Jingle Bell Bark (5 page)

“O
h no,” I said softly.

Alice looked similarly stricken. “Henry's dead?” she repeated.

Betty simply nodded.

“What happened?” I asked. “We just saw him on Monday. It must have been very sudden.”

“It was,” Betty confirmed. “And unexpected, too. He just keeled right over. I guess it was his heart that went. He was outside with those big dogs of his when it happened. Johnny came right in and called nine-one-one but there wasn't a thing anybody could do.”

“I'm so sorry to hear that.” There was a chair beside me. I sank into it gratefully. I hadn't known Henry well, but he had seemed like a genuinely good person. “So you thought we were his daughters?”

“That's right. Come to see about the arrangements. I've been expecting them for two days now.”

“Do they live around here?” asked Alice.

“Not even close. One's in California and the other's in Alaska, if you can believe that. Both all grown up and out on their own. They don't spend much time around here. Henry's been in that house a good ten years, and I can't say that I recall ever meeting either one of them. I assume the authorities have notified them. And they damn well better show up soon because something sure as heck needs to be done about Pepper and Remington.”

“Are they the dogs?” I asked. “The two Golden Retrievers we just saw?”

“That's them. Henry loved those two like nobody's business. Now they're just sitting over there in that house waiting to see what's going to happen to them next.”

I stared at her, horrified. “You mean nobody's taking care of them?”

“I wouldn't say that exactly. I've looked in on them a couple of times. You know, filling the water bowl and putting out some food. I'm not much of a dog person myself, and those two are living proof why. They're making a god-awful mess of that house.”

“Of course - they're making a mess,” I sputtered. “If they've been cooped up alone in there for two days, what choice do they have? You mean nobody has walked them or let them outside at all?”

“Johnny thought about doing something like that, but I told him to leave well enough alone. Those are big, rambunctious animals. What if he let them out and they ran away? Then it would be our fault that they were missing. When Henry's daughters show up, they'll have to make their own arrangements.”

All well and good, assuming that they arrived quickly. But already two days had passed without any sign of Henry's relatives. Who knew how long it might be before someone appeared? Pepper and Remington couldn't stay cooped up in that house all by themselves. If Henry had cared about those dogs, he would have been outraged by the very idea. I knew I was.

I stood up and looked at Betty. “Do you have a key to the house?”

“Oh no,” Alice said from behind me.

Determinedly, I ignored her. “I assume you must, since you've been going in and out.”

Betty nodded. “After Johnny and I got Henry into the ambulance and on his way to the hospital, we went over there and made sure everything was locked up tight. Of course, at the time we hoped he'd be coming back. It wasn't until later that we realized he wouldn't. Henry kept his keys on a hook by the door. I've got the whole key ring here.”

“I know what you're thinking,” said Alice. “And it's a crazy idea.”

“Those dogs are all but abandoned. What choice do we have?”

“Not we.
You.
If I ever showed up at home with one of those giant dogs, Joe would kill me.”

I stared at her, perplexed. “Haven't we been talking about the fact that you're planning to get your kids a puppy? Well, this is what cute little puppies look like when they grow up. Or hadn't you thought that far ahead?”

“Of course I've thought about it. But I figured we'd ease into this dog-ownership thing gradually. That's why we're starting with a puppy.”

Her logic made no sense at all, not that I had time to debate the point. Puppies, though smaller, were much more work than adult dogs. I supposed Alice would be finding that out soon enough. But if she didn't think she could handle one of Henry's dogs, what made her think she could handle one of her own?

“Then I'll take them both,” I said.

These were, perhaps, not the sanest words ever to pass through my lips.

“You will?” Betty asked, sounding surprised. “What are you going to do with them?”

“For the time being, I'll give them a place to stay where they'll at least be well cared for. Then we'll see what happens when Henry's relatives show up. Maybe his daughters will want them.”

“I can't imagine why,” said Betty. “Like I said, they don't come and visit much. They've probably never even seen those two.”

“I guess I'll have to find homes for them, then.”

Brave words considering I had no idea how hard it would be to do something like that. All I knew for sure was that I couldn't walk away and leave Remington and Pepper to an uncertain and possibly neglectful fate.

“That seems like a fine idea to me.” Betty sounded delighted to abdicate responsibility. “Leave me your phone number, and if anyone shows up and wants to know where those dogs have gone off to, I'll have them call you.”

I wrote down my information while Betty went and got the key to Henry's back door. She pressed it gratefully into my hand. “It might need some cleaning up over there, if you know what I mean.”

I could well imagine. Beside me, Alice snorted indelicately. I guessed that meant we both could.

“I can't believe you're doing this,” she said as we left Betty's house and went trooping back to Henry's house.

“I have to do this,” I said. “I couldn't live with myself if I didn't.”

“What on earth are you going to do with two huge Golden Retrievers? You can't be thinking of taking them home. You've never even met these dogs. What if they're vicious?”

“Most Goldens have wonderful temperaments.” We stepped up onto the stoop and I fit the key into the lock. “Besides, why would Henry have vicious dogs?”

Pepper and Remington were barking again. Seeing us from inside, they'd followed us though the house as we'd gone around. Now both dogs were in the kitchen, yelping and throwing themselves enthusiastically against the back door. I hoped I was going to be able to get it open and slip inside without one or the other making an escape.

