The shop was closed. It said so on the sign that hung in the glass door and in the lowered blinds that covered the windows on each side of it. Inside, soft barks, a rustling noise, other stirrings, but no voices, sounded. Where was Evan?
She stood for a moment, trying to decide what to do. Evan’s car hadn’t been in his driveway when she passed. Of course, he could have put it in the garage. Just because hers was full of rummage sale boxes, her washing machine and other assorted things didn’t mean others filled theirs the same way. Only, why wasn’t he here? She checked her watch and double-checked that against her cell phone. Ten thirty. Past time for him to open. She rattled the door. The barking intensified, but no one came. Could he be sick? He could be hung over. She had no idea what the three of them did last night.
She briefly wondered if John and Glen were home. The bank was closed on Saturday, so she couldn’t run over there to check with Glen, the branch manager. They must have come home last night, though. John was a surgical nurse at the hospital and was probably … no. He took a leave of absence. She knew where they lived. Should she stop by? Better to go back to Evan’s house and see if he was there. See if his car was in the garage. Then, well, then she’d decide. This was bound to be something simple. Something easily explained and Evan wouldn’t thank her if she went off half-cocked.
She walked back across the park, avoiding the vendors set up for the Saturday Farmers’ Market, but turned to look back before she entered the parking lot beside the library. The closed sign still hung on the door and the blinds still covered the windows. It was with a growing sense of urgency that Mary climbed into her car and headed for Evan’s.
The driveway was still empty. She pulled her car in far enough to clear the sidewalk, stopped, got out and stood by it, staring at the house. Now what should she do? Go up and bang on the door? Tell Evan to get up, he was late? Ask if he was all right? That she was worried because the shop was closed? That would go over big. She wasn’t his mother and, even if she was, he was beyond needing one to monitor his movements. It wasn’t like him to be late, though.
Reluctantly, she walked up on his front porch and rang the bell. Noise exploded from the backyard, the same noise she’d listened to all night. Mary hurried down the steps, around the house and into the backyard. There, in a large chain-link dog run, was a small black cocker spaniel, running back and forth like an insane thing, barking the whole time. The dog stopped and stared at Mary. Mary stared back. She walked closer. So did the dog. There was a small doghouse in the run and also a stainless-steel, empty dog dish. Another one, upside down, lay close to the gate. The dog pawed at it and looked back at Mary. This must be the bitch Evan had bought from Alma. It was also the dog that had barked all night. Why was she out here, with no food or water, coat tangled, toys torn to shreds? The dog came toward the gate and jumped up on it, her paws pushing the wire, and whined. That she wanted Mary to do something was obvious, but what? Fill her water dish? Feed her? Let her out? Find Evan. That’s what she needed to do, and right now. She started to back up. The dog whined more.
‘Oh, don’t.’ Mary didn’t know when she’d felt so helpless. She walked back and stuck her fingers through the wire. The dog put her nose against them and gave a gentle lick.
‘You poor thing. Are you thirsty? Is that it? I can’t believe Evan would – well, I’m sure he won’t mind if I give you water. Only, I’m not sure …’ The dog cocked her head as if listening to Mary then jumped on the gate again. The snap wiggled but held. Should she open the gate? What if the dog ran out? She couldn’t catch it. Damn Evan anyway. She turned to look at the house once more. No sign of movement. Surely, if he was here he would have heard the dog barking, the doorbell ringing. Where was he? She had no idea. She turned back toward the dog and spotted a hose. That solved one problem. She stuck the end of it through the wire fence. It just reached one empty bowl. Mary filled it with water. The dog drank greedily, her long ears dipping into the bowl along with her tongue. She came up for air and shook her head. Water drops sprayed everywhere. Mary laughed. The dog looked at her and seemed to smile. Mary stopped laughing. The dog sat down and stared at her again.
Now what? She’d check the garage for his car. The door was down and there was no handle. That meant an automatic opener. A window. There, on the side. Only, the window was higher than Mary, and she wasn’t at all sure she could see over the sill. There must be something she could stand on. There was. A gardening kneeler, the kind you turned over and it became a seat. She dragged it under the garage window, turned it to the highest position and wiggled it. Unfortunately, one end wanted to sink into the slightly damp soil, but all she needed was one peek. She put one foot on the kneeler then looked over her shoulder. The dog sat in the corner of the run, watching her with what seemed to be great interest. Mary sighed, grabbed the windowsill, put her other foot on the kneeler and pulled herself up. The garage was empty. Gingerly, she let herself down and abandoned the kneeler. Evan truly wasn’t here. Where was he?
She walked back to the dog run, where the dog waited for her. She once more jumped on the gate, making it clear she wanted out.
‘I can’t do that,’ Mary told her.
The dog rattled the gate once more.
‘Look, I’m going now. Maybe Evan’s at the shop. Maybe he stayed down in San Luis Obispo for some reason and he’s back at the shop right now, opening it up. I’ll find him, I promise, and then we’ll get you out of there.’
The dog whined. Mary sighed. She turned toward her car. The dog started to bark, loud, insistent barks, letting her know she didn’t appreciate being abandoned.
‘I’ll be back,’ Mary shouted, then started her car and backed out of the driveway. Evan had better be at the shop. If not, she was going to go to John and Glen’s and bang on their door until they answered and helped her figure out what was going on.