Hounded

by Anita Klumpers

  “Ma’am. If you follow me. I called my son and he’s waiting up the street a couple of blocks, away from this mess. If we hurry you can make it before the police come and need information. He has directions to the closest vet hospital.”

  Without sparing a glance for his crumpled bumper the stout little man led the procession. Jeff, recognizing an alpha male, followed, and Elise didn’t even know how he’d gotten out of the car. Then the woman with Mutt, no longer quite so alarmingly still. And finally Elise. Someone thrust her purse and keys and blessedly, her shoes, into her hands. She turned to thank the unknown benefactor only to meet dozens of kind faces. Clapping hands applauded them around the corner.

  There he was, a fresh-faced young man in a Jeep. Small and neat like both parents, he had his father’s ruddy complexion and his mother’s quiet eyes. The boy didn’t even blink when Elise crawled into the back seat explaining that Jeff preferred the front. She held a hand out to Mutt’s rescuer, bent to offer the living breathing dog to Elise.

  “Please, please come with.”

  “Oh, my dear. My son is perfectly safe. Everyone has seen him and knows where he’s taking you.”

  “I’m not worried about him at all. I just don’t dare—please? I’ll buy you a new car.”

  The woman laughed and settled next to Elise, holding Mutt close. Jeff turned to make certain all was as it should be.

  “Ready?” The driver spoke to Jeff, who relaxed and put his chin on the half-opened window. “We’ll be there in a jiffy.”

  Elise looked at the dashboard clock, amazed it wasn’t even eight o’clock yet. Less than an hour had passed since she’d leapt from bed in search of pain.

  A jiffy, it turned out, lasted about three minutes. Just long enough to get her shoes on. The driver pulled in front of the doors that proclaimed ‘24 hour emergency service.’

  “Dad called ahead. They know you’re coming and why. Your pup will be fine. Mom learned animal CPR after we almost lost our beagle to a chicken bone. Here buddy—” The young man hopped from the jeep and trotted around to the passenger side, lifting enormous Jeff as though he were Mutt-sized and setting him down by Elise’s door.

  Elise turned pleading eyes to the woman who smiled and shook her head. “I can’t go in with you dear. You have to hold your baby sometime. I don’t know what happened but even if you think it was your fault, you love this dog and you best climb back in the saddle right away and start caring for him. If you don’t trust yourself he won’t be able to trust you. Now you scoot out and I’ll hand this little critter over. They’re waiting for you.”

  Obediently she scooted. Indeed, two people in scrubs stood on the curb. They reached for Mutt but she stopped them. “Let me take him, please. You can have him in a minute.” The minute was enough to feel the quickened little body, the tension in limbs that coursed with blood, the warmth from a beating heart. She turned away from the Jeep long enough to place Mutt in the arms of the expert. Her champions roared off.

  “No! Wait!” The young woman who’d taken Mutt paused in surprise. “Not you. Go take care of my dog.”

  The woman scuttled inside, clearly certain that Elise was a woman in need of her first cup of coffee.

  “Jeff. I didn’t get their names. This is going to make buying them a new car a bit of a pickle.”

  Mutt would live, the experts assured her. But he also needed a full day of treatments along with monitoring the oxygen in his blood. Elise poked a cautious head around the corner of the examining room to see Mutt sitting with head cocked in the bemused fashion of one wondering how he had gotten here. When he caught sight of Elise and Jeff, now on a borrowed leash, his tail began wagging, then his hips, his front paws and finally his ears. It almost broke Elise’s heart to leave him.

  “We’ll be back to visit you, and pick you up bright and early tomorrow. Now play nice and say thank you to Jeff. He’s a hero, you know. We’re going to nominate him for some award or other.”

  The nice lady at the front desk assured Elise she could visit Mutt any time before eight that evening, gave a hefty doggie treat to Jeff and turned her attention to a woman who’d bolted in the door with a cage and cries of a hamster in hard labor.

  Outside Elise blinked in the bright sun and searched for the vehicle. “Blast and double blast. I forgot. It’s almost two miles up the road, if it hasn’t been towed already. Are you up for a hearty walk, Jeff?”

