Due Or Die

Lindsey sighed and hunkered down on the floor. She looked through the short picture-book aisles and around the children’s tables. No sign of a dog.

She rose and walked over to the kids play area. There were several alphabet puzzles laid out on the short tables, and she hunched down to see beneath them, but still there was no sign of anything other than the stray letter A.

She glanced around the room. The lid to the treasure chest that Beth used to store puppets and dress-up clothes was open. Lindsey wondered if she were a scared puppy, where would she hide? The trunk seemed like a pretty good bet.

She crossed slowly to the trunk and said, “Here, puppy. Hey, fella, are you in there?”

She didn’t want to reach into the trunk and scare him and risk getting bit, so she sat beside it and used her calmest voice.

“It’s okay, no one is going to hurt you, I promise.”

A low growl followed by a thumping sound came from the trunk. Bingo!

Lindsey peered into the jumble of butterfly puppets and pirate hats. She couldn’t see any furry critters, but the growling and thumping could still be heard. She carefully reached in and pushed aside a pair of ladybug wings while she talked. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

Growl, growl, thump, thump, thump. She smiled when she realized the dog was growling to scare her and thumping his tail to welcome her at the same time; smart dog to cover all his bases.

“Did you find him?” Beth asked.

Lindsey held a finger to her lips and nodded. Everyone went still watching her. She reached farther into the trunk and pushed aside a coned princess hat with a long pink veil.

“It’s okay,” she said and held her hand up over the trunk, hoping he could smell her.

She waited and there was a shuffling noise from the trunk, a growl, and another series of thumps. Lindsey stayed perfectly still, talking softly until a black nose pushed its way up past a Batman costume to press against her palm.

The nose was cold and wet, but she didn’t pull away. The growling stopped and then a pink tongue appeared and took a nervous swipe at her wrist.

“It’s okay, buddy,” she said. “Come on, I won’t hurt you.”

A black head with fuzzy eyebrows popped up with a pair of glittery fairy wings hanging haphazardly about its neck. The puppy looked at Lindsey for a second and then wiggled forward, trying to get into her arms. Lindsey blew out a breath and picked him up.

Lindsey held him close and he tucked his head under her chin. The furry, black body let out a soul-deep sigh, and Lindsey felt as if the dog were placing all the trust he possessed in the world right onto her.

Beth was the first one to step forward. “Oh, look, he likes you.”

“He probably needs some water,” Lindsey said. She untangled the fairy wings from about his neck and carried him toward their break room. It was at the back of the building and had a bathroom, a small kitchenette and a lounging area.

“Shall I call the pound?” Ms. Cole asked.

She looked at the puppy as if she wanted to whack him right out the front door with the broom. Lindsey found herself turning her back to her to protect the wee fellow.

“I’ll do it,” Lindsey said. “I’d really like to know how he got into the book drop. It’s too high for him to have climbed up on his own.”

“Someone must have put him in there,” Beth said. “You know, like Dewey the library cat in Spencer, Iowa. Vicki Myron, the librarian, has written several books about him.”

“Oh, I love Dewey,” Jessica said as she joined them. “It broke my heart when he died.”

“Maybe it was just a prank gone wrong. I can’t believe anyone would harm a puppy,” Lindsey said. “Hopefully, his owner will come looking for him.”

Perry and Heather, the two teenagers, both came close to pet the dog. From the protection of Lindsey’s arms, he wagged and thumped his long tail against her hip while they patted his head.

“He sure is sweet,” Heather said. “Look at those eyebrows.”

“Yeah, he looks like my uncle Otto, all eyebrows,” Perry said. “Man, if we hadn’t unloaded the book drop today, he could have frozen to death in there.”

As if he understood what they were saying, the dog shuddered in Lindsey’s arms and gave her a nervous lick on her chin.

“You’re not really going to give him to the pound, are you?” Heather asked. Her face was creased with worry and Lindsey felt a pang of guilt.

She firmly pushed it away. Lindsey did not want a dog. She was a renter. Dogs and renting didn’t mix. She would help the little guy out and make sure he found a nice home, but she was not keeping him.

“Uh, I don’t know.” Lindsey hedged. “Let’s just take it one day at a time, unless, of course, Jessica, Beth or Ms. Cole want to take him?”

Ms. Cole gave her a sour look, turned on her heel and walked back to the safety of the circulation desk.

“I’m in grad school,” Jessica said. “No time for housebreaking a pup.”

Beth shook her head. “I don’t think my cats would approve; besides, finders keepers.”

“I didn’t find him,” Lindsey protested. “You all found him first.”

Beth just tsked and shook her head. “Deny, deny, deny.”

For his part, the dog licked Lindsey’s face again. She sighed. She had a meeting to get ready for and she wanted to find out what was going on at the police station with Carrie.

“You really didn’t pick a good day for this,” she said to the dog. His tail thumped against her hip.

The others left her with her armful, but Milton came and stood by her. Lindsey turned to him with hopeful eyes.

“Alas, no,” he said, clearly reading her mind. “I’m horribly allergic.” As if to prove it, he sneezed.

“Fine,” she said. She strode out the front door with the dog. At the slap of the cold air, he huddled closer to her.

She walked him to the side yard and put him down. He sat on the cold ground, staring up at her with his brown eyes. He thumped his tail.

“Potty,” she said encouragingly. “Do you need to go potty?”

He lay down and rested his chin on her loafers. She reached down and patted his head, marveling at how soft his fur was. He really was an engaging little fellow. He was sturdy, with big feet and a long tail. He had a short muzzle that sprouted fuzzy hair, and over his eyes were more tufts of the same. He had the look of a grumpy old man, but she felt sure he was smiling at her.

“It’s okay, you know, I won’t leave you out here. If you need to go to the bathroom, go,” she said. “Believe me, if you go in my office, we’ll really be off to a rocky start.”

His ears pricked up and he slowly rose to his feet.

“That’s right,” she said. “Go ahead. I’ll wait.”

He moved cautiously away from her, as if ready to race back if she made any sudden moves. He lifted his leg on some nearby hedges and then scooted back to her. Lindsey picked him up, happy to have something warm to hold against the bitter wind. Note to self, she thought, next time wear your coat.

She brought him back inside and found Beth waiting in her office with a bowl of water and a turkey sandwich.

Lindsey put the puppy down and he promptly lapped up the water and scarfed the turkey out of the sandwich.

“He has a really sweet disposition,” Beth said. “And he really seems to like you.”

Lindsey gave her a flat stare. “Go away.”

Beth got up and moved to the door. “Dogs are a woman’s best friend, I’m just saying.”

“I think you have him mistaken with diamonds,” Lindsey said.

“True friends are like diamonds, precious and rare,” Beth countered.

“And getting rarer,” Lindsey said with a pointed look at the door.

Beth grinned and closed the door behind her. Lindsey checked her cell phone. There were no messages. She