No Place Too Far

by Kay Bratt

  When she returned to the dumpster, she was shocked to see Juniper sitting upright, leaning against the inside wall and holding the dog. Even more shocking was that, though he was still panting heavily, he wasn’t fighting her.

  Now that he was out of the mounds of trash, Maggie could see it was a little Chinese pug. A black one, with a lot of gray around the muzzle.

  “Everything calmed down when you walked away,” she said, smiling up at Maggie.

  “Oh, thanks. What am I? Cruella de Vil?” She handed over the water and bowl.

  “You brought out the leash. They hate the sight of it. I had to make a move because it’s getting dark. I’m not wrangling dogs I can’t see.”

  Juniper poured the dog some water and let him lap at it for just a moment. “Not too much at once, pup.”

  “Do you want me to get him so you can climb out?” Maggie asked.

  “Yes, hold on. But it’s a she, and she’s a senior.” She gently got back on her knees and handed the small dog up to Maggie, who scooped her up in the towel, keeping her teeth far from her skin.

  Juniper climbed over the side and took her gloves off, then went to the car and came back with a packet of moist ground dog food. She sprinkled a little of it on the ground. The dog caught the smell and instantly became alert.

  “Set her down and let’s see if she’s strong enough to walk.”

  Maggie gently set the dog down on the pavement, balancing her on the legs. As soon as she let go, the dog collapsed.

  “Something is wrong with her back legs,” Juniper said, crouching down in front of the dog.

  When they looked closer, it was obvious that whatever was wrong with her legs was an old injury. They were too thin and looked useless, but the dog tried to crawl to the food using her front legs.

  “Poor old girl,” Maggie said. She picked her up and set her at the food. The dog began gobbling it up. “I guess she wasn’t too keen on eating rotted fish remnants. She’s starving.”

  “She’s probably incontinent too,” Juniper said. “Barely any teeth and back legs paralyzed. Someone got tired of being her caretaker.”

  “They should be arrested for dumping her,” Maggie said.

  “Yep, but it happens all the time. The dog gives them a lifetime of loyalty, then gets old and the favor isn’t returned. Some people are just evil.”

  Maggie turned around, checking out the alley around them. She hadn’t forgotten they could be close to another evil too. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the only other human was an old woman sweeping the back stoop of a floral shop a few yards away.

  “Let’s get her back to the clinic and get her settled,” Juniper said. “Starr can do a full exam tomorrow and see what all we’ve got on our hands.”

  Maggie used the towel to pick the dog up again, thankful that she’d gotten over her fear-based aggression. They returned to the car and Woodrow jumped around the back seat, relieved for them to get back in.

  Woodrow stuck his nose between the seats, sniffing at their guest. Then he turned his snout toward Juniper and after one whiff, shrank back.

  They laughed.

  “I don’t think you’ll ever get this smell out of your car,” Maggie said. She looked down at the little dog. Her face was so dark and night was coming fast, so she could barely make out her expression. “I think we’ll call you Cinder.”

  “Oooh . . . I like it,” Juniper said.

  Maggie sighed, her sadness audible. “Do you think anyone will adopt her? She’s old as the hills and possibly paralyzed.”

  “I definitely do,” Juniper said. She put the car in drive and started down the alley. “For all the jackasses in the world who would throw their old dog out just when she needs them the most, there are two more compassionate humans willing to give this dog a loving retirement. Don’t worry, we’ll find just the right one.”

  Maggie hoped she was right.

  “Haven’t you read the book, Maggie?” Juniper said. “Evil doesn’t win.”

  They laughed but inside, Maggie knew a little more on the subject than Juniper did. In many cases, evil did win. It was a constant battle, and she herself had seen enough of it to know.

  She looked down at the flattened nose of the pug. Even with the gray peppered all over her face, she was cute.

  “You thought you were in the last chapter, didn’t you? That you’d take your final breaths in that gas chamber? Well, guess what, Cinder?”

  “Plot twist,” called out Juniper.

  They both laughed.

