“Save your breath, Charles. I know for a fact there’s a shovel in the closet at the apartment for just this reason. I bought it myself when I was living there temporarily and my car got snowed in. They were selling shovels on every street corner at the time.”

“That doesn’t help us at the moment, but I’ve made a mental note to bring the shovel with us when we leave. Are we even close, Maggie?”

“Up ahead,” Maggie gasped as she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other in the thigh-high drifts of snow. Not that she exercised, but if she did, she wouldn’t have to do it for a week with the workout she was getting.

And then they were there. Murphy and Grady barked in relief as they raced toward the lobby door. Charles knew without a doubt that they were picking up their mistresses’ scents inside the building. Inside the lobby, the shepherd and Lab did a crazy dance as they shook themselves to get rid of the snow. Charles thought it uncanny as they ran to the elevator and waited. Both were panting, anxious to get where they were going.

Maggie had the key to the apartment in her hand as they rode the elevator. The moment the elevator door slid open, the two animals raced down the hall and stopped in front of the Post’s apartment door. Maggie inched past the jittery dogs and inserted the key in the lock. She shoved the door open as far as she could, and the dogs did the rest.

“Whoa!” Maggie shouted, her hands shooting high in the air as she came face-to-face with seven women, drawn guns, their hammers clicking back in sync.

“For God’s sake, Myra, take your finger off the trigger, and put the safety on before you kill someone!” Charles bellowed, knowing Myra couldn’t hit a bus at ten feet if it was at a dead stop right in front of her.

“Maggie! Charles!” the Sisters cried in unison.

“Ooooh, I love you, too,” Kathryn blurted out, laughing aloud as she cuddled with the huge shepherd while Alexis rolled around on the floor with Grady.

“What? How? What’s going on?” The Sisters all started to babble at once as they helped Charles and Maggie with their outer gear. Yoko gathered up the pile of wet clothing and ran to the dryer as Nikki motioned everyone into the kitchen.

Myra ran to Charles and hugged him. “I knew, Charles. I knew you were trying to reach me. I just didn’t think you’d come in person. It was like when Barbara comes to me,” she whispered. “Oh, I feel so much better now that you’re here.”