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In his hand, at his side, he held a gun.
CHAPTER 18
“WHO ARE YOU?” the doctor said to the boy.
Suddenly, Masha ran from the pool house. She was disheveled—hair a mess, makeup smudged—still in the clothes she’d worn that day.
“Nikolai!” she said. “What happened? What happened?” She swayed and stumbled, half asleep, and still drunk.
“He belongs to you?” said Dr. Parks.
“This is my nephew,” Masha cried. “What did you do?”
“He saved my dog,” the doctor said, tears streaming down her cheeks. “He saved Bandit’s life!”
Nikolai and Masha exchanged a glance. He wasn’t in trouble? They weren’t in trouble? He’d done the right thing?
The doctor rose and looked around. Some kind of nuggets and hamburger meat were scattered in chunks all over the grass.
“What happened? What is this? There’s—food trash all over…”
“I don’t know,” Masha said. She turned to Nikolai. “Did you—did you bring food out here?”
He shook his head.
“What is this stuff? Did a garbage bag break? I have to—I have to—go call the vet. Look at Bandit’s leg.”
Bandit was sniffing the dead coyote.
“Bandit, no,” the doctor said, and turned to the boy. “I’m so sorry. What’s your name?”
“Nikolai,” the boy said.
“Nikolai? Okay. And Masha, where did—Masha—why do you have a gun?”
Masha could only shake her head. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Parks. The gun is mine. No one I know does not have a gun.”
The doctor paused. No one she knew didnothave a gun? How to parse this double negative? Then, she exhaled. “Okay, okay.” She looked at the boy. “Thank you so much. I’ll be right back. I’ll find you guys later—I have to call the vet.”
The doctor turned and grabbed the dog and led him off, toward the main house. She called to them over her shoulder.
“Is it—is it legal?” she said.
“What?”
“The gun. Do you have a license and permit?”
Of course, she didn’t. Masha said nothing, but watched the doctor cross the patio and disappear around the side of the house. Masha looked over at Nikolai, then at the spilled pretzels. She asked him again:
“You’re sure you didn’t do this?”
He shook his head again, and held out the gun to her. She took it and pointed it toward the ground.
“Bullets in here?”
He shook his head. “I loaded three. I used them all.”
“I didn’t buy this for play, you know. But Dr. Parks loves that dog. He’s all she has left.”
