Holly nodded. “I hear you, and you’re probably right. If that’s what’s going on, I could find myself in deep trouble. Drug dealers usually don’t have just one thing they’re selling. Whoever had these could be selling them and who knows what else.” She sighed and continued to pet Lucky who had fallen asleep in her lap. “Let me think about the best way to talk to her about it. Okay?”
“That’s all I ask,” Wade said as they pulled up in front of her house.
“Thank you for going with me,” Holly said softly as she turned to Wade.
“Anything to get to spend more time with you,” he said with his cute, boyish grin. He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss and then another. “See you in the morning?”
Holly nodded. “Now I have to take this little guy in and introduce him to Jett,” she said.
“Oh boy. That should be interesting. Let me know how it goes,” Wade said with a chuckle.
“I will, but I’ve noticed that Jett loves little dogs,” Holly said. “You should see him when we go to the dog park, and he sees one. He’s like a little kid. He gets so excited and wants to play with them, but they’re usually terrified of him.”
“Can you blame them?” Wade scoffed. “Jett is like a tank compared to a bicycle. I don’t think I’d want to play with anyone five times my size, either.”
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Holly said as she lifted her backpack from the floor and pushed open the door. She turned and gave Wade a small wave before setting Lucky down in the grass to see if he needed to go to the bathroom. As Wade pulled away, the little dog began to sniff around in the grass until he finally stopped and took care of his business.
The front door opened and as the light spilled out of the house, Brigid stepped out onto the porch. “I spoke to Missy earlier. She says you have an adorable little dog, and I can’t wait to see him,” she said as she walked down the steps to the sidewalk.
“Yep, he’s right over there taking a potty break,” Holly said as she pointed to Lucky.
Brigid walked across the lawn to where Holly was standing and spotted the dog. “Oh, my goodness,” she cooed. “He’s adorable!”
Lucky turned and yipped at Brigid before running over to greet her. She bent down to pet him and he flipped over on his back, showing her his belly. She giggled and picked him up as he licked her.
“Do you think Jett will like sharing the house with a little dog?” Holly asked as they slowly walked back to the house.
“I’m sure he will,” Brigid said with a smile. “But I want to know what you plan to do with this dog. Are you adopting it, trying to find the owner, or what?”
“Wade and I think he was probably dumped, considering the remote location where we found him. But I want to look online and see if anyone has reported him missing,” Holly explained.
Brigid nodded. “I think that’s a good idea. I know if Jett got lost, I’d be worried sick. If I ever found out that someone had just taken him in and hadn’t at least tried to find his home, I wouldn’t be very happy about it, to say the least.”
“Well, yeah,” Holly said, “but Jett also has tags, and this guy didn’t have any.”
“He could have lost his collar. Still, let’s see if anyone’s looking for him. In the meantime, we’ll care for him and make sure he’s healthy.”
“Deal,” Holly said as they took Lucky inside.
Jett seemed to know something was different as soon as Brigid walked in the house. He lifted his nose in the air and sniffed before lumbering off the loveseat in the corner that served as his bed.
“Look who Holly brought home, Jett,” Brigid said as she let the big dog see what was in her arms. Jett’s long shaggy tail began to wag as he realized he had a new friend to play with. He huffed when Brigid put Lucky down on the floor, causing the smaller dog to jump.
“It’s okay, Lucky,” Holly reassured. “He’s not going to hurt you.”
After a moment, Lucky began to lean forward until he was nose to nose with Jett. Every muscle in his body was tensed to run, but once he was satisfied that Jett wasn’t going to eat him, his little tongue darted out, and he licked Jett on the nose.
CHAPTER 7
Holly was surprised at how well Jett and Lucky got along. She and Brigid had introduced them while Linc was taking a shower. When he walked into the room, he was pleasantly surprised to see that the two dogs were playing together.
“Now that is one adorable dog. What kind is he?” Linc asked as he squatted down to greet the little dog.
