My Three Dogs, page 23
The nights were cooler now, reminding Riggs that there would be snow soon. Occasionally, Riggs thought of Budweiser and Modelo and the other dogs, wondering what had happened to them. Were they out of the shelter and back on the streets? How would they survive in the winter when everything would be coated with snow?
Riggs, at one point on his patrol, watched a large, blocky-headed black Labrador trying desperately to get at a tennis ball that lay on just the other side of the fence. Here, they were situated behind an enormous tree, so the dog’s owner couldn’t see that the Labrador was digging frantically at the soil under the fencing. The dog’s name was Henry. His owner was a smiling older man who liked to sit at the picnic table and talk to a thin woman named Audrey, who belonged to a dog named Chance. Audrey would sit and listen and nod while Henry’s owner talked.
Henry was a big dog. His head was huge. For him to squirm under the fence would take quite some excavating. Riggs watched as the dog clawed at the dirt, sending it flying behind him. It was amazing how much earth Henry was able to dislodge, but it was futile. Despite all his efforts, he was not able to get all the way to the ball. Riggs watched quietly as Henry stuck his head under, but that was not enough. He clawed, he dug, he even cried a little. Dogs like these, Riggs knew from experience, would become so fixated on a ball that they could think of nothing else. Riggs felt that balls were useful and fun when a person threw them, but when one was just lying around, it was of little value.
Henry was simply too big for his hole.
But Riggs was much smaller.
39
By unstated mutual agreement, Liam had retaken the kitchen. Brad set the table and accepted his eggs with a grateful smile.
“Time’s your flight tomorrow night?” Liam asked his brother.
“Nine thirty.”
“Don’t know how you sleep on airplanes.”
Brad shrugged, chewing.
Liam reached for his coffee and gazed at his brother over the top of it. “Thought of something,” he remarked to Brad. “I’ll wait till you’re gone, though.”
Brad eyed him warily. “What?”
“Marcy.”
Brad blinked.
“Sabrina’s sister. I don’t have her number, but I can find her house. I can ask her how to get in touch.”
Brad sighed and sat back in his chair, folding his arms. “You can’t drive yet.”
“I can Uber. Stop. I know how you feel about Sabrina, but I have to do this.”
Brad looked away, his expression grave.
“What is it?” Liam demanded. “Spill.”
Brad nodded, steeling himself, looking resigned as he met Liam’s eyes. “I haven’t been completely honest about Sabrina. About what she thinks. She said some things, and I didn’t try to correct her.”
Liam stared at his brother.
* * *
Riggs had to admire Henry’s tenacity. The big Lab kept up his frenzied digging despite the futility of the project. Riggs helpfully lifted his leg on the big tree behind him, offering this encouragement to the black dog.
“Henry,” the Labrador’s person finally called.
Henry backed out with a grunt and gave Riggs a disgusted look, as if sharing the notion that something was terribly wrong here, because the ball was on one side of the fence and all the dogs were on the other. When Henry padded away, Riggs eased over to the depression under the fence and peered at it.
Henry had done an impressive job of almost successfully scooping out a tunnel to the ball. Riggs eyed the result, thinking that Luna could slide through easily. Archie might take some effort. Could Riggs climb under?
When Chason called, Riggs returned to him to go home to Sabrina.
The next day, Chason brought them all back to the dog park. Riggs trotted over behind the big tree to see if Henry was still digging, but Henry wasn’t in the dog park that day, so Riggs took another look at the hole under the fence. He dug at the dirt, and it was soft there, and he was able to continue Henry’s work.
He sensed a dog behind him and turned, and it was Luna, watching him with intelligent eyes. Did Luna understand what Riggs was thinking? Riggs did not know, but Luna was not leaving his side. She didn’t help dig, but she watched carefully.
