She nodded. “Austin’s taking a nap now, but when he wakes up, I could tell him you need to talk to Mr. Devoe. I’m sure he’d be happy to pass a message along.”
I took out a card and wrote my home number on it. “Please ask him to tell Mr. Devoe that it’s urgent that I speak to him. I’d consider it a great favor.”
She waved a hand in dismissal. “Remember that column you and Mr. O’Connor wrote about the store? Back when the city wanted to tear down this building?”
“It made more sense for the city planners to put the convention center where it is now, anyway,” I said. “They probably wouldn’t have stayed with the plan to close the store down.”
“Well, that’s not how we see it. You kept us from being closed down while they made up their minds. Austin will be happy to do a favor for you. Mr. Devoe is in here quite often. Austin talks to him about Las Piernas in the good old days. I like to listen to them — I love history. I’m thinking of majoring in it.”
“Are you dating anybody special these days, Katy?” I asked, thinking of Steven Kincaid. She blushed, then, as she rang up my purchases on the antique cash register, proceeded to describe her boyfriend. I had to admit that he sounded like a perfect match for her.
She paused and looked at me over the top of the register. “He knows how to find the books,” she said, pushing down the keys that made the bell ring, the cash drawer open, and the total-with-tax appear behind dusty glass.
Well, that settled that.
I went along to other downtown shops and picked up gifts for almost everyone else on my list. I bought a couple of pairs of sweatpants for Frank from Nobody Out, a sporting goods store. Helen, my favorite salesperson there, was working that afternoon, and I briefly considered introducing her to Steven. She’s a college student, very bright, and gorgeous. Closer to Steven’s age than Katy. She’s not stuck on herself, and I can’t understand why.
Then I thought about the book I had just bought for Barbara and decided to stay out of the matchmaking business. I wished her happy holidays and left without mentioning available males.
I lugged all of my purchases back to the
“Oh, sure. We had a long talk about dogs the other night. I know he wants one, or I wouldn’t do this.”
“Don’t you think it would be better to let him pick out the one he wants?”
“Well, I did wonder about that, but I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of what kinds of dogs he likes best.”
“Hope you’re right.”
“If he doesn’t like the dog I pick out, I’ll just tell him it’s my dog.”
For some reason, Jack found this funny.
There were lots of people touring the pound that day, the last day the city animal shelter was open before Christmas. After Jack and I went through all of the kennels, and he had finally convinced me that owning eighty- seven dogs would not be practical, we found a huskie-shepherd mix that won my heart. I paid the fees and bought a leash. Fortunately, the dog was already neutered, so we didn’t have to wait three days to take him. He was not quite done with being a puppy; the shelter said he was about a year old. He had a long, creamy coat, a dark muzzle, and big feet. He was very affectionate.
“I’ll tell you what, Irene,” Jack said as we tried to get the dog to crawl in behind the seats. “If Frank won’t let you keep him, bring him over and I’ll adopt him.”
That made me feel much more at ease, and I thanked Jack. I was mortified when the dog showed his gratitude by getting carsick on Jack’s right shoulder on the way home, but Jack graciously took it in stride.
“What are you going to name him?” Jack asked when we finally pulled up in front of the house.
“Frank gets to name him. His family has a knack for naming pets.”
If Jack thought that was an odd compliment to give to the Harrimans, he didn’t say so. I gave the pooch a good-bye scratch on the ears and let Jack take him home. Knowing Frank’s schedule, I figured the ever-observant detective could be kept from discovering the new dog in Jack’s backyard for a day or two at the most. And not wanting to abuse Jack’s generous offer to temporarily stable the mutt, I wasn’t willing to leave the dog at his house much longer than that. So we arranged that Jack would keep an eye on the dog until late the next night, when Frank and I got home from the party. Jack’s a night owl, so he was likely to be awake no matter when we got home.
I made a quick trip to the local market and bought dog food, bowls for food and water, and a rawhide chewbone. Jack had changed shirts and was playing with the dog by the time I brought all of this by his place.
“By the way, Jack, did Frank ask you if you had seen anyone around our place late last night?”
“Yes, he did. But no, I’m sorry, Irene. Your sister called me and we went out to grab something to eat at Bernie’s last night. I guess it was right around the time the jerk broke into your house. I feel bad about it.”
“Forget it. It’s not as if you’re supposed to be our guard service.”
With effort, I held back any comment on the dinner with Barbara. The only time I ever wished Barbara would marry Kenny again was when I wanted Jack to be safe from her. She had met Jack on one of her visits to our house, and I knew she was attracted to him. Jack didn’t seem to be able to figure out that she had the red hots for him, and never seemed to treat her as anything more than a friend. Still, these late-night dinners…
“Well, I’m glad you’re getting a dog,” he was saying. “I know it doesn’t make you perfectly safe, but it can’t hurt. And I think this fellow will be good company.”
I thanked Jack again for dog-sitting and went home. Cody sniffed curiously at my clothes, but was easily distracted when I fed him.
FRANK CAME HOME about an hour later, and we had a quiet dinner together. We share silences fairly easily, but I noticed that this one had an edge to it. He wasn’t eating much, but he was looking at his plate more than he was looking at me. I wondered if he had reconsidered our