“I’m not really sure,” Holly admitted. “I don’t know much about dog breeds.”
“Well, whatever he is, he sure is cute,” Brigid said. Jett came over and bumped her leg, reminding her of his presence. “Of course, not as cute as you, big guy.” She ruffled Jett’s ears and gave him a big kiss on the head.
“If I were to guess, I’d think he’s something like a Maltipoo. Of course, there are a ton of other possibilities. Doesn’t really make any difference, though,” Linc said as he stood up. “Have you named him?”
“I’ve been calling him Lucky. Because he’s lucky Missy asked us to help her out, and that Wade chose that road to drive to the church. I didn’t even see him at first. Wade was the one who spotted him on the side of the road,” Holly explained.
“He is definitely lucky you found him” Linc said. “I’ll call the vet tomorrow. I want to make sure he’s healthy. The vet can also check to see if he’s got a microchip implanted in him. A lot of owners have them put in their dogs so they can be identified if they’re lost.”
“Good idea,” Brigid said. “I hadn’t thought of that.” She went to the back door and put her hand on the knob. “You boys need to go outside?” she asked. Jett stopped what he was doing and headed straight for the door. Lucky noticed what the big dog was doing and followed him. Brigid opened the door and both of them rushed outside into the backyard.
As she shut the door Brigid said, “That reminds me. I was talking to Sheriff Davis about his concerns with me helping the sheriff's department. He mentioned that he thought a self-defense class would be a good thing for me to take. One of the neighboring counties has a female deputy who teaches women's self-defense, and he’s asked her to teach a class in Cottonwood Springs. I thought maybe you should take it with me, Holly.”
“Do you really think I need it?” Holly asked. She wasn’t against the idea, but she’d never really thought much about it. She’d read a couple of books about self-defense before she came to live with Brigid. It seemed like forever ago when she’d spend hours upon hours at the library, as if it was her second home.
Of course, when you’re young and all alone at home day in and day out, anywhere that has a few people around can seem like a better place to be. That was when she’d started reading pretty much anything she could get her hands on, and that’s when she realized how easy it was for her to learn things.
“Yes, I do think it wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to take a class like that. You’re a beautiful young lady and hopefully you’ll be going to college. I know I’d sleep much better at night if I knew you would be able to take care of yourself in case you got into an uncomfortable situation,” Brigid explained.
“And I don’t mean that to sound like I think you’re irresponsible. I don’t, but I was young once, and I know just how easy it is to get in over your head before you even know you’re in danger.”
“I’m with Brigid on this,” Linc added. “There are some very untrustworthy people out there. If you end up going to college in a big city, I’d be more comfortable knowing you’ve got what it takes to handle yourself.”
Holly nodded. “I understand. I’ll have to let Fiona know when classes are, so I can have those nights off.”
“Sheriff Davis is still getting the details together, but I’ll let her know what’s going on so she has a heads up. If she wasn’t pregnant, I’d insist she go too,” Brigid said as she moved into the kitchen and began to unload the dishwasher.
“Brigid, I think I need a little advice,” Holly said as she followed her into the kitchen.
“I’m going to leave you two to talk,” Linc said as he headed for the back door. “I think I better keep an eye on the dogs. I know Jett likes Lucky, but sometimes he just doesn’t realize how big he is.” He opened the door and slipped outside into the backyard.
“What’s going on?” Brigid asked as she opened the cabinets and started putting the dishes away.
“I need you to keep this between us, please? I want to do something that some people might think is stupid. But I really feel strongly about it, because I think it’s the right thing to do,” Holly said as she wrung her hands together nervously.
She was worried Brigid was going to say the same thing Margo had said, but she didn’t want to go behind her back. She really wanted Brigid to be on board with what she intended to do.
“Okay, I’m listening,” Brigid said carefully.
“I found something in a coat while we were helping Missy today, and it’s not good. I want to try and find out who owned the coat, so I can get them help,” she explained. She sat down at the small table in the kitchen and looked at Brigid plaintively.