  “Speaking of plot twists,” Maggie said, “I got my bank account back.”

  “I’m glad you brought that up. Have you heard anything from Maui’s finest?” Juniper asked.

  She pulled out into traffic, and the dog flinched. Maggie held her closer and soothed her with a whisper.

  “Not a thing. I’m hoping the silence means they’re busy tracking leads.”

  “Well, I have a few more things up my sleeve to find your weirdo. A friend of mine has developed an app that might help us out. He’s coming over tomorrow.”

  Maggie cringed. “I really don’t want to involve anyone else, Juniper. The police won’t take kindly to us doing their work for them. We could just get in the way.”

  “You said yourself it was hard to catch him. Do you really want to send him back into hiding even deeper?”

  “It’s an island. How far can he go? They’ll also be watching the airports,” Maggie said. She rubbed circles around Cinder’s ears, making her sleepier than she already was after eating and filling up with fresh water. “I just feel like this cat-and-mouse game could end badly for me. I have Charlie to think about.”

  Juniper sighed. “You’re right. I really wanted to be the one to pinpoint exactly where he is, but that’s just my hero complex.”

  Maggie was glad that was settled. The thought of Juniper toying with Andrews had plagued her all night, interspersed with the thoughts of Colby outside her door, and she felt relief that they could stop playing detective and let the police do their job.

  They pulled up to the clinic, and Juniper cut the engine. The parking lot was empty, and the windows to the lobby were dark.

  “I’ve only got my front door key,” she said.

  “Oh, I’ve got the one to the back door,” Maggie said.

  “Then let’s pull around there. Easy in and easy out. I know you need to get home. You’ve got two rambunctious boys to rein in for bed.”

  Juniper was right about that. She’d seen several text messages pop up from Colby that she hadn’t been able to answer. Her hands were full with the pug, and since the dog wasn’t fighting her, she was afraid to move.

  Juniper drove around to the back and parked.

  “I’ll come around and open the door,” she said.

  She did and Maggie climbed out, cradling Cinder close to her. She no longer cared that the dog smelled like death—she was a living creature who needed to feel safe.

  “Can you lock the door? I’m leaving my purse and my phone,” Maggie said. She wanted to keep as still as possible for the dog, without reaching and juggling for things.

  Woodrow hopped out first. Maggie jumped when Juniper slammed the door shut behind them and sounded the horn with the lock function.

  “What the hell?” Juniper stopped walking midstride.

  Maggie did too.

  The back door to the clinic appeared to have been taken off the hinges. It sat neatly leaned up against the building, as though someone had set it aside and planned to come back to it.

  “Do you think Starr did that?” Maggie said, bewildered.

  “No way. He wouldn’t leave it like that. Someone else must have done it. But why wouldn’t they have just kicked the door in? Why take it off in such a precise manner?”

  Maggie thought of the rows of stems in her flower box, their heads neatly removed instead of haphazardly torn off.

  Woodrow growled, deep in his throat.

  A warning.

 
They were less than ten feet from the open door, but with only one small light usually left on in the back, they couldn’t see inside.

  Maggie felt invisible cold fingers trailing down her spine. She backed up, cradling Cinder closer. “Woodrow senses something, Juniper. Let’s get back in the car. Woodrow, heel.”

  He growled louder, and in the beam of the lone parking lot light, she could see the hair standing up on his back. “Woodrow, heel! Now.”

  For the first time since she’d adopted him, he didn’t obey. Instead he charged into the door opening at a full bark.

  “Someone’s in there,” Juniper said. “Come on, Maggie. This is unsafe. I’m calling the police.”

  Maggie looked from Juniper to the door of the clinic. She called for Woodrow again, but he didn’t come out. He’d gone silent, and that terrified her.

  Quickly, before Juniper could react, Maggie shoved Cinder into her arms, then turned and ran for the door.

  “Wait!” Juniper yelled.

  “I’m not leaving Woodrow in there alone,” Maggie shouted back. She hesitated for just a second when she reached the door, knowing that what she was doing was careless, but he was more than a dog to her.

