Chapter 5
Once she arrived backat the rescue office, Holly Grace struggled to get the crate containing the shepherd mix out the backseat of her Civic. She didn’t want to cuss, or make any loud noises, or gestures, for fear of scaring the dog. But dad gummit! This was a mess. The crate was really wedged in there.
The sweet shepherd’s anxious eyes cut her to the heart. “It’s okay, sweetie. I’m going to leave you out here by yourself just for a few minutes, okay?” The dog’s ears twitched, but otherwise she seemed okay. Holly Grace gently closed the car door, cutting of the chilly wind blowing across the parking lot and straight into the car.
She entered the office and found both Alice and Mollie at their desks. “I got the dog. A sweet female shepherd mix. She seems okay. Just skinny and skittish.”
“No trouble coaxing her to come to you?” Alice asked. “We kept expecting the phone to ring and you to ask for assistance.”
Holly Grace shifted from foot to foot, reluctant to confess that Gage Lewis had helped her with the dog. After that electric shock when their hands met, she wasn’t sure what to think and didn’t want to discuss it with her friends until she’d digested it herself. On the other hand, she hated lying. “As a matter of fact, Ian and Piper’s friend happened to come by and helped me with the capture.”
The others looked at each other, then back at her.
“Really.” Alice said in a smooth voice. “Wasn’t that quite the coincidence.”
This was exactly why she hadn’t wanted to admit that Gage had helped her. She could see from the expression on Alice’s face that she was mentally making a much bigger deal out of the meeting than it had been.
“I need to get the dog into the system and ready for fostering.” Holly Grace said to change the subject.
The others looked around.
“Where is she?” Asked Mollie.
“I can’t get the crate out of the car.” Holly Grace confessed. “It’s wedged in tight. I thought I’d come on in and call the vet to see if I can bring her over there for a once over instead of getting her out and then back into the car.”
Mollie nodded. “Good idea.” She reached for the phone on her desk, dialed and listened. After confirming with their vet that they could take the dog now, Mollie hung up and nodded to Holly Grace. “They said bring her on in.”
“Great!” Holly Grace turned to go back outside.
“Wait.” Mollie called.
She turned; eyebrows raised. “I heard something that I wanted to talk to you about.”
Holly Grace moved to the chair next to Mollie’s desk and sat. “Yes?”
Mollie gave her a once over. “Remember I told you that kennel you hate is being investigated again?”
She nodded.
“I heard this morning that someone had called in an anonymous tip that got the investigation started.”
Holly Grace remained still.
“Were you the one that called it in?”
Holly Grace noticed Alice pretending not to be listening, but her ears were all but flapping.
“What if I was?” Holly Grace asked. “Those people are running a puppy mill out there and need to be stopped.”
Mollie sighed. “I had a feeling it was you. That was a dangerous thing to do, Holly Grace. Those people make a lot of money off their operation and are furious that they’re under investigation again. If they find out it was you that got it started, they might do something in retaliation.”
Holly Grace crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t care. They need to be stopped. And, since there is an investigation going on, I don’t believe they’ll do something so risky as retaliating against me. And that’s assuming they find out it was me. It was an anonymous tip.”
Mollie shook her head. “You are such an innocent sometimes, Holly Grace. People have a way of finding out things in small towns like this. You know that.”
“I do know that.” She agreed. “And I’ll be careful. But I’m not sorry I did it.”
She stood to go out to the dog. It must be getting anxious by now. She hadn’t intended to be inside this long.
“I’m going to take the dog to the vet, then head over to the town square to help finish up things for the big tree lighting and party at the train depot tonight. Are y’all going to be there?”
Both women agreed that they would see her there.
