In Harm’s Way - Chapter 2

Excerpt from rough draft of In Harm’s Way by Pat Otterness

Chapter Two

???????????With a fifty pound bag of dry dog food in the trunk, and an industrial-strength leash in hand, I stepped out of my car at the Almost Home Pet Adoption Center and looked around for Hiram. He was easy to spot, loping around inside the exercise area with his pony-sized pooch in hot pursuit.

????????????As I carefully arranged the rubber sheet over the spotless rear seat of my new Corolla, I found myself thinking it was a “first-dog-day” for my car. Previous doggy aroma in my car had only been second-hand, issuing from the occasional doggy-smelling man rather than from an actual on-site dog. I glanced ruefully at the newly chosen beast, grimaced, and went to fetch Hiram.

????????????“Sit in the back with the dog,” I said as Hiram, leash in hand, led his new best friend out of the exercise lot and latched the gate behind him.

????????????“Woof!” said Sebastian, lunging into the car with great enthusiasm. “Woof, woof!”

????????????“Oof!”?said Hiram a moment later, as the dog flopped heavy front paws and chest onto his lap.

????????????I had just accelerated up to the speed limit on 29 when I heard the ominous click of Hiram unsnapping the dog’s leash.?Omigosh!?What was he thinking? I had no time to consider what?Sebastian?was thinking, because his actions spoke louder than words. Without hesitation, he thrust his large hairy self through the space between the front seats, nearly driving us off the road. As I fought to control the car, horns honked all around us, but Sebastian was oblivious. Tongue lolling, he assumed a sitting position in the front passenger seat and poked his giant head out the window to enjoy the rush of air on his face.

????????????After my heart rate slowed down to normal and I finished berating both dog and man for their lapses in judgment, the rest of our short drive home proved uneventful. Hiram was apologetic, but Sebastian remained blissfully oblivious to any sense of his own wrongdoing. I whiled away the remainder of the journey gritting my teeth and wondering if the massive stream of dog drool issuing from Sebastian’s mouth would eat away the paint on my car.

????????????“Stop!”?said Hiram just as I was pulling past my house to drive him farther down the road to his own. “My bike. I need to get my bike.”

????????????I pulled to a stop, thinking Hiram would just put the bike in the trunk, but that was a vain hope.

????????????“Come on, Wolf,” said Hiram, opening the passenger door to let the dog out before I could stop him. “I’m going to call him Wolf,” he said to me over his shoulder.

????????????“Why?” I eyed the giant dog with disfavor. “He looks more like a bear to me.”

????????????“I always wanted a dog named Wolf,” said Hiram. “Wolf is a good name. Right, boy?”

????????????“Woof!” said the newly christened Wolf, tugging at his leash.

????????????“You’re home now, boy!” said Hiram, and I heard that same ominous click, followed by the bounding presence of a monster mutt loose in my yard.

????????????“Woof!” said Wolf, leaping to hurl his bear-like paws towards Hiram’s shoulders.

????????????“Oof!”?said Hiram, falling over backwards with the dog on top of him.

????????????Small feline faces began to peep cautiously out of the shrubbery. Even the friendliest “woof” was a call to arms, as far as they were concerned. One glance at the monster standing over Hiram was enough to send them running for cover. Only Demon, my deaf feral tomcat, had neither heard the “woof” nor seen the monster.

????????????That situation was soon remedied as Sebastian – now Wolf – took off to explore this new terrain. “Stop him!” I called to Hiram as we both set out in pursuit. Wolf had charged up the steps to the porch where Demon ruled as king. Demon was sitting on top of his wire rabbit-cage domicile, dozing comfortably. When he felt the vibrations of huge beast on old planks, his eyes flew open, and his body tensed.?Intruder!?He launched himself at the wagging behemoth with claws unsheathed, and landed a series of would-be-lethal blows against the dog’s thick fur. Enchanted to find a new playmate, Wolf shot out a dripping tongue and licked the angry Demon’s face.

????????????Omigosh!?A silent declaration of war issued from the mute throat of the deaf cat. Hair all on end, body curved, teeth flashing, he threw himself against the chest of the dog again and again. Thump, thump, thump, with the nail-gun blows he used to cow the rest of us, but to no avail. Wolf was impervious to his bludgeoning. The dog’s tender nose crested mercifully high above the angry tomcat, and the rest of him was cushioned with thick, insulating fur.

????????????Demon was beside himself now, attacking the enemy from every side. Teeth were employed, but all they met with was fur. Wolf’s flesh lay inches beyond the tomcat’s reach.

????????????“Give me that!” I said, snatching the leash from Hiram’s hand. I grabbed Wolf’s collar, snapped on the leash, and pulled the unwilling dog away from the furious feline. Never a quitter, Demon pursued us as we left the porch, continuing to land blows to the dog’s hindquarters as I dragged him towards the car.

????????????“Put your bike in the trunk,” I said. I tossed my keys to Hiram, and he did as I said, somehow fitting most of his bike in the trunk with the big bag of dog food.

????????????“I’ll take him now,” said Hiram, trying to get close enough to take the leash without getting hit by flying cat claws.

????????????“I don’t?think?so,” I said. “You?drive this time. I’ll hold the dog.” I slid onto the backseat, pulling the dog in behind me.

????????????Hiram closed the door behind Wolf quickly, before Demon could join us. “Good boy, Wolf!” said Hiram, getting behind the wheel.

????????????I expected Wolf to lunge for the front seat, but instead he seemed perfectly happy lying across my lap, drooling on the rubber sheet. Go figure.