“I can understand that,” Brigid nodded. “But if you can get in trouble for having whatever it is, I think the wise move might be to let the police handle it.”
Holly stared at her black and white sneakers. “It’s nothing terribly bad. It’s not like I found a bag of meth or anything, but I just have this feeling about it,” Holly said. She could feel frustrated tears forming in her eyes. “I really want to try to find whoever owned the coat. I think they may need some help.”
“Hey,” Brigid said softly as she noticed a tear slide down Holly’s cheek. “I’m not saying you can’t. I just want you to be safe. It’s not going to do anyone any good if you get in trouble while you’re trying to help,” she said as she knelt down in front of Holly.
“I know, and I get that. It’s just pills, Brigid. I think someone is abusing Adderall. It made me think of Mom and…” she couldn’t finish her sentence because she was too full of emotion.
“And you think if someone had taken the time to help her, she might still be alive, right?” Brigid asked.
Holly nodded. “Something like that.”
“Honey, don’t forget that your mom didn’t overdose. She was murdered in a church by a terrible person,” Brigid consoled.
“I know. But what if she’d gotten help sooner? She turned to drugs and stuff because she was all alone. She didn’t feel like she had anyone left who cared about her. What if this person is in a similar situation?” Holly asked.
“People don’t typically take Adderall for that reason, but I do understand where you’re coming from. As I understand it, Adderall is something that picks people up and gives them energy. And yes, whoever it is, they could be putting themselves in danger.
“How’s this? I’d feel much better if I held onto the bottle of pills you found. That way, you won’t be in possession of them.” Brigid touched the side of Holly’s face, encouraging her to meet her gaze. “But I want you to be careful, Holly. Don’t do anything crazy, like meeting somebody by yourself. If you need someone to help, tell me. Okay?”
Holly nodded. “Okay, I promise. I’ll keep my distance as much as possible. If they look shady, I’ll leave it alone. But if it’s someone who looks like they need help…”
“Then we help them,” Brigid finished for her. “You and me, together.”
Holly nodded. “Thank you, Brigid,” she said as she wrapped her arms around Brigid and gave her a big hug.
“No problem, Holly, and thank you for trusting me with this. I’m sure it was a big weight for you to carry alone.” Brigid brushed Holly’s hair out of her face before standing back up. “You’ll get to the bottom of it. You’re smart. Just start with what you have and work from there. If you get stuck, let me know.”
“I will,” Holly said as she stood up. “I’ll go get that bottle before I forget.”
“Good idea,” Brigid nodded. “Oh,” she said putting her hand on Holly's arm as she passed by her, “I do plan on telling Linc. I don’t keep secrets from him, and I know he’ll agree with what we’ve decided.” She smiled at Holly. “I trust him.”
“I do, too,” Holly said, “but I wanted to talk to you first.”
Brigid nodded and smiled. “Make sure if you have any homework that you get it done. I don’t want you to get so focused on finding this person that you forget to take care of your own priorities.”
“I won’t. I promise,” Holly said as she headed down the hall to her bedroom. She stopped and turned around. “Where do you want me to put the bottle?”
“Put it in my nightstand, for now. I’ll figure out what to do with it later,” Brigid said.
Holly turned and walked down the hall to her room. She pushed open the door and began to dig in her backpack. Finally, her hand wrapped around the pill bottle, and she pulled it out. She hurried down the hall to Brigid and Linc’s bedroom and walked around the bed to Brigid’s side.
The wooden nightstand had a single drawer on the upper part and an open space at the bottom. Holly couldn’t believe the stack of books on the bottom. She knew this was Brigid’s pile of books that she planned to read some day. Smiling, she realized there was everything from young adult paranormal books to the latest self-help books. It still amazed Holly how incredibly diverse Brigid’s tastes were.
