Last But Not Leashed, page 28
The iguana still hadn’t moved.
I decided to see if there was something in the refrigerator the lizard would eat. The remains of a veggie salad without dressing looked like just the ticket. Picking up a pair of chopsticks from the silverware drawer, I held some Swiss chard in front of the iguana’s nose. His head turned, eyes flicking. In a super-fast move, he chomped down, just missing the chopstick, and munched away. After watching how quickly he moved, I carefully offered a bowl of clean water.
When Colin returned, all the garbage had been picked up. I’d tied the black bag closed and dragged it across the floor to rest it next to the other trash bag.
“Thanks so much,” Colin said as he looked around the room. He’d changed his clothes, even down to his shoes and socks, in the hopes of curtailing any skin irritation.
“I threw all the dirty stuff in my washing machine. I’m glad there isn’t anything more to add.”
“No. I bagged anything with cedar chips on it. You might want to wipe down some of the surfaces or have someone else clean them for you,” I told him. A quick look at my watch reminded me it was after lunch. Time to talk to Judy.
“Maybe you can come visit me in Finland,” he said and moved toward me.
He smelled good and looked delicious, but I backed off. “Careful—I might still have some of that cedar dust on me,” I told him, holding both hands up. “I think I should probably get going. Tell the new owners to take him to a veterinarian who specializes in exotics for a checkup as soon as possible. And in my opinion, he needs a larger habitat. And a more diversified diet.”
With an amused smile, Colin thanked me from afar. “It’s been a real pleasure, Dr. Kate. Do you realize you’ve evaded my attentions time and time again?”
I threw him a kiss. “There’s always Finland.” I picked up my stuff, opened his door, and backed outside.
And ran smack into Elaine.
Elaine appeared at a loss for words. Her eyes wide, pupils dilated, the unflappable organization specialist appeared startled.
“Hi, Elaine,” I said. “What are you doing here?” Only a few days ago Elaine implied she hadn’t seen Colin recently. They certainly didn’t look like strangers to me.
Her quick response mirrored what I’d seen during her lectures. “I could ask you the same question.”
“I’m on a veterinary call. Colin asked me to look at the iguana,” I told her. “It’s getting adopted out tonight, but he thought it wasn’t acting right.”
From the look on her face, I didn’t think Elaine was expecting an innocent explanation.
“And you’re here because—?”
Colin answered, temporarily putting her out of her misery.
“I hired her to come and help me finish cleaning up the apartment,” he said with a perfectly straight face. “There’s still a lot to do.” He gestured down the hallway in the general direction of the bedroom and painting studio.
“That’s right,” Elaine agreed, looking somewhat embarrassed as she hurried past me.
I decided to step back in and close the door. Neither one of them expected that.
“You know, this is the first time I’ve been here in this building,” I said, keeping my backpack hoisted over my shoulder. “Colin, is your studio back there? How many bedrooms and bathrooms all together? I’ve got a friend in the city who might be interested in a weekend place.”
Colin and Elaine stared at each other. Once again, it was Colin who answered my question, while Elaine retreated. She walked over to the sofa and slumped down in the corner.
“I believe this is one of two rentals in this building,” Colin said, as though he also worked as a real estate rental agent. “This is a converted warehouse, with several apartments and a couple of storefronts. The owners are allowed to sublet only for one six-month period of time, which is why she offers it to artists who are connected with the Hudson Valley—that and the fantastic light at the back of the apartment.”
“Oh, I’d love to see,” I said, feigning interest.
“Maybe another time. At the moment, the space is filled with boxes.”
“Yes, too bad.” I looked around the great room once more, then for the second time headed to the front door. “Well, have fun cleaning,” I said to Elaine.
