Part 8 (1/2)
A broad smile on her face, Meredythe looked up. ”Can I?”
He smiled back at her. ”I wouldn't offer if I didn't think it would be safe.”
”Wait a minute, Frank,” Jon interjected. ”Are you sure this is a good idea?”
Frank winked over his shoulder. ”Anything the little lady wants.”
Jon took one nervous step into the room. ”Meredythe, I don't know about this.”
She rose and stepped back from the kennel. ”Relax, Jon. If Frank says she's safe, she is. He wouldn't risk his professional reputation.”
Throwing a smirk over his shoulder, Frank opened Sweetie's kennel and snapped a leash on her collar. ”Come on, girl. Got someone here to meet you.”
Tail wagging, tongue lolling out, Sweetie leaped out of her kennel and pushed her head under his hand.
”Sit.”
Sweetie obeyed.
”Just hold out your hand and let her get to know you.”
Jon took another step into the room. ”Meredythe!”
She waved him off. ”Oh, be quiet. She's not a wild animal. She won't hurt me.”
Holding out her hand, Meredythe moved forward slowly. Sweetie stretched out her nose and sniffed. Rising to her feet, she licked Meredythe's hand and wagged her tail.
Stepping closer, Meredythe ran her hand over Sweetie's fur. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the soft, wiry texture of the wolf-dog's fur. Unbidden, a pair of muscular forearms covered with springy black hairs appeared in her memory. A pair of gray eyes gazed into hers.
The wolf-dog sighed and leaned against her leg.
Meredythe opened her eyes and smiled at Frank. ”She's beautiful.”
”Yes she is,” agreed Frank. ”If all hybrids were like her, we wouldn't have any more problems with them than we do regular dogs.”
Meredythe pointed to the wolf-dog in the second kennel. ”What about that one?”
”This is Jocko. Come on, Sweetie, back in you go.” After he returned Sweetie to her kennel, Frank opened the second one and snapped a leash on the black male. He came out of the kennel with a low growl.
Jon swallowed and stepped back toward the door. ”Jesus, Frank.”
”Don't worry, Jon,” he said with a chuckle. ”Jocko's a gentleman. He was just warning you to stay out of his personal s.p.a.ce.”
”He's not dangerous?” Meredythe asked. She was dying to pet Jocko as she did Sweetie, but she wouldn't do so without an invitation. Silvery-gray eyes appeared in her mind. The wolf-dog, Jocko, stared at her and woofed. Frank's voice brought her back to the present.
”Jocko is half wolf, half Husky. His previous master made the mistake of bringing him along when he moved back from Alaska. Jocko couldn't handle the culture shock.”
”Didn't you say that prost.i.tute saw a black dog attack her pimp?” Jon asked from the doorway.
Meredythe glanced back over her shoulder and then looked at Frank. ”Jocko didn't get out last night, did he, Frank?”
”No!” he answered emphatically as he put Jocko back in his kennel. ”Last night Jocko and the others were in New Jersey.”
Ruthlessly squas.h.i.+ng her musings, Meredythe made a note on her pad. She was a reporter, d.a.m.n it. She didn't have time for daydreaming. She looked up at Frank. He was probably telling the truth, but it wouldn't hurt to double-check. She looked at the last kennel. ”Who's the last one?”
”That's Hammer,” Frank answered with a sad sigh as he latched Jocko's kennel and stepped toward the last kennel. A low growl erupted into a full snarl. Frank stopped where he was. ”He won't be coming out to meet you.”
Waves of grief and despair so strong she almost gagged on them rolled out of the kennel and poured over Meredythe. A sharp pain pierced her mind.
Save me.
As quickly as it had manifested, the pain subsided. She blinked and shook her head slightly. What was wrong with her? First she couldn't stop dreaming about a jerk with black hair and gray eyes no matter how hard she tried. Now she was hearing voices.
Quick glances at both men told her they hadn't noticed. They stood talking as if nothing had happened. What was going on? Without moving any closer, Meredythe knelt and peered into the kennel. ”How dangerous is he?”
Frank grimaced and said, ”Very. He's a wolf and a Mastiff cross whose owners used him to fight. The only reason he's still alive is because I got to him before the police did.”
Meredythe's heart ached. No living thing should feel the way this poor animal did. She leaned over farther, squinting. All she saw was a dark brown blur. ”Has he ever attacked a human?”
”If he did, I'd put him down myself,” Frank answered. ”He was used to fight other dogs.”
Fear joined the misery emanating from the kennel.
Meredythe swallowed the sudden lump in her throat.
Jon scowled. ”What the h.e.l.l did you bring him for if he's so dangerous?”
”He's the whole point of this lecture. The doc wanted to show everybody just how dangerous wolf-dog hybrids could be.”
Rising, Meredythe took a deep breath and started writing. She had to get a hold of herself before she collapsed in a puddle of tears. ”The doc?”
”Doctor Bleddyn Glyndwr,” Frank explained and led the way back out into the hall.
Meredythe's battered emotions began to relax when the door closed. ”He's an expert on wolves and knows as much about wolf hybrids as anybody in the country. I've worked with him before. He's giving a lecture today. That's why I'm here.”
Meredythe looked up from her notepad. ”So if I wanted to know anything about wolves or wolf hybrids, then this Dr. Glyndwr is the man to see?”
Frank nodded. ”That's right. I'd be happy to introduce you.”
She smiled. ”Thanks. I have a few questions I'd like to ask him.”
Frank led them from the room, carefully locking the door behind him. ”Sure thing.”
Meredythe scribbled a few more things on her pad. ”Is that door always locked? Could anybody else get in and get one of them out of a kennel without you knowing about it? What about where you keep them at home? Are they always locked up? Does anyone else have access to them?” Frank was probably telling the truth, but she had to ask anyway.
”Look, Ms. Welsh, none of my animals got out last night and killed that guy. If you won't take my word for it, I'll be happy to show you a footprint from each of them. None of them have feet big enough to leave a track that large.” With those exasperated words, he turned abruptly and stomped down the hall.
Jon stared after his friend then looked at Meredythe. ”Never question Frank's word about his animals. Makes him pretty mad.”