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little, and swallowed nervously before she spoke. Skye knew that did not bode well for her or the shelter.
    “She called as well, but she sent her regrets. She said that she realizes we rely on her help, but apparently, she plans on contributing towards an expansion of the city shelter this year.” The receptionist’s voice cracked.
    “What? No! That can’t be right. She objects to euthanizing animals. She was whole-heartedly no-kill!” Skye realized the pitch of her voice had risen - a sign of her current desperation.
    “I’m sorry, Skye. It seems that someone else convinced her otherwise. Maybe you should phone her and find out more for yourself. She wasn’t prepared to give me any specifics.”
    Skye nodded, and gritting her teeth, she headed into her office. She contacted Ms. Fuller, the aged widow of a local industrialist, immediately.
    “Hannah, Marina tells me that you won’t be supporting us this year for the sake of the city pound. Is this true? Please tell me she misinterpreted what you told her.”
    The older woman at the other end of the line sounded somewhat sorry yet decided.
    “I know it’s not something you wanted to hear, Skye my dear, but the fact is that while your shelter is idealistic, it is not realistic. The number of strays in the city is multiplying, and shelters like yours truly cannot accommodate them all. While I’m not fond of euthanasia as a solution, it really is the only practical way to bring their population under control, and we aren’t making best use of our resources with the way things stand. Dr. Taurian says...”
    “Dr. Taurian?” Skye interrupted, practically frothing at the mouth at the mention of his name. “That murderer? He’s the one that convinced you to do this? I’m begging you to reconsider, Hannah. He plays at caring about the animals, but he slaughters them heartlessly. Think about it, please. You got your Smitty here. He was housed at our shelter for almost seven months before you adopted him. If he were at the city pound, they would have killed him long before that.”
    “I’m well aware of that, my dear, but the fact is that if he had been put down, I would have simply opened my home to some other unfortunate furry soul, one that was equally deserving. There’s no lack of animals needing homes, and not enough people out there wanting pets. I do feel bad about leaving you with a gap in your funding, but my mind is made up. I want the most effective results from my charity dollars. Dr. Taurian has convinced me that this is a humane solution and the best for all involved.”
    Dr. Taurian, Skye thought bitterly, more like the Dr. Kevorkian of the animal world. The man was more than just a thorn in her side – he was the entire thorn bush, drawing blood from multiple wounds.
    She spent almost an hour on the phone with Mrs. Fuller, but did not succeed in changing her mind. Dr. Taurian had bewitched her and clearly had her under his thumb. Why he felt inclined to encourage this expansion, Skye just could not understand. How exactly would it benefit him? Was he some sort of sadist who got an extra kick out of playing volunteer executioner?
    She was absolutely drained, as far as her psyche was concerned, when it came time to play hostess at the luncheon for their remaining two benefactors. She put on a happy face, and a gracious smile, and gave it her best. Thankfully, Skye was able to secure their support for another year, and she at least had that to cling to when they finally left. That prevented things from going from bad to worse, but it did not resolve the biggest of her problems. Skye would have to scramble to fill that funding gap left by Mrs. Fuller and Dr. Taurian’s interference as quickly as possible, if at all.
    With that idea in mind, she ended up staying at the office long past her regular work hours, phoning every prior donor in the books and appealing to them to back the shelter again. She met with some success, but not enough to make up