  Jeff didn’t bother to answer. He settled his hindquarters on the sidewalk, found it to his liking, and invited his front end to join. He closed his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing.

  “Forget it. I know you aren’t sleeping. But no way will I be able to drag you over to Cottonwood Way. Right?”

  A patently fake snore came as the only response.

  The utter loneliness of her existence hit Elise. No matter how dysfunctional her relationship with Timothy, he wouldn’t have let her sit on the curb in front of a veterinary hospital. Her parents had given up their car two years ago. Timothy’s circle had never really been more than acquaintances. She couldn’t blame her own old friends for washing hands of her. After Christopher’s death she hadn’t bothered with any of the thousand tasks required to nourish relationships.

  Russ. Elise snapped her fingers in frustration. “I forgot. Even if he’s moved on from the Widow McGee’s coffee cake, he has other shut-ins to visit. It’s your fault I can’t call a cab. Remember that time when we thought it would be fun to see Des Moines by taxi? Ha! Where you got that pathological fear that makes you puke all over them is beyond me.”

  Jeff muttered under his breath.

  “You think I should try Palmer, don’t you? Don’t let his solicitous act fool you. He ignored me at the funeral. All right, I’m calling. You never get sick with him, but hope springs eternal.”

  The mutter intensified but Jeff refused to be drawn into an argument. She called Palmer’s cell and he pronounced himself delighted to come rescue her. “Give me half an hour to finish up some paperwork. It’s nice out. You’ll be all right.”

  Jeff smirked.

  It was closer to forty-five minutes before Palmer arrived. Elise felt ready to jump out of her skin, the only excuse for what came out of her mouth.

  “Good grief, Palmer.” She glared at him as she hauled Jeff up onto her lap. “Whose bankruptcy or corporate restructuring couldn’t wait a few minutes?”

  She knew he would get all stuffy. “Elise, you seriously don’t expect me to share any information on clients. And you’re welcome for helping you out of a jam. Where am I supposed to take you? I couldn’t make sense of anything you said on the phone.”

  “Just keep going up the road and I’ll tell you where to turn. Stay toward the left. It’s coming up any time now. It should be—here. Turn here!”

  Palmer hit the brakes but they skidded past Cottonwood Way and a vulgar phrase slipped from between his clenched teeth.

  “Sorry, Palmer. Everything looked different this morning.”

  “Don’t tell Mother I know that term. I’ll flip Lexi around.” Lexi, Palmer’s pride and joy, performed an admirable U-turn back to Cottonwood Way. “How far down did you leave the car?”

  “Hardly far at all. It should be right there. Blast. I’m almost ready to use your naughty words, Palmer. It must have gotten towed.”

  “Do you want me to drive further up the street? Around the bend?”

  Such a Palmer sort of question. Never accept any declaration of fact. “No, Palmer. I left it in the middle of the road. Right about here. I can’t believe this. What am I supposed to do now?”

  “Go to the police station. I’m guessing the nearest one. I’m sure you can get it out.”

  “Have you ever been towed? Never mind. Your self-satisfied expression is enough answer.”

  “You do tend to look gift horses in the mouth, don’t you Elise?”

  “Sorry again, Palmer. And thank you for coming to get us.” She considered playing the “I just buried my husband yesterday
” card. But he’d know she was more upset about Mutt than Timothy.

  “Elise, I need to get back to the office. You realize my brother’s death has left us in a mess. Timothy was a work horse and I have no idea how we’re going to pick up the slack. Junior certainly won’t step up to the plate.”

  They’d figure out a way. The Ambersons not only survived, they conquered.

  “So I’ll tell you what. After I drop you at the police to get your vehicle I’m going to bring Jeff back to the estate. You don’t want to keep him with you in case you have to fill out paperwork. Or they have a rule against pets in the police station.”

  She did want Jeff by her side, desperately. But Palmer would not only take him home, he’d probably give him a treat and scratch behind his ears and fluff his pillow. Elise sighed.

  “Okay. Thanks, Palmer. You’ve been most accommodating to a most ungracious sister-in-law.”

  “Here’s the station. You will be all right, won’t you, Elise?” The almost sympathetic tone in his voice forced her flippant response.

