Chapter Nine
On the following Monday Laura returned to day shift. Even though the new alarm procedures had been instituted the prior Friday, she still heard some grumbling about the changes. Over the weekend Trish had lost the piece of paper her user code had been written on, which earned her a chewing-out from Isaiah. As a result, he called a staff meeting and insisted everyone in the building show up, even the office personnel. It was the first time Laura had attended a meeting at the clinic. It felt strange to see both vets and all the employees gathered together in one room. Tucker’s team huddled together in a group, and Isaiah’s people collected in another. Only the kennel people worked essentially for both vets. Because Laura was the only kennel keeper working that shift, she was the only one present.
Isaiah opened the dialogue by stressing to every-one, not once but twice, that each person’s security code was unique and highly confidential. “I strongly advise that all of you memorize your number,” he said, “and then destroy the paper it’s written on. Treat it like a PIN number for your cash card. Guard it with your life.”
Laura expected that to be the end of it, but Isaiah surprised her. With a thoughtful glance in her direction, he went on to say, “Last Thursday morning, a dog was found almost dead when Susan opened the clinic. The animal nearly bled to death because a kennel gate had been left unlatched.”
Everyone looked at Laura. Her cheeks burned with humiliation. The room went so quiet that she could hear the people around her breathing.
“Because Laura worked the Wednesday night shift, everyone, including Tucker and me, assumed she was responsible. We all owe her an apology.”
Tucker flashed Laura a grin and touched a fingertip to his brow in a mock salute. “You’ve definitely got one coming from me, Laura. I’m sorry for jumping to the wrong conclusions.”
Isaiah smiled slightly and then went on. “Because Laura so vehemently denied all responsibility, I decided to check the security company’s alarm records to see if anyone else had entered the building on Wednesday night, and sure enough, someone had. We also discovered that it wasn’t the only time last week that someone slipped into the building while Laura was working. It wasn’t Laura who tripped the alarm on Monday night. We’ve proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt. That leads us to wonder if it was Laura who got the dog food mixed up in kennel three and four that same night. There’s every possibility that our prankster switched the bowls while Laura was working in another part of the building.”
James, who stood nearly a head taller than all the female techs, sent Laura a horrified look. Belinda put a hand on Laura’s shoulder and said, “That’s terrible. Laura could have been fired.”
Tucker acknowledged the point with a nod. “Instead of focusing on that, though, we’d like to concentrate on prevention. Nothing like this can happen again.” Tucker spoke for several more minutes, concluding with, “If Dusty had died, the clinic could be facing a lawsuit, which would have affected everyone’s job.” He winced. “Including mine. Isaiah and I are just getting our feet solidly under us. We can’t afford to pay off a large settlement and keep the doors open.”
“Surely you have liability insurance,” Belinda said.
“We do,” Isaiah inserted. “But there’s a ceiling on each claim.” He glanced at his brother. “Being fairly new vets, we went for the economy package with a rather large deductible. As we’ve all come to realize from working here, people love their pets. They’re upset enough when they lose a dog or cat to unavoidable complications or an incurable illness. Just imagine the reaction if they learned that a pet was deliberately harmed by someone in our employ.”
“Lawsuit time,” one of Tucker’s techs chimed in. “I’d sue if it was me. Wouldn’t you?”
“I think most pet owners would at least consider suing,” Tucker agreed. “And in the event that they did, Isaiah and I would be looking at a whole lot more than the cost of the animal. We’d probably get stuck for pain and suffering as well, not to mention wrongful death. And the cost of our liability insurance would go clear through the roof.
“And,” Tucker added, “there’s also our reputations to think about. Things like that make the local news. People might hesitate to bring their pets here for medical care. As a result, our practice would suffer. No question about it: If that dog had died, it would have had a negative effect on everyone in this room. For that reason we want to take every possible precaution to protect you and ourselves until this individual is caught.”
“Which is why protecting your security code is so important.” Isaiah paused to look each person in the eye. “If you lose your number and it falls into the wrong person’s hands, you could find yourself in a very unpleasant situation. If your code is used to enter the building and do harm to an animal, you’ll look guilty, and Tucker and I won’t hesitate to file charges against you.”
“You’re making me feel like a criminal,” Trish said with a humorless laugh.
“I’m feeling that way, too,” James seconded. “Most of us have worked here for a while now. Seems to me that we’ve earned a measure of trust.”
Isaiah smiled. “You’re each, in your own special way, an important member of a team, whether you work primarily with Tucker or with me, so please don’t take this personally. We aren’t pointing the finger at anyone. We’re just giving you a stern warning so you don’t lose your codes and inadvertently get blamed for something you didn’t do.”
Val spoke up. “It bothers me to think that someone deliberately left the gate open.” She looked Laura’s way. “As upsetting as it was to think that Laura might get fired, at least I knew she hadn’t done it maliciously. What kind of person does? And why in God’s name did such a person go to work in a veterinary clinic, where we’re all supposed to love animals?”
“We don’t have any answers,” Tucker replied kindly. Then he added, “Yet.” His voice rang with grim promise. “Eventually we hope to learn the person’s identity. Perhaps then we can tell you more.”
