Thirty-One

Footsteps crunched on fallen twigs and branches under the trees. I directed my flashlight toward the sound but didn’t see anyone.

Trixie chased the person, yipping as she darted after them. I followed more slowly. I didn’t want to be blindsided. I pulled out my phone and dialed Dave’s number.

“This better be important,” he grumbled. “I’m about to hit the sack.”

“Someone is in the judge’s backyard. They’re running from me.”

“Holly! Don’t give chase!”

“Then how are we supposed to catch this creep?”

I could hear Dave sigh. “Okay. I’m coming. Don’t do anything stupid.” As he hung up, I heard him say, “As if . . .”

Following Trixie’s barks, I dodged through the trees at a trot.

And then I heard someone cry out, like they had fallen. I slowed down, and in a matter of minutes, I reached the fence, where a piece of black fabric clung to a wire on top.

Trixie pranced restlessly at the fence. I flashed the light around but didn’t see a gate. The fence was chain link and five feet high. I had climbed chain link as a child. Surely I could do it again. Trixie would pose a problem, though.

“Trixie, no squirming. Got it? I don’t want to drop you.” I scooped her up and held her tight in one arm while using the other to pull myself up the fence. The diamond openings between the links seemed a lot smaller than they had been when I was a kid. I could barely get the toes of my sneakers in them. But five feet wasn’t that high, I reasoned.

I had managed to get off the ground and up to the top before Trixie twisted in a desperate move to get away. I clung fast to her. “Just a couple more minutes.”

I swung one leg over the top, then the other one. Halfway down, I dared to jump and landed on my backside. The concrete sidewalk offered no cushioning whatsoever. Trixie took that moment to leap out of my grip and run down the sidewalk faster than the speed of light.

There was nothing to do but follow in the direction she had gone.

I called her as I jogged along but didn’t see her anywhere. When I emerged from the green, the front lights of the inn gleamed on her white fur. She spied me at the same time and ran toward me like I had been away for a month.

She put her front paws on my legs, begging to be held. I picked her up. “You abandoned me.”

She licked my nose.

I accepted her apology, crossed the plaza, and walked up the front steps and into the inn.

The WAG Ladies sat in the Dogwood Room with Oma and Rose, who were serving them after-dinner drinks.

Oma called me over. “Look who is here!”

Louisa sat with her friends. Loki lay at her feet as if he didn’t plan to let her take a single step without him.

“You’re out of the hospital! Congratulations!” I said.

“They decided to spring me a little early. I have to say, it feels great to be back to normal.”

“I’m so relieved.” But I wondered how she felt sitting with the person who most likely had poisoned her. Was she watching her drink to be certain no one added anything to it? I would be.

Hershey mewed and circled around my legs. Then he sat in front of me and stared at me, as though he wanted something.

“If I weren’t adopting one of those kittens I would definitely be looking for a Somali cat,” said Brenda. “He’s trying to tell you something.”

I gazed around for Joanne. “Where’s his mom?” I asked.

“She fell and scraped her knee when she was out running,” said Brenda.

“I don’t know how she can run after dinner,” said Oriana. “Do any of you do that?”

“Not me,” said Louisa. “Dogs aren’t supposed to go for walks or run after they eat. I figure that probably goes for people, too.”

I knelt to pet Hershey, and my phone rang.

Dave sounded like a grumpy old man. “Where are you?”

“I’m back at the inn. But I think I know who it was. Meet me here?”

He agreed and hung up.

Hershey, however, pawed at me.

“I hope that wasn’t as sinister as it sounded,” said Addi.

They all stared at me in silence. But Hershey didn’t care. He continued pawing at me. His claws were retracted, so he was gentle, but I was clueless until he tried to stick a paw in my pocket.

“You are one smart kitty.” I pulled out his mouse toy that Trixie had found in the judge’s backyard.

Everyone laughed when he grabbed it and threw it up into the air. When it landed, he pounced on it as if it were a live mouse.

“So what’s going on?” asked Addi.

“I think I’d better wait for Joanne.”

“And here she comes!” exclaimed Rose. “Are you all right? Your knee looked pretty nasty.”

I stood up and turned around to face her.

She looked me straight in the eyes, without remorse or fear. For a long uncomfortable moment, neither of us said a word.

Dave noisily tromped into the Dogwood Room, saying, “This had better be good, Holly.”

As calmly as I could, I said to Joanne, “I think the jig is up.”