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Tom handed her a whiskey. She cupped her hands around it as if the glass gave off warmth before taking a small sip.
“Never want to be in a situation like that again. Can’t be,” she added in a vehement murmur. “Won’t be.”
“You should have called James Longbaugh.” Brenda eyed the glass Wendy sipped from again, then glanced at her own sitting empty on the coffee table.
I was glad Tom didn’t take the hint. I didn’t want her falling asleep for the night in my living room.
“Like anyone around here would be any good.” That reflection of her remaining Eastern snobbery was said with more of Wendy’s usual snap. At least between that and the whiskey her color was better.
“What did they ask?” I asked.
“Nothing that made sense.” She sipped the whiskey. “All sorts of things about if Keefe and I had a relationship. A relationship. Like we were lovers or something, had been for decades, then he broke up with me — and that’s supposed to be why I killed him?”
Her voice rose with the last part. She took another sip.
“What made them think that?” Brenda sounded astonished.
I wondered which part she referred to — the relationship, the breakup, or the killing — but apparently Wendy had no issue parsing that. “They had something they said I’d written and given to Keefe. Never did. In my whole life, never did.”
“Why would you? If you had something to say to him, he was right there and you said it. Like any normal person.”
Wendy expelled a sigh. “Who knows what those idiots are thinking. I just want to go home now.”
“I’ll take you.” Tom stood. To me he said, “I’ll call.”
He’d be going back to the ranch, relieving the neighbor watching Tamantha, and preparing for an early start to a long day of work.
Wendy drank off the rest of the whiskey. Brenda gave her glass another look, then stood, too.
I accompanied them.
At the door, Tom kissed me on the forehead.
“What about—?” he tipped his head toward Suzie Q lying by the fire.
Wendy said, “If she comes back to the ranch, she’ll mourn herself to death.” Her stark words were true and not devoid of sympathy.
Wouldn’t have mattered what she or Brenda said, though. Suzie Q was not going back there.
Neither of them looked at Suzie Q and she never lifted her head at their departure.
****
I sat on the floor by the fireplace, offering Suzie Q food from my hand.
Her nose twitched slightly but she didn’t move.
I looked at Shadow. He was looking at the food. It was his.
“Sorry, buddy.”
I offered the food to him.
He accepted happily.
Suzie Q raised her head. Careful not to crow, do a happy dance, or otherwise upset the equilibrium, I took two more portions from the dog food dish by my knee, one in each hand. I held out the Shadow hand slightly before I opened my fingers from around the Suzie Q hand.
She looked over at him as he ate his.
