Dial 'M' for Maine Coon by Alex Erickson

Author:Alex Erickson [Erickson, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Speculative
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2021-05-21T00:00:00+00:00

15

Everyone was up and out of the house before I’d finished with my morning shower. I’d hoped to talk to Ben about Jack, but honestly, I trusted him to know how to handle his former best friend. If all went according to plan, there’d be no more break-ins at Casa Denton.

And anyway, I had my own troubles to deal with.

After breakfast, and with some trepidation, I loaded Chico into a dog carrier, slid him into the back of my van, and I was off to meet with Stacy Hildebrand.

It hadn’t registered when she’d given me her address, but as I pulled onto Stacy’s street, I realized she lived only a couple of blocks from Courtney. Coincidence? I seriously doubted it. I just wasn’t sure whether Chico’s dognapping happened because he got loose and Courtney saw an opportunity, or if there was some amount of conspiring going on between the near neighbors.

The house looked clean and quiet from the outside, which was a good sign. I pulled into the driveway and went to the back to retrieve the dog. Chico was barking up a storm, and while I loved all animals, I was glad he was moving back home where he belonged. I could use some peace and quiet.

“You’ll see mommy soon,” I told him. He barked and bared his teeth at me before he spun in a rapid circle inside the carrier.

I was surprised when Stacy didn’t come storming outside to rant at me the moment I’d pulled up. It was even more of a jolt when I knocked on the door and someone else answered.

“Hi, I’m looking for Stacy Hildebrand,” I said in my cheeriest voice. “I have Chico here for her.”

The man at the door heaved a sigh and seemed to shrink three sizes. “Oh,” he said. “You brought him back.”

I blinked, my forced smile cracking. “I did. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, but Chico is in great health and I’m sure he’s looking forward to getting back into his usual routine.”

The man—Stacy’s husband, I assumed—sighed again. “Do you know how quiet it was without him?” He crouched to peer into the carrier. “No barking. Just . . .” He glanced up at me. “Nagging.”

Uh-oh. I wanted no part of any sort of marital strife. “Is Stacy here? She told me to arrive this morning at nine sharp.” I glanced at my watch-less wrist. “I’m here just in time.” I flashed Mr. Hildebrand a smile in the hopes he would reciprocate, even a little.

He didn’t.

Instead, he straightened with a grimace. “I guess that explains why she was so hot to get out of here this morning.”

“She left?”

He nodded. “Barely bothered to berate me before she was out the door. Poof.” He snapped his fingers before running a hand over his bald pate. “And now, this. I get it now. Let poor old Terrance deal with everything.”

We stared at each other. Chico yapped in the carrier. He was growing heavier by the second. I had no idea what to do or say.

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