One Day in Apple Grove(79)
“She announced her engagement to a certain senator after she’d recovered the puppy she lost.”
“Interesting. Do you think she really lost Jamie?”
Rhonda shrugged. “Not sure, but her fiancé has been lobbying for stricter regulations regarding animal shelters across the state. He’s a supporter of neutering prior to adopting, not after. There’s a picture of the three of them on the Internet this morning.”
When Rhonda’s expectant gaze met Cait’s, Cait asked, “What?”
“Did Jamie have a swollen eye when you dropped him off at the sheriff’s office?”
“No.” Cait’s gut iced over as she rounded the counter to stand next to Rhonda as the woman flipped through a couple of screens.
Cait focused on the little dog’s face. “The whole side of his face is scraped up. What the hell happened to him?”
“Don’t know, but it would have been great if you had a picture of what he looked like when you turned him over to that paparazzi-loving bitch.”
Cait pulled her phone out of her pocket and flipped through the screens. “I haven’t looked at it since that night, but the way Jack looked hugging Jamie, I just had to take a picture.”
“Let’s see if we can enlarge it. You’re going to need proof before you press charges of animal cruelty.”
“My charger’s in the car. I’ll go get it, then we can upload the picture to your computer.”
Jogging back to the shop, she turned to look across the street when she heard Peggy calling her name. Her friend was standing with her hands on her hips outside the diner. Cait called out, “Can you take a break?”
Peggy nodded, stuck her head back inside for a moment, and was crossing the street by the time Cait had retrieved her phone charger.
“You’ve got to see this.” Peggy caught Cait’s urgency and the two of them ran to the Gazette, pushing the door open. Cait said, “OK, let me just plug this into your computer.”
Once they’d selected the photo, Rhonda started playing with it, enlarging it, and brightening it so Jamie’s face was perfectly clear. “Not a scratch on him,” Cait pointed out.
“Check this out, Peggy,” Caitlin said, pointing to the picture Rhonda found on the Internet this morning.
“Oh, the poor little puppy,” her friend said. “Did someone beat him?”
“We need to tell Jack.” Her hands were shaking as she dialed his cell.
“Hey, babe,” he answered. “You need to stop distracting me.”
“You’ve got to stop by the Gazette,” she told him, unable to keep the worry out of her voice. “You’re going to want to see what Rhonda found out this morning.”
“I just opened up my office,” he told her. “Hang on. I’ll be right there.”
Her hands were shaking when she disconnected. Peggy took hold of them and told her, “She won’t get away with it.”
Jack pushed the door open and strode inside. “What’s wrong? Who’s hurt?”
She shook her head at him and pointed to the computer screen. “Rhonda found this picture of Ms. Blackwell and her fiancé this morning.”
Anger had his entire body going rigid. “What the hell happened to my dog?”
Cait knew exactly how he felt.
Rhonda switched screens and he blew out a breath. “I didn’t know you took that picture.”
Heart in her eyes, Caitlin laid a hand on his arm. “I wanted to wait another few days to show you. I didn’t want to make it harder since you already missed him so much.”
He hugged Cait tight to his side. “Thanks for finding this, Rhonda.”
Cait looked at her friends and said, “Can you rerun that story you did a few months ago about the Newark Animal Shelter?”
Her friend nodded. “The fundraiser?”
Cait nodded. “Can you update it with a short piece about Jack and me finding Jamie and then returning him to his owner with that picture of Jack and Jamie?”
“I love the way your mind works!” Rhonda said, making a shooing motion with her hands. “Get lost, people. I have a story to write.”
But Jack wasn’t listening; he was on the phone with Mitch. “Rhonda’s working on a story right now. The picture’s all the proof I need.” His gaze met hers as he said, “I’m gonna spring Jamie.”
“When?” Cait asked when he disconnected.
“I’ve got patients all day, but as soon as I’m finished, I’m paying her a visit.” He brushed a hand over her cheek. “You want in on it?”
“I do,” she rasped. “I knew there was something about that woman I didn’t like.”