Any Meat In That Soup? (Sam Darling Mystery #2)

by Jerilyn Dufresne

“Sam Darling to reception.” The loudspeaker rudely interrupted my thoughts. I wasn’t upset. Maybe there’d be an actual crisis for me to deal with. I hurried to reception where the unit secretary just turned her head toward the waiting area while she raised her eyebrows.

  Immediately I thought of earlier in the year when I’d tried to deal with an out-of-control man in the ER waiting room. That’s when I had met Michael. So funny that I wasn’t thinking about him much, now that George…‌I shook my head to bring me back to the present. I saw someone sobbing as she sat in one of the plastic-coated chairs.

  Immediately I went to her side and sat in an adjacent chair. “Can I help you?” I asked.

  She shook her head as she continued sobbing. “No one can help. He might die.”

  “Who might die?”

  “My grandpa. He’s back there,” indicating the treatment area.

  So her grandpa might die. She looked to be in her sixties, close to seventy, a generous estimate. He’d probably be in his late nineties at the least. It’s horrible to lose a grandparent at any age, but her sobbing made me think there might be something more.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said as I clicked into nice person, social worker mode. I wanted to ask what was wrong with him, but didn’t know quite how to phrase it. So I just went for it. “What’s the matter with your grandfather?”

  “He sprained his ankle.”

  “He sprained his ankle,” I repeated in my best counseling style. But in my head I’m saying, “He SPRAINED HIS ANKLE?”

  “Yeah,” snort, slobber, wail. “He was roofing his house, and missed the last step on the ladder coming down and he sprained his ankle.”

  Now that I knew he probably wasn’t dying, and that he was young for his age, I was able to figure out how to help. “How about if I go back and check on how he’s doing?”

  She nodded and I went back to the treatment area. I saw Connie Mumford and asked about the grandpa. She smiled and pointed to a room behind her. I knocked, went in, and saw someone older than Gus. But even more sprightly. He saw me and smiled a beautiful smile.

  “Hi, I’m Sam, a social worker here. Your granddaughter is quite upset and thinks you’re dying.”

  “Well, aren’t you a cute young thing.”

  Young. Me. Well, everything is indeed relative. “So how are you doing?”

  “Fine. They x-rayed my ankle, and it’s just a sprain. No big deal.”

  “So you’re not dying?” I smiled as I asked.

  “We’re all dying, sweetie. But not today.” He continued smiling himself.

  “I’ll go tell your granddaughter.” I excused myself and walked out. What a nice guy.

  When I went back to the waiting room she was still sobbing, but was about out of liquid to expel. Must have used it all.

  She looked up at me expectantly and I said to her, “Your grandfather is fine. He did sprain his ankle but he’s not dying. Would you like to go back with him?”

  “Yes, please,” she replied as she began to compose herself.

  I led her back. As I did so I said, “Your grandfather is lucky to have someone who loves him so much.”

  She thanked me. As I opened the door to his room, his face lit up as he saw her, and she ran to him. Grandpa looked at me and mouthed, “Thank you.” Guess the only thing involved here was love. Nice.

  A successful shift. And one with a semi-crisis. Wish I could solve the poisonings as quickly as I solved this woman’s problem.

  As my shift wound down it hit me that I’d forgotten two things. One was to check on Clancy again. And the second was to ask George to dinner with my sibs later tonight. I wanted to surprise them with the fact that I had a date.

  First things first. Gus answered this time, thank heavens. As soon as he realized it was me on the phone he said, “You don’t even need to ask. Clancy is doing great. No aftereffects from the poisoning that I can see. She’s sleeping on the couch with her head in Georgianne’s lap.”

  That was a vision I couldn’t unsee. “I’m so glad, Gus. You guys are so wonderful to keep her. And speaking of that…‌I forgot that I have a dinner with my family tonight. Could Clancy stay until 9 or 10?”

  “Sure. Do you want her to just spend the night? Georgianne would love it.”

  “No. I really want her home. Would 10 be too late to pick her up?”

  “Nope. I’m not much of a sleeper. Stay out as late as you want.”

