Gayle Trent Read online

  “Gotcha.”

  Little Senator Wannabe left, so I went back to resume my conversation with the librarian. “You were about to tell me what ‘business as usual’ consisted of for Flora Adams.”

  The woman let out a breath. “I don’t know. She shelved books and helped people find things and stuff, same as the rest of us.”

  “Did she have a good marriage? Did she ever talk about any marital problems?”

  “No, but then, Flora wasn’t one to socialize much. She was a good person; she just kept to herself and kept her mouth shut. She even read while she ate her lunch.”

  “What types of books did she enjoy reading?”

  “Mysteries, mainly. She especially liked that Agatha Christie.”

  “If she kept to herself and didn’t say much, how do you know she was a good person?”

  “Well, for one thing,” said the librarian leaning in closer, “she always kept ham in the fridge for the dogs.”

  “She fed her dogs ham?”

  “Not her dogs. The dogs at the pound. Every Friday, she took them ham.”

  “Wow, that was nice.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded. “I asked her about it one time. She said she couldn’t save ’em all, but maybe she could make ’em all a little happier.”

  “How odd that she would just up and disappear. Do you think she got ill?”

  “We don’t know what to think.”

  “Where’s this dog pound she used to visit?”

  “Right up the street behind this building.”

  “Thank you.” I turned to go get Sunny.

  “I hope you find her,” the librarian called.

  “So do I,” I answered.

  Sunny was thrilled we were going to the dog pound. She loves animals and would have a zoo if she could, but Faye has always been allergic to cats and dogs . . . and even rabbits. I got Sunny a little rabbit for Easter one year, and Faye sneezed her head half off. She gave it to one of the children in the neighborhood and tried to console Sunny by telling the child she could still visit the rabbit and play with it and everything; but, of course, it wasn’t the same.

  So, I knew going in how much Sunny loves animals. I just didn’t figure on the trip being such an ordeal for me.

  I’d told Sunny in the car that we’d play it real cool . . . pretend we were looking for a dog to adopt. Then we’d casually mention Flora Adams. That was the plan.

  When we stepped inside, all you could hear was barking galore. It was enough to give you a migraine and make you give up the notion of ever wanting a dog, even if you really wanted one, which I did not. But, then we actually stepped into the kennels and saw those dogs. Oh, my goodness. Have you ever been to a dog pound and looked at all those faces . . . looked into all those expressive eyes? Why, you wanna take every one of those precious things home.

  But, hey, I’m realistic, too. I’m too old to train a puppy. And I really don’t need anything else to take care of. My budget’s pretty much strapped as it is. Besides, I’m a free spirit—when I wanna go somewhere or do something, I don’t want some blasted dog I have to think about first.

  And yet . . . . There he stood . . . a Chocolate Lab . . . staring at me with these amber eyes that seemed to see into my very soul.

  Sunny had done passed him by and was cooing at some puppies. “Ooooh, Mimi, look!” I heard her say.

  I tried to look . . . tried to walk away from that amber gaze . . . but I just couldn’t do it.

  “Can I help you?”

  I jumped, startled by the man’s voice. I glanced at him and then back at the dog. “He’s a big fella,” I said. “Is he mean?”

  “Naw,” the animal control officer said. “He’s a little timid; but once he sees you aren’t gonna hurt him, he’s your best friend.”

  I kept looking at the dog.

  “Would you like me to take him into the office so you can see how you like him?”

  “Please,” I said.

  Sunny came up to me, mouth wide. “Are you gonna get him, Mimi?”

  “We’ll see.”

  Sunny and I stepped back so the man could put a leash on the dog and lead him into the office. We followed them in, and the man shut the door between the office and the kennels. It made it a lot quieter, and I was glad for that.

  The man handed Sunny and me some treats to give the dog. “Here. He loves these.”

  Sunny went to feedin’ the dog. I figured it was a good time for me to talk. “I don’t know how Flora did it,” I said, “coming here every Friday to give these dogs ham.”

  The man grinned. “She made sure the cats had full bellies, too.”

  “Cats?” Sunny asked. “Where are they?”

  “They’re in a separate facility. I’ll show you later, if you want me to.”

  “Don’t you wanna take every one of them home with you?” I asked the man. “Didn’t Flora?”

  He shrugged. “Sure, we’d like to save every animal that comes in here . . . but we can’t. It ain’t possible. You realize that and then you do what you can. That’s why Ms. Adams brought ’em ham on Fridays. She knew it made ’em happy . . . at least for a little while.” He looked at me. “You a friend of Ms. Adams?”

  “I’m investigating her disappearance.”

  “I read about that in the papers.” He shook his head. “A real shame.”

  “Do you think it could’ve been Alzheimer’s or something like that?” I asked.

  “I guess anything’s possible, but she never acted flaky to me. I just hope somebody didn’t do her in.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Me, too.”

