Gwen and CC had stayed at The Dive until after midnight. Afterward CC decided to follow Gwen home so they could spend Saturday together. Gwen found that Scott had faxed the autopsy report on Meg to her well after eleven p.m., so it had indeed been a long night for him. When you got Doc talking he could go on for hours.
They perused the report, but there was nothing new to send them in a different direction or help find the killer. They hoped the lab could give them more information to work with.
They were still discussing the case as they got into bed, bouncing back and forth different strategies. CC started snoring softly in her arms. Gwen smiled, reached over and turned off the light, and snuggled in beside her.
* * *
CC woke first the following morning and slid quietly out of bed without waking Gwen. She padded to the kitchen in her bare feet and a robe she had found hanging behind the bathroom door, and got to work. She whipped up pancake batter and then made a pot of coffee. She found a container of frozen strawberries in the freezer, which she defrosted in the microwave to spoon over the pancakes. When the pancakes were golden brown, she put everything on a tray and walked back to the bedroom. Gwen was yawning and stretching her arms over her head, her short hair sticking out in all directions. She was just barely awake.
“Wake up, hon. We’ve got lots to do today!” CC said cheerfully.
“Huh?”
“Sit up. I’m serving breakfast in bed,” CC ordered.
“No shit? Cool!” Gwen said, blinking the sleep out of her eyes and fluffing up the pillows behind her.
CC put the tray between them and they dug in hungrily.
“You’re a good cook. These pancakes are wonderful,” Gwen said with her mouth full.
“It’s my grandmother’s recipe…my favorite breakfast. I was surprised to find the strawberries,” CC said, taking a bite.
“I usually put them on ice cream, but this is much better,” Gwen said, licking her fingers.
“So, what do you want to do today?” Gwen asked.
“I want to go to the animal shelter. I’ve been thinking about it since you mentioned it…can we just go look. Please?”
Gwen laughed. “Of course we can just go look, but we’d better stop at the pet store and pick up some supplies for our ‘just look.’ I have to pick up food and treats for Max anyway.”
Gwen put the tray on the nightstand and asked huskily, “Do we have time for this?” and she kissed CC passionately.
“Umm…yes!” CC agreed wholeheartedly.
Afterward, they got up and cleaned the kitchen, fed Max, and took off for the pet supply store. They filled the cart with dog food and treats, shampoo and hair conditioner, and a small dog bed made of lambskin. CC picked out a light blue collar with tiny white dog bones on it and a matching leash. They had a hard time limiting the number of squeaky toys they wanted to buy; there was such a large variety and they were all adorable. Laughing in the aisle, they played with several of the toys before finally deciding on four smaller ones and a large, purple, stuffed rabbit for Max. They loaded everything into her trunk, and they headed to the animal shelter.
“I’m kind of nervous,” CC admitted. “What if they don’t like me or are afraid to come to me?”
“These poor souls will eat up any attention you give them. You will be saving them from being caged twenty-four/seven and they’ll never forget that. Besides, how could they not like you?” Gwen replied, squeezing her hand.
“I feel like I’m adopting a baby!” CC exclaimed.
Gwen laughed. “In a sense, that’s exactly what you’re doing.”
When they got to the shelter, the two women walked hand in hand through several large buildings, each with a variety of breeds and sizes. They agreed some were too large, several too hyper, and a few very unfriendly. Some barked at them furiously and others were meek and shied away.
“I didn’t know this would be so hard,” CC complained.
“You’ll know when you find the right one for you,” Gwen said encouragingly.
They walked through three more buildings, and at the end of the last one was a cage with two small, white terriers. They knelt down and put their hands against the cage while the two pups came excitedly to them, licking their fingers and wagging their tails.
“Oh, Gwen. These guys are adorable,” CC cried out.
“Says they’re brothers. Both are already neutered, so they’re ready to take home,” Gwen said, reading the paper enclosed in a plastic sheath. “They’re about a year old.”
“Can we take them both?” CC begged.
“I don’t see why not.” She grinned. “We’ll have to stop at the pet store and get another collar, leash and bed.”
