AllFreeNovel
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“I do my best.”
“So what do you think? Or should I ask, how much do you know?”
“Where are you now?”
“Outside of Pet-a-Palooza. I have to pick up a few things I ordered. Why?”
“I’ll meet you at your place. Say, half hour?”
“Sure. Why don’t you pick up some takeout from Mykonos?”
“Great idea. See you in a bit.”
Melanie’s head was spinning. So much to filter. First and foremost were Cosmo and Kramer. She went into the store and gave her name. A smiley-faced employee greeted her. “Yes, Ms. Drake. Your order is in the back. I’ll have someone get it for you.”
“Thanks.” She pulled out her debit card and paid for the two matching large gray dog beds, twenty-five pounds of kibble, two cases of canned food, and a variety of dog chews. A pooper scooper, bags, and a container. She did a double take when the store associate came around with a hand truck. She admitted it looked as if she’d spent over 500 dollars. Which she had. She gave the young man a tip for helping load everything into her car. Gilmour would do the unloading when she got to her place.
Melanie backed her car into the driveway, unlatched the hatchback, and left it open for Gilmour when he arrived. She opened the back gate and surveyed the yard. It wasn’t in the best shape, but it would have to do for now. There was a five-by-five area sectioned off with fencing that matched the stockade. It was Cosmo’s and Kramer’s private toilet, where the fake grass was installed. The privacy fencing blended well with its surroundings, and the potty area couldn’t be seen from the house or the patio. There was plenty of room for the dogs to run around and be safe inside the confines of the yard.
Melanie heard a car pull up. It was Gilmour. He got out of his vehicle with two large shopping bags. “Delivery!”
Melanie stuck her head into one of the bags. “Smells divine!”
He handed her the bags. “Let’s get this stuff out of your car first.” He let out a low whistle. “How many dogs are you expecting?”
“Very funny. By the way, how are Ben and Jerry?”
“I think they’ve doubled in size in the past couple of weeks.”
“Do you know what kind of mix they are?”
“Is Mastodon a dog breed?” He laughed. “Vet thinks they’re Labskies. A cross between a Labrador and a husky.”
“Yikes. They’re gonna be huge.”
“You should see their paws. They’re the size of ping-pong paddles.”
Melanie laughed out loud. “Looks like we got ourselves a big hunk of canine love.” She carried the food into the kitchen while Gilmour unloaded the car.
“Hey, whatever happened to that Walker guy and his family?”
“Funny you should ask. I got a phone call today from Mrs. Walker. She, Jerome, and her husband started Zoom sessions with a family therapist, and now they are doing it in person. She and her son moved back home two weeks ago. Jerome is back in school and is going to be a tree in the school play.”
“That sounds promising. And neutral.”
“Mrs. Walker agreed to let Mr. Walker go up to her sister’s house and visit on the weekends. She told me they had many heart-to-heart discussions. They even watched Mrs. Doubtfire together. Apparently, Jerome had seen some of the film before school started. He explained to his father that he wanted to try out dressing like a girl. He thought it was funny. Obviously, no one else did.”
“So all good in MelDrake land?”
“I hope so, because you have some ’splaining to do.” She set the table and put the food on platters. “But, yes, all good. I really helped a kid. And his family. Wonders shall never cease.”
Gilmour poured each of them a glass of wine and took a seat across from Melanie. He began to explain the situation. “Too many foreign diplomats with dirty money are slipping past the authorities.”
“But they can’t be arrested.”
“For the most part, no. But that doesn’t mean we can’t foil their plans. If things go wrong for them, they’ll have a higher power to answer to.”
“The money god?” Melanie dipped some bread into one of the dips.
