What I discovered after destroying Cedric’s belongings:
- Cedric the Betrayer was a monster.
- If Miss Josie took him back, I’d be forced to leave.
- Leather is yummy.
“We need to get rid of this guy,” said Rocco, as he sat perched on top of my crate. “He’s a nightmare.”
“I know, but how?”
He stretched. Oddly enough, I didn’t even mind that he lay sprawled out on top of my crate. Rocco and I had bonded, I guess.
“Let me think about it,” he said. “Unlike you, I possess a magnificent brain.”
“Think fast,” I said. “Miss Josie and Cedric will be back from breakfast soon, and he already threatened me once. I’m scared it could happen again.”
“He was mean to me, too,” said Rocco. “He pushed me off the couch last night. He has some nerve.”
Rocco cleaned himself, because it soothed him, and it seemed much cheaper than therapy. In between licks, he muttered derogatory things about Cedric. I agreed with him. Hearing Rocco complain about Cedric helped. It made me seem less alone.
When Miss Josie and Cedric got back from breakfast, smelling like vanilla-infused syrup and waffles, I realized we stood on dangerous ground. Although Cedric had hurt Miss Josie terribly, the first tentative efforts toward forgiveness had sprouted between them. I needed to trample those sprouts, and Rocco felt the same.
He eyed them as they sat down on the couch to watch PBS together. Miss Josie let me out of my cage, and I tried to get close to them, but Cedric gave me the stink eye and scared me away. I sat all alone, suffering in silence, but Rocco did not suffer in silence. He did so vocally.
“This is not good, pup. Look at how Cedric has his arm on the back of the couch. It’s one step away from snuggling, I’m telling you. This whole situation spells trouble, big trouble, for both of us.”
I had to admit Rocco might be right. Scary thought.
Miss Josie glanced at Cedric. “What’s the plan for tomorrow?”
He touched her cheek with one finger. “I’ll do whatever you’re doing.”
She edged away from him. “Stop it, Cedric. You’re making me uncomfortable. I meant I’m taking Capone to obedience training, so you’ll have to leave the apartment.”
“I see,” he said, shifting in his seat. “Well, then I guess I’m taking Capone to obedience training, too.”
“I’d prefer to go on my own.”
“Please don’t be like this, Josie. I want to help, and I think Capone and I got off on the wrong foot.”
“Fine,” she said, her eyes still wary. “But don’t read into this. I’m serious.”
We arrived at Misty Mountain the next day at eight a.m. sharp. Cedric had on a wrinkled pair of khakis and his damaged loafers. He held a soggy tissue in his hands and kept wiping his nose with it. Miss Josie didn’t look happy herself, and she let out a little groan when she saw Sexy Trainer Dude working behind the desk.
“Ms. St. Clair,” said Sexy Trainer Dude, unable to look her in the eye. “Can we talk?”
“Certainly,” she said, keeping things formal and polite. She turned to Cedric. “I’ll be right back.”
Cedric nodded as he studied the display of shock collars with interest. He was a horrible human being.
Sexy Trainer Dude, the man who sold those collars, led us to the corner of the room and spoke in a hushed voice. “Look, Josephine, I want to make sure nothing regarding our hike becomes public knowledge.”
“Which part?” asked Miss Josie, her brow wrinkling in mock confusion. “When your dog ran off, or when Capone saved the day, or when you, uh, didn’t quite make it to the bathroom in time?”
He leaned closer, twin spots of color appearing on his cheeks. “Capone did not save the day. If he helped, it was a complete and total accident. He doesn’t have the level of intelligence required to do something so…”
“Extraordinary?”
“Exactly,” he said, running a hand through his golden blond hair. “It’s the other stuff I’d rather you didn’t mention. It would cause me a great deal of embarrassment and ridicule, especially from Jenny. She’s ruthless.”
“Yeah, Jenny looks like a monster,” said Miss Josie, eyeing Jenny, who had dimples and sported a high ponytail. “But don’t worry about the rest of it. We’ll pretend it never happened. I won’t tell a soul, and neither will Capone. Are you teaching the class today?”
He nodded. “Another reason I wanted to talk to you beforehand. I didn’t want it to be awkward.”
“I’m glad you did. You’ll have no issues on my end.”
“Thank you.” He eyed Cedric, who’d moved from shock collars onto choke collars and held a large silver one in his hands. “And is he your…uh…”
She filled it in for him. “My ex. He’s staying with me for a few days. He’s allergic to dogs.”