As uncomfortable as the meeting was for Laura, she could hold her head a little higher once it adjourned. She had received a public apology from both Tucker and Isaiah, and she’d been cleared of any wrongdoing. Nevertheless, there was a downside. She found herself looking into the eyes of her coworkers at unexpected times, wondering if he or she was the person who’d so cleverly framed her.
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, Laura once again found herself in charge of decorating the clinic for the holiday, which made the following two weeks seem to pass in a blur. To her great relief, nothing more happened at the clinic that was notable during that time. It was almost as if the tightened security and the revelations made by Tucker and Isaiah at the staff meeting had frightened the prankster and made him or her back off.
On the Monday prior to Thanksgiving, when Val posted the holiday work schedule in both surgeries, Laura anxiously studied it. Over the upcoming four-day weekend, only the office personnel would be exempt from having to work a few hours. Even though the clinic itself would be closed, the hospitalized animals would require care. Laura was glad to see that her holiday shift was on Friday morning, which gave her the remainder of the long weekend off. She would be able to spend Thanksgiving Day at the Coulters’, as planned.
When Laura wasn’t working during Thanksgiving week, she spent her time dressing up her apartment with season-appropriate colors and baking all kinds of goodies. She made cookies and tarts to take to the clinic. She baked pumpkin and apple pies, storing them in the freezer until she could cart them over to the Coulters’ for Thanksgiving dinner.
Before she knew it, Thanksgiving eve arrived. She’d just put in the oven a casserole of baked beans, which she’d prepared as a side dish for the holiday meal the next day, and was rummaging through her closet, searching frantically for something to wear, when her phone rang. Groaning, she threw herself across the bed to grab the portable.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Laura. This is James.”
> Laura smiled and rolled onto her back. She liked James Masterson. Though he was a tech and worked primarily with Isaiah, he often visited the kennels to care for the dogs. He always came bearing treats and spent a few minutes with each canine. There was a gentle air about him that Laura considered to be rare in a young man.
“James! Hello. To what do I owe this honor?”
“I, um, I . . . I just—” He broke off and gulped audibly.
Normally it was Laura who did the stammering. Her smile faded, giving way to concern. “Are you all right?”
“Fine, I’m fine.” He swallowed again, the sound a hollow plunk over the line. “Look, I know I’m calling at the last minute and you p-probably have plans, but I was, um, just wondering what you’re doing tomorrow. My folks are in Reno. I thought we might get together and, well, you know, just hang out.”
Laura’s heart caught. It had been a very long time since she’d heard a young man stammer with nervousness as he asked her out. James? She guessed him to be in his very early twenties, which was way too young for her. Still, it was flattering to know that he had a crush on her.
Not wishing to hurt his feelings, she searched her mind for the right thing to say. “Oh, James, I would have loved to hang out with you, but I’ve already made plans.”
“Ah.”
She sat up and pushed her hair from her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m going with my grandmother to a friend’s house for dinner.” Laura thought it best not to mention that the friend was their boss’s mother. “This is the first big holi-day since my parents moved away. I’m the only family Gram has left in town, and I really should spend the day with her.”
“Oh.” He sounded deflated. “Well, sure, you’ll be spending the day with her then. I totally understand. It was just a thought. You know—me facing the day alone. I thought maybe you were in a similar fix and might want company.”
Laura wished with all her heart that she could invite James to the Coulters’ for dinner, but that wasn’t her place. “I’m sorry. No one should be alone on Thanks-giving.”
“Ah, well. I’ll rent some flicks and have a few beers. Well . . .” His voice trailed away.
Laura quickly said, “Thank you so much for thinking of me, James. It was sweet of you. If I didn’t have plans, I’d love to say yes.”
“Oh, well, sure. Of course I thought of you. We work together and all.”
Laura frowned as she hung up the phone. It bothered her to think that James would be alone on Thanksgiving. She went to the kitchen to fish her cell phone from her purse. Punching the keys to bring the symbols up in the window, she scrolled down until she saw the balloon, which her grandmother had programmed for Isaiah the same morning that she’d assigned the cake to the clinic. Laura had never bothered her boss at home before, but she felt this was important.
“Hello?” His voice came over the line, deep and silky.
“Hi, Isaiah, this is Laura.”
“Laura! I was just going to call you.”
“You were?”
“Yeah, to confirm for tomorrow. You still planning to go?”
Laura leaned her hips against the cupboards. “I am. That’s sort of why I phoned. James just called to see if I’d like to hang out with him tomorrow.”
Silence. Then, his voice suddenly taut, Isaiah said, “Is that so?”
His change of tone took Laura by surprise. “Yes. His parents went to Reno, and he’ll be alone. I feel bad about it.”
“I didn’t know you and James were that thick.”
“We’re just friends. Of all the techs I see him the most. When he visits the kennels he always stays for a bit.”
“He does, does he?”
Laura raised her eyebrows. “You sound upset. Am I missing something?”
He hesitated, then said, “Thursday night when I met with Tucker, we discussed the possibility that the person who set you up might be a man who fancies himself in love with you—someone you’ve inadvertently ignored or offended.”
