Last But Not Leashed, page 13
“Listen, Kate. I’m leaving town today. I wanted to tell you in person.” His dark eyes avoided mine.
I wish I could say I was surprised, but I wasn’t. Something had changed since he’d left for school—and it wasn’t me.
“You know,” he began, “you’re a wonderful person.”
Part of me felt like interrupting, to make the cutting of the ties between us as quick as possible. Layers of snowflakes dotted our coats as he explained. He’d met someone at school. They were only friends, but…
That’s when I tuned him out. I’d heard this story before, and the ending never got any better. A bright red truck rumbled past on the nearby road.
“It’s not you, it’s me,” he added, as sincere as a stab in the heart.
Of course it’s you! I wanted to yell at him. We’d been dancing around this relationship for a while. It had never been easy. Something always got in the way. Maybe that was the point.
He took my hand and held it close to his chest. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I lied as always. “You better get going before the roads ice up.”
“Friends?” he asked, the charm in his crooked smile still tugging away.
“Of course.” I took my hand back, turned my back to him, and headed for my door. Halfway down the walkway I paused. It took an effort to glance back and pretend it didn’t hurt so much. “Have a safe trip,” I called out and waved goodbye.
My eye caught a glimpse of Mari staring at us through the hospital window.
A snowflake landed on my eyelash. Luke waved back before opening his car door. Through the movement of the windshield wipers I saw his shoulders relax with relief. Our awkward discussion had gone well, much better than he’d anticipated.
So civilized on both our parts.
One final wave goodbye was all I could muster. Eager whines and yips behind my apartment door reminded me that Mr. Pitt and Buddy waited inside, joyously eager to see me. Only their loving eyes would see my tears.
Chapter Nineteen
“Sometimes I just hate men.” Cindy angrily picked at the salad she’d brought for lunch. “Good ones are getting harder to find.”
I agreed. My food choice for lunch had hit a new low—a pint of fudge ripple ice cream and a diet soda. Both of my coworkers watched sympathetically as I tried to eat my way to a little happiness. We all knew that never worked, but it sure tasted good.
We were sitting in the employee break room, with about a half hour left before Mari and I had to leave for our house-call appointments. Cindy and Mari chatted about a new crochet technique, so my focus waned. Most people in town knew Luke and I were seeing each other. I’d have to prepare myself for their well-meaning questions.
Most of all I dreaded explaining to Gramps that we’d split up. My track record with guys wasn’t very good. I wish I could simply say, “Luke’s up on the roof and won’t come down.”
“Kate?”
Mari’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “Sorry, wasn’t paying attention. What’s up?”
“Why don’t you come with us to the organizing lecture tonight? It’s about laundry.” My assistant flashed a big smile at Cindy and me as if she had tickets to a rock concert. How could Mari get so enthusiastic about dirty clothes? Then I realized her show of eagerness was probably for my benefit. “Sure. Sounds great,” I lied. Keeping busy the next few days might help my frame of mind.
After a quick glance at the wall clock, Cindy told us, “Time to get back to work.” She closed the plastic lid and put her remaining salad in the fridge.
“I’ll be right back,” Mari told us. “I need to check the truck’s supplies. I think we were running low on a few things.” All our coats hung on a wooden coatrack. She slipped hers on and walked toward the side door.
Thanks to my diet soda/ice cream lunch, I felt sluggish and on a sugar high at the same time. I made a mental note to stop at the grocery store after work and buy something healthy—also an extra pint of ice cream in case of the blues.
From behind me I heard Cindy say, “Don’t blame yourself, Kate. Luke’s a great guy in every respect except one.”
I was pretty certain she’d now tell me about that one exception.
Sure enough, she came and stood in front of me. “Luke can’t commit to a relationship. Look at his history with Dina. All through high school and college they were on and off so many times I lost track.”
Her soft blue eyes studied me. I bit my lip and said, “I get it. We are in different places. But that doesn’t make it hurt any less.”
