Listen to Your Heart - Fern Michaels [39]
“The man will die if he eats all that,” Josie sputtered. “Celia will get fat!”
“No doubt. You asked me what he does for a living. He’s a venture capitalist. I don’t even know what that is, but he makes tons of money.”
“I’m tired just thinking about all that food. Let’s do the dishes in the morning. I just want to take a shower and go to bed. Did they pay for the wine tonight?”
“Yep, all four bottles. Everything was included in the one check. I’ll lock the car and be in in a minute. I don’t hear the dogs barking.”
“They’re probably sound asleep and snoring. For a little dog, Rosie snores real loud. Kittyyyyy!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Look! The door is broken—it’s off the hinges. Zip got out. Oh, God, what am I going to tell Paul? Rosie! Come here, Rosie. Where are you, baby? Help me look for her, Kitty. Oh, God, what if she went on the run with Zip. People steal dogs all the time for experiments.”
“Didn’t you lock the door Josie?”
“Of course I locked the door. One swipe of his paw and Zip can move the dead bolt. You saw him do it. He got the big door open and just slammed through the screen door. Maybe Paul came here and he wanted out. That’s it. I bet he’s at Paul’s house. Keep looking, Kitty, while I call. There’s no answer,” she said, disgust ringing in her voice. “I’m going over there!”
“Not without me, you aren’t. I’ll drive.”
“That son of a bitch stole my dog. I know it. How could he do that, Kitty?”
“We don’t know that he did, Josie. If he did, I’ll help you kill him. I told you not to take his dog. Did you listen? No, you did not.”
Josie was out of the car before Kitty turned off the engine. She raced around the back of the house to the French doors. A second later she was inside, her hand on the light switch. “Rosie! Rosie! Come on, baby. Damn, they aren’t here! Zip would be barreling through the house barking his head off. Unless they’re upstairs in his room and the door is closed.” She galloped up the steps, taking them two at a time as she called her dog’s name over and over, Kitty just behind her.
“There’s no one here, Kitty. The bed is unmade. There was no car in the driveway.”
“Maybe he’s out walking them,” Kitty said. “It is a possibility.”
“No, it isn’t, and you know it. He’s gone. The dogs are gone. The house is dark. He took my dog!”
“Hey, look at these pictures. They look familiar. Do they look familiar to you, Josie?”
Josie barely glanced in the direction of the long dresser. “No, and I’m not interested in his family. Who cares what they look like? I want my dog!”
“Are you sure he was here today?”
“I saw him with my own eyes. He was sleeping in that damn bed! That bed!” Josie said, pointing to the king-size bed. He’s probably out wining and dining some other fool so she’ll watch his dog and mine, too. Do you have any idea how much I hate that man? Well, do you?”
“I think I have a pretty good idea. Let’s drive around with the windows down. We can call out.”
“It’s almost midnight. Do you want to get locked up for disturbing the peace?” Josie said. “What if they ran off somewhere? Rosie doesn’t know how to fend for herself.”
“Get in the car, Josie. We’ll drive around real slow. If they’re on the loose, they’ll pick up our scent. For now it’s all we can do. In the morning you can call his offices or come back to the house. We’ll think of something by then. Hey, maybe they’ll be on the porch waiting for us when we get home.”
It was two o’clock when Kitty turned off the headlights of the Explorer. There were no joyful barks coming from the back porch. She felt like crying. “I’ll make some coffee, and you can call the police. The night patrols might spot them if they are on the loose. I know they’re safe, Josie. I just know it.”
Josie nodded, her face miserable.
“And how are we feeling this morning, Mr. Brouillette?” a young nurse asked cheerfully.
“We