The girls needed this.Sheneeded this. Plus, puppies added an extra layer of love to any home.
And since the Incident ... since the death threats on X from Hawkeye Slaughter and the bloody notebook paper and the worms ...since the bizarre thing that happened today ... they needed the extra layer of protection too.
It took about ten minutes to identify Scout’s replacement, a light-brown mutt of no discernable breed with an outgoing but affectionate disposition and gigantic paws, suggesting he would eventually become enormous.
“What should we name him?” Piper asked as they drove home. After much fighting and three coin tosses, Bella provided the lap on which the puppy rode in his cardboard box.
“Travis,” Bella said dreamily.
“Travis?” Piper shot her daughter a puzzled look.
Bella nodded. “Because our dog is a boy, just like Taylor’s fee-onshay.”
Piper sighed. It was Taylor Swift all day, every day in her house. In fact, Olivia had only managed to memorize the multiplication tables by setting them to Taylor Swift songs. Piper couldn’t hear “Shake It Off” without automatically singing “In my mind six times four is twenty-four.”
So she could handle it if they wanted to name their dog after Taylor Swift’s football-player fiancé.
She’d sleep better at night if she had an actual NFL tight end guarding her home. But for now she’d have to make do with a guard puppy named after one.
Chapter Sixty-One
Kiersten
The beep-beep-beep of a delivery truck backing out of her driveway pulled Kiersten’s attention away from Dottie’s diary and to the window.
A delivery. MaybeLesson Plans for Dummieshad finally arrived.
She opened the front door, where a white box sat on the welcome mat. She picked it up, took it inside, and set it on the kitchen island.
Red letters stamped across the top announced that the package wasPerishable.
Frowning, she checked the label. Her name and address. Maybe her parents had sent one of those Edible Arrangements? Her mother loved those.
She slid a knife under the slats and removed the packing paper. Inside she found an oblong cardboard tube.
Odd. Could it be some kind soil testing kit? Or seeds? Something Garrett needed for work?
She opened it.
And began to scream.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Piper
“Mom, can we show the Cleavers our new puppy?” Caitlin asked as they pulled into the driveway.
“Sure.” She got out of the car, scooped up the puppy, and carried him toward the Cleaver house. The girls trailed behind, carrying the new dog dish, dog bed, dog leash, and many other puppy accessories they’d picked up at PetSmart on the way home.
An ear-splitting scream pierced the air as she approached Kiersten’s porch.
Adrenaline spiked through her body as she ran up the steps. If only she were carrying a gun instead of a puppy.
She turned and handed the dog to Caitlin. “Take Travis out in the backyard.” She resisted the urge to addand then go inside and lock all the doors, because it would terrify her daughter. “I think Mrs. Cleaver accidentally touched something hot,” she lied.
Caitlin took the dog. When she disappeared into the backyard with her sisters, Piper opened the front door to the Cleaver house, flattened herself against the wall between the foyer and the kitchen, and peered around the corner.
At worst, she’d expected to see a masked man making off with the television set. At best, she’d expected to see a pot of boiling water spilled on Kiersten’s shirt—or a chunk of potato, a flap of skin, and a bloody mandolin.