Just before I shut the door, I glanced back at Colin then Elaine and mischievously added, “I’ll let you two get on with it. I’m sure you’ll both get your money’s worth.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
I retraced my steps and set out to speak to Judy. Life throws you surprises all the time, Gramps always reminded me, and bumping into Elaine at Colin’s apartment was one of them. Elaine and Colin? Despite the denial were they more than friends? With all the women in his life, it’s a wonder Colin had the time to paint anything. But their private lives were their own business.
Neither one had been mentioned in Posey’s book.
When I walked past Judy’s, the line to get in spilled out onto the sidewalk. I overheard a party of four decide to go somewhere else, complaining about the wait when they walked away. I made a note to return on a weekday.
Climbing into the truck, I remembered something Elaine had said. That Posey had been writing the Epilogue. When I noticed my gas tank half full, I decided to revisit the Circle K where I’d rescued the notebooks from the trash. Maybe I had missed something.
There were no other customers at the Circle K gas pumps when I turned in from the main road. I took the opportunity to fill up, then hurried inside. With no clear plan in mind, I decided to improvise.
At the cash register, appearing more confident than when I first observed him, stood the young man who replaced Posey. Fighting an urge for a quart of vanilla fudge swirl ice cream, I instead picked out a pack of sugar-free gum and headed to the counter.
“Is that it for today?”
The kid looked bored out of his mind. A textbook lay on the counter behind him, its pages pristine.
“Yes.” Then I had a brilliant thought. “Do you have a lost and found here?” I asked with a friendly voice. “Because a friend thinks she left her notebook here and asked me to check for her.” I started making up a more elaborate story in my head in case I needed it. However, even before I finished, the clerk bent down and slid a cardboard box out from under the counter. Inside was a mixed assortment of sunglasses, baby bottles, thermoses, and a baseball mitt. Piled at the top sat some single gloves and a few scarfs.
“Here’s the lost and found.”
“Can I look for myself?”
“Sure. There’s another box in the storeroom for big stuff.”
My mind blanked on what big things customers could have left behind. Trying not to disturb the contents too much, I dug to the bottom of the box. Peeking out from beneath a bright yellow scarf was a familiar black-and-white marbled notebook.
“Found it,” I said, waving the notebook in the air. To make sure it was Posey’s, I looked at the first page. A blue number four written on the top right corner gave me hope. Her characteristic writing on the next few pages confirmed it.
“Boy, is she going to be happy,” I said as enthusiastically as I could.
The clerk stared right through me. He couldn’t have cared less.
Sliding the notebook under my coat, I paid my bill and started to leave. A glance back at the register confirmed the clerk had already shoved the box back under the counter.
Our eyes met. Puzzled, he must have wondered why I’d looked back, but his training kicked in because he muttered, “Thanks for shopping at Circle K.”
My mind was so occupied with finding out the contents of Posey’s fourth book that I almost drove off the road. For the rest of the trip, I concentrated on getting back to the animal hospital intact.
Pinky must have plowed the parking lot while I was gone, since welcome patches of black asphalt were visible. A devoted dog dad, our neighbor made sure clients had no trouble getting in and out of their cars with their pets.
As soon as I opened the apartment door, I was greeted with the usual uncontrolled bedlam. Four dogs, or maybe three and one-quarter dogs, thought at this moment that I was the single most important, beautiful, smart, and perfect person on the planet.
And they all had to pee.
I opened the gate, and they ran inside the exercise area, even Little Man. They romped, and peed, and peed some more. From the smile on his face, I knew Little Man was enjoying his vacation with his canine friends. I wondered how often Daffy let him play with other dogs.
After fifteen minutes, I called a halt to all the masculine frolicking.
“Come on, everyone,” I yelled. “Let’s go inside.” Desi and Mr. Pitt stormed to the front of the line, with the two smaller dogs bringing up the rear. However, when I opened my apartment door, the first to scoot past was Little Man. I swear he would have done a victory lap if I’d let him. “You’ve been a good patient,” I told the tiny dog, “so I’m going to take this collar off you.” I removed the bulky foam cone and scratched his neck, which elicited a halfhearted growl.
