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Vet, Zac Coleman, met them at the gate; a kindred spirit had rung ahead to give him the heads up.
Ish dashed from the vehicle the moment she stalled the engine. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said to Zac, holding up Jasper. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt him. Can you do anything?’ The words pierced Ava like a sharp-edged blade right through her chest.
Zac confirmed what they already knew and talked calmly to Ish about what had happened and what he needed to do now, how it was important to make Jasper comfortable and bury him somewhere safe. Then Zac talked of taking proper care of the other puppies and the attention they required. Ish listened, his lips trembling.
Noah arrived moments later and spoke quietly to Zac.
‘Do you want Zac to take Jasper and, um, dispose of him or would you prefer to bury him here? I can help?’ His hand resting on her shoulder felt like a heavy weight.
‘We’ll do it, keep him here.’
Noah nodded and informed Zac. ‘Let’s do it now, I’ll help you while there’s still some daylight.’ Noah retrieved a shovel, probably one of his tools left behind, and she gathered the children. Ish carried Jasper cradled now in an old cloth, his eyes forever shut, and Emily carried two puppies and Ava the other two. Daisy followed.
Ish chose a tree close to the house so that they could visit him often and perhaps place a special flower at its base. Daisy sat obediently; the puppies wriggled. Once in the ground and covered, Noah asked Ish if he’d like to say anything and Ish whispered, ‘sorry’, and sobbed some more.
Noah kneeled at Ish’s height and held him in a grip by the shoulders. ‘You made a mistake. You didn’t mean to hurt Jasper, everyone understands that. You understand now that you can’t take puppies like that in your bag, don’t you? I know you won’t do it again. You’re going to take extra care of Daisy and her pups now. Your Mumma forgives you’ — Noah placed a hand on Daisy’s back— ‘and I know Daisy forgives you, too.’
Ish glanced at the dog who licked the moisture from his red and tear-stained cheeks. It was the forgiveness he needed.
‘I’m sorry you lost your puppy, Duke. It was a silly mistake. Daisy and the other puppies are still very lucky to have you,’ Emily piped up.
After burying the dog, they wandered back to the house and Noah casually slung his arm across Ava’s shoulders; it felt right. His body not a weight but a comfort.
‘Can you stay?’ she asked, her voice a whisper. Not waiting for his answer, she moved away to switch on the lights in the living area and the outside deck and kitchen. Ava wandered down the long hall and did the same to each bedroom on adjoining sides. The house was lit up with not a shadow invading even a corner crevice.
Noah helped himself to a bottle of wine and poured two generous glasses. The kids disappeared and Ava plonked herself at the outside table and shoved the newspaper across, the article spread open for his attention.
‘Noah, I’m scared.’
Lights illuminated her long drive and Ava flew to the edge of the deck. Transfixed watching the car approach, she gripped the railing watching the lights dip with the undulations in the surface, until eventually she saw Bridie’s hand waving out of the passenger seat and her body slumped. She wanted to scream, low and long and hard. The up and down of her emotions was exhausting.
Fear and anxiety had her in its grip.
Bridie called out as the vehicle arrived and she and Caleb sprang out of their car. ‘We’re not going to stay, love, just delivering dinner and treats and a drop of wine. I think you need it after the fright you’ve had.’
Despite her resolve, Ava cried. Hot, large tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them away furiously, annoyed and angry at herself. Head bowed, she remained at the edge of the deck, attempting to regain her composure. Bridie served dishes, set the table and delivered food to the children before placing a hand to her shoulder. ‘You’re in good hands. I’ll ring you tomorrow.’
The aroma emanating from the food made her mouth water. At least she could still feel; if she were numb, things might be irretrievably worse. Noah grasped her hand and lead her towards the table. There was even one solitary, single candle, its tangerine flame flickering. He served her and she nibbled a morsel that took too long to chew and got stuck in her throat. Faced with food, the last thing she wanted to do was eat. It sat in front of her, the curls of steam wafting upwards.
‘Yeah, the article, well, it sucks. How did that happen? And what do we do? I guess you can deny the story, but eventually people will learn that it’s true and then they’ll accuse you of deceiving them, and the folks around here, they’re great, but don’t like being lied to.’
‘Oh.’ Something else occurred to Ava. ‘I need to thank everyone. The folk at the fair dropped everything, stopped their good time to help look for Duke. How do I repay them?’
‘You don’t need to. It’s what we do around here.’
Inwardly, Ava groaned. Along with many other things, she was tired of hearing that phrase, but she refrained from voicing that opinion.
‘The only thing they expect is that you’ll jump in and help them next time. That’s the extent of it.’
‘Okay, I’ll take your word for that.’
‘Good. Well, as I said, they appreciate honesty. I thought it best to keep your discovery on the quiet, too, but now, it’s too late. Maybe tell the locals, then they might lose interest. But as for Jacqueline’s hare-brained idea, that’s a different story.’
‘Noah, it’s so much more than that. This,’ she waved her hand across the paper, ‘is a disaster. It’s really bad and I’m scared.’
‘Of what?’
Ava’s face had blanched white. A deep sense of dread gripped him around the middle, holding his torso too tight, squeezing. Ava’s wide-eyed innocence was like a smokescreen where the smoulder was slowly descending revealing something else, something sinister and his gut twisted with apprehension.