She tucked the bottle in the drawer, turned, and headed back to her room. She had homework to do, and she still needed to make a spot for Lucky to sleep. Linc had bought training pads just in case the little dog wasn’t housebroken, and she’d placed a few just inside her bedroom door.
Holly looked around the room for anything that the dog might try to chew on. She tossed all her shoes in the closet and threw all her dirty clothes in the clothes basket. After a few minutes, she realized she’d all but cleaned up her room just for the dog.
“Wow,” Linc said as he stopped in her doorway. “If I’d have known that having a dog of your own would get you to clean up your room, I would have talked to Brigid about it months ago,” he teased.
“Ha-Ha,” Holly said with a mock laugh and glared at him, but he knew she wasn’t serious. “I just don’t want him ruining my stuff if he gets bored.”
“That’s probably a good idea. Oh, here he comes now,” he said as the little dog trotted into her room.
“Hey Lucky,” she said in a higher pitched voice. “You about ready for bed, little guy?”
“I hope he’ll be nice and calm for you tonight,” Linc said. “But since you found him, you never know what he’ll act like. You have to keep in mind that his previous owner may not have done a very good job of training him.”
“I know,” Holly sighed. “I’m going to do my best to be patient and work with him. He’s too cute for him to end up being a holy terror.”
Linc laughed. “I don’t think he’ll be that bad, but you never know. Good luck tonight. If you need any help, come get me. Especially if he doesn’t let you sleep. We can’t have you going to school exhausted.”
“I will,” Holly said. “Thanks, Linc.”
“No problem, kiddo. Goodnight,” Linc said before heading down the hall.
Holly stood up and went to her door. “Goodnight, guys,” she called out before shutting it. When she turned around, she saw Lucky sitting patiently in the middle of the floor. “All right, my little man. It’s time for bed.”
CHAPTER 8
The next day before school, Wade and Holly were sitting outside on the concrete steps enjoying the morning air before they had to head inside. They liked to soak up as much sunshine and fresh air as they could before they were stuck inside all day. Some teachers did have their windows open, but still, it wasn’t the same.
“Wade, you should have seen Jett with Lucky last night. I’m sure he thought I brought Lucky home just for him to play with. He’s decided the little guy is hi
s new best friend. He keeps an eye on him and even lets him eat out of his food bowl. And Lucky acts as if Jett’s his long-lost big brother. He follows him everywhere. It’s really cute,” Holly said. “I’ve never seen two dogs that seemed to be such opposites get along so great. And so fast! I always thought dogs required something of a warming-up period, but not these two.”
“I’m glad it went so well. What did Brigid and Linc think of him?” he asked as he munched on a granola bar.
“I think Linc is going to try to steal him from me,” Holly laughed. “He was treating him like a little baby this morning and talking baby talk to him. It was hilarious. Giving him belly scratches and slipping him breakfast scraps when he thought nobody was looking.”
“I take it he did okay overnight?” Wade asked.
“Yeah, surprisingly okay. Of course, we put him outside right before he went to bed. He looks like a puppy, but we’re fairly sure he’s full grown or at least almost. Linc is going to call the vet today and make an appointment, so we can make sure he’s healthy.”
Holly giggled just thinking about Linc carrying the tiny little dog into the vet’s office. They made quite the pair. “And I posted a picture of him online to see if someone had lost him.” She was afraid somebody might come forward and claim him, but she knew it had to be done. It was a long shot, but he could have simply gotten lost, and someone out there might be frantically trying to find him.
“That must have been hard, but it was the right thing to do. I know how much you already like him, but can you imagine if you were the one who lost him? But I don’t think anyone’s going to come forward to claim him. A little dog like that isn’t going to make his way to the edge of town and then just hang out on the side of the road like he was when we found him,” he said.
“I think you’re right, but still, better to be safe than sorry. Speaking of which, I talked to Brigid about the pills last night,” Holly said as she changed the subject.
Holly Lewis Mystery series Box Set Page 17