Riggs was able to wriggle almost all the way under the fence when Archie came bounding up to see what was going on. The Labradoodle immediately concluded it was all about the ball and shouldered Riggs aside. His digging brought all the energy of a puppy. Dirt flew, and Riggs blinked as some of it sprayed him in the face. Eventually, Archie, straining, grunting, and groaning, was actually able to shove the ball with his snout. It rolled away from him. Frustrated, Archie backed out and gave Luna a look as if asking, “Well, you’re the smallest. Won’t you go get the toy?”
When Riggs tried to pass through, he was stuck for a moment, and it felt as if he would be pinned there beneath that fence, but then with just a little bit more straining and digging, he squirmed out. Luna watched him, now on the other side of the fence, tilting her head, trying to figure it out. Archie wanted to be on the side with Riggs, or maybe he just wanted the ball, but he went at that hole with everything he had. He dug and squirmed and twisted, and Riggs watched, impressed as Archie emerged on his side of the fence. Immediately, Archie pounced on the ball and gave Riggs a triumphant expression.
Luna and Riggs stared at each other. Luna probably understood what Riggs was intending. The question was, would she join the pack, or would she stay in the dog park so that she could be taken home to Sabrina?
“Archie!” That was Chason, calling for the Labradoodle. Archie jerked his head up in amazement as if it were only now that he realized he was completely out of the dog park.
Riggs didn’t have any more time. A human was calling them. He gazed at Luna, who stared implacably back. He understood that she might not want to join them, though it would be easier for her to escape under that fence than it had been for the other two. But he was disappointed. The pack belonged together.
Riggs turned, and Archie followed. They trotted through the trees to the sidewalk, hesitated, and then picked a direction.
* * *
Chason had easily rounded up the rest of his charges—a boxer named Cappy and an old beagle named Mr. Tibbs—but Sabrina’s dogs were still missing in action. He’d gone from being mildly irritated to being slightly concerned, though there was no way they could have left the dog park without him seeing, was there?
He put his hands to his mouth and yelled out each dog’s name in turn, but no one came running. And running from where? The dog park had a few trees, but it was ludicrous to think that all three dogs might be hiding behind one. Chason stood, frowning, and slowly walked the perimeter of the dog park, not sure what he was looking for. Cappy the boxer trotted willingly alongside Chason, but Mr. Tibbs decided the shade under the picnic table was just too alluring.
Eventually, Chason found a hole under the fence along the back, hidden from view by the trunk of a large tree. He bent and examined the dirt and clearly saw claw marks.
He pulled out his phone to call Sabrina.
* * *
Before Riggs smelled Luna, he somehow felt her, knew she was coming up behind them. Archie turned in surprise and greeted the Jack Russell as if she’d been missing for days, but Riggs and Luna just touched noses briefly before moving on.
Archie and Luna fell into a natural pattern of following Riggs as he steadily led them away from the dog park. Riggs wondered if they felt as much of a bad dog as he did, but it was just simply impossible for Riggs to do anything now but go in search of Liam. It had been his primary focus since the mysterious day of their person’s disappearance.
But where was he leading them?
His initial thought had been to return to their home, where the Liam smell had receded and where two women now answered the door. His instincts, though, told him that was far away, a long day’s trot.
They could return to Sabrina—Riggs could easily lead them there. But Sabrina hadn’t been able to find Liam either, if she was even looking.
Where they were now, though, was much closer to the loud, noisy house, the one with all the banging sounds and clean, sharp smells.
Because of its proximity and because Riggs just didn’t know what else to do, he led the dogs in the direction of the noisy house. Archie kept going off mission, stopping to lift his leg, to pursue interesting odors, and, at one point, to chase after a loose cat, but Luna sensed Riggs’s purpose and tracked steadily behind him. Archie would figure out he’d fallen behind and then race to catch up, leaping on the other dogs joyously.
Riggs couldn’t help himself—he picked up his pace a bit as his nose told him they were getting close. The increased speed enforced a bit more discipline, and Archie focused on keeping up, following willingly, right up to the point where they turned the final corner, and then the young dog halted as if arrested by the end of a leash.