  “You mean I won’t be struck by a sudden desire to turn myself in for Timothy’s murder?”

  “Goodbye Elise.” He gunned Lexi and the car’s genteel vibrato smothered her shout of “Sorry! Really!”

  Palmer and Lexi both gave Elise the cold shoulder.

  CHAPTER SIX

  But, if one little casement parted wide,

  The gust of His approach would clash it to.

  “The Hound of Heaven,” Lines 22-23

  Elise entered the large brick police station through two sets of glass doors and stood bewildered. Not one, but three glass-fronted reception windows glinted at her from across an icy expanse of polished tile floor. None of the uniformed folks manning the windows seemed particularly tickled to see her.

  When in doubt, stay in the middle. Elise marched to the center reception officer and rapped the glass. She had time to read four public service announcements taped to the window before the stocky woman with a two-foot-long braid down her back turned from something obviously more important than Elise. She slid the window open and raised inquiring eyebrows.

  “Hello. My vehicle got towed this morning. Probably sometime after eight but before ten. It’s a big sport utility vehicle, black, because my husband thought it less ostentatious to drive a really huge expensive car if it is black. Its license number is AANDA8 which stands for Amberson and Amberson. His dad’s German sports car is AANDA1 of course. It was about half a block up Cottonwood Way off 50th Street—the sport utility vehicle, not the sports car— and I think the back bumper is crumbled. I would never have left it in the middle of the street but my dog was suffocated. So I’m ready to get it back.”

  The braided lady said, “Next window,” jerked a finger to the right, and slid the glass shut.

  Reflecting that police didn’t enjoy a good backstory, Elise rapped just as sharply on the indicated window and snapped out, “My car’s been towed. Now what?”

  Now, she was told, she could fill out paperwork, prove who she was, and pay twenty dollars for the privilege of so doing. The payment had to go on a credit card because she’d used her cash at The Chicken Coop. It also netted her a slip of paper with a phone number for the towing company that helped the city of Des Moines keep streets safe and clear from law-breaking vehicles. Her car should be there.

  “My car should be there?”

  The officer at window number two, having collected payment, moved over to chat with Officer Braid. Elise called the towing company, confirmed they did indeed have her vehicle, and for sixty dollars she could spring it.

  “Make sure you bring a copy of the police release form. We don’t take checks or credit cards.”

  “I suppose that leaves cash or coin?”

  The voice was not amused. “Cash.”

  “I don’t have enough cash. You have the vehicle I need in order to get the cash to get my vehicle!” Elise shouted at the dial tone.

  She’d burned her bridge with Palmer. Therese and Dorthea hated her. Even if she had contact information for Timmy, his wife, or Vanessa, she didn’t consider calling them for more than an instant. Their relationship didn’t run to mutual favors. Feeling like a heel, Elise pulled out her phone and the small card from her purse and dialed.

  “Russ? Is this Russ? Oh, hallelujah. Are you done with your shut-ins? Really? Do you have time to help me bail my car out of impound? Bless you. Aren’t you curious why it’s there? Oh. I’m at that new huge brick police station—you know it? I could take a cab and meet you at impound. Hallelujah again. I don’t really like cabs. God must want you to feel really terrific about all these good deeds. And Russ? Please bring sixty dollars, preferably in small change. Sure, I suppose bills will do. See you soon. And I’ll pay you back the minute I get home.”

  When the little pickup chugged into view, Elise felt her throat contract, usually a sign of imminent tears. By the time she crawled into the passenger seat they flowed freely. A large white handkerchief waved in front of her nose.

  “I never cry.” Elise amended this axiom. “Usually.”

  “Tell me where we’re going and then tell me what’s been happening.”

  She fumbled for the slip of paper with the address and handed it to him.

  “I know the place. Had to get this little beauty”—he patted the dashboard—“after I lent it to some kids from the youth group for an outing. I told them not to go too fast, told them to watch for deer and drunks, and not to text while driving. Somehow I missed telling them not to park during street cleaning day.” He spoke casually, as though the woman next to him wasn’t sobbing herself into dehydration. “But the folks acted pretty decent.”

