Page 42 of Property of Quake

"Is the collar pink with cherries?" he asks.

Melissa nods, and the room falls silent as he pulls out his phone. He taps the screen a few times before walking toward Melissa and dropping to his knees. She glances at Quake, and he nods reassuringly.

“I’m Junior,” the young man says to Melissa.

“I’m Melissa,” she replies shyly.

“Well, Melissa, I have a cousin who works at one of the local animal shelters. About a week ago, she called me in a panic because her car broke down on her way to pick up a stray dog.”

“You never told me that,” Quake snaps. “I asked everyone here to reach out to their contacts about a missing dog.”

“You did,” Junior agrees. “But that was before her car broke down, and I didn’t think anything of it.” He pauses, taking a deep breath. “Anyway, I went to help her and the dog.”

“That was nice of you,” Melissa says.

“Get to the point, prospect,” Quake bites out, clearly annoyed that this is the first he’s hearing about this.

“Right. Um, you said your dog is a beagle mix and that you painted her nails,” he says as he flips his phone around for her to see the screen. “Is this her?”

Melissa stares at the phone for so long that I wish I could see what she’s seeing, but then a miracle happens.

“That’s Stella!” she shouts, launching herself into Junior’s arms.

His eyes widen for a brief second before he wraps his arm around her. When she ends the hug, he excuses himself to call his cousin so that girl and dog can be reunited. It feels like years that we wait while he’s on the phone, but it’s only minutes before he returns with a giant grin on his face.

“Stella is on her way,” he announces proudly. “My cousin is going to have one of the shelter staff bring her here.”

The clubhouse explodes with cheers and laughter. Melissa bursts into tears, the first truly happy tears I've ever seen from her, and throws herself into my arms. I glance at Quake over her head, and he looks as relieved as she does.

The wait is torture for Melissa. She spends the next hour outside, peppering Junior and Quake with questions about Stella and where the dog will sleep and what it will eat. They’re patient with her, and it warms my heart. A van eventually pulls into the lot, the shelter’s logo plastered on the side.

She doesn't hesitate. The moment the shelter staff member opens the side door, a barking dog surges forward. Melissa drops to her knees as Stella practically launches herself into her arms. The reunion is pure chaos: whining, crying, laughter, and absolute joy. Melissa clings to her dog while Stella licks her face, and everyone nearby politely pretends not to be emotional about it.

Quake and I eventually drift toward the edge of the parking lot, watching from a distance. After a long moment, he lets out a breath.

"She needed that."

"Yes."

The smile fades as reality settles back in. Melissa is still frightened, still carrying secrets she can't bring herself to share.

"What do we do now?" I ask.

"We wait for Carrie to call back. I left her a voicemail last night when I went back out to get your bags and another one this morning. I left no room for doubt that I want her to call back ASAP."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Then we keep pushing."

I watch Melissa laugh through her tears as Stella nuzzles against her. She's far too young to be carrying this kind of fear.

"She won't tell us who it was."

"No."

"She's terrified."

Quake's jaw tightens. "Yeah."