“I know. But here’s a friendly warning. Your ex might decide to come back. In fact, I’d say it’s a strong possibility.”
Funny, I’d thought about that same possibility ever since he’d waved goodbye in the parking lot. And I’d made a decision.
“Don’t worry, Cindy. There’s nothing for him to come back to.”
The last part of the afternoon was sheer fun, thanks in part to having a “puppy” break. Two wiggly, fluffy, and irresistible golden retriever puppies needed their second round of shots and their sharp little toenails trimmed. A brother and sister, at this age they enthusiastically loved everything and everyone.
The owner, Sarah, had lost her fourteen-year-old golden to cancer a few months ago. “I needed some time to grieve,” she explained. “But the house felt so lonely without a dog. Then a friend told me her neighbor’s golden had given birth.” She paused to bend down and ruffle one of the puppies’ soft fuzz. “Anyway, as soon as I saw them I melted. Now I’ve got twice as much fun.”
As she spoke, a pink tongue decided to lick my nose. With the male puppy tucked under my arm I listened to his heart, checked him for an over- or underbite, and ran my hands along his ribs and abdomen. Next I placed him on the makeshift exam table and had Mari hold him for the rest of the exam. The shot record the owner showed me noted that both puppies had been wormed by the breeder.
“I think their stool is a little stinky,” Sarah added. “But I’m trying to housebreak them, and that means pooping in the snow.”
“So, you’ve got lots of poopsicles out back?” Mari asked.
Sarah laughed. “Easier to pick up.”
“Don’t worry about bringing in a stool sample.” I picked up the nearest puppy. “I’ll go directly to the source.” Although the pups looked healthy, they could be harboring anything from coccidia to roundworms to giardia. All are commonly found where groups of dogs are housed. If I didn’t find anything under the microscope, more sophisticated tests were now available.
After giving the vaccinations, which they didn’t seem to feel, we stayed for another fifteen minutes, to make sure there were no rare allergic reactions. With our stool samples securely labeled and safe in our portable lab cooler, I took one last smell of sweet puppy fur—and was rewarded with a final puppy-breath lick.
Chapter Twenty
After feeding the dogs and changing my clothes, I started out for the community center lecture. As yet I hadn’t had a moment to read anything in Posey’s notebooks. While driving, I mulled over what Daffy had told us. My conduit to the chief was through Cindy—coincidentally the chief’s sister-in-law. If Daffy was correct and Posey was murdered, then surely the two deaths were tied to each other?
The parking lot was half-filled, leaving a spot close to the entrance free. This time I’d left early, in part so I could speak to some of the other audience members. To my surprise, Henry James pulled his massive black truck into the row just behind me.
“Hey, Dr. Kate,” he said as I got out of my much smaller F-150. “Wait up.”
Dressed in black biker leathers, Henry was the last person you’d expect to find at a lecture on laundry. The Baking Biker brand of cupcakes and other goodies earned him a comfortable living. Never apologetic, Henry was comfortable showing his feminine side. Since he was built like a brick, I assumed nobody made rude comments about it.
“Let’s hope there’s no excitement tonight,” he laughed, taking my arm as we walked across a patch of ice. “Although the unusual does seem to follow you.”
“That’s what Mari says.”
We walked through the lobby/reception area and followed the signs to our lecture. Inside the conference room, people had begun claiming their seats. The sound system was more than adequate, but many preferred to be up close to the speaker.
“Let’s sit here,” I told Henry. We moved into the tenth row from the front and began laying our coats and mufflers on the chairs.
Henry slipped off his lined leather coat and carefully draped it over the back of the aisle seat. His short-sleeved black T-shirt revealed full-sleeve tattoos on both arms. I counted at least three skulls. “How many seats do we need?”
“Ahh, it’s you and me, Mari and her sister-in law, and maybe Cindy. So that’s five.” Between my backpack, coat, and muffler and Henry’s stuff, we easily covered five seats.