  Okay. One down and one to go. George answered on the first ring. “Yeah.” His greeting didn’t cheer me.

  “Hi. It’s Sam.”

  George’s voice softened. “Hi ya, Sam.” His usual greeting to me, but this time even warmer than usual. “What’s up?”

  “I know this is short notice, but if you’re not busy tonight, would you like to go to dinner with my sibs and me?”

  He didn’t hesitate. “Sure. What time and where?”

  “In about a half an hour? And I’ll pick you up.”

  “Okay. I’ll be ready.”

  I must admit I was happy. And I forgot all about following Loretta.

  SIXTEEN

  My heart beat a little faster as I pulled in front of George’s house. He’d stayed in the old St. Francis University neighborhood where we grew up. I honked in front of his brick bungalow and put on some lip gloss before he came out. He did catch me primping in the rear view mirror, and I wasn’t even embarrassed about it.

  He slid his ample frame into the front seat of my Bug. Then he leaned over and kissed me. I kissed him back.

  “Sorry I didn’t ask you earlier, but I forgot all about the dinner, and I just decided it was time the family knew about ‘us.’”

  He put his hand on top of mine and said, “I’m glad. And I’m glad there’s an ‘us’ for you to talk to them about. Exactly what does ‘us’ mean?”

  I wiggled as I tried to shake off what I was thinking. I couldn’t tell him that I’d decided I loved him again when he showed such compassion for Clancy. It was too early for that. Hell, it was only a few days ago I wanted Michael to love me. I was nuts. Yeah, that was the only possible explanation. I could only answer, “I don’t really know. Do you?”

  “Yeah, but I’m not sayin’.”

  He only lived a few blocks from the Rectory and we could have walked, so it was no time before we pulled into the nearly full parking lot. I didn’t have the opportunity to pursue the topic, but resolved to do so when I got the chance.

  We walked in to the crowded restaurant and saw my family out on the glassed in patio. Everyone knew George, especially my youngest brother Rob who was on the police force with him. Rob looked surprised. My sisters, Jen and Jill, looked smug. And Ed and Pete just looked friendly. Everyone was with their spouses expect for Rob and Pete, who were single. Pete would probably always be so, since he was a priest, but I had high expectations for Rob to be married within a few years. Everyone stood.

  George hugged Jill, Jen, and Ed’s wife, Angie, and shook hands with all the guys, including Jill’s husband Ben and Jen’s husband Manh, whom we called Manny. Looking around I was happy yet again that I’d moved back home to Quincy. I certainly missed this while living in Chicago. Yeah, it was only a four hour train ride away, but with jobs and kids, I hadn’t made it home often enough. This was heaven.

  We sat on an end of a huge table, and were forced into closeness. It didn’t seem that George minded since he put his hand on my knee under the table. I sure didn’t mind either, but didn’t know if I was ready for such intimacies. I put my hand on top of his, just to make sure it didn’t stray. Brought me back to high school.

  Rob finally sputtered, “You guys aren’t dating, are you? Please say you aren’t dating.” I could only imagine him hating the fact his oldest sister was with a detective on the force.

  George and I just laughed. I shrugged my shoulders in an “I can’t help it” attitude. Almost simultaneously Jen and Jill said, “It’s about time.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked.


  Jen answered, “You two were perfect together in high school. I remember wondering when and if you would ever get back together.”

  Jill put in her two cents, “I was little but I liked George so much. I had a crush on him.” She blushed a little, and glanced at her handsome Ben. “Maybe I still do,” she confessed.

  George said, “I remember all of you as kids. I also remember what a great family you had, and how I loved coming over there. I was so sorry when your folks died, but thought it was neat how you were all able to stay together.”

  “Well, you remember that I was in college by then,” I said, and “DCFS let us stay together because I was old enough to act as a guardian for the younger ones, and we had other relatives who looked in on us frequently.”

  “Much too frequently,” Ed piped in. We all laughed because he had been “the wild one” when he was young and aunts and uncles kept him in line. He had turned into a responsible adult though, partly because of his wife Angie, and partly because he was a good guy to begin with.