Inside, I dried off everyone’s feet and rewarded each dog with a chew treat. Then it was time to change the water bowls, get four dishes of food ready—making sure Desi and Little Man got their special diets—and, finally, collapse on the sofa.
As much as I wanted to lie down and take a nap, it was time to read Posey’s last notebook. Knowing I’d need some help concentrating, I brewed a fresh pot of coffee and placed the fourth installment on the table. As I stood in front of the machine waiting, I wondered what I’d find. Did writers make notes when they finished a first draft of a book? Maybe plot suggestions, or lists of clues or red herrings they wanted to include?
Sounded complicated.
With the coffee finally ready, I poured a mug and sat down at the kitchen table. So this was the elusive fourth notebook, the number 4 prominent on the right-hand corner. On the following page only one word was written, “Epilogue.”
If I remembered correctly an epilogue is used to finish a story or comment on the ending. Posey’s epilogue began after the successful theft of the gold doubloon coins from the duke. The servant, Pansy, now was rich beyond her wildest fantasies, with the vampire busy handling all the gold.
There was a note in the margin in Posey’s distinctive handwriting that said, “Add aliens.” Those poor aliens always seemed like an afterthought.
The two lead characters paused the busy action of hiding from the duke for another sexy break. Strangely, mid-dalliance the duo was teleported into a future teeming with big-eyed aliens. Telepathically, the aliens warned Pansy that a powerful wizard was chasing them, intent on finding the stolen gold. After a brief tour of the future, with flying cars and girl aliens in miniskirts, they hurtled back in time. Separated by a black hole vortex, Pansy catches a glimpse of her vampire boyfriend through a time/space portal kissing another woman.
His was the touch that stirred her soul and loins. Let their love not prove a false love, for she had flung all her eggs into the same basket. To thine own self be true or false? Hath another stolen the key that unlocks her lover’s deadly lips? She must question the aliens.
I skipped over a few more fractured Shakespearean references to continue reading.
The churning lovemaking the servant enjoyed with her vampire had a heavy price. She knew she must return the duke’s gold and claim her true place on the throne.
To illustrate the scene, Posey had drawn a disjointed sketch of a vortex-like tornado, with lightning bolts flashing in all directions, hitting the ground. Floating in the sky above was a pot of sparkling gold coins.
Halfway through the fourth book, I needed to stop and take a break. Trying to keep track of all the sub-plots and multiple characters, some of whom showed up only once, proved exhausting. My notes resembled a scrimmage diagram with arrows and circles organizing the characters. Not knowing much about writing a book, I assumed these four notebooks were Posey’s ideas more than anything else, for a bigger story she had hoped to tell.
Something had changed, though. In this final notebook Posey’s fictional character had regrets. She wanted to give the duke’s gold back to him.
A knock on my door resulted in an explosion of barking. “Quiet,” I yelled out, which didn’t do much to decrease the noise. A quick look out the window revealed a woman, bundled up in a coat and hat. When she lifted her face, I immediately recognized our Wednesday-night organizing lecturer.
What is Elaine doing here?
Although I felt very safe surrounded by the dogs, I didn’t want her coming inside.
“Be right out,” I said, taking my coat off the rack.
A cluster of sunrays pierced the clouds behind her, giving the illusion of warmth. The only patch of blue sky disappeared behind the pine trees. Inside, the dogs continued barking.
Elaine seemed puzzled we were meeting outside.
“Hi, Elaine. I’m sorry, but you caught me at a very busy time.”
“This is a bit embarrassing.” Again, I noticed the tightness in her face. Something was bothering her.
“Does it have to do with bumping into you at Colin’s apartment?”
She frowned. “Maybe.”
“Then it’s best to get it over with.” I lifted my collar up to protect my neck against the cold.
“Did Posey write anything about me in those journals of hers?”