  Woodrow was family.

  She took a deep breath and barreled through.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  As soon as Maggie was through the door, she could see why Woodrow had gone silent. He was lying on his side, and a man stood over him, his booted foot holding him down by his throat. Other than his feet twitching, Woodrow seemed paralyzed there, his eyes bulging and pouring tears as he waited for release—and oxygen.

  The man turned when he heard Maggie but didn’t release his hold on her dog.

  Woodrow whined, his eyes rolling up until he found hers.

  Maggie saw red. “Let him go, you son of a bitch,” she said, stopping just inside the door. It was Andrews, and he looked ragged. And just as dangerous as he had the last day she’d seen him before they’d dragged him off to prison.

  “Margaret Ann Dalton,” he said, smiling eerily. “I thought I was just going to cause a little ruckus in here. Didn’t know I was going to be rewarded with the honor of your company.”

  “Fuck you,” she seethed. “Give me my dog.”

  “Your mangy mutt bit me,” he said.

  Maggie saw now that his hand was bloody, and she wondered how the idiot had turned the tables and gotten Woodrow down. Then she saw he held a spray bottle in his other hand.

  It was the bleach mixture they used to clean out the parvo cages. Another look told her that the scumbag had sprayed it in Woodrow’s eyes.

  She looked around, trying to see what she could use as a weapon. Their back room looked like a tornado had run through it. Contradictory to the way Andrews had neatly removed the back door, he’d obviously lost control inside. Cabinets were pried open and contents strewn about, once-sanitized surgical tools littered the tiled floors, and a few cats wandered around. One still had the remnants of an IV in his leg and wasn’t even supposed to be walking yet.

  Old Man Carlson’s Congo African gray parrot they were boarding was loose too. It perched on the highest cabinet and looked distressed. Carlson would be devastated if anything happened to his bird. He’d told Maggie that it’d been his best friend for more than fifteen years.

  She couldn’t take all that in right now. Her first goal was to get Woodrow free. She prayed that Juniper already had the police on the way before it was too late for her dog. She needed to keep Andrews talking.

  “How did you know I work here?”

  He scowled, his face darkening. “Do you think I didn’t notice how you were down there on the beach flaunting your body to the good doc? I saw how he looked at you. How you wanted him to look at you. You two were a little obvious, don’t you think? And he’s a bit forward for my liking, thinking he can just swoop in and take my place.”

  “You’ve been following me,” she said.

  He shrugged, shifting his weight, and Woodrow yelped. At least Andrews dropped the spray bottle then, but Maggie could still see the madness glittering in his eyes.

  “I mean it, you’d better not hurt him,” Maggie bellowed.

  “Where’s your chivalrous doctor now?” he asked, pushing his foot a little deeper.

  She changed her tone. “Listen, Andrews. You don’t need to hurt my dog. If you let him go, I’ll leave here with you.”

  He was considering her words. She could see the emotions play over his face, and she prayed he fell for it.

  “Bullshit. You’re a liar,” he said. “But I see he’s your soft spot. What if I just choke the life out of him and make you watch? Do you know how much hell I’ve gone through in that prison cell? The inmates are disgusting pigs.”

  “I’ll bet they are. You shouldn’t go back there, Martin. You’re much too sophisticated a man to rot with the likes of criminals,” she said, taking one step closer. “Martin, let him go and I’ll send him out the door. But I’ll stay. You don’t have to chase me anymore. We can finally be together.”

  “Why would you even say that?” he said, suddenly uncertain at the sound of her using his first name.

  “Because your commitment shows that you’re serious about me. No one has ever put this much effort into pursuing me.”

  “But you sent me to jail.”

  “Technically, I didn’t. The state put you in jail.”

  He looked angry again. “Because of you!”

  She spoke calmly. Her voice soft and cajoling. “I know, and I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know how much you really liked me. I had to put you to the test. God, Martin, you broke out of prison to be with me. That’s a big deal.”