  “So you didn’t have to pay to get it out?” she asked between hiccups.

  “Oh, I had to pay. But they were quite pleasant about the entire experience. The owner and I even had a short discussion on why I think Christianity is the true religion.” Russ reflected a moment. “Really can’t get all the salient facts enumerated in one walk to the back of the impound lot. If the same guy is there maybe we’ll continue the conversation.”

  “Please. Not today.”

  “All right. Tell me about it. You have a little time.”

  Elise told him, beginning with the dreadful moment when she woke up looking for Christopher.

  “It got worse, can you believe it? Russ, what if Jeff and I hadn’t found Mutt when we did? I’m sure he was barely alive. I’d never forgive myself for killing him.”

  Russ didn’t respond to this, or try to comfort her. “Here we are. You rescue that tank of yours. I think I recognize Ralph over there. I’m going to see if he remembers me.”

  Elise opened the grimy front door to be welcomed by the woman behind the lone desk with something less than enthusiasm. Burnt coffee and pine air freshener wove aromas with motor oil and exhaust and—

  “Dog.” Elise sniffed. “You have a dog in here.”

  “Is that a problem?” The woman leaned her desk chair back, crossed arms and tucked chin to ample chest.

  Elise ignored the hostility. She peered past the bristling receptionist and caught movement in a dark corner. “Hi, baby. Aren’t you handsome? Are you the guard for this fine establishment? So much better than a noisy old security system.”

  Her crooning got the German Shepherd’s attention. His tail moved slowly but he remained in the corner. The woman relaxed and made some motion with her hand. The dog padded forward with the dignity of his breed and the arc traced by his tail increased.

  “I won’t ask to pet him. He’s a working dog. But what a beauty.”

  Mollified, the woman almost smiled and rubbed the Shepherd’s ears. “This is Lady. She’s a tough old dame. Like me. Difference between us is Lady has a heart of gold.”

  “I noticed Lady seemed the only one happy I’m here.”

  “Most people who come through that door are hopping mad because we had the nerve to tow their vehicle from a clearly marked tow-away zone. Or t
hey have unpaid traffic tickets. Or abandoned it after they ran off the road while they were three sheets to the wind and the next day couldn’t remember where they had left it. But somehow we’re supposed to babysit their lousy vehicle, shine it up and deliver it back with apologies.”

  Elise raised slow hands shoulder height. “Lady, tell her I surrender. I’m the lowdown skunk who left her vehicle in the middle of the road.”

  The woman slammed a flat hand on the desk. Elise and Lady jumped. “The black sport utility vehicle is you?”

  “I’m afraid to answer.”

  “Woman, let me shake your hand. That was one of the greatest runs Ralph has ever made. Police called him to tow an abandoned vehicle on Cottonwood Way. When he found it he could have sworn it was a holiday. And him leading the parade. Maybe a dozen folks waiting and chatting, passing around coffee and donuts. Watched Ralph hook up like he was putting on a magic show. People told him all about this miracle pup and the crazy woman who owned him. Clapped when he hooked up your car. He got a caramel macchiato and raspberry danish out of it.”

  A broad hand, calloused and seamed with grease that no amount of scrubbing could erase, thrust across the desk. “Belle. Husband Ralph and I own the place. Nice to meet you.”

  Elise shook back. “Elise. Crazy lady.”

  Shifting eyes to Lady, Belle hesitated. “I’m half scared to ask how your pup is doing?”

  Elise beamed and told her. The entrance door opened and Russ walked in as the phone jangled for Belle’s attention. She listened, asked a few questions, scribbled a few notes, and excused herself.

  “Did Ralph remember you?”

  “He did. We’re going out for a beer next week. Talk over a few questions.”

  “I thought pastors couldn’t imbibe strong drink.”

  “Imbibe?” He grinned, then sobered. “Pastors in some denominations are required to sign a pledge to never touch alcohol. My denomination isn’t one of them. But every pastor, all believers, better make certain they don’t exploit what they drink. Intoxication is forbidden and I hate it myself. But I’ll nurse my one beer and hopefully Ralph will be so busy arguing about why all good people go to heaven that he won’t feel the need to over-indulge.”