A surprising question, almost as if she expected there would be something. “No, your name isn’t mentioned anywhere.” There wasn’t even a character who began with the letter E, but I didn’t tell her that.
“Are you sure?” Her voice was tinged with disbelief.
“I’m positive. Posey was writing a novel, an Edwardian romance between a servant and a vampire. Most of it consists of notes and plot ideas. It’s very disjointed.”
She listened quietly.
“It’s not finished by any means; in fact, it’s not in book form at all.”
Elaine’s shoulders relaxed. She put her hands in her pockets, staring at the snow. “I was so afraid she wrote about a stupid mistake I made.”
“Mistake?”
Her face relaxed, tension gone. “A mistake that shall remain private. I’m sorry for disturbing you.” Elaine turned but paused to ask, “What will you do with Posey’s notebooks?”
“I’m giving them to a high school friend of hers here in town. As a remembrance.”
Her gaze continued to be focused on the snow, thoughtful but distant. “Well, I for one will never forget Posey. Or forgive her.”
“For committing suicide?”
“No, that choice was hers alone to make.” Elaine took a few steps backward, as if weighing her words. “I’ll never forgive her for everything else she did.”
Before I could ask any more questions, she walked over to her car and drove away.
As soon as I went back inside, I hurried over to the kitchen table and picked up the last notebook intent on searching for any references about Elaine. Deciphering clues from a jumbled mess of knights and lords and Edwardian life proved tough. Relying on Posey’s previous trick of using a real person’s initial for her fictional character, I paged along but never found a woman character whose name began with an E. Obviously, author Posey picked and chose the real people she based her characters on.
I slogged on with Pansy becoming more worried about the duke’s men and being betrayed by her vampire boyfriend. It seems another younger woman had caught his eye.
Just as I was about to take a break from the final notebook, my phone rang. Caller ID said it was Rainbow. I wondered what she wanted now.
“Hello?” My voice sounded a bit gravelly. I reached for my coffee to find it turned cold and unappetizing.
“I decided to leave town tomorrow. All this snow is getting me down. Can I pick up the three notebooks for my mom?”
I’d finally become used to Rainbow’s abrupt manner, but I wasn’t sorry to see her go. “Sure. I need to make a copy of a few things tonight, though. Oh, and there are four notebooks now.” I dumped my cold coffee into the sink and ran water to avoid a stain. “I’ll be happy to leave them at the receptionist desk for you. Sorry our little detective collaboration didn’t pan out.” The dogs were all snoozing in their beds except for Little Man, who had decided to bed down in his cat carrier shoved next to the laundry hamper.
As I spoke on the phone, I saw Desi raise his head up, listening. The big dog’s movements must have been felt by nearby Mr. Pitt, who also turned his head in the direction of the parking lot. I figured Pinky might be at his place taking a break, but I thought the dogs were used to the sound of his truck. Then I heard Desi growl.
There was nothing but silence on the line.
“Are you there?” Dropped calls were frequent in the Hudson Valley.
“Yes. Sorry. That should be okay, I guess. But there’s something I need your advice on, if you don’t mind.” Rainbow sounded forlorn.
“Well, can we do it early tomorrow…”
“I’m right outside,” Rainbow said.
By then, Desi was up and pacing, along with Mr. Pitt. Buddy let out a high yip as he also heard someone outside. Rainbow had been to my place at least two or three times, so she wasn’t a complete stranger to them anymore. However, as soon as she knocked on the door all hell broke loose again. Desi was barking and growling, Mr. Pitt made deep huffing sounds, and Buddy raised the level of yapping up a notch.
When they saw Rainbow step inside, they immediately congregated around her. She tried to say something but was drowned out by the three larger dogs, all wagging their tails and asking for attention. Little Man poked his head out to see what the fuss was about, then went back into the cat carrier.
“I’ve got a splitting headache,” she confessed. “Can you put them in the hospital? I’m not going to be here very long.”