  Wouldn’t you know it? That darned dog picked that very moment to leave Sunny—treats and all—and come lay his head on my knee.

  My lips in a tight, stubborn line, I grudgingly scratched the dog’s head. “I don’t have any business takin’ home a dog.”

  The dog thumped his tail against the floor.

  I looked at the man behind the desk. “Well, don’t just sit there. Don’t I need to fill out some papers and give you an adoption fee before I take him home?”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Well, let me tell you, Tansie nearly had a cow when she saw me and Sunny get Matlock out of the car. Matlock’s the dog, of course. I decided to name him after one of my favorite sleuths, and the name just seemed to suit him.

  I saw Tansie peering across the hedges at us—that big piehole of hers flopped open like a wide-mouthed bass. Just to irk her, I hollered, “Hey, Tansie, come on over and say hello to Matlock!”

  She put a hand up to her forehead to shade her eyes. “Who?”

  “Matlock, my new dog. Don’t you wanna welcome him to the neighborhood?”

  “Well, um, sure; but I can’t right now. I left something simmering on the stove and I need to get back inside.” She high-tailed it into the house.

  I grinned at Matlock and patted his head. “If you can make Tansie stay at home, you’ve earned your keep right there.”

  I had Sunny take Matlock on inside while I got all the stuff I’d bought at the pet store out of the trunk. Matlock had a nice big bed, a bag of food, two silver dishes, a handsome blue collar with a matching leash, some rawhide chews, a tennis ball, a knotted cloth rope, and a squeaky plush Holstein cow.

  Sunny was tickled pink that she now had a part-time dog. Faye, on the other hand, wouldn’t even come into the house when she came to pick up Sunny.

  “Mother, what on earth were you thinking?”

  “Oh, lighten up, Faye,” I said. “Don’t you even want to come in and see him?”

  “I can see him just fine through the storm door, thanks. Besides, you know I can’t come in that house with that dog in there. My allergies would—”

  “Yeah,” I said, “I know.”

  Sunny gave Matlock one last kiss on the head and started to leave. I had to remind her to give me my hug and kiss. As she and Faye backed out of the driveway, I told Matlock, “I guess I’ll be second fiddle to you from now on, at least as f
ar as Sunny’s concerned.”

  I closed the door and sat down on the couch, suddenly feeling very tired. Matlock came and put his head on my knee.

  I scratched behind his ears and looked into those soulful eyes. “You got any kids out there anywhere?”

  He wagged his tail a little, but I didn’t know whether to take that as a yes or a no.

  I sighed. “I remember when me and Faye were as close as me and Sunny are now.” I shook my head. “These days I feel like I know you better than I know her—and we just met. How’d me and Faye get to be so distant—and her my own flesh and blood?”

  He wagged his tail again. That seemed to be his answer to everything, as opposed to a “woof” or a growl or something.

  “Tell you what,” I said, “let’s you and me take a little nap. We’ll feel better about the world in general when we wake up.”

  He wagged his tail.

  I stretched out on the couch, leaving my shoes on because I didn’t know Matlock well enough yet to tell whether or not he’d chew up shoes. He didn’t look the type, but I figured it paid to be careful.

  Matlock did a big doggie sigh and lay down between the couch and the coffee table. I made a mental note to remember he was there. I’d hate to wake up having forgotten all about him and then go into hysterics. He might panic, too, and kill me. And even if he didn’t kill me, Tansie might hear me screaming and call the law; and then everybody in the neighborhood would get a big kick out of Myrtle Crumb bein’ afraid of her own dog. So I dozed off with Matlock on my mind. That way, I knew I’d expect to wake up and see either a huge Chocolate Lab or Andy Griffith.

  Thank goodness I didn’t sleep all that long . . . just about an hour. When I woke up, it was still light outside. Matlock was snoring. It was kinda nice not bein’ alone. Actually, it was real nice. I stayed where I was and just listened to him snore. That sounds pathetic, I reckon, but I was pleased with my new companion. I believed we were gonna work out just fine.

  I gave him a few minutes to get his nap out, and then I asked, “Matlock, you hungry?”

  He sat straight up on that one, so I took that as a yes.

  We got up and went into the kitchen where I’d put all his stuff. The light on the answering machine was blinking, so I hit the play button. It was Jim, and he asked me to call him.

  “I’m not in the mood,” I told Matlock. “I’ll call him tomorrow.”

  I took Matlock’s silver dishes out of the bag and rinsed them in hot water. I filled one with cold water from the fridge and sat it on the floor. He lapped at his water while I put dog food in the other bowl. I sat it down beside him, and he made short work of that stuff. I figured it must’ve been pretty good, and I was glad he liked it.

  I put a frozen dinner in the microwave for myself, and then I put Matlock on his leash and took him for a walk. I started to take him to the front yard so I could show him off to any of the neighbors who might be watching, but I decided I wasn’t up to it. I only wanted a nice, quiet evening with my dog. So, I took him into the back yard, he did his business, and we came back in. I was so glad he was already house-trained.

