around me because of what had transpired with Ben. So we fed dogs and hosed out kennels and mostly got slobbery wet noses pushed into the palms of our hands while we loved on the dogs.
“Thanks for lending me Sophie last night,” I told him when we were done. “I’ll bring her back up to the house once I give her a good walk.”
“That’s fine. She needs the company right now.” When I went back inside she also tried to convince me that she needed some of my cereal while I ate breakfast. It didn’t work. Afterward we took a brisk walk around the neighborhood, Sophie trotting along checking out every bush and tree. She had a gait that looked like prancing when she wasn’t as interested in the plant life along the way. Of course she spent a major amount of time investigating, but we still managed a good walk.
When we got back to the house, Dot gave Sophie her breakfast and ushered me in for coffee, which I certainly didn’t turn down. I was happy to be on friendly terms with the Morgans again. They felt like substitute family to me as well as landlords, and I didn’t want to give up our relationship.
Now that Dot and I went to the same church, attended the same Christian Friends group and I lived in her backyard apartment, almost every area of my life would be impacted if we were on the outs with each other. Thankfully we could still be friends instead.
“You missed a visit by Detective Fernandez while you were at work and school yesterday,” Dot told me once she sat down at the table with me, her own cup of coffee in hand. “But then he didn’t want to talk to you anyway, so it wasn’t much of a loss.”
“I expected you would get at least one more set of questions this week, because he had plenty I couldn’t answer Wednesday,” I told her. “He wanted to know all kinds of stuff about the subcontractors for the remodel, and I couldn’t remember the names.”
“That was mostly what he wanted this time. I got out my folder that I’ve been keeping. I think I impressed him.” Dot had kept her own meticulous set of records since she’d employed Frank and it had turned out to be a good idea.
“He wasn’t too happy to hear about all the billing errors that I’d found in Frank’s dealing with his suppliers and subcontractors. I think it just gave him three or four times the number of suspects he wanted.”
“Were there that many billing errors?” I reached over to the plate Dot set out and picked up one of her apple cinnamon muffins. They were still warm, and I figured I better get one before Buck came into the house, because once he did, he and Hondo would both want one. Buck letting the dog eat one, or at least half of his own, would upset Dot. It would upset Sophie too for that matter, because Hondo was the only dog that got to break the “no people food” rule.
“I’m generous to call them that. When I pointed them out to Frank I always called them mistakes or errors, even though I was pretty sure after the third one or so that I found that he was trying to slip things by me and by the suppliers.” Dot’s nostrils flared in aggravation. I could just imagine those conversations she had with Frank. He might have been a tough customer, but I didn’t think he could out-argue Dot. So far I hadn’t met too many people who could.
“Did he correct the errors, or whatever they were, when you pointed them out?”
Dot waggled a hand in a noncommittal gesture. “He corrected some of them. I think his subcontractors straightened out a lot of them on their own. Especially once I took to copying Frank’s information and passing it on to the subs. The plumbing contractor was particularly interested in what I had to show him.”
“I remember seeing the truck here a lot, but I don’t remember the guy’s name.”
“Frank was using Leopold Plumbing this time. I might have gotten Ed Leopold into that, because I knew one of his workers wanted the hours. After all this mess, I’m sorry I ever
“Thanks for lending me Sophie last night,” I told him when we were done. “I’ll bring her back up to the house once I give her a good walk.”
“That’s fine. She needs the company right now.” When I went back inside she also tried to convince me that she needed some of my cereal while I ate breakfast. It didn’t work. Afterward we took a brisk walk around the neighborhood, Sophie trotting along checking out every bush and tree. She had a gait that looked like prancing when she wasn’t as interested in the plant life along the way. Of course she spent a major amount of time investigating, but we still managed a good walk.
When we got back to the house, Dot gave Sophie her breakfast and ushered me in for coffee, which I certainly didn’t turn down. I was happy to be on friendly terms with the Morgans again. They felt like substitute family to me as well as landlords, and I didn’t want to give up our relationship.
Now that Dot and I went to the same church, attended the same Christian Friends group and I lived in her backyard apartment, almost every area of my life would be impacted if we were on the outs with each other. Thankfully we could still be friends instead.
“You missed a visit by Detective Fernandez while you were at work and school yesterday,” Dot told me once she sat down at the table with me, her own cup of coffee in hand. “But then he didn’t want to talk to you anyway, so it wasn’t much of a loss.”
“I expected you would get at least one more set of questions this week, because he had plenty I couldn’t answer Wednesday,” I told her. “He wanted to know all kinds of stuff about the subcontractors for the remodel, and I couldn’t remember the names.”
“That was mostly what he wanted this time. I got out my folder that I’ve been keeping. I think I impressed him.” Dot had kept her own meticulous set of records since she’d employed Frank and it had turned out to be a good idea.
“He wasn’t too happy to hear about all the billing errors that I’d found in Frank’s dealing with his suppliers and subcontractors. I think it just gave him three or four times the number of suspects he wanted.”
“Were there that many billing errors?” I reached over to the plate Dot set out and picked up one of her apple cinnamon muffins. They were still warm, and I figured I better get one before Buck came into the house, because once he did, he and Hondo would both want one. Buck letting the dog eat one, or at least half of his own, would upset Dot. It would upset Sophie too for that matter, because Hondo was the only dog that got to break the “no people food” rule.
“I’m generous to call them that. When I pointed them out to Frank I always called them mistakes or errors, even though I was pretty sure after the third one or so that I found that he was trying to slip things by me and by the suppliers.” Dot’s nostrils flared in aggravation. I could just imagine those conversations she had with Frank. He might have been a tough customer, but I didn’t think he could out-argue Dot. So far I hadn’t met too many people who could.
“Did he correct the errors, or whatever they were, when you pointed them out?”
Dot waggled a hand in a noncommittal gesture. “He corrected some of them. I think his subcontractors straightened out a lot of them on their own. Especially once I took to copying Frank’s information and passing it on to the subs. The plumbing contractor was particularly interested in what I had to show him.”
“I remember seeing the truck here a lot, but I don’t remember the guy’s name.”
“Frank was using Leopold Plumbing this time. I might have gotten Ed Leopold into that, because I knew one of his workers wanted the hours. After all this mess, I’m sorry I ever
Similar Books
