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Spike – A Novel (Chapter 9)

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Chapter 9

It was now 4:15 am. Bob Keller and his 2 rookies were almost half-way down the path to the lake. Bob knew better than to tell Howard that his 2 men were rookies and women, at that. (The reason they were outside, rather than inside was to prevent a scene while Bob was questioning Howard.)

Carol Janson was a thin blond in her late 20’s. She was alert at all times and seemed to have the strength of a bull. Beverly Liftken, on the other hand, was a brunette, a little older, a little heavier and definitely not as strong as a bull. However, she was level headed, intelligent, and did everything by the book.

It was Carol who first saw something in the path. Her flashlight drifted across something and Carol immediately passed the light across the path again. “Bev-” Carol yelled out and turned her face to the bushes. She had never seen a murder victim since she had been on the job for just 3 weeks.

Beverly quickly came up the path to meet Carol. “Oh, my God. Sergeant Keller!” Bob was right behind the two women and was horrified at what he saw. The body of young Elizabeth was covered with crimson blood, glistening in the faint light of the morning. “What in God’s name happened here? We’ve got what appears to be deep scratches and torn flesh. She may have encountered a large wild animal.” Pumas have been known to walk the woods but they were scarce. “We won’t know for sure what has happened until we get the forensic team here. Carol, make that call and don’t disturb anything here.”

The town of Sandy Oaks was small but had an excellent team of law enforcement and forensic investigators. The Medical Examiner was an older man with a spotless reputation. He was sometimes called away to testify in court regarding high-profile murder cases. The forensic team was sometimes called to aid in special cases in surrounding towns because those towns were even smaller than Sandy Oaks.

Carol did as Bob instructed. The Medical Examiner was on his way as were 3 forensic specialists. As she put her cell phone back into her pocket, she glanced up the road toward the Johnston’s house. There was a light in the distance and she knew Howard and Jen were waiting for news. No parent wants to hear news like this, she thought.

 

 

Just in case you missed the first 8 chapters or need to refresh your memory, you can follow the links below! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8

Bullseye

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This past week has been a busy one. With Christmas baking and (a little) decorating, also came a big veterinary bill.

The Thursday before Christmas, Jack came in from his usual daily outing with a bloody foot and more damage than I first thought. I’m pretty sure he tangled with a stray cat. He was obviously in some pain and favoring both legs on his right side. I was especially concerned about the front leg because he was not bearing weight on it at all. I thought maybe something was broken or dislocated. I was lucky enough to get an appointment the very next day – I didn’t want him to suffer through the holidays. I knew it would be at the very least the Wednesday right after Christmas before I could get him in again. So off we went to the vet.

We have been to this vet clinic several times and have only seen the one vet, Dr. Missy. She wasn’t available that day so we got to see Dr. Ritchie. This Dr. Ritchie was old and seemed like he should be retired, in my opinion. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not against people working well into their 80’s but he just didn’t seem to know what he was doing.

First, I told Dr. Ritchie about my concerns. He felt of the legs. I had to point out all the wounds because he couldn’t find them. That’s not all he couldn’t find. He went to take Jack’s temperature and was holding Jack’s tail up and poking around back there… After a couple of minutes, I asked, “Is there a problem back there?” Dr. Ritchie said, “No. I just can’t find the bullseye,” and it wasn’t until he took his glasses OFF that he found it. Poor Jack probably wondered what the fuck that strange man was doing back there.

Jack got an antibiotic injection at my request because it’s hard for me to give meds with my mobility issues. So, home we went but I wasn’t feeling too confident about Jack’s condition.

The day after Christmas, I called and got another appointment. This time with another vet I was not familiar with. Dr. Missy was booked. We saw her husband instead. He seemed to have his noodle in working order. Jack had no broken bones or dislocated joints, thank goodness. However, there was one wound located in the crook of his elbow – if that’s what it’s called in feline anatomy, I don’t know but close enough – where the muscle had been punctured resulting in so much pain he wouldn’t bear weight. We ended up with 4 x-rays, an anti-inflammatory fast-dissolve pill, and another antibiotic – in liquid form, yay. Why so many x-rays, you may be wondering? Jack has an oddly formed clavicle unlike any other the vet had seen before so he wanted to make sure it was the same on the other side. It was. I just have a weird cat. Another weird cat, I should say.