  I gave him a rawhide chew to keep him busy while I ate my pot roast, but I still wound up saving him a piece of the beef. I’m telling you, you’ve got to see the expression in those eyes! Anyway, the events of the day had pretty much worn me out, so I put Matlock’s bed in the laundry room and went upstairs to take a bath. He followed me up the stairs and laid outside in the hall until I got out of the tub. I decided to watch television in bed instead of downstairs in the living room. Matlock lay down on the rug by the bed. When I saw that he intended to stay by my side, I went back down and got his bed and put it next to mine. He must’ve been pretty tired, too. He didn’t make it through one sitcom.

  Finally, I cut off the TV, but it was a long time before I went to sleep. I lay in the darkness and wondered what happened to Flora Adams, the woman who bought ham for stray animals.

  * * *

  After Matlock and I ate breakfast and took a little walk, I called Jim. He must go to early church or something because there was no answer. Surely a man who goes to early church couldn’t have killed his wife.

  I was upstairs getting myself ready for church when the phone rang. Figuring it was Jim, I waited until the second ring to answer. Didn’t want it to look like I was sittin’ by the phone. I shouldn’t have bothered, though. It was Bettie. “Morning, Myrtle. How are you, hon’?”

  “I’m fine, Bettie. How’re you?”

  “Oh, I’m all right. I called to ask you about your new dog.”

  “How’d you know I have a new dog?”

  “Tansie told me. She said he’s a big dog. That’s about all she said, though. She had to run because she was meeting Jim Adams at Smiddy’s.”

  “Tansie had a date with Jim?”

  “Uh-huh,” Bettie said. “Ooops. Maybe I should’ve kept my mouth shut. You’re seeing Jim, too, aren’t you?”

  By the time she’d finished that little spiel, I’d had time to compose myself. “Jim and I are friends, yes. In fact, there was a message from him on my answering machine when I got home yesterday, but I didn’t feel like calling him back. Matlock and I were exhausted.”

  “Matlock?”

  “Yes, dear, the dog. Oh, Bettie, he’s absolutely gorgeous . . .a big Chocolate Lab with amber eyes. And he has a charming personality. Lucky for me, he was already housebroken and well-trained.”

  “Well,” Bettie said, “he sounds very special.”

  “He is. You simply must come by and meet him.”

  “Yes. I’ll . . . I’ll do that.”

  “I’d love to chat longer—we really do need to plan another Melon meeting, don’t we? But I have to finish getting ready for church. Do give me a call tomorrow, won’t you? Or drop by and meet Matlock.”

  “I’ll . . . uh . . . see what I can do. Bye now.”

  “Bye.” I hung up and smiled at Matlock. “I reckon I roasted her goose. She thought I’d be upset about Tansie havin’ dinner with Jim. Still, I am glad I heard it from her before I went to church

  and Tansie tried to rub my nose in it herself.”

  Matlock wagged his tail. He doesn’t say much, you know.

  * * *

  After church, I came straight home and called Sunny. Okay, first I let Matlock out of the laundry room, let him go outside, and then I called Sunny.

  Faye answered. “Hello, Mother. How did your first evening with Cujo go?”

  “My first evening with Matlock was a delight, thank you. Where’s Sunny?”

  “In her room . . . where she stays.”

  “May I speak with her please?” It made me sad to be so formal and short with my own daughter. Most of the time I feel like we’re strangers. I wish I could fix the whole situation, but I don’t know how.

  Sunny got on the phone. “Got it!” she yelled to her mother.

  The resulting click let me know that Faye had hung up. “How’s Matlock?”

  “He’s fine,” I said. “I wound up putting his bed in the floor next to mine, and that’s where he slept last night. I’d planned on letting him sleep in the laundry room, but he wasn’t having any of that!”

  “How sweet! If Mom says it’s okay, can I stay over one night soon . . . like next Friday or Saturday?”

  “I’d love it,” I said. “Now have I got some news for you.”

  “Spill.”

  “Jim had a date with Tansie last night.”

  She gasped. “No way!”

  “It’s true. They met at Smiddy’s, just like he and I did.”

  “That jerk!”

  “First, Bettie called and told me about it, and then Tansie mentioned it at church.”

  “Of course.” She huffed. “What did you say?”

  “I said, ‘I’m so glad he was able to get you. He’d called and left me a message, but I neglected to call him back. I’m glad you were available at the last minute.’”

  Sunny laughed. “Mimi
, you are so bad!”

  “I know. He really did leave a message on my machine, though, yesterday.”

  “Oh, he’ll probably call you later like everything is cool. Psycho freak.”

  “I tried to call him back this morning, but there was no answer. That’s before I knew about his date with Tansie. I figured he’d gone to early church; but now that I know he’s desperate enough to date Tansie, I wouldn’t doubt that he was at breakfast with the meter maid.”