“So I guess we’re not going to get in to see the Middleton place today,” said Aaron as they passed it and then turned into the Jacobs Grand Hotel driveway.
“I guess not,” agreed Charlotte. “Were you supposed to see it today? I didn’t remember that you were a member of the viewing party.”
“Well, it didn’t start out that way, but I’m here now, and I think it would be a good idea if I came along with you. I can point things out from a student’s perspective. For example, had you thought about having a large room where students can just have a beer and chill? With lots of outlets for charging phones?”
“No,” said Charlotte. “I must admit I hadn’t thought of that. I was thinking more about classrooms and rehearsal space.”
“Yeah, that’s important, too,” allowed Aaron.
He parked the car, and Charlotte opened the door and got out.
“Are you going to the office?” Aaron asked over the roof of the vehicle. She shook her head.
“No, it’s Sunday, and anyway, I want to get home.”
Aaron cleared his throat and looked at the ground.
“I don’t love Rupert as much as you do, because he’s not my dog, but well, I’d be devastated if someone took him. I can’t imagine what poor Lynda’s going through. She’ll be missing her dog something awful.”
“Yes, she will. Something awful.”
“When the police arrived and Phil asked us about seeing the dog leave the groomers, I felt bad I couldn’t tell them anything about the person who had her. I never even noticed if it was a man or a woman, never mind a description. I couldn’t take my eyes off the dog with that crazy hairdo.”
“That’s the thing, isn’t it? Whoever’s taken her won’t be able to walk her around town. That’s a very distinctive dog. You don’t see poodles these days the way you used to.”
“I wish there was something we could do to help.”
“There is,” said Charlotte. “You can monitor Craigslist and any other sites you can find where people sell dogs. If you see anything that looks like it could be Mandy, let me know and I’ll tell Ray.” She checked her watch. “I’ve got to get home. I don’t want to be away from Rupert one minute longer. Not after what’s happened.”
A few minutes later, she unlocked the door to her bungalow and stepped inside. Rupert did not come to greet her as he usually did, so she walked through the kitchen and peered into the living room. He wasn’t asleep on the sofa or in his bed. Her heart pounding faster and her stomach starting to churn, she called his name. A moment later, she heard a faint scratching coming from behind the sofa, accompanied by a light whimpering. She rushed to it and pulled the sofa out from the wall. There, his furry bottom facing her, was Rupert. She pulled the sofa farther out and crouched down beside him, burying her face in the soft fur of his neck and wrapping her arms around him.
“Oh, my precious boy,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “Did you crawl in here and couldn’t get back out? Let’s get you out now.”
She helped Rupert, and once he was safely in the middle of the room, she picked up the ball that he had gone behind the sofa to fetch and then pushed the sofa tight against the wall.
“Let’s go for a walk, Rupert. I need to think.”
Instead of walking toward the road, they stayed on the hotel grounds and headed off into the sheltered parkland where Rupert could be safely off leash. He ran ahead, his bottom wiggling as his short, stumpy legs propelled him forward. He paused every now and then to glance over his shoulder to make sure she was keeping up. She had always found that something about walking started her creative juices flowing, and whenever she had a problem to solve, she walked. Now her problem was trying to remember everything she could about what had happened from the moment Aaron parked the car in front of the real estate office. Of course the police would seek out surveillance cameras, but if the thugs were wearing hoodies, chances were good their faces were shielded. And those surveillance tapes, so grainy and gray, were almost worse than useless.
She walked on, trailing after Rupert. The parkland seemed to shimmer in the late-afternoon light as the sun slanted through the gently stirring leaves on the maple trees. A beautiful summer’s day, she thought, but not for Lynda, who must be desperate with worry.
When they arrived home, she filled Rupert’s water bowl, pulled the distinctive black Treats Happen bag from the cupboard, and gave him a dehydrated chew to work on. When he was gnawing contentedly in his basket, she asked, “Well, Rupert, if you wanted to hide a dog, where would you keep her? Where do you suppose Mandy is, and how do we find her? Got any ideas?”
Rupert’s warm brown eyes scanned her face, and he resumed his gnawing. A moment later, a knock on the door had him charging out of his basket, barking and running across the kitchen.
Charlotte opened the door to find Aaron holding out a piece of paper.
“Thought I should walk this over. It’s Paula Van Dusen. She left a message for you with Harvey. She wants you to phone her right away. Something about a dinner party.”