On the stage Elaine began setting up. One of the staff volunteers rolled a large whiteboard out from behind the curtain. In the small balcony overhang, I noticed cameras being set up. Had all the lectures been videotaped? An irritating scraping noise continued as multiple examples of laundry baskets and hampers were lined up next to the podium. I wanted a chance to speak to our lecturer alone, but now wasn’t the time.
“Let’s get some coffee,” Henry suggested. “I’d hate to fall asleep and snore during the lecture.”
“Me, too.”
Together we headed to the lobby.
Several women milled around in pairs or clusters, the level of excited chatter making the room come alive. Henry took off for coffee, while I scoped out the scene. As I walked toward a small table, two clients approached me. As usual, my dismal recollection of names betrayed me, although I remembered their animals as soon as they began to speak to me.
“I’m so excited,” the woman in the green hat said. “What do you think will happen tonight?” Her eyes glittered.
“Don’t be morbid,” replied the client, who owned a spaniel mix.
“What do you think, Dr. Kate?” the woman persisted. “Anyone going to die tonight?” The outrageous statement set off a nervous giggle.
Before I could answer, her friend said, “You’ve been bingeing too much Netflix.”
Henry interrupted, handing me a coffee. “Hello, ladies. Ready to learn how to sort your undies?” That set off a round of belly laughs, which I’m sure Henry counted on. “See you inside,” he said while taking my elbow. We rapidly moved toward an empty table in the far corner.
Over my shoulder I noticed the two women whispering and staring at our backs. Maybe showing up here with Henry would spark romance rumors that would leave Luke’s absence in the dust. The nicest thing about a small town is everyone knows you—and the worst thing is everyone knows all about you.
“Hey, guys,” Mari called out behind us. “Did you save us seats?”
“Of course.” Henry high-fived Mari and nodded a greeting for her sister-in-law, Barbara.
A loud chime sounded.
“I think it’s about to start.” Most of the other participants began moving toward the auditorium. After a final gulp, I placed my coffee mug on the provided tray and followed my friends inside.
As before, one of the community center’s staff introduced the presenter. At the beginning of the lecture, Elaine seemed a bit timid, but she soon warmed to her subject. Although not as dramatic as Sookie, she did provide us with an overview of tonight’s topic—a well-structured presentation on the ins and outs of laundry, including a history lesson about fabrics and the difficulty of drying heavy wool garments in the winter.
“That’s another reason why most people smelled back then,” Mari whispered in my ear.
I turned to see if Henry had heard us, but instead of looking at the stage he was staring toward the back of the room. As Elaine held up a sample of lye soap, I subtly leaned over to see what had engaged his interest. Against the wall, arms crossed, stood a man who appeared quite out of place in rural Oak Falls. He was dressed in a long dark coat, black pants, and a suit jacket; his eyes remained hidden behind tinted sunglasses.
Henry nudged me and pointed to the left. Sure enough, a second guy leaned against the other wall. Same glasses. Same stance.
The man on the left caught us staring at him. Probably noting Henry’s size and the glare on his face, he signaled his pal and the two quickly left. Elaine paused, noticing the movement in the back of the room, then smoothly returned to pre-wash sorting methods.
During our fifteen-minute break I asked Henry what he thought that was all about.
“No idea.” He kept his eyes on Elaine busy speaking to an elderly woman with a cane. When the break ended, we both checked out the waiting area and conference room, but the men had vanished.
“FBI?” I asked Henry as I scooted past him to my seat.
“I doubt it,” he answered. “Those guys looked like thugs to me.” He rubbed his shiny shaved head and frowned. “Something’s up.”
Back in our seats, with Mari to my left and Henry on the aisle to my right, I pondered what the appearance of the “thugs” meant. The only thing I could come up with was they were either looking for someone or watching someone in the room. I didn’t think they wanted laundry tips.