  We spent much of the dinner reminiscing. I was surrounded by the smell of meat—the Rectory was known for its steaks and ribs—and I did my best to concentrate on my salad and French fries, a meal I considered well-rounded.

  It took us at least fifteen minutes in the parking lot to say good-bye; we all hugged and spoke individually to each person. I whispered in Pete’s ear, “Sorry I haven’t talked to you in a while. Maybe we can do breakfast soon?”

  “How about tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Sorry. I’m taking Clancy to Springfield tomorrow for her therapy dog test.”

  That brought on questions from everyone. I promised to update them on the Darling Facebook Page, one of the many ways we chose to communicate.

  Finally George and I returned to my car, parked at the far end of the lot. He walked around to my side, and opened the door for me. Before I could get in we shared another kiss that warmed me to the tips of my toes. I don’t know who he’d been kissing in the many years I’d been gone, but whoever it was deserved my thanks. He knew what he was doing.

  I don’t remember the one minute drive to his house. When I stopped the car, George repeated his performance. Wow.

  “Want to come in?” he asked.

  “Yeah. No. I can’t. No. Ummm, I have to pick up Clancy at Gus’s house.”

  “Okay. The offer is out there, for whenever.”

  All I could do was nod. It was hard to drive home because of my weak knees. This was just crazy. A guy I loved in high school, then hated for years because he stood me up on prom night, and now I loved him again.

  I was able to put George out of my mind when Clancy enthusiastically greeted me. So did Gus. His wife had gone to bed so I didn’t have to deal with her calling Clancy a “dear little poochy-woochy.” We stepped out on his back porch as Gus repeated that Clancy had been fine, and that it had been fun watching her.

  “Any time, honey. Any time.” Then he said, “I thought I was going to help you out with this case like I did the last one…‌?” He made it a question instead of a statement and his disappointment was evident.

  “I’m sorry. I’m working two jobs, and I’m taking Clancy to Chatham to get certified tomorrow, and I’m kind of dating George.”

  “Whoa. I need to be brought up to speed on a lot of stuff. Could you use a companion on the trip?” Clancy looked up at him. “Besides Clancy, I mean.” Clancy smiled at her friend.

  “Well, it would be nice. Even though Clancy is a great listener, she’s not the best conversationalist.” I looked down at her, “Don’t pout. You know it’s true.”

  I looked at Gus again. “I’m leaving at 6 in the morning.”

  “Well, I better get to sleep then.” He walked back in his house with a lively step.

  Clancy and I hit the sack practically the minute we got into the carriage house. Before I drifted off, I apologized to her, “Sorry I haven’t told you everything that’s going on. I’ll fill you in tomorrow. Love you…”

  It seemed like only a moment later that I heard the noise of the alarm clock. It was abrupt and unwelcoming.

  SEVENTEEN

  Gus was waiting by my car at 6 AM with two coffees in his hand. I had planned to stop for a caffeine fix along the way, but was grateful I didn’t have to. Clancy didn’t like being relegated to the backseat, but since it was Gus, she didn’t complain too much.

  During the almost two hour drive Gus asked a lot of questions. I answered them, making sure to include Clancy in the conversation. Gus seemed appeased after he found out what little I knew.

  He finally said, “Maybe I could do some checking around about the dog poisonings. Or follow some of your suspects.”

  I nixed that immediately, taking my eyes off the road for a moment. “Gus, you were a huge help in the Burns murder case, but your wife would kill me if I got you involved in another one.”

  “Sam, please. You know how I love helping you.”

  I couldn’t say no to him. He was the one who’d always been there for me, and not just for giving me the carriage house when I moved back to Quincy. “Okay. I’ll let you check on the dogs. Maybe you could get George to tell you some of the names of the dog owners. Then we can interview them together. We might be able to find some commonalities.”

  “Thanks, Sam. You won’t be sorry.”

  I certainly hoped not.

  Then I filled him in on the George situation. “I’m glad you’re happy for me.”

