“She’s a pain in my butt.How long do I have to keep her?”
“Not sure,” Mendoza said.“I haven’t done anything about notifying next of kin yet.I’m not sure who next of kin is.But by the end of the day I should know whether one of Mrs.Grimshaw’s relatives will be willing to take the dog or whether it’ll have to go to the pound.”
The pound?I glanced across the room at the little thing, sniffing the crevices of the sofa, snuffling in the folds of leather.“I don’t feel great about that.”
“It’s life,” Mendoza said.“If the relatives don’t want the dog, and we can’t find someone else willing to take it, it’ll end up at the pound.Someone might see it and adopt it.”
And someone might not.It wasn’t a puppy.I have very little experience with or knowledge of dogs, but I could tell it was fully grown.It even had a few gray hairs among the black and white on the snout and batty ears.Most people don’t like to adopt older dogs.
“I’ll keep it for now.Her.Although I’m not sure I can bring myself to call it Edwina.”
“Call it anything you want,” Mendoza said.“Who’s going to know the difference?”
The dog might.But before I could say so, I heard a sound in the background, on his end of the phone, not mine, and then he came back.“I have to go.”
“Just one more thing.”
“The ME just showed up to take the body.I don’t have time for chit-chat.”
I could understand that.“I just wanted to tell you to be careful.Just in case Mrs.Grimshaw was shot because of what happened yesterday.”
“What happened yesterday?”Mendoza said.
“She called you.And reported me.”
“Unless you shot her,” Mendoza said, “I doubt it applies.Goodbye, Mrs.Kelly.”
He hung up without giving me the chance to explain what Rachel had said.I resisted the temptation to stick my tongue out at the phone, and merely put it down on the desk.Over on the sofa, the dog turned in a circle, twice, and settled down in the corner of the pillows with her snout on her back legs and an almost human-sounding sigh.
I decided then and there that she would go to the pound over my dead body.If Mrs.Grimshaw’s relatives didn’t want her, I’d figure something else out.
Out front, the door opened and closed.“Morning, Rachel,” Zachary’s voice said.
“It’s afternoon,” Rachel answered.“Good of you to join us.”
“Gina said to spend the morning at the university.”His voice got louder as he passed her and came down the hallway toward the offices.A second later, his head appeared around the door jamb to my office.“Morning, boss.”
“Afternoon,” I said.Over on the sofa, the dog uncoiled enough to lift its head and inspect Zachary.He must have passed, because there was no growling.However, Edwina didn’t fall in instant love the way she had with Mendoza, either.
Zachary looked at her.“We have a dog?”
“Temporarily.”I told him what had happened.“Mendoza said if one of Mrs.Grimshaw’s relatives doesn’t want her, she’ll end up at the pound.”
“Or she can stay here,” Zachary said, “and guard the place.”
I guess she could.Not that she looked very guard-like.Or sounded it, either.
I tried to imagine myself saying, “Down, Edwina!”and failed.
“I think she may have eaten your lunch,” I told Zachary.“I found her in your office earlier with her nose in a pizza box.If there was anything left in it, it’s probably in her stomach by now.”
“Oh.”He flushed.“That’s all right.But we should probably get her some real dog food.I don’t think pizza is good for her.”
Probably not.“I should drive back to Mrs.Grimshaw’s house and see what’s there.There must be a leash and some food, at least.”Unless Mrs.Grimshaw hadn’t actually walked her dog, but had merely let it wander in the yard to do its business and get exercise.But even so, she had to have fed it.“Mendoza dumped her on me so fast I didn’t think to ask for anything she might need.”
“I’ll watch her while you go,” Zachary said.“I have a report to write.And that internet search to do.”
“What happened at the university this morning?”
