Sleeping Dogs Don't Lie

by Karen Botha

  Including the cat.

  She’s usually hit and miss. I always sleep with Milly, but the cat often prefers to lurk in the woods onto which our home backs.

  Tonight, she’s leaving the unsuspecting rodents alone in favour of a nap with us. It’s a pain because even though she’s only a quarter of my size, that thing can sprawl out with the best.

  And she doesn’t settle which is such a nightmare because she's disturbing me with all her backwards and forwards.

  In the end, I manage to drift off despite her fidgeting and I must end up in a deep sleep because when she walks over me later on, she nearly scares the life out of me.

  Can you believe it?

  She has no respect that one, she actually steps all over me.

  I loathe that cat and I throw her a nip of disapproval.

  She clonks me in the eye with the full force of her skinny little leg. Claws full-on open.

  Her retort is enough to burn my soft flesh and I yelp, hoping Milly will wake up and kick her from the bed. A little cuddle wouldn’t go amiss too.

  But, when I get no response, I crawl to the top of the mattress to tell Milly what a mean cat she has but she doesn’t budge. She drank too much whisky, I think, retracting back to my previous position.

  None of us wakes until Jarvis arrives as he does every morning and draws back the curtains to let the midday sun stream in to fill the high ceilings with their optimism.

  Ouch. The brightness scorches my eyeballs.

  “Miss Milly. It’s time to wake. Your son and his wife are due in one hour. You too, Albie.” He smiles and bends to cup me under the chin before planting a warm kiss between my eyes.

  I want to lick him back, give him a long slurp, but I’ve been told in no uncertain terms from an early age that I’m not allowed to do that. I’m not sure why the humans can do things I can’t, but it doesn’t matter because it pleases Milly that I don’t kiss back. And that’s enough for me.

  That is about the last moment that I’m truly happy. It’s the second before I realise that something is terribly, terribly wrong.

  Milly doesn’t groan at Jarvis like normal. There's not a sound. Not even a hint of a swear word launched in his direction.

  She doesn’t stir at all. Jarvis runs around barking orders at the rest of the staff, calling ambulances, and pumping up and down on Milly’s chest. I move in to help, pushing her cold face with my wet nose.

  She still doesn't rise, and I earn myself a shove off with a wild arm. But this is no good, me being on the floor; I can't see what's happening. I jump on the bed again, ignoring the usual rule to wait until invited. These are exceptional circumstances.

  Milly loves me, she will awaken for me. I just need to get close enough to her.

  Some people who I don't recognise arrive carrying all manner of paraphernalia.

  They ignore me, no pet on the head, not even an acknowledgement. This must be serious.

  Milly's grey face stares back at them and that's when I know for sure that she’s gone. I don’t see her spirit yet, it’s too soon, but she’s no longer residing in that lifeless body spread out on the bed. That strong, youthful body that was doing such a great job of housing her has packed in with no warning. There was nothing different about last night. She wasn't any slower than usual, she wasn't tired last night. And none of her spark was missing as Barclay will lay testament to.

  “Looks like a heart attack,” the paramedics determine lifting the bed clothes to cover her face.

  But, I’m suspicious.

  And so is the cat. I can tell by the way she comes and sits next to me. So close that our fur touches. Neither of us moves, watching the hideous situation play out in front of us.

  This is the first time that we agree about anything.

  Not that it matters.

  No-one hears us.

  I mill around their legs, rubbing myself up against them, vying for their attention, screaming internally for them to listen. I have news they need to hear.

  Milly didn’t have any issues with her health. That’s what annoyed so many people about her. She was outstaying her welcome on this earth. And now, they expect me to believe that she just upped and left in the middle of the night without a sound or warning.

  Something smells fishy and it’s not just the cat.

  There’s a lot of activity during which they zip Milly in a bag and stick her on a trolley. They wheel her out and into the ambulance in one direction, and I'm shooed into the back of Hugh’s car along with the cat who peers from her basket in the other.

  That’s when we are shipped off to the place where they keep animals who no longer have a home.

  Me and the cat. Together. In a pen.

  Like we’re family.

  I try not to look at her, snuggling in the corner with my head pressed flat against the cold concrete ground and even though I hate to admit it, it's kind of nice having her familiar skinny face hanging around. It stinks of the previous occupant in here, and having her around is a comfort—of sorts. Milly would be outraged if she knew where we were being held. People pass by, gawking in at us and I hang around by the wire, searching for her face.

  I rear up on my back legs, trying to see further down the corridor that brings more and more people, none of them the one I want to see.

  I know she's not coming, but deep inside, I don't believe how this panned out. It all happened too fast, without any warning, and I know Milly would have at least given me a clue. She would never just leave me. Nor the cat.

  I soon get tired of panting at the wire that divides us from the passersby.

  None of them are Milly. It’s not a surprise, I’m not exactly expecting her to breeze on in and collect us like nothing has happened. I know she died.

  But, my heart breaks for her. So much so that I even find myself liking the cat a bit as she snuggles into my body, also seeking the comfort of the familiar. She still smells of Milly, so I end up pressing my nose against her and drinking in her scent. She doesn’t push me away like she normally would.

  She just lies there and lets me, and I swear there's a twinkle of a smile in her feline eyes.

  Until we’re rudely disrupted.

  “Hey there cutie, I’m Bella. Fancy a walk?”

  ‘A walk? What, are we returning to the woods at our house? Is she going to let me run around like I used to?' Despite myself, I dare to believe that this has all been one awful joke. That Milly is waiting for us at home, and I'm going to run around the woods like never before.

  My tail wags and my eyes light with anticipation. It's only when I glance at the cat, and she stares back in a manner akin to shaking her head that I see her point. Neither of us entirely clear what the ominous-looking rope is for that Bella has dangling from her fist.