“Oh, really?” asked Sexy Trainer Dude. “Well, this might be an interesting morning for him, and for Capone, too. He’s reached the weight limit for the small dog and puppy area. He’ll be with the big dogs now.” He looked down at me and gave me a pat on the head. “You get to play with Hans today. Won’t it be fun?”
Fun? More like terrifying. I didn’t want to play with Hans and his friends. They would eat me alive. I wanted to go home. Now.
I tried to pull Miss Josie away from the training area and out the front door, but she refused to let me have my way. “What’s wrong with him?” she asked Cedric as she pulled me toward the training room. “He’s acting so weird.”
Cedric, who walked next to her, shrugged. He obviously didn’t care about me or my problems. He cared only about one thing. Getting into Miss Josie’s…well, her good graces.
“You know, they sell special collars near the front desk. One zap, and it’ll cure Capone of anything.”
Miss Josie came to a dead stop. Even though she’d probably considered the benefits of shocking me once or twice herself, she didn’t seem to like hearing it from anyone else. “A shock collar? For a puppy? Are you serious?”
He had the decency to look embarrassed. “As a behavioral tool. Not permanently. Even you have to admit Capone has issues.”
As he spoke, I threw myself down onto the floor and tried to remove my Easy Leader nose harness by rubbing my snout against Miss Josie’s leg. She had on a short skirt and heels today. Not exactly sensible obedience training gear. Wearing the bait bag around her waist kind of ruined the whole effect, as did the fact I now thrashed around on the floor next to Miss Josie’s feet.
“Capone. Stop it,” she hissed, trying to adjust the nose harness.
The harness was a big problem. I hated having anything touch my nose. For me, this was torture.
Miss Josie held my face in her hands and looked me right in the eyes. “Stop it. We aren’t going to do this today.”
I tried to behave. Honestly, I did. But between my anxiety over the imminent threat from Hans and my discomfort from the harness, I was a mess before class even started. To make matters worse, the German shepherds in the class all seemed to be good friends with Hans.
“You wait, Capone,” said one of them, a large puppy named Brutus. “Hans has special plans for you today. You’re going to regret you ever messed with him.”
The other German shepherds; Goliath, Crusher, and Stevie, joined in on the teasing. “Yeah, he’s going to teach you who’s boss,” they said, laughing.
It felt like a flashback to my days on the farm when the horses would tease me mercilessly, and it made me feel all quivery and sad and inadequate inside. Getting harassed by the horses was one thing. The cat, Mr. Collins, coaxed them into it, and they were a different species, after all. For it to come from other dogs, however, seemed so much worse.
Also, who names a dog Crusher? It was even scarier than my name.
Note to self: I do not want to be called Crusher.
“I don’t think he likes his collar,” said Cedric.
Duh. What was your first clue? Perhaps because I writhed in agony on the floor of the training room trying to get it off? I would have thought I’d made it kind of obvious.
Miss Josie watched me, a perplexed frown on her face. “He’ll have to get used to it. This is only the second time he’s worn it, but he can’t pull me when he’s wearing it. He’s so big now pulling has become an issue.”
Luke wagged his tail when he saw me. He had on an Easy Leader, and it didn’t bother him at all. He stood with his owner, No Brows, and her husband. The other labs hung out close to them. No one wanted to be my obedience class buddy today.
“Newsflash. Capone is the worst dog in the class,” said Cedric softly.
Miss Josie didn’t have to answer. We both knew it was true. It was even more of a nightmare than Puppy Preschool, and even more embarrassing than the time I threw up Miss Josie’s pink thong.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Miss Josie. “He’s usually so good.”
Sweaty and disheveled, she’d torn her black tights in one spot, and dog drool marked her clothing. Her glasses were askew, and her hair had fallen out of her neat bun and cascaded part way down her shoulders. Sadly, I still flailed about on the floor, trying unsuccessfully to get the Easy Leader off my nose.
Sexy Trainer Dude stepped in to help. “Do you want me to run him up to doggie daycare for you?”
“Thank you,” said Miss Josie, practically throwing my leash at him.
As Sexy Trainer Dude led me away, I looked over my shoulder, hoping she’d watch me go. If Hans had his way, this might be the last time we ever saw each other, and the thought made me whimper. She didn’t look, but Cedric did, a cruel and ugly smile curving his lips.
This was bad. If she had to choose between Cedric and me, I might be on a one-way trip back to the farm. The thought made me sick with grief. I couldn’t let it happen. I just couldn’t.