“Where will they stay while you're at school?” Alice asked, peering unhappily over my shoulder at the boisterous pair.

“Good question,” I admitted.

“Not to mention the fact that it's almost Christmas. You can't tell me you don't have a million other things to do.”

She was right again.

“This is utter madness,” said Alice. Since my responses thus far had been less than satisfactory, she poked me hard in the ribs. “Who would take on the care of two big, strange dogs on the spur of the moment at this time of year, just because they needed a home?”

I paused and straightened. My expression brightened. Put like that, I suddenly knew the answer.

“Aunt Peg,” I said.

 

 

As Betty Bowen had warned us, Remington and Pepper had indeed made a mess. While I found two strong leather leashes and snapped them to the Goldens' collars so I could take the dogs outside for a much needed walk, Alice set about cleaning up.

I told her to wait until I came back in; I insisted I'd do the job myself. But Alice waved away my objections and stooped down to open the cabinet beneath the sink, checking for cleaning supplies.

“I'm a mother,” she grumbled. “It's not like I haven't seen worse.”

Remington and Pepper were so excited by the prospect of a walk that they dragged me out the door and down the steps. Under normal circumstances, the pair was probably leash trained. Now they were barely controllable.

Not that I could blame them. Semi-free for the first time in days, they had plenty of excess energy. They raced and played, barking with glee. Tethered to them by the length of two six-foot leashes, I just did my best to keep up.

It was at least fifteen minutes before the dogs' high spirits showed the slightest sign of flagging. By that time I was thoroughly whipped. Nothing like a couple quick laps around the block to hammer home the point that my life was a little light on aerobic exercise. Like eating more fiber and learning to appreciate opera, it was one of those things I was planning to get to when my schedule cleared.

Steering the pair back inside, I immediately noticed a difference. The house smelled a whole lot better than it had when we'd left. Alice, wearing bright yellow rubber gloves that covered her arms all the way up to the elbows, was looking quite pleased with herself.

“Lysol, and lots of it,” she said. “As soon as I drag these bags outside to the garbage, you'll never even know there was a problem in here.”

While she did that, I looked in the cupboard where I found a big bag of lams kibble. Two dog bowls were sitting empty on the floor; I rinsed them out and added them to the pile. Alice helped me carry everything outside. While I was loading up the car, she returned Henry's key to Betty Bowen.

“Betty said to convey her thanks,” Alice said as she slid in the passenger side. Pepper and Remington, placed in the storage area in the back, had clambered forward into the back seat and were now hanging their heads into the open space between Alice and me. Any minute now, we were going to find them in the front with us. “I think she was pretty relieved to get rid of them.”

“I can imagine.” I reached back and tried to shoo the two dogs away. Tongues lolling, grinning like a pair of doofuses, they refused to take the hint.

Alice cast them a glance. “I'm glad you didn't listen to me. They do look a lot happier.”

“They must have been lonely locked up inside that house,” I said. “Not to mention, I'm sure they were wondering what happened to Henry.”

Alice and I both fell silent. I'd been so busy dealing with the two big Goldens that I hadn't had time to stop and absorb the news of Henry's death. Now the loss hit me all over again.

“He was a nice man.” Alice sighed. “I guess the least we can do is make sure that his dogs are okay.”

“Amen to that,” I said.

I dropped Alice off at home so she could get her car and go pick up the kids—hers and mine both—at the arts center. Then I got on the Merritt Parkway, thankfully against rush hour traffic, and drove to Greenwich where Aunt Peg lived. Briefly, I considered calling and warning her that I was on my way, but I didn't entertain the notion long. Much as I expected my aunt to be sympathetic to the Goldens' plight, given time to think she would no doubt come up with an alternative plan of action that would have me driving all over the state. Much better to simply show up unannounced and plead their case on the spot.

Aunt Peg lived in backcountry Greenwich in a farmhouse on five acres of land, most of it fenced to contain her Standard Poodles. Currently she had six living in the house with her. Five of those were retired show champions. The other, Eve's littermate, Zeke, though still in hair, was nearing that status himself.

As always, the herd of Poodles announced my arrival the moment I turned in the driveway. The doorbell was superfluous at Aunt Peg's house; I didn't even bother to knock. I simply climbed the wide front steps and waited on the porch for her to come to the door. It didn't take long.

“Didn't I just see you day before yesterday?” Aunt Peg asked by way of a greeting. “Where's my nephew? Have you come for dinner?”

This last was strictly a rhetorical question. Guests who hope to be fed at Aunt Peg's house are well advised to bring the meal with them.

Before I could answer, my aunt's well-honed dog radar had already zeroed in on my car where Pepper and Remington were waiting. Even though it was cool out, I'd left the windows open a crack. Now both Goldens had their noses wedged into the small opening. Streams of drool ran down the glass. Obviously they weren't too concerned about making a good first impression.

“Who on earth are they?” Aunt Peg asked. Quickly, she stepped out onto the wide porch and shut the door behind her. Her Poodles, left behind in the front hall, knew immediately that something was up. They raced around to the front window to have a look.

“Remington and Pepper,” I said brightly.

“Do we know them?”

“We do now. Your kennel is still empty, right?”

Aunt Peg was no dummy. She could see where this was heading.