  Whatever this Bella character is up to, this isn’t going to be the kind of walk that I know and love. There's certainly no need for ropes, long or short where I'm from.

  Perhaps I should have shown more enthusiasm, I think as she connects one end of it to my collar and tugs on it to lead me from the concrete cell we're currently calling home. The cat stays put, but I know she’s also freaked out because her tail stands tall in one solid straight line.

  “It’s okay. I know this is different for you, but don’t panic.” Bella kneels in front of me, holding out her hand for me to approach.

  Don't panic? That's all well and good for you to say. You've not had your mother die in a seriously suspicious circumstance before you just ended up locked in this room. My words howl around the cell they're keeping us in, echoing until I hear them back on repeat.

  “Suspicious, hey? Well, we can look at that. But, let's go for a walk first, you could do with the exercise.” She points to my belly which isn't as trim as it once was. But I'm not paying attention to my rotund waist, instead I'm thinking, Whoa. Did that just happen?

  I bark. Testing out my theory.

  “I can’t take you back to where you came from, but I can take you to a pen w
ith lots of friends for you to play with. How does that sound?”

  She answers my question.

  This chick definitely understands.

  I pause a second to process, take in this Bella's hair which stands out in all directions. To notice the crinkles at the side of her eyes and the small indentations to the side of her mouth like she smiles more than she frowns. I guess she might be okay after all. Plus, friends would be nice, of the dog variety. I bark again, studying her closely.

  Bella laughs. “I know. Anything is better than the cat.” She tickles behind my ears and I fill with warmth.

  Holy Moley!

  And that’s how it started. How I found my voice and became, Albertus Eagle, the Legal Beagle.

  To read my Albertus Eagle, the Detective Beagle mysteries, download the full length first novel, Every dog has his day, here.

  Alberts Eagle Detective Beagle Series (so far)

  #1 Sleeping Dogs Don’t Lie (Short Prequel)

  #2 Every Dog Has His Day (novel 1)

  #3 Barking Up The Right Tree (novel 2)

  Who is Chloe Grace?

  Hi everyone,

  * * *

  I’m Karen Botha, writing my first cozy mystery series as Chloe Grace. The idea came from my rescue dog, Shadow who whines like a crazy thing whenever he wants to communicate with us. I swear he thinks he’s human!

  If you’re interested in him, you can catch pictures of him at least once a month by signing up to my newsletter, here. There’s even a free book in it for you.

  If that’s not interesting, but you’d still like to check him out, then my Facebook group is here, this is where I post few bits and pieces about my writing that I don’t include on the newsletter. Of course, feel free to sign up to both!

  My hubby doesn’t understand this pen name thing, but the reason I chose to use a different name is so that it’s easy for you to differentiate between my different styles of writing. This cozy series is a little different to the more romantic mystery novels I also write under my real name.

  Anyway, this is a short piece that I hope gives you enough to read the full length novel which comes next.

  You’ll find all my links below if you want to follow me and some freebies you may be interested in next.

  I’d love to have you along for the ride.

  Until then, happy reading.

  Karen (aka Chloe Grace) x

  Karen Botha is the author of the Commitment series, including Buckle Up, G-Force, Jump Start, Ignition, Turbo Charged and Pole Position.

  She’s also the author of the fan favorite, Naked series, the first of which follows her life experiences pretty closely (but don’t believe everything you read. An author needs some creative license, right?)

  Want to stay up to date with all things Karen?

  You can follow her here.

  For more information www.KarenBotha.com

  Dog Food Recipe

  Beef Stew, Doggie Style

  Before we start, it’s important to note that neither me as Karen, nor Chloe Grace are qualified in dog nutrition. What I did do was find a recipe that my dog liked and I thought I’d pass it on to you.

  I hope your pooch enjoys this as much as Shadow.

  Ingredients

  1 pound of beef stew meat

  1 small sweet potato

  1/2 cup of carrots, diced

  1/2 cup of green beans, diced

  1/2 cup of flour

  1/2 cup of water or organic vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for frying

  Total: Makes approx 4 cups (or 32 fluid ounces)

  Directions

  Cook the sweet potato in a microwave for 5 to 8 minutes until firm but tender. Set aside.

  Slice the stew pieces into smaller chunks, about the size of a nickel.

  Cook the stew pieces in a tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until well-done.

  Remove the beef chunks from the pan, reserving the drippings.

  Dice the sweet potato.

  Heat the drippings over medium-low heat. Slowly add flour and water into the dripping while whisking to create a thick gravy.

  Add the meat, sweet potato, carrots and green beans into the gravy and stir to coat.

  Cook until the carrots are tender – about 10 minutes.

  Serve cool.

  Store remaining stew in the fridge for up to five days.

  Bella’s knitting corner

  When you get into the next book and start to get to know Bella better you’ll notice that she’s a keen baker and knitter. I won’t tell you anymore!

  However, it’s worth checking out Chloe’s website because Bella has a knitting corner on there.

  Here’s the link to the first one to get you going.

  http://www.karenbotha.com/meet-karen/chloe-grace-cozy-mysteries/bellas-knitting-corner-arm-knitted-blanket/

  Enjoy!

  PS She also puts her cake recipes on there too!

  Doggie pins

  How cute are these pins?

  Guess what! I just teamed up to bring you a great special offer.

  My truly talented friend designs quirky animal based gifts (for yourself or others) and she's put together a great special offer which includes FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING.

  If you buy one pin, then she'll send you another totally free. Check out the code overleaf if it doesn’t show on this page.

  An example of her Albie pin use ALBERTUSEAGLE at checkout to buy one get one free.

  How cool is that? Not only do you get a FREE pin, but you get FREE worldwide shipping too as well as some awesome unique merch. Click the image to jump on this offer and bring a little humor to your life