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Shadow wondered why September ignored the stowaways in the back of the SUV. When they jumped in the car at the theater, he'd noticed right away. Maybe it was a game, hiding under blankets. Shadow liked games. The kids only came out after September left the car to go into the house without him.
"Good-boy, Shadow." Nikki reached to scratch him. "Thanks for not giving us away." She turned to speak to Steven. "Now what? September left the keys, but I don't know how to drive. Do you?" The hitch in her voice, and rising inflection, partnered with her wrinkled brow, spoke of worry and concern.
Shadow still fretted what Steven wanted. But he liked Nikki. She gave him treats, played the show-me game, and scratched his chin the way he liked it. And she smelled like cats. Shadow liked cat smell.
The squeal of wet tires stopped right behind their car and made the two kids squeak and dive back under the blankets. Shadow arched his neck and pricked ears at the strange man who got out, followed by an odd lady moving with strange twitches. She had flyaway fluffy hair even longer than September's. He poked his nose out the window crack, tasting the air when they walked by.
The lady's smell mixed sweat and perfume, medicine and fever. It reminded him of the vet clinic, only without the companionable animal smells. The man's breathing hurried fast as his feet, while his shoulders hunched against the rain. Wind tossed the lady's mane over her face, and then away, and when Shadow glimpsed her wild eyes, his ears went flat. He muttered a growled caution to himself.
What to do? September was inside. Strangers near his person, without Shadow to protect, made his heart race faster than Macy chasing a toy.
His suspicion and frustration grew when the pair reached the door. The man fiddled with the handle to make it open, jingling keys—Shadow knew that word from the show-me game—while the woman made high pitched whines that hurt a good-dog's ears.
Shadow furrowed his brow and ran to the other side of the car to see better as the man opened the door. The sick-smelling lady scuttled inside. He whined and pawed the window. He should be with his person, to protect September and warn about sick-smelling people and strange men opening doors.
Sometimes when he pawed car doors, the window scrolled down. Shadow didn't know why this didn't happen every time. The fact it happened at all offered enough incentive for him to try every time, especially when a good-dog needed to be with his person.
People knew many things that dogs didn't. September told him to wait and good-dogs did what they were told. But dogs knew many things, too, sometimes more than people did.
He pawed the door, scratching the window and the side of the panel, while anxious whines spilled from his throat. Maybe Nikki would open the car door for him? Shadow checked, but the two kids still huddled under a pile of blankets, not even a twitch to betray their presence. They smelled scared, the acrid scent laser bright. He heard muted sounds that must be the whiny lady's voice even through the closed door of the house.
"Willieeeeee!"
Shadow ran to the other side of the car when he heard September's worried cry. From somewhere behind the house. He relaxed a bit. The strangers inside weren't near her after all.
He didn't know what the "willieeee" word meant, but it had the same tone as when she called Shadow to come. Was September calling another dog? He only liked to come when treats or toys were involved. But he came anyway, because he wanted to be a good-dog for September.
Would she give that willieeee-dog a treat? He listened hard, past the sizzling-bacon-sound of rain on the roof, and paw-swiped the door again.
This time, the window opened. Delighted, Shadow hopped out and stood on the pavement for a moment, sniffing the foot treads of the strangers while rain pelted his black fur.
The door to the house opened again, and Shadow's head came up. The strange man left the door ajar, and called over his shoulder. "Watch your mother, my phone’s in my car."
Shadow dashed away when the man jogged toward him, and redoubled his pace at the man's startled cry. He bounded to the rear of the house, nose up to seek September and the willieee-dog she'd called. Running feet slapped a sodden drumbeat, and Shadow recognized September's quiet gasps for breath. No longer worried, now she sounded scared.
He barked as he ran so she'd hear him and know not to be afraid. He'd protect her, just as she protected him. That's what family did for each other.
Shadow found the fence, and followed it around the backyard border, barking again and again until he reached the open gate. He quickly scanned the large yard, and found September in the open doorway of the house. Her tight posture, both palms up in a warding off gesture, screamed danger.
Each splashing leap brought him closer. At first, he ignored September's voice, intent on reaching her as quickly as possible.
"Shadow, wait." She didn't turn, just held her palm toward him, to reinforce the command.
He skidded to a stop shy of the cement paving stones. Shadow whined, and took two slow steps closer to within nose-touch reach.
"Good-dog, Shadow. Wait." September backed up a step, too
Peering around her leg, Shadow saw the wild-eyed woman in the middle of the room, waving her hands around. Something silver-bright glinted in one of her fists. A young girl stood at one side, mouth a silent "o."
"Where's my son? Where's Willie, what have you done with Willie, he's not here, where’s Willie?"
Shadow recognized the “where” word. September often prefaced a seek command with this word. He looked around, wondering what she’d lost, waiting to be told what to find.
September offered the woman a length of fabric, the sort of thing people wore around their neck because they didn’t have enough fur to stay warm. September spoke with calm, but Shadow read the underlying emotion. He tensed, prepared to throw himself at the threat.
"Mom?" The young girl found her voice. "Put down the knife. Please?"
Knife? Shadow knew that word, too. He watched the lady's hand. There were no treats in her other fist.
"Who are you? Where is my son?" The words came fast and loud, jumbled together so Shadow couldn’t pick them apart. The sick-smelling lady moved erratically, her head whipping back and forth so her mane-like hair covered her face. She stalked toward the young girl, jabbing the knife in the air. Shadow took a stiff-legged paw step closer, putting himself between September and the knife.
"Melinda, go!" September jerked her head and the girl sidled sideways and then turned and ran. Her footsteps thumped away to the front door, and Shadow heard it swing open. His ears rang when she screamed for help.
Shadow sidled closer. He leaned hard against September's knees, using his weight to push her back. He snarled silently when the strange man rushed into the room. Shadow showed his teeth, not wanting to bite, merely to warn away the danger.
September put a hand on Shadow's head. At the unspoken request, he lowered his lips but divided his attention between the man and the distraught woman.
"Go 'way go 'way go 'way." She jabbed the knife at the man, too, and he backed up without saying anything. "Where’s Willie? My husband is a cop, go ‘way go ‘way go ‘way."
Shadow knew the words meant bad things because September flinched like she’d been hit. Shadow nose-poked her thigh, and she finally made eye contact. Her posture changed. His tail lifted with anticipation, knowing she'd made a decision. Her hand on his head stroked with purpose, and she whispered for him only. "Good-dog, Shadow, wanna play show-me?"
He wagged, but remained silent. Shadow watched her face, confident now she'd taken charge and could tell him what to do. How to fix this. Together they could do anything.
"Back, back." Shadow took a step backwards, and cocked his head when both the man and girl retreated, too. The wild stabbing motions subsided. September kept her voice conversational, but the command in the tone made people as well as good-dogs pay attention and obey.
The lady started to cry, an ugly sound that made Shadow’s ears fall flat. Her hands dropped to her sides like fluttery birds falling from the sky.
"Show-me KNIFE." September's voice cracked.
Shadow rocketed forward, and nose-punched the back of the lady's hand. She screamed. But the knife spun away, shiny and bright. It clattered against the floor.
"Shadow, BRING KNIFE."
Without hesitation, he dove for the object, and gingerly grasped the widest part. He ignored the man who had rushed to embrace the sobbing lady. Shadow triumphantly carried the prize to September.
"Good-dog, what a brave boy." With relief in her voice, September pocketed the knife and welcomed Shadow into her arms. "I must have unlocked instead of locked the windows, thank goodness."
Across the room, the young girl's angry voice made Shadow's ears hurt. "Nice trick. But can he find my brother?"
