Animal Cruelty

Gord was furious. That wasn’t out of the ordinary for the hot-tempered man but being bested by that dumb dog for a second time enraged him. He wanted to send a message with violence. One that couldn’t be ignored.

Most humans had a soft spot for animals, but Gord was not one of those people. He wouldn’t have hesitated to teach that dog a lesson. Her interference in the jewellery store heist cost them at least twenty grand, and that was inexcusable.

He’d spent the last thirty-six hours replaying their encounter in his head, but instead of envisioning how it actually went, being run off by a wrinkly dog and a skinny woman in yoga pants, Gord imagined a very different scenario.

One in which everyone in Alliston would learn not to mess with Gordon Wright.

Earle interrupted Gord’s thoughts by slamming a frying pan down on the stove in preparation to make fried eggs. The man had an affinity for eggs, which stunk up the entire house. If Gord wasn’t so dependent on the man’s—albeit subpar—alarm deactivating skills, he’d kick him out of the crew on the basis of his egg stink alone.

“Nelson has been acting strange the past few days,” Gord confided in Earle. “Ever since the jewellery store heist, it seems like he’s keeping a secret.”

Earle shrugged his shoulders, indifferent to the observation. “Nelson is a weird cat. As angry as you are with him, though, he’s just as mad at himself. Don’t think you need to be tough on him to make him pay for the mistake. He tried to make amends by getting us a new whip, and he’s still working at selling everything we got.”

“Something still seems off. I can’t put my finger on it, but between the two of us, we need to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere alone.”

Earle lifted his head to make eye contact with Gord, staring into the big man’s angry eyes. “That bad? What are you thinking he’s up to? Snitchin’ or somethin’?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t think that’s it because he knows I’d kill him, but there’s definitely something off about him.”

Just then, Nelson walked into the kitchen to find Gord and Earle seated at the table. “I’m going to head down to the city to fence a few more items I have lined up. I’ll stop in at Rodney’s to see if we can get another vehicle, too.”

Gord muttered a curse word, irritated that he had to get rid of the pickup truck already. It was his favourite vehicle to drive so far. “Earle will go with you in case you need backup.”

Nelson furrowed his brows, looking at Gord. “I’ve never needed backup before. Earle could probably use the time to research the next alarm system he needs to disarm before we have a repeat performance.”

The overall tension in the room was palpable at the mention of their last robbery. Heat crept up Gord’s cheeks, but he reminded himself not to let on that he was suspicious of Nelson. “Just take him with ya. He’s got plenty of time to figure out the alarm before our next job.”

“Well, all right then. Let’s get a move on. Criminals have schedules to keep.”

Gord was surprised by how easily Nelson gave in to having Earle tag along, and that helped ease his mind.

The two men set off to sell some stolen jewellery and visit the man with the bad teeth for another vehicle. This town was costing more than they were making, and if the next job didn’t go off without a hitch, they might have to delay their retirement plans.

That just wouldn’t do.

Thursday evening, Justin decided it was time to stop in to see his new friend on his way home. Aside from Tuesday, when he was off work early, he hadn’t had a chance to stop in, but it would be rude not to accept Alvin’s invitation, and Karma’s flatulence was getting out of control. Earlier that day, she nearly smoked out the office with her mustard gas. And that was a room full of plumbers who had gone nose-blind to foul odours.

Justin pulled into the parking lot behind the veterinary clinic, Hooves & Paws, and leashed Karma before walking to the front door. As soon as the door opened, Karma took off running, towing Justin until he let go. He was left standing in front of the receptionist with a dumb look on his face as Karma disappeared down a hallway blocked off with saloon-style doors.

A robust brunette from behind the reception desk cleared her throat, and Justin noticed her severe expression.

“Uh, sorry. She’s excited to see Fluffy, I guess.” He shrugged, trying to play off the intrusion.

The receptionist plastered on a smile, likely in an effort to maintain their facility’s customer service reputation, and picked up the phone. Her husky voice announced over the intercom that there was a French mastiff on the loose.

It only took a few seconds before Alvin appeared with Karma’s leash in hand. “Justin, how are you?” Alvin didn’t seem irritated by Karma’s boldness, and simply handed the leash back to Justin.

“Good, Alvin. Sorry about Karma, here. She was excited to see Fluffy.”

“Come with me and I’ll grant her wish. Fluffy will be happy to see her, too.”

Justin followed the portly man through a narrow hallway with several closed doors on either side. He reached the door at the end of the hall, which he opened to reveal a good-sized office. Fluffy’s tail was thumping against the brown leather sofa she was curled up on, but as soon as she spotted Karma, she hopped down so they could dance around each other.

The sight made Justin smile, seeing how happy Karma was to be reunited with her new friend. Especially after the trauma she faced days earlier. “Would ya look at that? Like long-lost sisters.”

Alvin chuckled. “It’s good for dogs to be around others their size. They learn a lot from each other.”

