“Are you insane?”I grabbed the plastic pet carrier that barely fit through the window.“Who or what is a Herbert?And why are you in a tree?”
“Who has time for questions?”my sister asked, and, to my shock, started climbing down the tree.
“Bess, wait!”I yelled, leaning out of the window.
“Shush,” she cautioned, but paused her descent.“What’s wrong?”
“Let’s start with who Herbert is, and then move on to why you’re in a tree instead of walking in the door like a normal person.”
She gave an audible sigh.
“I told you about the cockfighting people.Herbert is one of the birds.”
I stared at the pet carrier, now sitting on the floor.I couldn’t see inside it.“You gave me a rooster named Herbert?Is he a wedding present?”
“He’s a pigeon, not a rooster.They all are, as it turns out.We rescued three—Herbert, Louie, and Patrice.Herbert will be fine with you because Fang will make sure he’s not sick.We may or may not be at the dinner tonight.It depends if Monk has found where Patrice flew off to when we were rescuing them.”
“But ...that doesn’t explain why you couldn’t just come into the hotel.”
“Are you kidding?”Bess shot me a look dripping with annoyance.“I heard someone talking into a radio out in the car park, and knew it had to be the cops looking for us.The bird-fighting organization clearly has the local police in their back pocket, and sent them here to nab Monk and me.We onlyjustgot released for the damage we did to that fur-processing plant in Sussex, and I simply do not have time to go back to jail again.Not now.Take care of Herbert.”
I have to admit that my wits weren’t any too hot, because I just stared blankly as my sister continued her way down the big oak next to the hotel and disappeared into the growing shadows.
“A pigeon.My sister has stolen a fighting pigeon, and given him to me.Even Mom isn’t going to be able to excuse this sort of behavior.Well, let’s just see what sort of shape you’re in.I hope you’re not hurt, because Fang is off at his bachelor shindig ...awww.”
While I was speaking, I’d unlatched the wire front of the carrier, and peered inside.A small bowl of water was attached to the interior of the carrier, along with a thick pale-blue towel, on top of which sat a gray pigeon, perfectly normal in appearance ...except for the cowboy outfit he wore, complete with a cowboy hat held on with a little strap, fringed chaps, and a faux leather vest with bandolier.
The pigeon emerged from the carrier and looked around with bright, shiny black eyes.I held out my hand, and to my surprise, he hopped onto it, pausing to preen a shoulder before turning back to give me the once-over.
“OK, you are far cuter than I imagined, although the outfit looks uncomfortable.Shall we take it off?”
A knock sounded at the door just as I gently poked at the hat to see if the evil bird people had done something to it, but it slid right off.
I rose, and carried Herbert to the door.
“Miss Emily, someone left a package for you at the front desk—oh.”Mace blinked a couple of times at Herbert.The bird did the same, tipping his head to the side to consider Mace better.“You have a bird.”
“I didn’t have one when I came in,” I pointed out.“My sister just gave him to me.He’s a wedding present, and his name is Herbert.Is that birdseed?Thank god.I was going to have to text Bess that I had no idea what a pigeon ate.”
“Is there a reason why he is in a costume?”Mace said after handing over a plastic bag filled with a variety of bird food, nutrients, and even a couple of toys.
My sister may be a few raisins short of a fruitcake, but she would lay her life on the line to save needy animals.It’s one of the reasons why she respects Fang so much.
“Whimsy?”I asked as I gently closed the door.It was a bit drafty in the hallway, and although it had been a balmy day, it was too windy for my liking.“Right.Let’s get you sorted.But first, let’s get your aunts in here to see you.”
Holly responded to my text demanding her presence in a few minutes, and entered the room only to stop and stare.“Is that ...Emily, do you have ...it’s a cowboy?”
“His name is Herbert, and he’s hungry.Once he’s done snacking on his pellets and seeds, I have a couple of berries for him.Or rather, Bess included some berries and greens.And yes, I’m going to take off the rest of his outfit once he’s done dining.He has a little hat, but I took it off, because who wants to eat while a hat is bobbing around on your head?”
“Emily, I—” Holly stopped, shook her head, then tapped on her phone, saying into it, “She has a pigeon named Herbert.He’s a cowboy.No, her sister, evidently.All right.”She ended the call, and knelt at where Herbert was dining out of a small bowl.“Marla is coming.She’s never seen a cowboy pigeon before.Why did Bess—”
“It’s Bess,” I said as an answer, then told Marla to come in when she knocked.“Do you have to ask anything more?”
“Heisa cowboy!”Marla was delighted, and immediately sat cross-legged on the floor.True to form, Herbert, who had been standing next to me while he ate, stopped, took one look at Marla (a fellow animal person like Fang), and toddled over to her, pecking a couple of times at the hem of her jeans before he hopped onto her leg and squatted down, wiggling his butt as he got comfy.“And now I’m in love.”
“We can’t have him,” Holly said quickly, a bit too quickly, but I knew from past discussions with Holly that Marla—like me—was a sucker for any animal, and she had to put down a foot on the number of animals they rescued.
“She’s so mean,” I told Marla, running a finger down Herbert’s sleek head.He blinked a couple of times, then settled into himself like he was a big puffball, his eyes closing slowly.“Fang told me if I had my way, I’d have enough animals to open a zoo.They just don’t understand us.”
