“There are two parts to the test,” Julia continued, holding Viv close beside her on a short leash. She looked alternately from Mr. Wurman to Mrs. Wurman. “In the first, I’m going to bring Vivian right up to the kitty bed and see whether she displays any aggressive tendencies toward cats, which is pretty rare. Most greys are either curious, indifferent, or, believe it or not, even afraid of them, like my own two babies at home. Occasionally they even get frisky—”

“How come you put that bad thing on Vivian’s mouth so she can’t open it or breathe?” said Junior Wurman . . . whose name, Julia had learned, was actually Thomas.

Julia glanced over at his accusing face.

“A muzzle isn’t really a bad thing, and Viv can breathe through it just fine,” she said. “Greyhounds are used to wearing them when they race, and I’ve only put it on now to make sure Leona doesn’t get hurt in case she’s snapped at.”

Thomas looked mistrustful. “But you told us that wasn’t gonna happen.”

“I said it probably won’t,” Julia said, and offered a reassuring smile. “We need to be careful, ’kay?”

A halfhearted nod from Thomas. He wedged himself back against his seated parents, still regarding Julia with critical mistrust.

She returned her attention to the adults, feeling a bit like Cruella DeVille. With vampire fangs.

“If all goes well, our next step is to see whether Vivian shows overly possessive traits when one of you holds the cat,” she said. “Some jealousy’s normal between them, and no different, really, from human sibling rivalry. Viv might show it by starting to whimper or getting down in a play position to catch your eye. If that happens, you need to be aware of it, spread around the affection, and everybody’s going to be happy. But it’s important to realize we’re talking about a big, muscular seventy-five-pound dog that can sprint almost as fast as a Thoroughbred horse, compared to an animal that weighs maybe a tenth as much, and is also a whole lot smaller. A cat that gets caught in a dog’s jaws is in serious trouble, and we want to help spare you that kind of unhappy incident—”

“Can I hold Leona when we do it?” Thomas said. Which made it twice now that he’d interrupted.

Julia looked at him. Hadn’t she mentioned she’d take questions after her explanation was finished?

“I think it’s best we leave it to your mom or dad,” she said. “To be on the safe side—”

“But you said that thing’s supposed to be on Vivian’s mouth to stop her from biting anybody!”

“That’s true.” Julia was wishing the kid’s mother or father would chime in and help her out here. “She can jump at Leona, though, and you might get a little startled—”

“What’s startled mean?”

“Ah, a little upset, in other words—”

“Won’t you have her on a leash?”

“Well, yes—”

“Why’d I be upset if Vivian’s on a leash and can’t bite anybody—?”