“We definitely can’t go back to the lab” Amanda was saying, “But I don’t know if my apartment is going to be safe either. I had let my attention wander back out the window and onto a German Shepherd mix walking with a man on the sidewalk. We were stopped at a light. The dog was old. He favored his right hip and his walk was almost a limp. I wondered how long it would be before I started having physical problems with my back legs. It is often the case with larger dogs to suffer from this type of affliction. His eyes met mine as if to say “Your time will come”. I growled an almost inaudible denial deep in my throat and turned my head back towards Amanda as she continued.
“My personnel records are in the filing cabinet in the office. If what is happening back there involves you, Joan, we’ve got to find someplace safe to hide you until I can figure this thing out!” She took the ramp that led onto the highway and turned on the radio. Music poured briefly from the speakers before she selected A.M. and pushed the button for one of the local news channels. It was only a minute or two before what we had been waiting for came on.
“Police in Berkeley were called to the building housing an animal research facility this afternoon at about 3:30 p.m.” the news announcer said.” Amanda turned up the volume. “They are investigating the strong arm robbery of a research laboratory. Several animals were taken and injuries to some of the personnel have been reported. Police have the area cordoned off but an eye witness reports seeing masked men loading several cages into the back of a white panel van” I looked at Amanda who was biting her lip. Tears flooded her eyes.
“Joan, I’m going to drop you off at my parent’s house and then head back over there to see what is going on.” Amanda said suddenly. I didn’t think that was a good idea and told her so.
“I can help you! I can tell more by smelling,” I huffed.
“It’s too dangerous, Joan. I have a feeling they were after you…. That Bitch!” spat Amanda. I blinked in surprise causing Amanda to smile slightly. She explained. “ I’m talking about that woman from Sacramento. She must have a big fat mouth,” She continued with her tone somewhat apologetic.
“Sometimes we women call another female we don’t like that word, Joan” she said. “I never thought about how you might interpret the insult”.
I growled thinking about the likelihood of what she was saying and added “Yur prolly right. She’sa bitch! “ “She is going to pay if she is responsible for hurting my loved ones,” I thought, but I kept that last part to myself.
Amanda set her face into a determined scowl but shadows hid the thoughts behind her eyes as we entered the cavernous entrance of one of the bores of the Caldecott tunnel. Once on the other side we took highway 24 to 13 south. I make it a habit to read road signs. I guess I have a natural tendency to want to know where I am going and how to find my way back. I’ve heard that dogs have made huge journeys to return home just by instinct and sense of smell. In my opinion reading road signs is a definite plus. Amanda weaved the little car gracefully through traffic heading down the hill. We eventually hooked up with highway 580 and headed east. We kept listening to the radio but the only additional information we could get was that at least one person had been rushed to Highland hospital in Oakland. This information did nothing to slow Amanda’s rate of speed.
I am fascinated at the process of driving. It is amazing to me how naturally a human driver can adapt to controlling a vehicle, taking it on as almost a second skin. Your eyes, hands and feet make instantaneous decisions while hurtling along at breathtaking speeds. It seems even crazier to me when I realize that driver’s have absolutely no idea what the other people driving cars nearby are going to do. Amanda said they use signal lights and stuff, but I’ve not noticed them being particularly careful about it. I don’t know how they keep from crashing into each other! However they do it, somehow I don’t think I’m ever going to get the chance to try it for myself. I am just not anatomically suited for duty behind the wheel. Perhaps someday Jimmy can rig up something for me. Jimmy! I hope he is all right. If those noises Amanda heard were really gunshots….and what about Josh?
It was hard for me to stay focused on what had happened when all my senses were on such overload. I had, of course, been out of the facility before, but the prospect of not going back to my kennel tonight had filled me with excitement and curiosity. Amanda’s family live near the city of Oakland in a smaller town called San Leandro. We took 13 South to the 580 freeway, took an exit and then drove on surface streets to their house. It was in a nice neighborhood. I told her so. Amanda looked at me and shrugged.
“Mom and dad bought the house before I was born, so I guess I take it for granted” she admitted. “You should be safe here until I get back”, she bit her lip pensively, “As long as you don’t blow it and start talking to them…” she said with a small smile. “You will be a good girl for me now... won’t you?”
