t come up with any of Ginger’s hairs or saliva at Eva’s place. That would at least prove she was involved.”

  I would’ve put my money on Georgy. But I guess Salma’s been at this a long time. She’d have better instincts than me.

  Buddha trotted up and squished a slimy rubber ball against my leg. “Drop it.” I picked it up with two fingers and chucked it into the yard, watching him bounce after it. Then I thought of something. “Remember when we were at Sunny’s house? I noticed a boathouse out back. Maybe Eva has one, too? That would be the perfect place for her to hide a dog.”

  Devon nodded. “I’ll text Salma now and make sure the boathouse is included in the warrant.” When he was done, he tossed his phone on the table and leaned forward, taking my hand in his. “Look, Elle, I don’t feel well that we’re on the outs like this. I know you did what you did for me. It’s my problem to deal with, this jealousy, not yours. I want you to know that. It bothers me more that you didn’t feel you could come to me with your plan beforehand. But that’s on me, too.”

  I was shaking my head, holding onto his hand for dear life. “I shouldn’t have gone behind your back.” I choked on the relief flooding through me. “I’m so sorry.”

  He lifted my hand to his mouth and pressed his warm lips against my knuckles. “You have nothin’ to be sorry for.”

  We spent the next few hours under the stars, catching up and easing back into a comfortable place with each other. I got a text from Talia around midnight and we used that as a signal it was time to go to bed.

  I read it and then said, “Dinner party tomorrow night, Talia’s place. To thank us for all our help getting Ginger back.”

  Devon draped his arm across my shoulder and I had the strangest sensation of being home. “I can say this now. I really didn’t think she’d be gettin’ that dog back. It’s a bloody miracle.”

  I slid my arm around his waist. “Me either. I just hope Eva Gold doesn’t get away with murder.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  After my second class was over Wednesday, I drove back to the bungalow. I was a bit more excited than I should’ve been. It was time to take Mom back to her own house, and I felt like a heavy weight was being lifted off my chest. I’d deal with the guilt later with my therapist.

  She was sitting on the edge of the bed, clutching her bag of belongings when I got there.

  “You get all your medication?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Bet you’ll be glad to finally get rid of me,” she grumbled, as I tried to help her up. She smacked my hand away. “Nothing wrong with my legs.”

  I gritted my teeth. “Want anything to eat for the road?”

  She waved her hand behind her as she waddled unsteadily out the door. “Don’t bother yourself.”

  I got her situated into the cramped front seat of my Beetle, while Buddha sat in the back, panting.

  “That dog gonna breathe all over me the whole trip?” she asked, giving Buddha a side-ways glare.

  “Buddha, get back,” I said, pressing his chest so he sat back more in the seat. I really needed to tighten his harness. “Better?”

  She grunted and stared out her side window. “This window’s got dog slobber all over it. Can’t even barely see out.”

  I rolled my eyes, a harsh grinding noise filling the air as I shoved the gearshift in reverse and backed out of the driveway.

  Just twenty minutes. You can do it.

  She didn’t speak again until we’d driven off the private ferry and were sitting in traffic on Memorial Causeway, my car vibrating roughly around us. I really needed to get it in the shop. Why was life so much maintenance?

  “This car feels like it’s gonna fall apart around our ears. How come your fancy, rich boyfriend doesn’t get you a new one?”

  I pushed my sunglasses up on my nose and glanced over at her. “Why should it be his responsibility to buy me a car? And how do you know Devon has money anyway?”

  She shrugged a meaty shoulder. “People talk. And if he really loved you, he wouldn’t want you driving around in this piece of crap. I’m sure it’s an embarrassment to him anyway.”

  “Devon’s not like that.” I bit the inside of my lip.

  Was that why she’d been so uncharacteristically nice to Devon that day I’d brought him to meet her? Because she knew he had money? My face flushed with anger. Anger which gave me the courage to ask her about my father, who she’d refused to tell me anything about, except he’d left her when he’d found out about me. “Did Barry Allen ever buy you a car?” I heard the tremor in my voice. I hoped she didn’t. Sometimes I thought she enjoyed getting me all emotional.

  Her head whipped around and I felt her stare like hot coals on the side of my face. “Don’t you get smart with me, Elvis. You know that man never gave me nothin’ but you.”

  “Yeah, a worthless child.” I whispered it under my breath, but I knew she’d heard me. I could tell by the way her shoulders stiffened and her chin rose.

  She turned and stared out the window for the rest of the drive. I could feel her sulking.

  It wasn’t until I’d dropped her off at her cracker-box house with the fried brown grass, and then silently pulled away, that I let myself cry.

  How could the woman who brought me into this world make me feel so worthless in such a short amount of time?

  Buddha was back in his rightful spot in the front seat. He began sniffing the side of my face and then licked at the tears.

  “Yeah, at least I have you. Good boy.” I pulled his big, blocky head against mine. A string of saliva from his tongue dripped down onto my leg, but I didn’t care. Love was messy.

  Before I hit Memorial Causeway, I pulled over into a gas station. “Stay,” I said, as I hopped out to fill up the tank. As I stood there watching the traffic go by, I thought about Leo. That poor kid. I knew I shouldn’t feel sorry for a killer, but something had to go really wrong in his life for him to end up like he did. Was that “something” his father? Did he inherit the genes of a psychopath? That thought mad
e me shudder. But one thing I’d learned is not to underestimate people when they get cornered.

  When I’d finished pumping gas, I slid back into the squeaky, torn seat and checked the time. I still had an hour and a half before my four o’clock doga class. Enough time to check out Georgy’s house and see if he owned a blue and white Bowrider.

  “Up for a little adventure, Buddha?”

  I got a lick on the ear, which I took for a yes. Such an agreeable dog.

  You gotta love the internet. It took about ten seconds to find Georgy’s address and plug it into Google maps. An eight minute hop onto the Causeway to Clearwater Beach. Perfect.

  I hooked a right on Island Way, a thin strip of road between Clearwater Harbor and the Pinellas County Aquatic Perserve. All the houses here were waterfront, and most likely belonged to boat owners. Buddha had his head out the window, tongue flapping in the breeze. He barked once at a squirrel. If only humans were so easily entertained.

  “Turn left in five hundred feet. Your destination will be on the right,” the robotic lady in my phone told me.

  I turned left into a cul-de-sac and found Georgy’s house number on a two-story house with a red, barrel-tile roof and a brick driveway. It didn’t look like anyone was home. I pulled up alongside the grass and shut off the engine. Maybe I should’ve left it running.

  Oh well, too late. Here goes nothing. One thing I’d learned from Devon was just act like you belong somewhere and no one will question if you do. I went around to the passenger’s side and opened the door. “Come on, boy. Let’s go for a walk.”