Olivia pulled gently at my collar. “Does it matter?”
“I guess not,” Lucas replied. “It had a tag with her name and my phone number is all.”
Olivia stroked my ears. “We’ll get you new jewelry, Bella.”
I wagged.
“Hey, Lucas? I’m thinking maybe more than a hundred bucks,” Wayne whispered. “I had to swipe a pass from an ACO who is on vacation. The log will show that he’s the one who opened all the doors. They’re going to figure out something’s up.”
“You said a hundred. I’ve got it right here,” Lucas said.
“It was a bigger risk than I thought, is what I am saying,” Wayne said.
“You erased Bella’s arrival from the computer?” Olivia asked.
“Yeah, that was the easy part, I just sat at the reception desk and hit delete. She’s still in the system, but not this visit. Bella won’t show up on anyone’s schedule.”
“Thank you, Wayne,” Olivia replied.
“I don’t have any more money.” Lucas went back up the steps and retrieved my blanket. He dropped it to the ground and then landed next to it. “I only brought a hundred. That’s what you said.”
“I’m just thinking that if I get caught I’m in serious trouble.”
“Then don’t get caught. Here.” Lucas pushed something through the fence and Wayne took it.
“Dude,” Wayne said sadly.
“Thank you, Wayne. You saved Bella’s life,” Olivia said.
“Yeah, well, I don’t mind sticking it to the A-hole who picked her up. Everybody hates his guts.”
Lucas pulled on my leash. “Come on, Bella!”
*
We took a car ride in Olivia’s car! I was so happy to be with them. I sat in the back and pressed my head between the seats and both of them stroked my ears.
Lucas, though, seemed sad, even though we were all back together. Whatever it was I had done wrong, I would make sure I never did it, ever. I never wanted to go to the room full of barking dogs again.
“Are you okay, babe?” Olivia asked softly. She touched the back of his neck.
“Yeah,” Lucas said hoarsely.
Olivia sighed. “You know I’d take her in a second.”
“Of course. But it would still be Denver.”
“And you’ve thought of everybody? There’s nobody?”
“Aunt Julie lives in London. Grandma’s too frail. Pretty much all my friends live within the Denver city limits. My buddy Chase already has two dogs and his girlfriend says no more.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Mom was home, and when she knelt I greeted her by putting my paws on her chest and licking her face when she fell on her back. “Bella!” she laughed, but there was something unhappy in her, too.
Another friend of Lucas’s was there. She smelled familiar to me but I didn’t remember who she was until she reached out and stroked my face. “Hello, Bella,” she greeted. The scent of cats mingled with her own fragrance, reminding me of the time when she came crawling into the den to try to catch Mother Cat, the day I met Lucas.
“Some good news. Audrey says the cats are going to be fine,” Mom said.
“That’s right,” Audrey said. “Having one of our board members be a commissioner comes in real handy sometimes. They stalled Gunter’s permits until finally he’s letting us go in and do a proper job of rounding up the rest of the cats.”
“That’s great,” Lucas replied, “but I don’t think it helps with Bella.”
“No, not with her in the system.”
“Thanks for doing this, Audrey,” Olivia said.
“No, of course. Glad to help. It happens all the time. The way the law is written, so many dogs are destroyed who would never hurt anyone. Once Bella’s out of Denver, she’ll be safe.”
“Where are you taking her?” Olivia asked.
“Down to Durango,” Audrey replied. “There’s a foster family there who takes condemned pits all the time.”
“As soon as we find a place outside of city limits, I’ll go right down to get her,” Lucas said.
“Oh. Um, do you have any idea how long that will be?” Audrey asked.
“It’s not going to be quick,” Mom answered. “The bureaucratic crap we have to go through is ridiculous. Plus a lot of apartments have a limit on the size of dog, which is obviously an issue here.”
“I see.”
Mom looked at her. “What is it?”
“Well, I guess I misunderstood your intentions. I thought we were finding a foster family in a safe location where they would take good care of her until a forever family can be found.”
“Oh no,” Lucas said. “We just need a safe place for her until we can move.”
“I can see there’s a problem. Why don’t you tell us what it is?” Mom asked.
“Well, what you are saying, that’s really not what this is for. When Bella moves in with her foster family, she’ll be taking up room in a home that could go to another dog. We need to get our dogs adopted as quickly as possible. That’s the only way to save them—the system is overwhelmed, with too many animals and too few slots. If weeks or months went by with Bella at a foster home, some other dog might be euthanized because there is no place for her to go.
“Look,” Audrey continued, “I know how hard this is for you and yes, of course, if you find a place right away, you can certainly go pick her up. But please consider what is right for everyone, including Bella. From what you’ve told me, animal control is gunning for your dog and isn’t going to give up. They are nearly all decent people who are in that line of work because they want to help animals, but the one you’re dealing with has a reputation.”
“She was on the final day of her last three-day hold,” Lucas said.
“Then I would agree, we can’t risk letting her remain another minute inside city limits. I’m surprised they processed her out of there, I’ve never heard of them doing that before,” the woman observed.
Olivia and Lucas exchanged glances. I wished everyone would get out a ball and some treats and we could all delight in being home instead of being so tense and standing around talking.
“How long do I have?” Lucas asked quietly.
“Oh. When you put it like that … I’ll tell the foster your plan. I’m sure we can wait at least a week. You’ll keep me informed of your progress finding a new apartment?”
“I’m on it,” Mom replied.
Lucas knelt on the floor and put his arms around me. “I promise you I will do my best to find a new place. I’ll work two jobs if I have to. I will come get you as soon as I can, Bella. I am so, so sorry.”
He and Mom and Olivia were crying, which was bewildering. I felt the urge to comfort them but did not know how.
“She won’t understand. She’ll think I’m abandoning her,” Lucas said. His voice was anguished.