CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
For a third time, Sarah repeated to Chief Gerard exactly what she’d told Harlan. Periodically, he threw in a question about whether she was sure her mother joined her from behind or perhaps from down the side hall, but her answers remained consistent. She glanced across the fellowship hall to where her mother sat alone at a table. Fluffy lay curled against her mother’s feet, next to RahRah in his carrier. Chief Gerard already had questioned Maybelle, but he refused to let her leave, even after she signed the statement she gave Officer Robinson.
Sarah could see how upset her mother was. Once again, there had been, as her mother told Chief Gerard, blood everywhere. When she bent down to help George, it was impossible not to get it on herself. At least, unlike last time, Mr. Rogers was alive, or Sarah hoped he was. He’d been taken to the hospital immediately, but Chief Gerard had prevented her mother and her from calling to check on him.
Finally, with a nudge from Harlan, Chief Gerard permitted them to go.
Maybelle jumped to her feet, causing Fluffy to move quickly to avoid being stepped on. “What about Fluffy?”
“I guess Alvin will have to take her to the shelter,” said Chief Gerard.
“You can’t do that. She saved George.”
“Maybelle, I understand how you feel, but there’s nobody to care for her. George can’t, and those nephews of his are both at the hospital. The shelter will find a place for her.”
“We can take her.”
Sarah wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. Her mother, who swore she was allergic to every animal under the sun, was not only volunteering but insisting Fluffy come home with her?
As if she knew she was being talked about, Fluffy cuddled closer to Maybelle’s legs. Sarah watched Chief Gerard look from the dog to Maybelle and back to Fluffy again. “Ah, Maybelle, I’m a dog man, too.” He bent and gently picked up Fluffy.
Sarah tried not to laugh. She could swear Fluffy’s chocolate eyes were focused on him as if she were romancing him to get her way.
He gently rubbed Fluffy’s ears. “You’ve been through a lot today, girl. I’m not going to upset you any further.” The chief handed Fluffy to Maybelle. “You can take her home until we sort this out.”
Maybelle clutched Fluffy close to her and thanked the chief. Given the green light to leave, Maybelle led Harlan and Sarah from the fellowship hall. Once the group was out of the room, Maybelle sneezed. She thrust Fluffy at Sarah, who was already carrying RahRah. “I couldn’t let him take her to the shelter, but you’re going to have to take her home.”
“Mom, I have a cat. I doubt RahRah and Fluffy are going to do well together. You asked for her, why don’t you take her to your house?”
Another sneeze provided her mother’s answer.
“Harlan?”
“No pets allowed in my building. Guess you’ll have to help RahRah and Fluffy make friends with each other.”
Maybelle cut Sarah’s answer off. “Enough discussion. I want to go to the hospital.”
“I do, too, Mom, but I need to take Fluffy and RahRah home first.”
“Harlan, will you please take Sarah to her house? She’s right about needing to drop Fluffy and RahRah off. I don’t want them to have to stay in my car while we’re in the hospital.”
“Maybelle, I’ll be glad to do that, but why don’t I take you in my car straight to the hospital while Sarah uses your car to take RahRah and Fluffy home?”
“Thank you, Harlan. George wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for me.”
“Mom, you didn’t attack Mr. Rogers. How can you blame yourself? You’re the one who found him and probably saved his life.”
“Sarah, if I’d been willing to talk to him, he wouldn’t have been in that hall. We would have stayed in the fellowship hall and I’d eventually let him apologize to me.”
“I think you were the one who owed him an apology.” Sarah clamped her mouth shut. There was nothing more to say. While she didn’t blame her mother, Sarah agreed a different course of events might have produced different results. Had Mr. Rogers been in the big room or had she followed him into the hall, he might not have been attacked. Then again, if her mother had been in the hall with him, she might have been injured, too.
Maybe it was her own guilt, but like her mother, Sarah felt a need to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. She only hoped, when she got home, the carriage house would still be in one piece. Whether she left Fluffy and RahRah in two rooms or together, it probably wasn’t going to be pretty.