Chapter 11

Harvey

Harvey has been in a standoff with a squirrel for the last fifteen minutes. The squirrel came down the fence and had the audacity to race across Harvey’s yard. Harvey gave chase and cornered him in a tree. He’s been sitting under it, waiting for the squirrel to make its next move.

When he hears Maggie’s voice, he is conflicted. He doesn’t want to abandon his post under the tree. The squirrel could escape. His concentration is broken by Maggie’s voice and a tantalizing offer. “Harvey! Want a treat?”

Possibly the only thing that could pry him away from his post is the promise of a treat. Or maybe a walk. With a final warning bark at the squirrel, Harvey runs to the door. As soon as he takes the treat out of Maggie’s hand, he knows something is different. Maggie has a nervous energy about her; it radiates through her fingers. He watches as she puts his treats and a favorite toy into a bag. He’s been groomed recently and his undercoat swishes pleasingly as he follows her to the back door.

“We’re going somewhere!” she says, and clips his red leash to his matching harness. Harvey jumps up on Maggie’s legs. Seeing his leash usually means it is time for a walk. Maggie’s mother’s shoes tap across the tile floor.

“Car ride, Harvs,” Maggie says, leading him to the garage. She opens the door to the car and motions for Harvey to jump in. Harvey hesitates. “Come on,” she coaxes. “It’s going to be fun.”

He obeys because his Maggie has asked him to do it, but he’s reluctant. He thought they were going for a walk. She coils the leash on the seat next to him and goes around to the front seat. Once both she and her mother are in front of him, there are clicks and rumbles and the car moves backward. Harvey lies down. All he can see outside the window is sky, and then, as they head downtown, not even that.

Harvey has been this way before, although he doesn’t remember exactly when, and the circumstances were very different. Last time, he’d wandered here by himself, lost and afraid. This time, he’s got his Maggie with him. The journey that took him days last time takes Maggie’s mother only twenty minutes through light Saturday traffic.

But as soon as the car comes to a stop and Maggie opens the door, a burst of scents hits Harvey. They race up through his nose to his brain. He has been here before. This place is familiar.