Дебора Хоу - Howliday Inn

I jumped. Harrison lunged. And he landed, face first, in a big puddle.

“Mmmphhgrrux,” he said (or something to that effect), as he lifted his head out of the mucky water. “Get off of me, you stupid cat!” He tried to shake Lyle loose, but Lyle was going nowhere.

“The game is up, NY7!” Lyle cried out. “Your spying days are over.” He dug his claws in to get a firmer hold, and Harrison let out a yelp. He struggled to his feet; Lyle held on tight.

“Taxi!” Chester cried out. “The ankles! I’ll join Lyle. And Harold—”

“Yes?” I asked. I wasn’t very good at rough stuff, so I wasn’t sure what I could do to be of help.

“Bark!” Chester commanded.

“But, Chester, you know how I hate the sound of barking.”

“Bark!” Chester ordered again.

I wasn’t sure what good it would do, but I did as I was told. Loudly, I barked. Howard joined in.

Chester jumped up onto Harrison’s back and Taxi began nipping at his ankles.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” Harrison cried. “Get off of me! Ouch!” Chester must have gotten in a good one. “What’s with you animals all of a sudden? Ow, Taxi, get away from my feet!” Harrison kicked at Taxi, who fell over backwards.

“Are you okay?” I asked, concerned that he’d hurt himself.

“I’m fine,” Taxi answered. He broke into a smile. “Isn’t this fun?” he asked. And then he dove for Harrison’s feet again.

“Break his thumbs!” Lyle was shouting gleefully. “We’ll teach him a thing or two!”

“Attaboy, Lyle!” Chester said encouragingly. “Come on, Harold, what happened to the barking?

Oh yeah.

“Woof! Woof!” I couldn’t help thinking how dumb I sounded, but, unfortunately, a dog’s vocabulary is limited. Just then, I heard a car pull into the driveway. Maybe “woof” wasn’t so dumb after all; it seemed to have done the job.

The gate to Chateau Bow-Wow flew open, and Jill and Dr. Greenbriar rushed in. They were followed by Max, Georgette and—yes, it had to be, it was—Louise!

“Okay, Harrison, that’s enough!” Dr. Greenbriar shouted.

Harrison froze to the spot. His eyes widened in amazement as his mouth fell open, and his flashlight fell to the ground. The light went out.

There was a long moment of silence, and then Jill’s voice cut through it like a knife.

“Harrison, how could you?” she said at last.

Harrison mumbled something under his breath, as Jill and Dr. Greenbriar moved in closer to confront him face to face. Lyle and Chester hung stubbornly from Harrison’s shoulders.

“I only hope, Harrison,” Dr. Greenbriar said, “for your sake as well as theirs, that no harm has come to any of these animals.”

“When I think of how I trusted you …” Jill interjected.

“How did … did you … how did you …” Harrison stuttered.

“Oh, I knew you were up to something after I called you tonight, Harrison,” Jill answered. “You were so strange on the phone. Nervous and jumpy. I’d never heard you like that before. And then, well, I thought about how weird it was that you were here instead of home in the first place. I mean, that dedicated you’re not.”

“I never should have answered the phone,” Harrison said weakly.

“Yes, that was your first mistake. And then on the way over here, we passed your house and found the dogs barking outside your window.”

“I don’t know what’s going on,” Dr. Greenbriar said, “but you and I have to talk, Harrison. First, I want to take a look at everyone and get them back into their bungalows. I’ll check on Howard and Heather and the kids. If they’re all right, we’ll leave them where they are for the night. Harrison, wait inside the office until I come in. I want a full explanation. And then …” and here he paused dramatically, staring into Harrison’s eyes, “… then we’ll decide your fate.”

Harrison hung his head as Dr. Greenbriar moved beyond him and through the opening in the fence. Jill stayed where she was.

“I just can’t believe you’d do such a thing!” she said vehemently, her eyes connecting with the top of Harrison’s unruly thatch of hair. “What got into you, anyway?” she demanded. “Was this how you were going to make a million dollars? By lying? And kidnapping?! And murder? And on top of everything, making it look like it was all my fault! I can’t believe it, that’s all! I just can’t believe you’re capable of such evil.”

Harrison continued to stare at the ground, avoiding Jill’s gaze.

“Well?” she asked after a moment. “Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?”

Harrison shrugged and lifted his head slightly. In a soft voice, he uttered his defense. “You can’t blame a person for trying.”

Jill just shook her head slowly and watched as Harrison shuffled off toward the office door. Then, she moved away to join Dr. Greenbriar in the storage shed. Chester and Lyle jumped down from Harrison’s shoulders. And Taxi came over to me with a piece of Harrison’s sock hanging from his mouth. A souvenir of his night of bravery, no doubt.

When he reached the office door, Harrison turned back and sighed heavily. I almost felt sorry for him then and turned to Chester to tell him so.

“Don’t waste your pity,” Chester replied. “When I tell you about Harrison, you’re not going to have such a soft spot in your heart for him.”

Just then, Louise walked over to me. “Scott,” she said to me softly. I wanted to remind her that my name was Harold, but she continued before I could say anything. “Scott, I know you have held out hope that we’d get together. But I am going back to Chip. He wants me … and, well, I am wanting him. I’m going to forgive and forget. No matter what has been between him and Liza. Forgive and forget, Scott, I hope you can understand.” She walked back to Max’s side.

Chester and I turned to each other.

“What terrible thing did Harrison do to Louise?” I asked in shock. “Mind control?”

“Worse,” Chester answered. “Two days of afternoon television.”

I looked back at Louise and a feeling of horror overwhelmed me. Chester was right. There could be no pity for Harrison.

Chapter 11 - In the Days That Followed …

IN THE DAYS that followed, a calm fell over Chateau Bow-Wow. After that fateful night, the storm died down and was replaced by hot, sunny weather. Heather was moved indoors with her babies; and Howard, when he wasn’t inside visiting, was proudly extolling the virtues of family life. He also handed out bones on which he’d written, “It’s a boy … and a boy … and a girl … and a boy … and a girl … and a girl … and a boy.” I was very moved by his gift. Chester was nauseated.

“Typical dog present,” he grunted after Howard walked away.

“What do you mean ‘typical’?”

“You wouldn’t catch a cat giving out used bones,” he replied, as he rolled over on his back to bask in the sun. After a moment, he added, “Yuck! Just the thought of it—”

“Hello, Harold,” a voice called out. It was Taxi, stopping by to chat. I told him I was sorry for thinking he might have murdered Louise and Chester, and he readily accepted my apology.

“Under the circumstances,” he said to me, “it’s understandable that you’d think I might have done it. After what I said about poison, I mean—”

“Yes,” I replied, “and you seemed pretty upset about Max and Georgette, too.”

“Well, I was a little jealous, I’ll admit. But, Harold, do you really think I’d murder someone just because I was jealous?”

I was embarrassed that such a thought had ever crossed my mind. Chester, naturally, wasn’t embarrassed in the least.