A Sinister Sense by Allison Kingsley Page B

street ahead of her and plunked his rear end down on the doorstep of Jordan’s Stationer’s.
    Unfortunately Roberta Prince was just coming out the door. She tripped over Tatters, tottered on her high heels down the step, and ended up in a heap on the sidewalk. Her howl of outrage could be heard all the way down the hill to the harbor.
    Clara reached her as she was climbing to her feet, one hand brushing dust from her pale lilac pants while shaking her fist at Tatters. “You disgusting animal! You should be locked up in a kennel. You’re a menace on the street.” She advanced on the dog. “Get off my doorstep.
Shoo!
”
    Tatters sat panting, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth almost as if he were grinning at her.
    Clara leapt forward and grabbed his collar. “Are you all right? You’re not hurt?”
    “No, but it’s a miracle I’m not.” Roberta glared at the dog. “Get that beast off my property. If he comes back again, I swear I’ll call the pound and have him picked up.”
    “He won’t be back.” Clara patted his silky head. “I’m taking him home with me.”
    Roberta stared at her. “Does Rick know that?”
    “Of course he does.” Clara glanced across the street. “We arranged it last night.”
    “Last night?” Roberta’s face turned a light pink. “I didn’t know you were on
those
kind of terms with Rick.”
    Clara rolled her eyes. Why was everyone so quick to link her with Rick Sanders? “I’m not on any terms with Rick. This is a business arrangement, that’s all.”
    “Oh, he’s
paying
you to take care of the dog.”
    Her demeaning tone set Clara’s teeth on edge. Deciding to let it go, she muttered, “I have to get him back to the store.” She tugged the dog’s collar. “Come on, Tatters. Good boy.”
    I’m not going back there.
    Clara jerked her hand from the collar. She’d never felt comfortable on the rare occasion she’d read someone’s thoughts, and although she’d suspected for some time that dogs understood what she said, this was the first time that she’d ever read a dog’s mind. She glanced at Roberta, but the other woman was gazing down the street with her usual bored expression.
    Clara scowled at Tatters. Just great. Now the dog was speaking in her head. That’s all she needed. She took hold of the collar again. “You’re going back there whether you like it or not.”
    Tatters yawned, and stayed where he was.
    “I suppose Rick had to do something about that beast,” Roberta said, “now that he won’t be around to take care of things himself.”
    Still shaken by what had just happened, Clara stared at her. “What do you mean by that?”
    Roberta shrugged. “It’s all over the news. He’s been arrested.” She started down the street calling over her shoulder, “I thought you would have known that, considering your
business
arrangement.”
    Clara didn’t even bother to answer her. She laid her hand on the back of Tatters’ neck. “Let’s go,” she said firmly.
“Now.”
    Tatters shifted away from her, turned his head and licked her hand.
    Clara bent down and looked him in the eye. “Listen, Buster, if you don’t come with me this instant, I will take you to the pound. Do you know what happens to dogs who are left at the pound?”
    Tatters whined, got up and started across the street.
    If she hadn’t been so anxious about Rick, she would have been pleased with her small victory. Rushing behind Tatters into the store, she almost collided with John, who had apparently been watching her from the doorway.
    “Thank God,” he muttered as the dog fled past him.“Rick would have killed me if anything had happened to that stupid animal.”
    Clara glared at him. “Why didn’t you tell me Rick had been arrested?”
    “You didn’t exactly give me time. Besides, he hasn’t been arrested. He’s being held for questioning. It was all on the news. I thought you would have heard it by now.”
    Clara made a mental note to change the channel on