I nodded – letting her know I got it as she ran up to the door and knocked. A few seconds later the door opened. The woman that answered looked a lot like Amanda, but with a few more lines around the eyes and a touch of grey at the temples. She looked back and forth between Amanda and me with surprise and concern.
“Mandy! What is going on? I heard something on the radio. Are you all right?”
“Fine mom, but something sudden has come up. Can you and dad do me a favor and watch this dog for a couple of hours?” she blurted out.
“Sure honey” she looked serious. “But your dad’s still over at the church…they had a meeting...but he’ll be back by dinner time. Maybe you should wait here with me and then take him with you. The radio said an office in Berkeley had been robbed. Was that yours?”
“Yeah mom, I wasn’t there. I’m not going back there either, just to the hospital. Just watch the dog for me ok?” she rushed the words out while spinning around and running back to the car.
Mom looked frustrated and concerned but looked down at me and forced a smile.
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“Her name’s Joan” Amanda called back through the open window as she threw the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. The tires squealed as she took off really fast. I really hate the smell of burning rubber.
The woman Amanda called Mom took me inside the house. She maintained a firm grip on my leash, but I gave her no reason to. My toenails clicked on the tile entryway as I obediently followed her like a furry yellow shadow. She returned to the place in the living room where she obviously had been sitting before Amanda’s arrival and seated herself on the couch. Glancing at the television and seeing a commercial for a local car company running, she turned her attention more completely to me. I tried the wagging trick but failed and settled for putting my chin on her knee and looking up at her with my sweet eyes. It’s usually reserved for food, but in this case I wanted to make a good impression.
“What has my daughter gotten herself into?” the woman asked, I am sure quite rhetorically. I whined a little and lay down by her feet. She gave me enough leash to make myself comfortable. The news came back on, but it wasn’t about the lab so she turned back to me again.
“How about some water?” she asked. I instinctively stood as she rose and followed her into the kitchen. She grabbed a stainless steel mixing bowl from a lower cupboard and turned on the water. I was thankful that she let it run a few seconds before filling it and placing it in front of me. It’s usually cooler that way. I lapped about half a bowl before she started to laugh.
“You were thirsty!” What was I supposed to say? One of the most frustrating things about being able to talk is remembering not to. I have always found it interesting how much people talk to animals even when they know, or at least think, we can’t talk back. I suppose for the others it’s not such a problem as they don’t usually understand much of what is being said in the first place. For me it would be the most natural thing in the world to say thanks for the water. Of course mom would probably have a heart attack. She unclipped the leash from my collar and said
“I’m sure you’re housebroken... let’s take you out back”. The backyard was small but had a beautiful lawn. I went over into a corner with some brickwork before squatting to piddle. I didn’t want to damage the grass. I looked back for the woman but she had gone back inside, leaving the sliding glass door open. I could not resist giving the back yard the nose once over. A cat had been by recently. Two doors down a male Doberman’s scent wafted over gently on the breeze. Half a block away a lawn mower was running and I could smell fresh cut grass and gasoline. I returned to the woman and flumped down on the floor by the sofa. She put out her hand and patted me on the head.
“Good girl”
Yes I am. I thought, but Josh made me this way.
The phone rang. Mom rose, crossed the room and picked it up. I followed and looked up at her quizzically.
“Hello… oh hi Phyllis… yes I saw the news. Amanda is fine. She was just here, but left. Yes, it’s awful. I want to keep the phone line clear. I’ll call you if I hear anything more.. Thanks for calling…. Goodbye,” Pretty much a waste of a call in my opinion. No news. I flumped back down and mom gave me an odd look. In the meantime, the television news people had also done little more to relieve my worried condition. On a plus note, a fly had flown in through the open sliding glass door so I waited for it to venture too close and snapped it up and ate it. Flies are surprisingly tangy. We waited about a half hour before the phone rang again. It was Amanda. I cocked my head and strained my ears to try and hear what she was saying but mom was surprisingly quiet this time. She looked down at me with a strange look on her face as she hung up the phone. Kneeling down she pressed her face into my shoulder and said oddly
“Amanda told me to tell you that Josh is dead”. I stood stock still for a few moments then pulled away as gently as possible and walked softly through the living room and into the backyard. Into the now quiet dusk of evening I raised my head and began to quietly moan. The sound washed over the fence and into the neighborhood becoming a full-fledged wail. My grief poured out for all the world to hear. “Faather…Faather…”
The Doberman down the street joined in when the grief song changed into a howl for revenge against those who had slain my master, father and my friend. Amanda’s mom stood in the door watching me with eyes full of pity, tears and even more, questions.
