Rachel Alexander 05 - The Wrong Dog

chase.
    “Well, she told me a pretty weird story one day, after I’d been walking Bianca for quite a few months. She was home because she wasn’t feeling well. But she hadn’t canceled the walk. She said Bianca still needed her time in the run and that she wouldn’t be able to take her. She had to stay in bed. But she wasn’t in bed. She was on the couch. Same difference, I guess.”
    This was one weird guy. “Right. So, what did she tell you?”
    “It had started raining. She asked if I’d wait, to see if it would let up, even though Bianca didn’t mind the rain and Sophie never cared if Bianca got dirty at the run. She said that’s how she knew Bianca had had a good time.”
    “What did she tell you about the dogs, how they’re related to each other?”
    He was looking at his feet now, trying to think up something he could tell me other than the truth.
    “The cops will be here in about two minutes. Listen to me, Mel. Sophie hired me to check into this ”
    “She told you?”
    “Uh-huh. She did.”
    “Do you believe it’s true?”
    “I don’t think that’s the point now. Sophie hired me to do a job, and I’m going to do what she asked me to.“
    “Still?”
    “Still. But she can’t help me anymore, so I’m going to need your help.”
    “But—”
    “I can’t do this without you, Mel. For one thing, these dogs are going to need care. For another, I’m going to need access to this apartment and you’ve got the keys.”
    “What are you, like, a private eye?”
    “Mel?”
    “I thought it was all guys that did that. I didn’t know that women—”
    “Will you help me?”
    “Oh, I don’t know—”
    ‘Take your time. Think it over. You’ve got about a minute.”
    His too long arms moved without any purpose I could detect, as if he were a marionette and someone was untangling the strings. He bit his lip, stretched his neck from side to side, switched Dashiell’s leash from hand to hand, and rolled his strange hazel eyes.
    His skin was pale, which was odd, I thought, since he was out-of-doors all day long. But I noticed a baseball cap sticking out of his pocket. Maybe that did the trick. His hair was still sticking up, and it added to the frightened look in his eyes.
    “I know this isn’t easy,” I told him. “But we can’t just walk away from it, can we?”
    “What do you want me to do?”
    “Good boy,” I said. “What I want you to do is keep your mouth closed. And don’t give up those keys.”
    “Oh, no problem. I have another set. I never take a chance I’ll lose my keys and leave a dog without a walk. I have a mailbox on Hudson Street. That’s where I keep the spare set.”
    “Great.”
    “I never thought ...” he said, his neck immediately turning a splotchy red.
    “Me neither,” I said.
    “She seemed really ..He bobbed his head. “Special,” he said.
    Dashiell turned toward the door and barked once. Bianca and Blanche were as still as concrete. Mel walked over to the open door to Sophie’s apartment and buzzed the detectives in. I saw two uniforms there, too, but, for now, they stayed outside, one on either side of the glass door to the street.
    “Just answer what they ask you,” I said. “Don’t volunteer anything. If we’re separated, bring Blanche and Bianca and meet me at the run as soon as you can. Okay?”
    He nodded.
    “And Mel...”
    The detectives had stopped a respectful distance from Dash. One of them was pointing to him, his way of asking if it was safe to enter.
    “Mel,” I said.
    He turned to me, his back to the detectives.
    “Sir,” the shorter one said, “I need you to move your animal out of the way.”
    “Tell them we’ll take care of the dogs until her family is located,” I whispered to Mel. Then I took Dashiell’s leash from his hand and made room for the detectives.
    “She has no family,” he said.
    And then it was too late for us to say anything else, at least anything we didn’t want overheard.

Chapter 5
    We Sat for a While Longer

    I got to the run before Mel and sat where I’d been the day before with Sophie. When I saw him approaching with the two bullies, I turned on the tape recorder but left it in my jacket pocket. Dashiell went to the gate to meet him, immediately running off to play with Bianca again. There was an intact black Shepherd at the far end of the run, watchful as Dash headed his way. I watched, too, grateful when I saw his owner jump up, leash his dog, and walk quickly toward the gate, someone