Sleeping Dogs Don't Lie by Karen Botha & Karen Botha

Author:Karen Botha & Karen Botha [Grace, Chloe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Karen Botha

Chapter 2

When Barclay leaves, his face is still bright red, and beads of sweat litter his top lip. They mutter a few curt good nights and then we all go to bed.

Including the cat.

She’s usually hit and miss. I always sleep with Milly, but the cat often prefers to lurk in the woods onto which our home backs.

Tonight, she’s leaving the unsuspecting rodents alone in favour of a nap with us. It’s a pain because even though she’s only a quarter of my size, that thing can sprawl out with the best.

And she doesn’t settle which is such a nightmare because she's disturbing me with all her backwards and forwards.

In the end, I manage to drift off despite her fidgeting and I must end up in a deep sleep because when she walks over me later on, she nearly scares the life out of me.

Can you believe it?

She has no respect that one, she actually steps all over me.

I loathe that cat and I throw her a nip of disapproval.

She clonks me in the eye with the full force of her skinny little leg. Claws full-on open.

Her retort is enough to burn my soft flesh and I yelp, hoping Milly will wake up and kick her from the bed. A little cuddle wouldn’t go amiss too.

But, when I get no response, I crawl to the top of the mattress to tell Milly what a mean cat she has but she doesn’t budge. She drank too much whisky, I think, retracting back to my previous position.

None of us wakes until Jarvis arrives as he does every morning and draws back the curtains to let the midday sun stream in to fill the high ceilings with their optimism.

Ouch. The brightness scorches my eyeballs.

“Miss Milly. It’s time to wake. Your son and his wife are due in one hour. You too, Albie.” He smiles and bends to cup me under the chin before planting a warm kiss between my eyes.

I want to lick him back, give him a long slurp, but I’ve been told in no uncertain terms from an early age that I’m not allowed to do that. I’m not sure why the humans can do things I can’t, but it doesn’t matter because it pleases Milly that I don’t kiss back. And that’s enough for me.

That is about the last moment that I’m truly happy. It’s the second before I realise that something is terribly, terribly wrong.

Milly doesn’t groan at Jarvis like normal. There's not a sound. Not even a hint of a swear word launched in his direction.

She doesn’t stir at all. Jarvis runs around barking orders at the rest of the staff, calling ambulances, and pumping up and down on Milly’s chest. I move in to help, pushing her cold face with my wet nose.

She still doesn't rise, and I earn myself a shove off with a wild arm. But this is no good, me being on the floor; I can't see what's happening. I jump on the bed again, ignoring the usual rule to wait until invited.

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