When Amanda’s dad got home about an hour later, he folded a couple of blankets into a bed for me in the garage. His curious glances back and forth between me and his wife left me no doubt that Amanda would have some questions to answer. I laid there next to the washing machine without moving until I heard a knock at the door and Amanda’s voice speaking to her parents in low muffled tones. I waited for her at the door leading up into the house. She came through quietly, knelt down and put her hands on both sides of my face. She spoke softly and carefully, her warm liquid tears falling on my nose.
“They found Josh in the kennels. He tried to stop them from taking the dogs” she said. “They shot him four times. He died at the hospital. “
“whoo?” I growled low.
“The police don’t know, Joan. They were waiting for me at the hospital. They asked me a lot of questions about our business contacts and wanted all our records. They took me down there… to the lab. The place was pretty torn up. I didn’t tell them about you. They think you were taken with the rest. Jimmy is nowhere to be found. I guess that is good news. He hasn’t tried to call me again though. If they have taken him he is probably not going to give us up easily.” I growled again.
“I did manage to get this”, she smiled weakly as she pulled a white collar with a small box attached near the throat.
“This is the new collar Jimmy’s been working on for you.” She pulled my traditional leather collar off by slipping over my head without loosening the catch. “It’s also got a motion sensor to turn off the power and save the battery if you aren’t going to use it for long periods” she said, pushing a small pill shaped power switch on the side.
“To turn it back on, give your head a good shake. Unfortunately, for it to really pick up your vocal chords properly we need to pull it pretty tight.” I swallowed for room as she cinched the collar against my throat.
“Thanks Amanda”, said Jimmy’s old girlfriend’s voice. Amanda looked at me with a sad smile. “What do we do now?” I continued
“It’s late, we need to get some rest, I’ve told my parents that you are not a normal dog, but my mom pretty much figured that out already. They don’t know about you talking yet. My dad is going to watch over us tonight, just in case the people responsible for this figure out that they don’t have the right dog and decide that I’m likely to run home. The police don’t know you are here, like I said.” She hesitated for a second. “Do you want me to call them and tell them about you?”
“Will they take me away from you?” I paused, “And from Jimmy?” I asked. “You are the only family I’ve got. “I don’t want to lose you too!” I blurted out. “I’ve already put you in danger!”
“You leave that to me!” said a gruff male voice from the direction of the kitchen door. I jumped. It is very unusual for me not to hear someone coming. Amanda’s father came down the steps into the garage and looked down at the two of us huddled on the floor.
“You two will be safe here tonight and tomorrow we are going to find that kid you both seem to think so highly of” he grimaced.
“Thank you sir” I said rising and meeting his gaze. He looked back at me and slowly started shaking his head.
“Name’s Pete” he said gruffly, as he bent over to scratch me between the ears. I stood still and tried not to enjoy this too much. I waited for him to straighten before saying what was on my mind.
“I want to thank you for taking me into your home” I said softly. “I can’t imagine how afraid you must be for your daughter and your wife right now. The people who came after me… The people who killed Josh…” I continued.
“It’s not your fault Joan!” Amanda interrupted
“No, but it’s not fair, or safe, to put you and your family in this situation. If it wasn’t that I want more than anything to find Jimmy and make sure he’s safe, I’d already be gone, so that they don’t come after me here and hurt Amanda or your wife. But to find him, I think I’m going to need some help. I promise that I will do everything I can not to let anything happen to your family. Even if it means, I’m taken”. I finished. The words hung there in the air for several seconds as the man processed the level of meaning I had managed to convey. It’s one thing to come to terms with the idea that a dog can talk, another to realize, that she is on a par with you for content.
“No wonder they tore the place up” he said slowly. “Are you really the only one?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so, sir” I replied. “A freak of both science and nature. And now that Josh is dead, I’ll probably be the only one for quite some time.”
“It’s going to take a lot to get used to just one of you” he chuckled softly before turning back up the stairs and going into the house. I could hear him whistling softly under his breath. Amanda soon followed after him, telling me to try and get some rest. As quiet as they tried to be, however, I could hear them talking long into the night.