Luna and Riggs both stopped and sniffed at him curiously, picking up on his distress.
Archie knew where they were. He did not want to go back on that chain. He did not want that man, Face, to take care of him. Archie wanted to stay with the dog pack, but not at the expense of returning to live with Face.
Riggs put up with Archie’s reticence for a very short period of time before physically moving against Archie, as he had done a few times in the past, pushing Archie forward. Archie was confused. Why would Riggs be doing this? Where were they going?
Archie surprised both Riggs and himself by refusing to be pressured. His feet were planted as if dug in, and he wasn’t moving. Riggs and Luna sniffed each other, deciding.
They left Archie and continued on.
Archie bowed and barked. Neither of the other dogs looked back. Archie whimpered. They were leaving him! Distressed, Archie broke from his resolve and scampered after the other two dogs. The pull of the pack was just too powerful.
Luna and Riggs both smelled it at exactly the same moment. They were close, passing a place where a large machine was digging its neck into a hole, snorting and bellowing in a way that reminded Riggs of his trip in the trash dumpster, when the scent of a very specific person came to them. A fresh scent, one that they would recognize anywhere.
Liam.
Riggs could feel Luna’s excitement as he broke into a flat-out run, racing to the door. Nothing registered—not that this house was different, not that there was a full yard, not that there was a fence around the back. All he knew was that Liam was here, here now.
Archie hung back, ready to flee if Face came out that door. Riggs scratched emphatically at the door, barking, his stub of a tail wriggling. Luna joined him, and she also barked.
The man who opened the door wasn’t Liam. It was Brad, whom Riggs no longer trusted but who was in this house, and the smell of Liam came flooding out through the gap made by the open door. “Oh my God,” Brad gasped. He turned and yelled into the house, “Liam, you’re not going to believe this!”
Brad was blocking the entrance with his legs. Luna, smaller, dove into the tight space between them, and the man staggered back. “Oh!” he exclaimed.
Luna was in. Riggs impatiently squirmed around Brad’s legs, fighting to get beyond the obstruction. Liam was here. Riggs gave voice in a high, loud cry, pushing and shoving until he was past Brad, following Luna, following his nose, scampering through the unfamiliar entryway. His nails scrabbled on the wood floor, fighting for purchase.
Behind him, he could sense that Archie had abandoned his reluctance and was coming up the walkway at high speed. Brad turned to follow Riggs, not quite shutting the door, and Archie hit it joyously, pushing it open.
Luna vanished around the corner, and Riggs pursued. He found himself in a big room with couches and chairs, and Luna was flying across the floor, and there, lying on a rug, was Liam.
40
Luna sailed through the air and landed squarely on Liam’s chest. “Oomf!” he grunted, and then a moment later, Riggs was there, too, both dogs lying on Liam’s chest, licking his face, crying, pushing into him as he gathered them in his arms. “Oh my God. Riggs. Luna. How in the world?” His eyes widened in shock as Archie darted into the room, running up to join the mayhem, adding his own flavor to it.
“I can’t believe this. I cannot believe this,” Liam repeated over and over. He looked to Brad, and both men were weeping. “Did you do this?”
Brad shook his head helplessly. “No, they just came in the door.”
“My God,” Liam breathed. He kissed each dog’s face. He held them and let his tears flow. His dogs were back. “This is wonderful. This is so wonderful.”
It took the dogs a long time before they would allow Liam to stand up, and even then, they pushed against him, reaching their muzzles to his hands, wanting him to keep stroking them.
“Where have you been? How did you do this?” Liam asked the dog pack.
They spent the rest of the afternoon cuddled with Liam on the couch. Archie eventually jumped down, but he remained close to the other two, who wanted to sit together in Liam’s lap.
Brad left, and when he returned, there were cans to be opened, cans with glorious dog food.
“What do we do, do you think?” Liam asked his brother.
Brad spread his hands. “What can we do? These are your dogs. They somehow came back to you.”
