Dog Stalk, Part Five

 Vanessa was silent as we drove back to her apartment, but she invited us up to dry off and talk. She gave us towels and changed into a long fluffy blue robe and slippers, and we sat in the living room, between a row of bookcases on one wall and a big flatscreen TV mounted on the other.

Vanessa sighed. “What do I do? I hope I never see them again, but that dog—if he really is Peter . . . I mean, I think he really is, but he wanted to kill me. I can’t figure it out.” She walked to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of vodka. “I need a drink. You guys?”

I don’t usually go for hard liquor, but my nerves were still jangling, so I took a glass of whiskey. “I’m driving home,” Rachel whispered as the first sip warmed my veins.

I looked at her. “What did you pick up from them? The Sauls, and Peter?”

For once she didn’t slug me. “The Sauls are angry. They haven’t gotten over their daughter—not that you ever do—and the other dog, Doc, is a big part of that.” She closed her eyes. “Doc is almost a bigger loss to them. He’s a symbol, like the first thing that started blowing their lives up. So they imprinted on Peter, or he imprinted on them when he saw them. Peter has some kind of hold on them that’s stronger than just wanting num-nums and belly rubs.”

            “What about Peter?”

            Her eyes opened again. “He’s confused. Scared and angry. He was—how old was he?”

            “Nine. Or eight, I think. I could work it out.” She started counting on her fingers.

            “So he’s still a kid. In a dog’s body. I think he wants to be with you. Maybe he thinks the Sauls are his parents—your parents—and he’s trying to bring the family back together but he doesn’t know how.”

            Vanessa nodded and took a sip of vodka. “I felt some of that. He listened to me. When I said I’d tell mom . . .” She giggled. “That seemed to work.”

            “She brought a knife,” I said with a shudder.

            “She thought she was defending her family,” Rachel said. “She’s pretty scattered.”

“You got a lot from them.”

“It’s easy to pick up strong emotions. You don’t always have to be psychic.”

“What about the dog?”

She shrugged. “It was a muddle. Betrayal, fear, but a little bit of—I don’t want to say love. Maybe loneliness? Plus, he was getting hungry.”

My stomach rumbled. “Me too.” 

“You don’t have to stay.” Vanessa stood up. “Thanks. For helping me out.”

“I’m not sure this is over yet.” I stood up with Rachel. “I’ll send an invoice, but you can call me if—”

Her door buzzed. “What the hell?” Vanessa spun, nervous. She pressed the intercom button. “Hello?”

“Let me up.” It was Ben Saul’s gravelly voice. “I’ve got Peter.”

I tensed. Rachel stood up. After a moment’s hesitation, Vanessa buzzed him inside.

She opened the door two minutes later and stood back, wary, with Rachel and me behind her. Saul had Peter on the leash, and he was carrying a brown paper bag and a sack of dog food. He looked Vanessa up and down once, in her thick bathrobe, then dropped both bags inside the doorway.

“He wants to stay here.” Saul let go of the leash. Peter ran to Vanessa, nuzzling and licking at her ankles. “Just leave us alone.”

“Leave you alone?” Vanessa raised a hand, but stopped herself from slapping his face. “You leave me alone. We clear on that?”

“Fine.” Saul turned, his hand on the door. 

“Wait!” Vanessa tap danced as Peter licked at her feet. “I can’t have a dog! I don’t know anything about dogs!”

“He’ll tell you.” Saul gazed at Peter, taking one last look. “‘Bye, Petey. Be good.” Then he closed the door.

She looked at us, helplessly, then bent down to pick up Peter’s leash. “What do I do now? What do I . . .”

            Her voice trailed off. She knelt and put her hands around his head, looking into his eyes until he shook himself free. She sighed. “Okay, Pete. Looks like it’s the two of us now. Bro.” Vanessa scratched his ears.

            Rachel and I helped her empty the bag. It had bowls, blankets, coats, toys, and treats. Rachel and Peter played catch with a small rubber ball as Vanessa and I set up the bowls in her kitchen, food in one and water in the other. Peter came running and attacked his food eagerly.

            “He already ate,” Rachel said, following him. “He’s cheating now.”

            “Yeah . . .” Vanessa looked down at him. “I can . . . he’s right, Peter can tell me what he wants. I can hear him.” Her head jerked up. “This is crazy!”

            “Is he safe?” I asked Rachel.

“Uh-huh. He’s happy. I mean, you can tell that from his tail.” Which was wagging back and forth. “But this is where he wants to be.”

“What about Saul?”

She shook her head. “He was sad. Not angry. I don’t think he’ll come back.”

Vanessa walked back into the living room and poured herself some more vodka. “So I’m a dog person now.” She sank down on her sofa. “At least if he shows up in the background I won’t have to freak.”

“Call me if you need me.” I started putting on my socks. “If Saul shows up again, or anything.”

“Yeah, and by the way . . .” Rachel slipped into her shoes. “You can go ahead and cancel Tom’s subscription to your site.”

Vanessa laughed. “Sure thing. Sorry, Tom.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine.”

 

Vanessa called the next day. “I just paid you,” she said. “No sign of Saul or his wife. So I guess we’re good. Oh, and I cancelled your membership, like Rachel said.”

            “Thanks.” Yeah, I’d checked when Rachel wasn’t around. It was probably for the best. “How’s Peter?”

            “Oh, he’s a pain. Yeah, he’s a big pain, aren’t you Peter? Aren’t you the biggest pain in the world? Stop that, or I’ll tell mom on you!” She laughed. “We’re getting along. I’m not sure how much longer I can use ‘I’m telling mom’ on him, though.”

            “How is your mother?”

            “She can go home tomorrow. I’ll have to go over and get her. I’d have her stay here, but that would be awkward.” She giggled. “She looooves Peter, though. I took him over this morning.” 

            “Does she know about him?”

            That sobered her. “I haven’t told her. She might believe me, I don’t know. She doesn’t seem to remember that Saul guy coming to visit with him, or she thinks it’s a dream. I don’t know what to tell her.”

            “You’ll think of something.” We hung up. 

I turned to Rachel. “We are never ever getting a dog. Or any kind of pet. Maybe fish.”

            “Yeah, not even a plant.” She shook her head. “Everything okay with the client?”

            “Yeah, she paid me and cancelled my membership, like you told her to. Killjoy.”

            “Poor Tom. I’ll just have to buy a new camera to play with.” She pulled her sweatshirt down from one shoulder and leaned back in her chair, kicking a shoe off. “How’s this?” She winked. 

            I grinned. “As long as you’re careful with that whip.” 

 

###