Elaine continued her review of fabrics, and how to best clean each type. Since my clothes ranged from poly-blend scrubs to jeans or sweats, I concentrated on the speaker. Dressed in a dark brown pantsuit with a cream silk shirt, Elaine likely hoped to model her clothes after her former boss. But where Sookie was sharp, Elaine proved dull. Sookie challenged while Elaine consoled. The odds of her being successful in this competitive, often personality-driven field seemed slim.
Then she surprised me.
“People wonder why I teach organizational skills,” she began. “What’s so important about putting your laundry away?”
A few audience members lifted their heads up from their notes.
“For many people the state of their home can contribute to their state of mind. Before I met Sookie, God rest her soul, I’d fallen into a deep hole. I’d become a secret hoarder. First my possessions took over one room, then another. All these things were crowding me out of my own best life.”
The women in front of me began to nod in agreement. Elaine was reaching them on a level Sookie never had, a direct emotional level.
“My mind became cluttered too, with impulsive thoughts,” Elaine continued. “Acquiring things made me feel better, but it became a beast that had to be fed. Sookie encouraged me to seek help; she taught me techniques to help me join the world again. Now, each week, I invite friends over—and I don’t have to scramble to clean or stuff anything into the closet.” She stopped and smiled at the crowd. “Our lives are complicated enough. Being organized can become a bright spot in your day and give you the gift of peace of mind.”
Next to me Mari had a broad smile on her face. You could feel a change of energy in the room.
“So let’s make that pile of laundry your bitch!” Elaine shouted to the crowd.
Everyone around us jumped up and cheered.
Despite her mousy exterior, Elaine had the makings of a star.
After the lecture ended, Henry insisted that the four of us leave immediately while there were plenty of people still around. First, he escorted Mari and Barbara, and then he walked me to my truck.
“I’m following you home, and don’t argue with me,” he said.
Something about those two thugs, as he called them, had spooked him. And Henry didn’t spook easily.
As we stood in front of my truck, I noticed another odd thing. Irene Heally, a client of mine, stood by what I presumed was her car. She didn’t get in but kept glancing around the parking lot. As I stared, something moved inside her car. Someone appeared to be wedged up against the dashboard down out of sight. Before I could warn her, a hand snaked up to grasp the seat back, followed by a familiar head of hair. Meanwhile the puzzled expression remained on the mother’s face until she opened the car door.
Her son, Lucky, the kid with the multicolored hair tips, had been cowering from view in the community center parking lot, the same Lucky who wanted to volunteer at our animal hospital. Also the same person who was so interested in how Mr. Pitt was doing.
I started placing the random things I knew about him together. He’d gone down to New Jersey to see friends. His mother said her son’s car was in the shop from an accident. The boy had to hitch rides from his mom. Maybe he saw someone go into the community center lecture series, someone he never wanted to see again.
Could those two thugs be looking for him?
Chapter Twenty-One
That morning Mari and I barely had time to say hello before our day started with a bang, or rather a slice. A Samoyed dog was brought in with a severely lacerated pad, blood spurting from an injured artery. Snowbell had slipped her leash and taken off, romping and rolling in the field next to their house. When the owner caught up with her pet, she saw bloody footprints. They’d tried to put a bandage on it at home, but Snowbell quickly disposed of it. The couple burst into the waiting room in a rush of white fur speckled with blood. Gory paw prints painted our tile floor, while the husband appeared to be sick to his stomach.
With her reception area looking like the set of a slasher movie, Cindy took charge. First she paged us. Next she pulled some vet wrap out of her desk drawer. Thus armed, when Mari and I arrived, she commanded the greenish-faced client to sit down and tossed the wrap to me.
Vet wrap is an adhesive bandage that adheres to itself and is a dream product. Within minutes, we had a temporary pressure bandage on, enough to slow the bleeding until we could assess the damage.