  “Happy doesn’t begin to cover it. I’m thrilled. You’ll finally have a social life.” Gus squirmed in his seat like a little girl at a One Direction concert.

  “I already had a social life,” I sputtered. “It just so happens that it revolved around my dog, my family, and you.”

  We arrived just in time for Clancy’s test. There were about twenty dogs there with their owners. We’d been told that we couldn’t bring in any treats or food; the dogs had to follow the commands because they wanted to, not because they were going to be rewarded with treats.

  Clancy had to redo the skills she’d already demonstrated to earn the Canine Good Citizenship Test. She’d been through all the levels of obedience class at the Quincy Kennel Club, and I know she remembered how to do them.

  She didn’t always obey me, and I didn’t expect her to. I treated her as a friend and not a subservient species. However, there were times she had to do what I said. If I yelled STOP she knew it was an emergency and always did what I asked then. Normally I didn’t have to give her too many commands, because she just knew how to behave. I’d warned her ahead of time, however, that today she had to pretend she was “just a dog,” and that she needed to do what I asked. I could tell she knew how important this was, so I had no worries.

  She did great on the earlier skills she already knew; then came the new stuff. I had her sit on my left side with a loose leash. Four people approached her, each with a different apparatus—a wheelchair, a walker, a cane, and crutches. She continued to sit but looked expectantly at each person. When the wheelchair came so close that the person could touch Clancy, she graciously offered her head to be petted. The same thing happened with the other people. Whew! Passed that one with flying colors.

  The next part of the test consisted of four or five people approaching Clancy quickly and invading her space. It reminded me of Loretta and her son Dr. Dougie. Clancy was startled but continued to sit, looking at me to see what I wanted her to do. “Good dog, Clancy. Keep sitting. Good girl.” She looked up at the individuals who were so close she could lick all of them if she chose. Luckily, she didn’t choose that option.

  Other people and dogs were going through the same exercises and with varying degrees of success. I felt bad for the ones who had to leave. I believe that dogs love to have a job to do. And being a therapy dog seemed like a great job to have. Of course that’s just my opinion. I’d have to ask Clancy later about it.

  She breezed through a few more tests, then it was time for the final one. She had to
walk over a hot dog without trying to eat it. A few dogs passed, and a few failed that task. Two dogs were able to grab the hot dog without their owners even knowing it.

  I had to stop the “just a dog” charade for a moment. I got down by Clancy and asked, “Have you ever picked up food on our walks without me knowing it?” She looked away, which was like a big guilty sign wrapped around her.

  “Aha,” I yelled, disturbing everyone in the facility. “Sorry,” I said quickly, not wanting to ruin Clancy’s chances of getting certified. Some folks continued to look at me, but most went back to the business at hand.

  At last it was our turn for the hot dog exercise. I got down to Clancy’s level and said, “Don’t you dare!” She knew exactly what I meant. Since I’m a vegetarian there isn’t meat in my house, except for what is in Clancy’s dog food, so having a hot dog sitting right in front of her would certainly be tempting. “Don’t you dare,” I repeated. She looked at me with her “you’re only human” countenance.

  As we sailed over the hot dog as quickly as my short legs could manage, I prayed silently for Clancy to be able to resist the temptation. As we crossed the finish line I looked back to see a hot dog, right where it was supposed to be. I heard Gus cheer from the bleachers.

  “Clancy, you are awesome!”

  Her look said, “Of course I am.”

  “I’m going to buy you a hamburger on the way home.”

  Then she broke protocol and jumped up on me. I didn’t care, but she wasn’t supposed to do this. A woman approached me with a clipboard, and unfastened a paper to give me. She said, “She jumped up on you after the exercise was completed, so it’s not a problem.” She smiled then and said, “Congratulations to you and Clancy. You both did a nice job, and Clancy will be receiving her certificate in a week or so.”

  I couldn’t help it. I hugged the woman.

  Gus had a hug for both me and Clancy. My grin was so big my cheeks hurt. Before we even got outside I told Gus, “Two things. First we’re going to buy Clancy a hamburger somewhere. Second, I figured out how she got poisoned.”