It’s been hell trying to give that cat his meds! I can’t believe how strong he is! But we are getting the meds in him and he is finally starting to bear weight again. He uses it some, he limps a little, and then he’s back to hopping with that one foot up. It’s progress. He’s becoming more and more restless each day. He wants back outside and he doesn’t know it yet but he will be an inside cat only from now on.

 

Spike – A Novel (Chapter 4)

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Chapter 4

Elizabeth had no idea what happened. It seemed as though she tripped over something, but there was nothing in the path. The moonlight was bright enough to see everything very clearly. She jumped to her feet and began dusting herself off.

What was that? she asked herself. She looked up the path. She heard a shuffling in the bushes up ahead. Must be my imagination, she thought. She continued on with her walk back to the house. She heard the noise again. Must have been a rabbit. There are lots of rabbits out here this time of year. Another shuffle. She turned to her right. The glowing emerald green eyes frightened her at first.

“Spike! You scared the daylights out of me. Come here, sweetie.” Elizabeth motioned him to come…and he did.

He came swiftly out of the bushes and sank his teeth into her ankle. His claws latched onto her foot and calf. She screamed out in pain as she tried to shake him off. She fell in the attempt. She kicked and screamed and tried to free herself, but before she knew it Spike went for her face. He bit her cheek and scratched at her eyes.

Elizabeth tried to protect her face, but Spike bit even harder. She tried to get off the ground but Spike made it impossible. She tried to scream even louder than before but Spike was at her throat now. His teeth sank deeply into her neck. He ripped at her throat violently. She was becoming very weak.

Elizabeth had never known this level of pain before. It was quickly draining away, pain and blood. Her life and that of her unborn child had ended at 11:05pm.

~~~

In case you missed the first 3 chapters:  Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3

 

 

 

Throwback Thursday

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I was going through some old posts last night and nearly burst into tears when I saw this post. It was when poor ol’ Korn was a much younger cat and the life of the party, so to speak. I miss him and his buddy Fuzz, too. Furbabies aren’t just pets; they’re family.

Mr. Potato Head’s Cat

Spike – A Novel (Chapter 3)

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Chapter 3

Elizabeth looked at her watch and realized that if she didn’t start back right now, she’d run the risk of missing Spike’s snack time. He would be very angry with her. She had only missed his snack time once in his lifetime, and then only by a few minutes. It took her 4 days to get Spike to forgive her. He turned very spiteful. He would ignore her and only eat when she wasn’t looking. He wouldn’t play fetch with her or purr in her lap. He would only stare at her and tear things up when she was gone. He waited every night until Elizabeth went to bed, and when she was asleep he would knock things off the shelves in her room just to wake her. He also kicked the litter out of the litter box just to watch Elizabeth clean it up. She decided she had better hurry on her way.

She turned toward the house, which was about a mile up the dirt path. It was so much easier getting here than going back, she thought to herself. Walking back up seemed to take forever. 

She stopped and looked at her watch. It was 10:45. Well, Spike, she thought. I’m going to be a little late. Please don’t be too hard on me. The path wasn’t too steep. It was just a long walk. The dirt was dry and the coolness felt good on her bare feet. She slipped her shoes back on for the walk. When I get home I’ll take them off again. But first, I’d better get Spike his snack. 

She wondered what snack Spike might like tonight. He had a strange appetite. He liked popcorn, Doritos, and Cheerios. Sometimes he preferred pieces of cheddar cheese or maybe a little vanilla ice cream. It’s funny he isn’t fat, she thought.

She continued to walk and think. Her thoughts were not of Jeff or the baby, or even her father. She was worried that Spike would take her being late too personally and out of spite, eat her goldfish. 10:59 now. She looked up the path and saw the house. It was still a good quarter mile away. She looked at her watch. 11:00. Too late.

To Be Continued….

Chapter 1

Chapter 2