Rough Justice by Stephen Leather Read Free Book Online Page B

the leash until she gets used to you.’
    Liam grabbed it and ran down the hall. The dog scrabbled after him, her tail lashing wildly. ‘She seems happy enough,’ said Shepherd.
    ‘She’s a lovely dog, great temperament and already house-trained,’ said Zoe. She took a small notebook from the pocket of her jacket and a ballpoint pen. ‘Have you had a dog before, Mr Shepherd?’
    Shepherd shook his head. ‘Lady’s our first, but we’ve bought a couple of books and we’ve already been along to see a local vet in case we have any problems.’
    ‘Who did you see?’
    ‘Susan Heaton – she has a surgery on Lanhill Road. We were asking about inoculations – she said if we’d got the dog from you she would have had all her shots. But she said we should take her in for a check-up once she’d settled in.’
    ‘You’re well prepared,’ she said, making a note in her book.
    ‘It was one of my conditions for getting a dog that Liam read up on it,’ said Shepherd. ‘What exactly is it you need to see?’
    ‘Just the state of the house generally,’ said Zoe. ‘And that’s fine – I could tell from the outside.’ She grinned. ‘Actually, it’s a lot better than a lot of the homes I visit. I just need to see where you’ll be feeding her, where she sleeps and where she’ll exercise.’
    ‘Kitchen’s this way,’ said Shepherd, and took her along the hallway. Katra was loading the dishwasher. Shepherd introduced her to Zoe.
    ‘I put the food and water bowls by the back door,’ said Katra. ‘I wasn’t sure if inside or outside was best.’
    ‘Either works,’ said Zoe, making another note in her book. ‘What food will you be giving her?’ Shepherd showed her the dried and tinned food that he and Liam had bought and Zoe nodded her approval. ‘And give her the occasional bone to gnaw on. Beagles can turn into chewers if they get bored,’ she said. ‘Everything looks fine. Just give me a quick look at the garden and I’ll be out of your hair.’
    Shepherd opened the kitchen door and Zoe did a quick walk around outside, pronounced herself satisfied and handed Shepherd a printed form, which she’d already signed. She bent down and patted the dog. ‘You’ll have a good life here, Lady,’ she said.
    The dog woofed, as if she’d understood what Zoe had said, then sat down by Liam’s feet, her tail still swishing from side to side.
    Katra took Zoe back into the house while Shepherd watched Liam try to teach the dog to walk to heel. The beagle kept getting herself tangled in Liam’s feet and Shepherd laughed out loud as the boy stumbled. ‘Dad!’ Liam protested.
    ‘We’ll fix you up with training classes, don’t worry,’ said Shepherd.
    ‘I’ll teach her,’ said Liam.
    ‘I meant for you,’ said Shepherd. ‘The dog’s fine – it’s you that can’t walk in a straight line.’ Liam grinned and took his Nokia mobile phone from his pocket. ‘Video me, Dad,’ he said.
    ‘What’s the magic word?’
    ‘Please,’ said Liam. He held out the phone. ‘Come on, Dad, I want a video of the first time I walked her.’
    Shepherd took the phone from his son. He scrolled through the menu to the video camera and filmed Liam as he walked the dog around the garden. Every few steps Lady would jump up at him and by the time he’d gone around the lawn his jeans were splattered with mud.
    ‘Make sure you clean her paws before you take her inside,’ warned Shepherd, as he gave Liam back the phone.
    He went back into the kitchen. Katra took his breakfast out of the oven and put the plate on the table. ‘She’s a lovely dog,’ she said.
    ‘Just make sure that Liam looks after her,’ said Shepherd, sitting down. ‘I don’t want to find you feeding and exercising her. She’s Liam’s responsibility, that’s the deal.’
    Katra brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. ‘I understand, Dan,’ she said. ‘Do you want more coffee?’
    ‘Please.’
    She refilled his mug. Liam rushed in, grabbed a kitchen