????????????When we reached the house shared by Hiram and Chance, it seemed to be deserted. Chance was probably out in his fields, weeding or planting. While I hated to miss seeing Chance’s face when he spotted the Sebastian-Wolf monster, I was glad I could make my escape without suffering his recriminations. I doubted that Wolf was the dog he had had in mind.

????????????“Don’t take the leash off him until I’m gone,” I said as Hiram removed his bike and the dog food from the trunk.

????????????“Okay,” he said. “They’ll get used to each other, you know,” referring to Wolf and Demon. “They’ll be friends.”

????????????I lifted an eyebrow, remembering my last sighting of Demon, whose face-fur was slick with dog spit.

????????????“What’s this?” Hiram held up a bag of liver treats.

????????????“Those are for Wolf,” I said, “but only to reward him when he’s good. Food Lion was out of dog biscuits, so I picked those up at the vet’s when I got the leash. I’m sure he’ll like them.”

????????????“Liver?” said Hiram, reading from the bag. “Yuck!”

????????????“They’re not for?you, they’re for the dog,” I said, getting in the car. “Now keep him on the leash. Okay?”

By now it was hot outside, and I wanted an indoor task if possible. I fixed myself a nice cold glass of iced tea and considered my options. I could settle down with a good mystery. That was usually my first choice, but it didn't get the job done. I could resume the never-ending weeding, of course, but that was always my last choice. As usual, I started with the easiest viable option. Today it was iris catalogs.

????????????Because of several deaths near my house in May, I had been too distracted to browse catalogs and order new iris varieties in a timely manner. I could remedy that now, I thought. But no sooner had I settled myself with a big stack of iris catalogs than I heard footsteps on the porch - heavy footsteps. I peeked out the window in time to see my outraged feral cat, Demon, leaping on the back of a clearly delighted pony-sized pooch.?Wolf!

????????????Groaning to myself, I went outside to watch the show. By then, Wolf was taking Demon for the ride of his life. Demon held on tight with three claw-extended paws and thumped the big dog repeatedly with the other one, like a jockey whipping a racehorse. Wolf joyfully raced around the yard, his doggy mind failing to grasp the intent of the beating Demon was giving him. Drool issued from Demon's mouth and his fur stood on end. I could see that his energy was flagging, but there was no easy avenue of escape from the moving dog's back.

????????????"Here, boy!" I called to Wolf.

????????????With wagging tail and lolling tongue, Wolf screeched to a halt in front of me. Demon collapsed on the shaggy fur of Wolf's back and lay there panting and drooling, too exhausted to jump down. When Wolf suddenly sat down, the surprised cat slid to the ground with a thump. He shook his head, hurled a final thump to Wolf's back, and walked stiffly away.

????????????Other eyes had been watching this spectacle from the shrubbery. Precious, Sneak, and several of the other cats emerged and sauntered over. Each in turn touched noses with the big dog, then lingered smugly nearby, stretching, grooming, doing casual cat-things. Despot Demon had been dethroned. "The King is dead. Long live the King!”

??????I decided to bring the iris catalogs outside where I could keep an eye on Wolf until Hiram or Chance came looking for him. I knew it was only a matter of time. I settled in a black wrought-iron chair in the shade, and Wolf settled comfortably ... for him ... across my feet.

????????????While I didn’t actually drool on the catalogs, I certainly performed the mental equivalent as I pored over the pages of iris offerings in the stack of catalogs I had collected. New introductions had the widest falls, the deepest ruffles, and the most blooms per stem, but older things had colors to die for. As always, I was pulled in many directions by the amazing assortment of colors and patterns. I was so absorbed in my study that I failed to hear approaching footsteps until a low growl issued from the throat of my footwarmer.

????????????Startled, I looked up in time to see Sheriff’s Investigator Vaughn sneaking down the road past my house on foot. Wolf stood, ears laid back and teeth bared, the ruff of fur at his neck raised as he uttered a warning “R-rowf!” I grabbed his collar before he could follow up on his warning.

????????????“Hello?” I shouted from across the lawn.

????????????Vaughn froze, red-faced, as I approached him faster than I wanted, with Wolf dragging me aggressively forward.

????????????“Can I help you, Investigator Vaughn?” I said.

????????????Vaughn eyed Wolf warily, but ignored my question. “Hello, Ms. Chance,” he said. “Nice day, isn’t it.” Not a question, since the day was unarguably fine.

????????????“Out for a stroll?” I said. My tone was sarcastic, knowing he was up to something, but unsure of just what that might be. My place was too far off the beaten path for strolling deputies.

????????????“Nice daylilies,” he said, nodding towards the bank of them I had established from seed across the road. “Very colorful.”

????????????“I never took you for a flower-lover,” I said. “What are you?doing?up here, Vaughn?” Beside me, Wolf echoed my tone with a growl.

????????????“Nothing to worry?your?pretty little head about,” said the smarmy voice. “Sheriff’s business, not yours.”

????????????“I hadn’t heard the Sheriff was sending out a rural foot patrol,” I said. “Haven’t we had enough crime on Dancing Creek this spring? I hope you’re not trying to stir up more.”

????????????“It’s all very ‘hush-hush’, “said Vaughn with a sly wink and a nod. “Better not tell anyone you saw me here.” He shook his head. “No, that would be a very bad idea, Ms. Chance.” Without another word, he continued walking down the road in the direction of the highway.

??????He must have a car hidden somewhere nearby, I thought. But why walk? Why not drive? Did he really think he could pass unseen on a country road like Dancing Creek? I shrugged and led the big dog back to where my chair and catalogs were waiting.