The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon: A Cats in Trouble Mystery by Leann Sweeney Read Free Book Online Page B

quilt in my car and I covered him up. Yoshi whimpered as he settled alongside his best friend. I started the engine and turned on the heat.
    Since taking Finn inside an emergency room with a dog in tow would be frowned upon, to say the least, I pulled out my phone and called Shawn Cuddahee for help. He and his wife, Allison, owned the Mercy Animal Sanctuary and had become my good friends. I was hoping Shawn could separate Yoshi and Finn with as little emotional trauma as possible.
    Allison answered.
    “What can I do for you, Jillian?” she asked.
    I explained I needed a spot for a dog, hopefully just for overnight, because I had to take a young man to get medical treatment.
    She said, “Oh no. I am so sorry. I’m not at the sanctuary. I’m getting help for a pregnant bulldog. They always have difficult labors and she’ll need a C-section. I’m at the vet clinic. Are you on the road already?”
    “I will be in about thirty seconds. I guess I’ll have to leave the dog in my van when I take the kid in to see a doctor. It’s not terribly cold out and—”
    “You heading to the hospital?” she asked.
    “Too far. I think there’s a new emergency clinic about twenty miles north,” I said.
    “You’re right. Just opened in a strip center near the interstate. Since you have no idea how long you’ll be, I’ll meet you in the parking lot and pick up the dog. Doc Jensen has the situation under control here.”
    I put the phone on speaker and started to back up. “You already have an emergency of your own. I can call Kara if I get in a bind.”
    “This happens all the time with bulldogs, so it’s not an emergency. I will meet you,” Allison said firmly. “See you soon, sweetie.” She disconnected.
    On the drive out of town, I glanced in the rearview mirror every so often. Finn’s eyes were closed and Yoshi’s head rested on his arm. When I finally pulled into the small shopping center, I was surprised to find the lot nearly deserted. But a neon sign flashed 24 Hour Emergency Care in the storefront at the far end. I saw Allison’s truck pull in right next to me when I parked. What timing.
    Even with the heat on, the van was chilly. Good thing I had a quilt to cover Finn. All he wore for a jacket was his black hoodie. I wondered then if it was stained with blood, too. Impossible to tell.
    I unlocked the van and Allison climbed into the front seat. With her eyes trained on Yoshi and Finn, she said, “You want me to take the dog to the sanctuary?”
    “If you can,” I said.
    She was staring at Yoshi with a kind but take-charge expression. I’d seen her work miracles with animals using that look.
    “Who’s this?” she asked, never taking her eyes off the dog.
    “Yoshi,” I said.
    “Yoshi’s a rat terrier, I see,” Allison said. “This might be a challenge. Very possessive dogs.” She still smiled, still stared and kept her tone even.
    “I need to get this kid inside.” I tried to keep the urgency I felt out of my voice, but wasn’t sure I succeeded.
    “Hey, Yoshi,” Allison said. She reached her hand between the front seats. “Everything’s gonna be okay. Have a sniff, friend.”
    Yoshi’s neck stretched and he smelled her hand. His ears flattened and he started to blink. He suddenly looked incredibly sad.
    “I’m here to help you and Finn, baby,” she said. Then she thumped the side of her chest with her right hand. “Yoshi, come.”
    Tail wagging, he wiggled between the seats and into Allison’s arms. “Jillian’s gonna take care of your friend and you’re gonna stay with me, baby.”
    Yoshi started licking her face. The Dog Whisperer’s got nothing on you, Allison, I thought as I pushed the button to slide open the van’s side door.
    “I think it might be better if we waited here,” Allison said cheerfully, her arms wrapped around Yoshi.
    I left the van running and roused Finn who, thank goodness, was just asleep and not unconscious.
    With my arm around his waist, I helped him