Knees suddenly weak, Laura walked to the table and sank onto a chair. “James?”
“He is a man, and he obviously has a thing for you.”
“I think of him more as a kid.”
“My point exactly. Being treated like a kid can piss a guy off. Hurts his ego. You understand?”
Laura understood perfectly. It was just that she’d never picked up on any anger in James.
“Normally a man doesn’t ask a woman to spend Thanksgiving Day with him unless he has the hots for her,” he added.
Laura recalled how James had stammered when he phoned, giving her the impression that he had a crush on her. “I’ve always been nice to James. If he has a thing for me, as you say, I’ve given him no reason to be mad at me.”
“Maybe you just haven’t been nice enough to suit him,” Isaiah countered. “Whoever did this has some screw loose, honey. And that’s not always something you can tell just by talking to a guy. What you may perceive as being nothing more than a friendly-coworker kind of thing could be the romance of the century to him. At some point maybe he was talking to you, and you got distracted. Or walked away because you had work to do. You just can’t know what might set a fruitcake off.”
James, a fruitcake? Laura felt sick. Someone was out to get her. That was an undeniable fact. But, oh, God, she didn’t want it to be James. When she thought about it, though, she couldn’t think of any-one at the clinic she did want it to be.
“Oh, Isaiah,” she whispered shakily. “And here I was, calling to ask if he could be in-vited to the dinner.”
He sighed, and then she heard the sound of his footsteps, Western boots walking on tile. “We can invite him, I guess. His having a thing for you doesn’t necessarily mean he’s guilty of anything. It only means he bears watching.”
“I just hate for him to eat dinner alone.”
“I’ll give him a ring and invite him to join us.” The sound of running water came over the line. “The more the merrier.”
“Will your mother mind?”
He chuckled dryly. “The house will be so packed she probably won’t notice. Coulter holiday dinners all begin with the chaotic placement of chairs.”
Laura forgot her worries about James and smiled into the phone. “Chairs?” she repeated.
“Oh, yes. Eating until we’re stuffed is only one of the many highlights. Chairs are the first order of business. I’m one of six kids, remember, and Tucker and I are the only ones who haven’t gotten married and started multiplying. Bethany and her husband, Ryan, have two kids. Jake and his wife, Molly, have one and another on the way. Then there’s Hank, Carly, and their baby. Zeke, Natalie, and their two kids make four more, and Mom absolutely has to invite the entire Westfield clan.”
“Who are they?”
“Zeke’s wife’s family. Then, at Mom’s insistence, Tucker will bring a date. Your grandmother and some guy named Frank will be there. You and I make another couple. And, knowing my mom, she invited the Kendricks, all their shirttail relatives, and half the hands from Zeke and Hank’s ranch, the Lazy J.” He paused, muttering numbers under his breath as he tried to take a head count. “How many does that make?”
“You’re asking me?”
He laughed again. “Get out your beans, lady.”
“I think that’s more than twenty,” she pointed out. “You’re on your own.”
“Damn. I forgot to count my folks. Picture sardines squirming in a can. My parents’ house isn’t that large. I always wonder how my mom pulls it off, but somehow she always does. They rent folding tables and chairs, and she gets those white plastic tablecloths that look like linen. We don’t put the tables up until it’s time to eat. Until then we just line the living room with two rows of chairs. First thing when we arrive, we all go to work. That way everyone can find a place to sit. It’s always mass confusion, with everybody talking at once, and kids darting through the maze, narrowly avoiding injury from a chair leg to the head.”
It sounded like fun to
Laura, who had always enjoyed her own family gatherings. Only the thought of facing such a large number of strangers made her palms go sweaty. “What should I wear?”
“Clothes.”
She snorted and then blushed at the noise she’d made. “You know what I mean. Do they dress up?”
“You’ll see a little of everything, jeans, slacks, dresses. Don’t worry about it.”
“I want to fit in.”
“You’ll look great no matter what. Honestly, it’s not a worry.”
Laura had just been looking through her closet for something suitable to wear. Now she wished she’d gone shopping for a new outfit—or possibly whipped one up on her sewing machine.
A silence fell over the line—the kind of silence that occurs when two people find themselves on the phone with nothing more to say.
“Well.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll phone James and give him an invite.”
Laura nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her. “If you’re sure it’ll be all right with your mother, that will be nice. At least he’ll have somewhere to go.”
“I’ll be there about noon. If you can make it that early, great. If not, the actual meal will begin around three thirty.”
Laura didn’t want to arrive right before dinner was served. It seemed rude not to socialize or offer to help in the kitchen. “Noon works.”
“Great. I’ll see you there, then.” Another silence. Then, “Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
When the conversation ended, Laura returned to her bedroom to resume the search of her closet. She’d just unearthed three winter dresses and was trying to choose among them when her phone rang again.
She grabbed the portable from where she’d tossed it onto the bed. “Hello?”
“Hi, Laura. Isaiah again. I just called James. He refused the invitation.”
“He did?”
“Flat.” He cleared his throat. “I got the impression he was none too happy to know that you’ll be spending the day with me.”
“It’s not like that, though.”