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“She ain’t got no name. Just a mutt I found wanderin’ ’round. Damn useless. Shoulda got rid ’a her a long time ago.”
DuBose noted the ribs showing and the filthy fur and skin of the animal. “She’s obviously undernourished and has mange.”
“So?”
DuBose looked at Jack. “Do you know a vet?”
“I do, yes.”
“Can you carry her to the car, Jack?”
Dobbs barked, “You ain’t takin’ my dog. I’m gonna kill it.”
“How much do you want for it?”
“What?”
“How much money do you want for the dog?” said DuBose.
Dobbs lowered the gun and scratched his chin. “Ten bucks.”
DuBose pulled out a ten-dollar bill from her purse and handed it to him. “Now she’s my dog.”
Jack gingerly lifted the animal and put her in the back seat of the Fiat.
DuBose looked at Dobbs and asked, “You have any more animals?”
“Nope.”
“Good. Keep it that way.”
DuBose rode in the back with the dog and gently stroked her ears.
Jack looked at her in the mirror. “I take it you like dogs?”
She eyed him with a sad smile. “Sunny. He was a chocolate Lab I had growing up. He died in my arms when I was fifteen. I’ve never cried that hard in my life.”
“I had one of those, too. What are you going to call her?”
DuBose looked the dog over and her features brightened. “Queenie. She has a noble look about her. Do you really think Dobbs would have shot her?”
“Hell yes. I thought he was going to shoot us, too.”
They drove to a vet, who determined Queenie had no broken or fractured bones. They ran some blood tests, and the dog was given a bath. The vet gave DuBose some medications for the pain and said he would call when the test results came back, but he suspected Queenie had worms, among other things.
“Otherwise, it doesn’t look like anything’s much wrong with her that some good food and a lot of love won’t fix,” said the vet kindly.
They stopped at a store, and DuBose bought dog dishes, food, a leash, and a comfy blanket for Queenie to sleep on. She said, “I’ll make arrangements for her.”
“No need, Desiree. If you hadn’t bought her off that bastard I was going to.”
Jack carried Queenie inside his office. DuBose fed the dog and gave Queenie water and the first dose of her meds.
Queenie licked DuBose’s hand appreciatively, a simple gesture that caused the woman’s eyes to glisten. She sat on the floor next to Queenie, stroking her head, and the dog promptly fell asleep with her muzzle on DuBose’s lap. Twenty minutes later DuBose slowly disengaged her, and Queenie rolled over and continued her slumber.
She said, “It’s amazing what a simple act of kindness can inspire. Humans should try it more often.”
“That ‘unconditional love’ thing is pretty damn powerful,” noted Jack.