“Can Fluffy teach Karma to stop jumping up on people, because she won’t listen to me?”

Gesturing for Justin to sit on the sofa, Alvin took a seat behind his large walnut desk and poured two glasses of scotch after getting a nod of approval from Justin. “You’d be surprised. Often, well-trained dogs will teach others how to behave, so you never know. Just like with kids, their friends rub off on them one way or another.”

Justin considered getting a second dog for a moment, but quickly dismissed the idea, fearing that he’d end up in the pound himself. “I’m not keeping you from anything, am I? We just wanted to stop in and say hi.”

“Oh, nonsense. No. You got here just as I finished up my last patient.”

“How’s that for timing?” Justin chuckled and took a sip of his scotch. “So, what’s exciting in the life of Doctor Alvin Harper?”

Alvin’s round stomach bounced as he snickered at his new friend. “Nothing much, I’m afraid. I spend my days working, and my evenings with the family. Brewery nights are the one night a month I go out. Basically, this clinic is my life, aside from my wife and daughter.” He tilted his tumbler to his lips, taking a healthy swig. “How about Mr. Justin Peterson?”

Justin again considered telling Alvin about his true passion as a Suburban Watchdog but didn’t want to bring attention to his neighbours after the events from earlier in the week. He opted for ambiguity. “Oh, you know. A little of this. A little of that. Spend as much time with Karma and Ollie as I can.”

“Do you have a missus at home?”

“I do—Scarlett—but she doesn’t like me much anymore. Can’t ever do anything right in her eyes.”

Alvin set his drink on his desk and leaned forward. “I’m sorry to hear that. Pardon me for the intrusion, and I apologize if I’m overstepping, but in my experience, the only way to fix that is by communicating with each other. Have you tried talking to her?”

“Every time I try, she just yells. I haven’t lived up to her expectations, so she never lets me forget it.” Justin stared down at Karma, watching her enjoy Fluffy’s company. Her innocent happiness made him happy. If only Scarlett could find joy in the simple things in life. “I spent years really trying. I worked hard, went through an apprenticeship to get a decent job. Nothing is ever enough.”

“My wife and I went through a rough patch about ten years ago. I thought I was doing the right thing by working hard to provide for us. She always wanted to stay home with our daughter, and I wanted to make that happen. But somewhere along the line, that wasn’t enough for her, and she started to resent me for having a life outside of our home, even if it was just for work. It took a while for us to strike a balance.” Alvin steadied his gaze on Justin. “I don’t know if Scarlett has a life other than being a mom and wife, but perhaps that’s part of her struggle. It might not be you she’s angry with at all. It might be a lack of fulfilment.”

Justin contemplated Alvin’s words. “Less time earnin’ a dollar, more time on the shot-caller, eh?”

Alvin let out a hardy laugh. “That’s a good way to put it.”

The two men talked for some time about their childhood and where they grew up. Alvin was a decade older than Justin but was raised only thirty minutes away. As they fell into a comfortable silence, the sound of air releasing caught both of their attention. Karma looked up at Justin with a satisfied expression.

“Al, we better open a win—” Before he could finish his thought, the stink hit him with an overwhelming force. He pulled his flannel work shirt up over his nose, seeking relief. Even body odour from a day at work was a welcome reprieve.

Alvin sat at his desk, fanning his face, laughing. “You’re right. That is pretty foul.” He leaned down, pulled open a drawer of his desk and grabbed a small box. “Here are some probiotics to try. They’re in individual portions, so she gets two a day. If you can swing it, divide up her meals into three or four for now. If this doesn’t help, I’ll try to find a new food for her.”

“Thanks, Al,” Justin muttered from inside his shirt, refusing to risk a breath of Karma’s putrid aroma. He stood to grab the box from Alvin. “How much do I owe ya?”

“Nonsense. On the house. You can come back next week, and I’ll see how she’s doing.”

Justin smiled, pleased to have made a new friend who enjoyed his company. Something a lot of people overlooked about Justin Peterson, because they saw him as a stooge, was that he was unfailingly loyal. Just like man’s best friend.

Thursday night, when Picault returned to work, he was thrilled to find the report from the tech department in his inbox. The Detective Staff Sergeant had already scoured the information, attempted to call and track the numbers in the phone’s address book, but everything was cryptic. There was no discernible rhyme or reason to the information collected. As if everything had been input in some kind of code.

It seemed the missing cell phone was a dead end, without even so much as one picture. The only thing that might be helpful was a list of dates in the notes. The past dates were the days the previous robberies had happened. The electronics and furniture stores in February, the pharmacy in March, and the jewellery store in April. There were only two more dates listed, one in May and another in June. There was no indication what the targets would be, and it was likely as soon as they realized their phone was missing, they’d alter their plans, but this still told Picault he had two more chances to nail those guys.

And that was exactly what he intended to do.