They found an attendant, a young dark-haired volunteer, who took the dogs out of the cage and handed each woman a leash. In a small caged area, the boys romped and played fetch with a ball, but kept coming back to the women, anxious to get more attention. They rubbed their noses against their legs when they stopped petting them.
“I think they like me,” CC said, grinning from ear to ear.
“Then it’s a done deal. Let’s get the paperwork finished,” Gwen said, waving for the attendant.
“We’ll take both of them,” Gwen said definitely.
“I’m so glad,” the young woman said eagerly. “We were afraid we’d have to split them up. They’re both such nice dogs…very well behaved and potty trained too. The owner had to move to an assisted living complex after breaking a hip and couldn’t take the dogs with her.”
“Thanks for the information,” Gwen replied. “Have they had all their shots?”
“Yes, we give them all booster shots when they come in, make sure they’re microchipped and neutered. You’ll also get a free veterinary visit. You’ll get their papers too—they’re both pedigree terriers. The owner had sired them from her previous terrier.”
“Uh, does that make them more expensive?” CC asked hesitantly.
“No, we charge just one standard fee for each adoption. It’s just nice to be able to find all these guys new homes.” The attendant smiled.
It took about forty-five minutes to fill out the necessary paperwork. Afterward CC stayed in the car and played with the pups while Gwen ran into the pet store to get the additional supplies they’d need.
When they got home, they let the dogs roam around the house, sniffing and making sure they were comfortable in their new environment.
“We’ve got to name them,” CC said, squeaking a small teddy bear to get the pups’ attention.
“Any ideas?” Gwen asked.
“Well, the smaller of the two looks like a peanut…we could call him Peanut.”
Gwen laughed. “How about Cashew then for the other? So we’ll have Peanut and Cashew.”
“Perfect,” CC laughed.
“I’d like to cordon off an area out back for them to play in. It’ll be warm enough soon for them to spend time outside. I’ll get some fencing material and stakes and put them around the big oak tree so they have shade,” Gwen said.
“That would be great. I’ll take them to the park while you’re getting the supplies,” CC offered.
“You don’t mind dog-sitting my half of the family?” Gwen teased.
“I just love them to pieces already, Gwen. I’m not going to want to leave them for one second,” she said, picking Peanut up and letting him lick her face.
Max walked in cautiously and the two little pups started barking.
“Oh boy,” Gwen said. “Max, this is Peanut and this is Cashew. They’re your new playmates.”
Max inched forward and sniffed the two little guys, who danced around the bigger dog, doing plenty of sniffing of their own. Max’s tail started wagging as they all settled down.
“Looks like they’re already friends!” CC said happily.
“I think the little guys will be good for Max. He’ll get more exercise following them around. And look, they want to play with him.” Gwen laughed when Cashew dropped one of the toys at Max’s feet.
“Oh, we forgot to give Max his new toy!” CC exclaimed, getting the purple rabbit out of one of the bags.
Max grabbed the rabbit and started chomping down to make it squeak, while the two little guys jumped around him, enjoying the action but staying a safe distance away.
“Well, if I’m going to get the pen done today, I’d better get moving. Have fun!”
“You know I will,” CC replied, already lying on the floor on her tummy to scratch the boys behind their ears and roughhouse with them.
* * *
By dinnertime Gwen had finished the outside play area, a twelve by twelve square foot fenced area with the tree in the center. CC had run home to pack a bag with enough clothes for a few days. They decided they’d keep the dogs at Gwen’s house for a week, and take them to CC’s to get them used to her place the following week. It was agreed that they’d always keep the two together, and when the dogs were used to both places, they would take turns keeping them.
They ordered pizza for dinner and when everyone was exhausted, they put one of the doggie beds on each side of their bed. Gwen and CC kissed and hugged, too tired to make love and Gwen turned off the light. Within two seconds they felt a plop at the foot of the bed as one, then the other dog joined them, snuggling against their feet. They started laughing and finally fell asleep, all four nestled closely together.