We pull up in front of a raised ranch with a two-bay garage. One of the garage doors is open and the bay empty. Now I’m sure that they’ve run off with my dog. I jump out of the Camry almost before Mitch has come to a stop. I run to the front door, jabbing my finger at the bell over and over. I can hear the chime ringing like Big Ben in miniature. Failing to get anyone’s attention, I risk being arrested as an intruder and go into the garage. I bang on the metal door that leads into the house. I try the knob, but, not surprisingly, the door is locked. They may not care about the contents of their garage, but they do lock their doors. I press an ear against it to see if I can hear Mack barking at the sound of my voice.

Mitch catches up with me as I run to the back of the house. “Justine, wait. Calm down.”

“You calm down! I want my dog.” I scramble up the steps to the deck and grab the handle of the slider. Locked. Cupping my hands around my face, I peer into their living room. Dog toys litter the space—stuffies and squeakies. A chew bone and a fleece pad lie on the couch. But no dog. If Mack was in there, he’d be frantic with excitement. I step back from the window.

Mitch calls up to me. “Justine. This is Jennifer. She’s the Parmalees’ neighbor.” Mitch is still at the bottom of the stairs, and with him is a young woman, staring up at me like I have two heads.

“Why don’t you come down and we’ll talk.” Jennifer is wearing pink scrubs and white clogs and her tone is pure charge nurse.

“All right.” I’m not going to let this stranger prevent me from claiming my dog, but I won’t misbehave. “My name is Justine Meade. I saw the Parmalees’ ad for a lost dog in the paper. He’s mine. I just want him back.”

“Buddy’s yours, then?”

“Buddy? No. Mack, short for Maksim. Are you going to ask me to prove ownership?”

“I’m not. They might.” Jennifer sits down on the second step. “He’s been good for them.”

“That’s the second time someone has said that. I heard about their loss. I’m not unsympathetic, but he’s my dog.”

“How’d you hear about Stacy?”

Mitch chimes in. “The coffee shop. We stopped for directions.”

“Small town. Everybody not only knows everyone else’s business but then makes it their business to talk about it.” Jennifer gets up. “Come on over to my house for coffee. I don’t know where they’ve gone, but I have Alice’s cell phone number. I’ll call them.”