  When he didn’t respond, she slowly bridged the distance between them and dropped to the floor at Woodrow’s side. Now that she was so close, she could see the panic in his big brown eyes, and she began sobbing, pulling at Andrews’s foot to take the pressure off his throat.

  “Please,” she begged. “Just let him go.”

  “Don’t cry, Maggie,” Andrews said, lifting his foot and stepping back.

  Woodrow popped up as though he had a string attached to his head. He took ragged breaths and struggled to get to his feet. He looked confused but immediately started to growl, the hair on his neck standing at attention as he tried to lunge at Andrews.

  “No, Woodrow,” Maggie said, holding him around his neck. She was afraid the sudden rush of air might make him faint. “Stay, boy. Please, stay.”

  “My hand is bleeding,” Andrews said. “This is a clinic. Where’re the damn bandages? Get me something for pain too.”

  Maggie stood, keeping her hand firmly on Woodrow’s collar. “Listen. My friend is outside. I’m going to send Woodrow out there and tell her to take him home. Then I’ll clean up your hand and find you something for the pain.”

  “What friend?” he demanded, his eyes darting to the door.

  “It’s the front desk receptionist. She’s harmless. I swear, I’ll just send Woodrow out there and I’ll come right back. I’m not doing anything for you if you don’t let her take him.”

  He came closer, and she shrank into herself. Woodrow growled and tried to lunge again, but Maggie held on. He panted hard and fast.

  “And you won’t run?” Andrews asked, kicking at Woodrow but missing.

  She shook her head. But she had every intention of trying. “Of course not.”

  “Fine,” he said, pushing her toward the open door. Just before she got there, Andrews looped his hand in the back of her waistband. “I’m making sure you don’t go anywhere.”

  Frustration poured over Maggie. He wasn’t going to let her go that easily. But at least she could make sure Woodrow was safe. Straining against the hold he had on her clothes, she looked out but couldn’t see Juniper. The car was still there, and she hoped her friend was too. She practically had to drag Woodrow, but when she was just about to push him out the opening, she heard someone.

  “Maggie, is that you? Are you o
kay?”

  It was Juniper, and she sounded like she was crying. The sound was coming from behind the car.

  Andrews tightened his grasp on her waistband, and her skin crawled at his touch. She wanted to run, but there was no way now.

  “I’m good. Juniper, I want you to take Woodrow on home for me. And take care of Cinder until tomorrow. I’m going to stay here and visit with an old friend.” She tried to keep her voice from cracking, but at the last minute, it broke off.

  There was silence and she could just imagine Juniper thinking, trying to figure out what Maggie’s plan was. She would know immediately who the old friend was.

  “Are you coming?” Maggie called out. “Please, Juniper. Come get him.”

  She saw a shadow emerge from behind the car and heard Juniper’s shoes slapping the pavement slowly. Finally they were a foot apart and she felt a hand cover hers, then slip under Woodrow’s collar.

  Maggie nudged him over to her.

  “Please wash out his eyes,” she said. “He was sprayed with bleach water.”

  Juniper put her hand over Maggie’s and clutched it tightly. They both held Woodrow between them. Andrews kept hidden around the inside of the doorframe but kept up his secure hold.

  “Just run, Maggie,” Juniper whispered.

  Andrews heard and jerked Maggie backward so hard that she instantly let go of Woodrow and fell on the floor, an excruciating pain hitting her tailbone and traveling up her spine.

  “Take Woodrow, Juniper!”

  “Stupid cunt. Who does she think she is?” Andrews spat out above her.

  Maggie could hear Woodrow whining and straining to get back to her, but thankfully she also heard shoes slapping on the pavement again. Then a car door open, pause, and slam.

  They were safe. At least Andrews couldn’t kill her dog.

  Now Maggie just had to figure out how to get herself out alive. Andrews grabbed her shirt and dragged her backward; then she heard the first siren.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Quinn set her pen down and leaned her head back. Her neck hurt. It was late and she was tired, but somehow the stars were shining down on her, and she’d finally finished confirming every task to make David and Julianne’s vow renewal happen without a hitch.