L.A. Kornetsky - Gin & Tonic 03 - Doghouse by L.A. Kornetsky

Author:L.A. Kornetsky [Kornetsky, L.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery: Cozy - Problem Solver - Bartender - Seattle
ISBN: 1476750041
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 2014-07-22T00:00:00+00:00

8

Penny hadn’t been sure how she was going to question Parsifal. The puppy was so little, its thoughts focused on the moment, not remembering what had gone past or—well, it was much like most dogs, really. Only littler. And it was already scared of her.

But it had to be done.

Ginny came in to feed the dogs then, placing two bowls down on the floor, one with more kibble in it than the other. Penny’s ears flicked forward, alert, as she stared past Georgie’s shoulder at the puppy, who had put his entire face into his bowl and was chewing away happily. Food calmed. A puppy with food in its belly would be sleepy and not-scared.

Georgie nosed at her own food, then looked sideways at Penny. “He’s only a puppy.”

“I’m not going to bite him,” Penny said. The tip of her tail twitched, but she kept it from lashing: Georgie was upset enough already, her protective instincts engaged.

It was… reasonably cute, she supposed. And it needed help. But it was noisy and messy and didn’t belong here. The sooner she figured out what was going on, the sooner Theodore and Ginny could get rid of it. “I’m just going to ask it questions. That’s all.”

“You don’t play nice,” Georgie said, her muzzle lifted in what might almost be a snarl. Penny waited. Eventually, Georgie relented and let Penny walk past. Not that Georgie could have stopped her, not really, but…

“Hi.” The puppy had stopped eating, and turned its head sideways to look at Penny. “Who’re you?”

“This is Mistress Penny-Drops,” Georgie said. “You met her before, remember? It’s all right. She’s pack.”

“Oh.” Parsifal studied the cat seriously, then reached forward to lick the side of Penny’s face.

Penny sneezed, and backed away, her tail lashing furiously now. The urge to hiss rose in her throat, and she forced it back down. If she scared it, it would be useless.

“Penny…” Georgie’s whine was anxious, a reminder. “Parsi, Penny doesn’t like being groomed by us.”

“Oh.” The puppy looked crestfallen, its ears drooping and its tail tucked between its legs. Georgie gave Penny a long look, and then turned back to the puppy.

“If we ask you something,” she said to it, “could you answer? Tell us everything you remember?”

“I can do that, sure!” The ears lifted slightly, but the tail remained cowed, his body flat against the blanket in submission. Georgie nodded to Penny, who kept her tail still, her ears forward.

“I need you to remember the place where you were,” she said to it. “Before Theo—the big human—found you.”

Those ears dropped again, and the little body shivered.

“Can you do that?” Penny asked, very, very still, like she would wait for a mouse.

“It’s okay,” Georgie said, moving around so that she was half on the blanket next to Parsifal, nudging into his side. “We’re here, you’re safe.”

“Okay.” The puppy was shivering, but its eyes were bright, and Penny felt a twinge of respect.

“Tell me what you remember, what you saw, heard, smelled. Everything, no matter how small.

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