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Dante nudged the wireless mouse next to his keyboard, scrolling past the Felines category to the Canines. He clicked the button to bring up the inventory of available animals, then did a quick scan through the photos. A few looked promising for his purposes, in particular a sad-faced hound named Barney who was in need of special care and dreaming of a nice place to spend the last of his golden years.
That ought to work. He certainly wasn't looking for anything long term.
Dante flipped open his cell phone and dialed the shelter's number. A gum-smacking young woman with a thick Boston accent picked up on about the fifth ring.
"Eastside Small Animal Rescue, can I help you?"
"I need one of your animals," Dante told her.
"Excuse me?"
"The dog from your website, the old one. I want it."
There was a beat of silence, then a loud crack of the girl's gum. "Oh! You mean Baah-ney?"
"Yes, that one."
"Well, I'm sorry, but he's been adopted. Is he still on our front page? They must have forgotten to update the website for him. What kind of dog are you looking for? We have several others who need good homes."
"I need an animal tonight."
She gave an uncertain little laugh. "Um, that's not really how we work. We'd need you to come in and fill out an application, and then meet with one of our--"
"I can pay."
"Well, that's fine, because we do require a small donation to help cover treatment and--" "Would a hundred dollars suffice?"
"Er... "
"Two?" he asked, not really caring what it cost. "It's very important to me."
"Yeah," she said, "I'm, uh... I'm getting that idea."
Dante lowered his voice and focused on the pliable human mind at the other end of the telephone connection. "Help me out here. I really need one of your animals. Now, let's give it some thought, and you tell me what it's going to take to make this happen."
She hesitated for a long few seconds, then, "Look, I could totally get fired for this, but we do have a dog that just came in today. He hasn't even been examined yet, but he doesn't seem like he's in the best shape. And I'll be honest with you, he's not much to look at either. We don't have space for him right now, so he's actually on the list for euthanasia in the morning."
"I'll take him." Dante checked the time. It was just past five o'clock, already dark topside, thanks to New England sitting on the front end of the Eastern Time Zone. Harvard wouldn't be showing up at the compound for another four hours. Plenty of time for him to complete this little transaction before he had to link up with the agent for the night's patrol. He stood up, grabbing his coat and keys. "I'm on my way. I'll be there in twenty minutes."
"Okay. We close at five-thirty, but I'll wait for ya. Just come around back and ask for Rose. That's me." She cracked her gum again, her jaw working audibly in a flurry of quick snaps. "Ah, about the money--the two hundred bucks? Can you pay cash?"
Dante smiled as he started for the door. "Done."
Chapter Fifteen
Tess double-checked the last figure on her computer monitor, making sure the amount was correct before she clicked the button to complete the funds transfer. The overdue clinic bills were paid now, but her savings account was more than a thousand dollars lighter. And next month, the bills would start all over again.
"Hey, Tess?" Nora appeared in the open doorway and gave a hesitant rap on the jamb. "Sorry to interrupt, but it's almost six o'clock and I have to take off to study for an exam tomorrow. You want me to lock up?"
"Okay," Tess said, rubbing at her temples, where twin knots of stress had begun to settle. "Thanks, Nora. Have a good night." Nora looked at her for a long moment, then down at the stack of bills on the desk. "Everything all right?"
"Yeah." Tess attempted a reassuring smile. "Yes, everything is fine."
"I saw the notice from the building landlord today. Rent's going up after the first of the year, huh?"
Tess nodded. "Just eight percent."
It wasn't much, actually, but she could barely cover the clinic lease as it was. The increase would likely be the final nail in the coffin, unless she started charging more for services. That would probably cost her half of her clients, which would put her right back in the hole. The only reasonable alternative was to close the clinic, pull up stakes, and move on to something else.
