Doghouse by L. A. Kornetsky Page A

no sign of the old man. Hell, I don’t—no, sir. Yes, sir.”
    He grimaced, then nodded. “I’ll make sure of it, sir.” He ended the call, then pulled away from the curb and drove away.

4
    S cott Williams wasn’t the closest vet to where Ginny lived, by a considerable distance, and Teddy was quite sure that he wasn’t the cheapest in town. But they’d met him when he was volunteering at the shelter they were investigating, and Georgie had liked him. After a less-than-stellar experience with her first vet, Ginny had decided that she was willing to spend a little more money and time for a vet Georgie had rapport with.
    Especially since Teddy was sucker enough to drive them there when he had the time.
    â€œHi, Ms. Mallard, hey, Georgie,” the receptionist called out when they came in. “We’re running a little behind, but we’ll be ready for you in a few minutes. Oh, and who’s the cutie?”
    â€œI’ll assume you’re talking about the four-legged one,” Ginny said drily. “This is Parsifal, and no, he’s not mine. Neither’s the two-legged one.” Ginny tilted her head in his direction, and Teddy was suddenly under the intense scrutiny of five-foot-nothing of receptionist, and an only-slightly-taller male vet tech who showed up as though drawn by the scent of New Puppy.
    â€œI found him,” Teddy said awkwardly, feeling himself shift from foot to foot, even as the technician lifted the dog from Ginny’s arms and was expertly checking it over. “He’d been abandoned, I guess?”
    â€œYou guess?” the receptionist asked.
    â€œI found him in an abandoned house. We were . . . it’s complicated.” They weren’t cops, or even licensed investigators; despite his earlier bravado, technically he’d been trespassing, since Deke hadn’t actually given his okay, and since he was in the process of getting evicted Teddy didn’t even know if his permission would be valid.
    â€œWell, you did a good thing, taking him in,” the receptionist said. She was short, and round, and dark-skinned, with gray hair that curled around her head like a halo. “No collar? He’s a little thing, but we’ll see if he’s chipped, and check him for all the usual, yes?”
    â€œUm, yeah.” Teddy had the feeling that he’d just somehow been maneuvered into taking responsibility for the puppy. But it was for the case, right? The dog was evidence.
    He heard a door open and close, and then there was a scrabble of claws on the linoleum as Georgie abandoned Ginny and raced forward, reaching up to put her paws on the newcomer’s knees, putting her head within easy scratching range.
    Dr. Williams laughed, rubbing her flopped-over ears with affection. “Hi there, Georgie. You’re so good for my ego.”
    â€œShe knows you have chew treats,” Ginny said drily. “Not to knock down your canine charm, or anything.”
    â€œThat is my canine charm,” Williams said, even as hetook a treat out of his coat pocket and gave it to Georgie. “And I see you’ve brought us a new patient?”
    They must have had other animals in the back, other things to be doing, but Williams took the puppy from the tech and studied its eyes and ears, stretching out each leg briefly. The puppy stared back at the silver-haired human, whiskers trembling, and then lunged forward and licked his nose.
    â€œOh, yeah, you’re a real terror,” Williams said with a laugh. “C’mon in back, I’ll check him out quick while Alan does up Georgie, and get you on your way.”
    Teddy declined to go in the back with the puppy, feeling the need to distance himself from the entire situation. Not his dog. Ginny and Georgie disappeared into another room, and reappeared about fifteen minutes later. Georgie seemed as unflappably happy as ever, her stubby tail wagging when she saw