“But don’t you think … I mean, it’s been months. They’ve been living together somewhere. Somebody adopted them, and that person’s going to be looking for them,” Liam objected.
“I’d say the dogs have been looking for you,” Brad pointed out mildly. “And what are we supposed to do, ask them where they’ve been?”
“We could contact the shelter,” Liam mused.
Brad looked troubled. “I don’t know. That just seems like we’d be calling attention to ourselves. Right now, these are lost dogs, lost and then found by their original owner. What if they send the dog patrol to pick them up?”
“Dog patrol?”
“Whatever they’re called. Maybe there’s some sort of law, chain of title, or something. Liam, look at them.”
Liam dutifully gazed at the dogs, who were all staring rapturously back at him.
“They’re your dogs. Whoever adopted them didn’t do a very good job of taking care of them, because they’re here now. They escaped. You really want them to go back to jail?”
Liam shook his head and put his hand out for all the dogs to sniff and lick. “No. They’ve been through enough. You’re right, they’re my dogs, all three of them. Oh, wait.”
“What is it?”
“This tag on Luna, it’s got a phone number.”
Initially overlooked, a brass tag, lying flat, was affixed to the leather collar.
“The other two also have them,” Liam added. “Same number.”
“No name, though,” Brad pointed out.
“Well, this complicates things,” Liam observed.
The dogs slept on Liam’s bed that night, but Luna was a bit restless. Riggs thought he understood why. Yes, the pack was together, and, yes, they were back with Liam, but why wasn’t Sabrina here?
Several times, Luna awoke, expecting to hear Sabrina entering the room.
The next morning, the dogs tracked a lot of activity, and it made them anxious. Brad was walking back and forth, carrying items in a manner that Riggs and Luna had come to associate with long car rides. There was just something about this uniquely human activity they recognized. Archie, of course, was able to interpret nothing except the uneasiness in the other dogs.
While Brad packed, Liam lay on the floor and lifted his arms and legs, and Archie jumped on his face. “Archie!” Liam sputtered. Then the dogs barked ferociously because a man came to the door, and they wanted him to know how dangerous things were for intruders in the new house. The man walked in, and the dogs, subdued, sniffed him and Archie hopefully brought him a rope toy. His name was Darwin, and he was lean and smelled of the out-of-doors. He and Liam played a game with stretchy bands and a ball too large to chase, and then Darwin stood and watched Liam lift his legs and arms.
“I think I’m done with physical therapy!” Liam declared happily to this Darwin man.
“Maybe another month. How’s Tonal going?”
“It hurts. This hurts. You hurt,” Liam replied.
The men laughed, and Riggs and Luna curled up together in a dog bed, a little uneasy because there was this new stranger, but when Darwin departed, he did not attempt to take the pack with him.
Brad and Liam shared a meal at the table, and the dogs sat attentively and were rewarded for their alertness. Then Brad went into the back and carried out some boxes with handles, setting them by the door. This, too, was behavior consistent with long car rides, and Riggs and Luna both registered it with rising alarm.
Archie examined the boxes, sniffing in a way that Riggs knew meant he was considering lifting his leg on them, but in the end, Archie glanced at Riggs and thought better of it.
“Still no answer on the collar phone number?” Brad inquired as he cleared his plate.
Liam shook his head. “Straight to voicemail, and it’s the phone company’s greeting with just the number, no name.”
“It’s the right choice, though, not to leave a message,” Brad remarked supportively.
“Yeah, and I did like you suggested and I’m blocking the number from this end, because I don’t want anyone tracing the dogs back to me until we have a conversation. But maybe that’s making it a stalemate—they don’t answer, because I block my number, and I don’t leave a message, because I don’t want them hiring a lawyer to take my dogs away.”
Later, Liam sat by himself at the table. The dogs gathered at his feet, not just because the table was a good place from which to be handed treats but because they wanted to be as close to Liam as possible. He opened a thin box and had made a clicking noise with his fingers on it.
