Read Online Dark Corners READY FOR PRC by Liz Schulte - Free Book Online

family history, but couldn’t ask him to do that. On the other hand, I also had no idea how I could survive a full year there. I resolved to try harder to adjust.
    “Maybe it's time to get Piper a friend—and you certainly need to start writing again. You can only dodge your publisher’s calls for so long. I have a handle on the renovations.  You have a deadline. One of us needs to be working.”
    “I know you’re right. I just can't focus. Maybe I’ll try writing in the library. This town does have a library, right?”
    “Ha. Ha. Ha. You’re so freaking funny.”
    “You love me, baby.”
    “Yeah, you're ok.” His smile warmed my heart.
    We arrived back home about four in the afternoon. The sun was setting and shadows covered the yard. The house resembled a mausoleum right down to being every bit as inviting as one. We burst through the door, our bags in tow, and I stopped in my tracks. Something was missing.  I just couldn't put my finger on what .  I looked around the house to see if I could discover what was setting me off, but found absolutely nothing.  I went back to the car to see if we’d forgotten something, but it was empty and tidy. 
    Entering the house again, it dawned on me. Piper hadn't come out to greet us. She’d normally be chasing us from room to room by now, demanding our attention with each step. I searched the house, top to bottom. Danny and I looked in all of her usual hiding places, but couldn't find her anywhere. Finally, I called Susan and was flooded with relief when she said she’d brought Piper home with her. Susan said Piper was acting strange like she didn't want to stay in the house so she brought her to the store. Danny went over to get Piper while I started dividing the clothes into piles for laundry. When they got back, Piper wasn’t herself. She sat at the bottom of the stairs, looking up the staircase, whining. We tried to distract her with her favorite toy and food, but she wouldn’t budge—all day. Occasionally, she’d growl at something unseen by us.
    Only later that evening while Danny and I were watching TV, did she finally move from her post. She took off growling and snarling, running back and forth along the bottom of the stairwell. She barked a few times, then yelped and ran into the room with us. Danny got up to check things out, but found nothing. He figured it was a mouse that had her attention all afternoon. She refused to come upstairs to bed, so we let her stay downstairs. I slept well that night exhausted from the drive and the weekend festivities.
    The next morning Danny and I woke a bit later than normal. I went downstairs to take Piper for a walk. I found her lying at the bottom of the stairs where we left her the night before, still sleeping.
    “Wake up, baby. Want to go outside?”
    Piper didn't even twitch. My stomach sank as I looked at her. I covered my mouth with a shaking hands and knelt down. Her small body was cold to my touch. I backed up against the wall and called for Danny. He came bounding down the stairs.
    “What’s up?”
    Tears started.  All I could do was point.
    He looked at our dog, then back at me. Understanding immediately, he wrapped me in a tight hug.
    “It’s okay. I'll take care of her,” he said trying to soothe me.
    “But what happened?”
    “What do you mean? She died, Ella.”
    “But from what?
    “I don't know. Maybe she got into something in the hardware store yesterday. She was acting weird last night.”
    “Aren't we going to find out?”
    “She’s just a dog. I don’t think they do autopsies on dogs.”
    “Damn it, don't be glib! She was not just a dog, she was our dog. I shouldn't be the only one who cares.”
    “That’s so unfair. What do you want me to do? Maybe she got into the mouse poison I put down or the insulation. She died. I care. I just don’t have any answers for you.”
     
    I fought against the memory and whatever had a hold of me. Strong hands clasped my shoulders and shook me. Eyes