“A-hunting we will go, a-hunting we will go.” Pete hopped from foot to foot in a weird combination of river dancing and clogging.
“What are you going to hunt?” Jamie wanted to know if they had guns, even though she couldn’t confiscate them. There were no gun regulations to stop Pete from owning a gun just because he was mentally unstable. He’d have to prove himself a danger or threaten someone first. By then, it was usually too late for the victim.
“Cats,” Pete said, grinning. “Big cats, little cats. Cats with balls and tomorrow’s mothers. Not the ones with purple ears. Purple ear, steer clear.”
“What he’s failing to properly explain, Deputy, is that we get paid for humanely trapping feral cats and turning them in to be neutered and vaccinated. The ones with a purple star tattooed in their ear indicate they’ve already been trapped and processed.”
“That’s great, Toby.” Jamie shaded her eyes from the sun as she watched Pete hop around. “So, someone has shown you how to trap without hurting them?”
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “Pete is admittedly a bit…well, my old grandmother would say tetched in the head. But he’s amazing with the cats. He feeds two colonies of ferals, so they know him and the young ones will let him pet them. Others, we trap with cages.”
“Someone helps you do this?”
“Yep. Jerome sets out the traps and we check and bait them every day, sometimes more often this time of year. Lots of new kittens are born each spring, and ready for neutering by now. I let the doc know when we have a handful to pick up. Then Jerome brings the kitties back after they’re fixed and tattooed, and Pete and I release them back to the colony they came from. We get twenty dollars a cat.”
“Sounds like a good deal.”
“It is. Gives us some grocery money, and the doc gives us bags of food for them, too.” The old man peered at Jamie. “I know that folks think homeless folk steal and beg to get food, but I’m not big on taking charity. Pete and I have odd jobs we do for a lot of different people around town. That’s why you find us here at the old rail depot every morning. People know we’ll be here if someone wants to hire us.”
Jamie nodded, scanning the area while she listened. “Where’s Adder today?”
Toby shook his head. “He’s not doing so great. When the war gets too loud in his head, he runs a path along the river’s edge. He’s been running a lot and smoking a bit more than usual these past couple of days. He has rough patches. He’ll be okay.”
“You still have my number, right? In case you guys need help, or you see Adder getting too down?”
“Sure, sure. You’ll be the first we call.” Toby nodded, pulling a prepaid phone from his pocket and showing it to her. “We’ll be fine.”
“Okay, then.” Jamie waved to Pete, who waved back. “See you guys around.”
* * *
Trip jumped when the phone in her pocket vibrated to indicate an incoming call. Too bad the phone wouldn’t vibrate long enough for her to hold it against her crotch. Jamie had filled her thoughts since she’d left Cahill’s, and Trip’s libido was primed for action. The call, however, wasn’t from Jamie. The area code that popped up on her truck’s Sync screen indicated an Athens area code. Trip tapped “accept” on the touch screen. “Hello.”
“Dr. Beaumont, what a pleasant surprise to get your message.”
“Professor Harrell, thanks for returning my call.”
“I’m always happy to speak with one of my best students.”
“I’m sure you’ve had many good students, but I can really use your assistance on a case.”
“How can I help?”
Trip outlined Petunia’s gastric problems and the meager progress she’d made in tracking down the research study in which Petunia had been a test subject.
“I can clear some time for you tomorrow, but I’m headed out of the country Friday and will be gone two weeks.”
“We’ll see you tomorrow then. I really appreciate this, Professor. This dog is a highly effective drug and explosives detection dog, and its owner is special to me.”
“Then it’s imperative that we do everything we can for the pup.”
“I’ll call when we touch down tomorrow morning to let you know we’re on our way to the vet school. It should be around nine o’clock.”
After the call disconnected, Trip fist-pumped. “YES!” She summoned her truck’s voice controls with a “Hey, hot stuff.”
“Say your command,” the disembodied voice responded.
“Call Joe.”
Joe answered on the second ring. “Hey, Trip. Do you have a departure day?”
“I know this is last minute, but I need to fly to Athens tomorrow. We’ll probably be up there all day.”
“Damn. I need to take Alice to a doctor’s appointment at ten in the morning.”
“Do you have other flights scheduled later in the day?”
“Uh, no. I cleared the day. Alice didn’t want to tell anyone before tomorrow’s ultrasound confirms everything is okay, but I’m about to bust with the news. We’re pregnant.”
“That’s fantastic, Joe.” Trip was truly happy for him. The couple had been trying for years, and Alice had already suffered through two early miscarriages.
“Yeah. I thought I’d surprise her afterward by taking her to Savannah for lunch and an afternoon of shopping for baby stuff.”
“I’ll make other arrangements. Alice deserves your full attention.”
“Hold on.” The faint clicking of a keyboard came over the truck’s speakers. “Let me check one thing. …Yes. Weather report says clear skies tomorrow. Why don’t you just fly my plane?”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I know we haven’t instrument certified you yet, but that shouldn’t be an issue as long as you get back before dark. I’ll leave the keys to the Cessna at the airport office for you.”
“You’re the best, Joe. Thanks, and good luck tomorrow. You hoping for a girl or a boy?”
“Just hoping for a healthy baby,” he said.
Trip’s next call was to Grace.
“Booker.”
Trip laughed, her mood light with the prospect of spending the next day with Jamie. “You really should answer with your entire name because when you bark ‘Booker,’ it almost sounds like ‘Booger.’”
Grace chuckled. “Only you would think something like that. You sound happy today.”
“The fate of my exuberance is in your hands.”
“Not literally, I hope. I think I’ve heard you use that line on Shayla before.”
Trip loved Grace’s sharp wit. “No. But I do have a favor to ask.”
“How may I serve you?”
“It’s hard to pass on a setup like that, but this is serious. Can you clear Jamie’s schedule tomorrow?”
There was a second of hesitation. “You know I love you, pal, but I can’t shuffle the work assignments just so you can woo one of my officers.”
“This is concerning the health of one of your officers. I want her and Petunia to fly with me to Athens for a consult and MRI at the vet school.”
“You should’ve led with that. I’ll absolutely clear her schedule, even if I have to cover for her myself.”
“Great. I’ll call and give her the details.”
“Tell her to swing by the department before six thirty. I’ll give her a department credit card to take care of the expenses. The forfeiture funds we’ll get from the feds for that big drug bust she and Petunia pulled off will more than cover Petunia’s medical bills.”
“Great. I’ll do what I can to get you a break on the cost.”