Read The More the Terrier for Free Online

decided against Mamie, she’ll start being assessed fees for the care of the animals, and if she doesn’t pay, she’ll be deemed to have abandoned them. With that number of animals, the cost will get pretty steep, so eventually she’ll probably have to stop paying and lose legal ownership of them anyway.”
    “I see.” I wondered if I could convince Mamie to surrender the animals right away. She seemed lucid at least part of the time.
    But as much as I found myself worrying about what would happen to Mamie, I was even more concerned about her supposed property.
    “You’ll keep me informed, won’t you?” I asked Matt. “About how all the animals are doing? And you’ll make sure that someone—”
    “Calls to let you know if any is in danger of being euthanized. Of course. That’s my main assignment from you these days, isn’t it?” Though his words were sarcastic, he sounded amused.
    “Sure is,” I agreed with a smile. The truth was that I enjoyed Matt’s company. Enjoyed our relationship, whatever it was. Just friends with benefits? A prelude to something more? Not as far as I was concerned.
    “I figured.” He glanced around, as if assuring himself that no other Animal Services folks were around, then bent and planted a quick kiss on my mouth. “I’ll be in touch.”
     
     
    I drove back to HotRescues as quickly as I could, trying not to think too much about what I’d just experienced.
    By then, it was late afternoon. I pulled into my designated spot in the parking lot and got out of my car—my dark gray Toyota Venza crossover. I loved this car, partly because I’d gotten it with a variety of pet-friendly accessories, which worked well for the director of a pet rescue facility.
    The air, unsurprisingly, was filled not only with the usual sounds of a few barking dogs, but also by mechanical and hammering noises.
    I smiled to myself as I got my purse from the car floor and used my key fob to lock the door. Those had been the usual sounds for a couple of months now. I was thrilled about the new building Dante was having constructed at HotRescues after buying the property next door.
    After the terrible things that had gone on at HotRescues a while ago—including a murder—I’d been certain that, despite having a security company on call, we had to have someone here at night. Having better sleeping quarters would be wonderful.
    The main buildings on the original HotRescues site consisted of our office at the front, a middle building containing other offices and some of the rescued animals, and a storage structure at the back that also contained our laundry facilities. There was no good place for someone to hang out overnight.
    Hence, the new building. The existing center building’s second floor, where the overnight security people slept on a couch in an empty office, would be converted into an apartment. All the offices currently located there would move into the new structure when it was completed, and there would be room for more small animals downstairs. The new property next door would also be fixed up with more kennels for larger dogs.
    HotRescues was growing.
    I walked through the side door into the welcome area. Nina was there at the table behind our attractive leopard-print reception desk, working on the computer. She turned just as Zoey, from somewhere near her feet, dashed toward me. I knelt and gave my dog a hug, hanging on as she wriggled in my arms and licked my cheek. Under other circumstances, her enthusiasm at our reunion would have made me laugh. Not today.
    “What happened?” Nina demanded. “Or shouldn’t I ask?”
    With a final pat on Zoey’s head, I rose. My face must have reflected my angst. No matter what that egotistical brat Bethany was claiming, she hadn’t done anything to save those poor animals. She certainly hadn’t acted fast enough, once she suspected what was going on.
    I’d been the one to call in the authorities. Not that I gave a damn about who received any