Chapter Three
The modern estate looked peaceful in the gathering dusk. One or two houses had Christmas lights along their gables and there were a few decorated trees already in windows. Their twinkling brightness felt inappropriate. Mandy’s head was throbbing. If Flame had killed the rabbits … Pulling on the handbrake outside number 21, she climbed out.
She walked up the path on shaking legs and rang the bell. The door swung open as if someone had been waiting. A man in a blue jacket glared at her.
‘I’m Amanda Hope.’ It was hard to get the words out. ‘About the dog.’
‘Come in.’ Mr Hemmings’ voice was curt. ‘We called the vet because we didn’t know what else to do. But the man we spoke to said it was from the rescue centre.’ He spat the words over his shoulder as he walked through to the back of the house. Two girls, both dressed in pyjamas and dressing gowns, stood in the living room, their hands against a glass door that led into the back garden. Both had their eyes fixed on the golden dog that was attacking the rabbit hutch in the garden.
Flame looked frantic, snapping at the wire and chewing the wooden frame. As Mandy watched, the dog grabbed the wire mesh with her teeth and shook her head as if trying to rip it free. There was no sign of the rabbits, who were presumably hiding in the sleeping area. The younger of the children gasped. The older had tears running down her face. ‘Daddy! Save Nibbles!’ she cried.
‘Does this door open?’ Mandy almost shouted. Without a word, the man turned the key in the handle and slid the glass aside. As Mandy walked through, he pulled it closed behind her. It was clear he didn’t want to go anywhere near the snarling dog.
Mandy stood at the edge of the lawn, trying not to panic. Should she take hold of Flame and drag her away from the hutch? Would she bite? The lurcher was like a possessed thing, and hadn’t even noticed Mandy come into the garden. The thought of Flame ripping the mesh away and killing the rabbits in front of their owners gave Mandy courage. As she walked forward, to her relief, Flame’s eyes swivelled towards her. Letting go of the wire, she bounded off around the garden. Mandy stood very still. If Flame jumped the fence again, they would be back at square one.
Flame bounced towards Mandy as if she wanted to play. Although she had a pocket filled with chews, Mandy wished she had brought a tug toy. Reaching into her pocket, she took out a treat but Flame raced off again. Mandy winced as she rushed across a flowerbed, leaving deep paw-prints in the soft earth. She didn’t want to call Flame until she had the dog’s attention again. But the family watching her through the windows would think she was a complete incompetent if she didn’t do something. More rushing from Flame, more mud, a snarling dash at the hutch.
‘Flame!’ Mandy yelled in desperation and was relieved when the lurcher stopped, her ears pricked. ‘Flame!’ Mandy called again. Flame bounded up, thrusting her long nose into Mandy’s left hand. Mandy lunged at Flame’s collar and clung on. She reached across her body and pulled the rope lead from her other pocket. Without letting go of the collar, she slid the leash over the dog’s slim neck and pulled it close, but not tight. Flame shook her head once, making her ears flap, then stood still.
For a moment, Mandy waited in the darkened garden, trying to catch her breath. Then she heard the patio door sliding open.
Mr Hemmings was marching towards her. ‘About time!’ he roared. ‘Thought you’d let your stupid dog have a run in our garden, did you?’
‘I had to …’ Mandy began, but he was yelling again.
‘Dangerous animal like that shouldn’t be on the loose … could have attacked anyone … what if it had been the children …’ Mr Hemmings was red-faced and incoherent with rage.
‘She wouldn’t attack the children.’ Mandy was fairly sure that was true. Flame had never shown any signs of aggression towards people or dogs, just prey animals. But Mr Hemmings wasn’t listening.
‘I know exactly where your rescue centre is. I’m going to call the police and tell them that you have dangerous animals running all over the countryside.’
There was nothing Mandy could say. Even if she was ninety nine per cent certain Flame wouldn’t attack a child, there was every likelihood that she would have killed the rabbits if she had broken into the hutch. Even without the rabbits, she could have caused a road accident while she was running around loose. There was no way Mandy could ignore how serious this incident had been.
Flame stalked back through the house on her lead with her tail between her legs. Mandy tried to look calm and cheerful, but she was horrified by the trauma on the faces of the children. She wanted to get down on her knees, to let them get to know Flame, so they wouldn’t be afraid. But their father was glaring at her, daring her to say another word.
He opened the front door and Mandy squeezed past him, gripping the lead in her fingers. She was halfway down the path before he spoke again. ‘The police will have that dog put down,’ he hissed. ‘Just you wait and see.’
‘Oh, Flame,’ Mandy sighed as she put the dog in the car. ‘What are we going to do with you?’ As she navigated the quiet streets of the estate, she told herself that she had caught Flame with no harm done. Surely the police wouldn’t take action against a dog for briefly getting loose? Mandy would double and triple check the fences and maybe put up some extra high bars for the dog training area. If Mr Hemmings did report her, she needed to show she had done everything possible to prevent another escape.
Back at Animal Ark, she put her head around the door to tell Adam that she and Flame were back safely, then walked out to the rescue centre. Despite a warm welcome from Sky, she started her evening tasks feeling very gloomy. After a few minutes, she heard the door open and close.
‘Hello, love.’ It was her dad. ‘Mum’s back,’ he said. ‘I thought you might like a hand out here.’
‘That would be lovely,’ Mandy said. She was glad to have some human company. Together, they worked through the dogs and the small furries, feeding and cleaning in the endless cycle of care. They finished together in the cat ward. Despite Mandy’s worries over Flame, she wasn’t too distracted to notice that her dad made a beeline for the ginger cat Tango.
She watched as they purred at one another through the bars before Adam opened the door. Although Tango was affectionate towards her, he seemed particularly taken with her dad. With his eyes half closed in an expression of pleasure, the old cat rubbed his face against Adam’s fingers. When Mandy’s father bent down, the cat lifted his head, blissfully pushing himself against Adam’s cheek.
‘You’re a sweet old chap, aren’t you?’ Adam murmured, rubbing his hand along Tango’s spine.
Mandy smiled. She was glad she wasn’t the only member of the Hope family to be reduced to a puddle by some cute animal interaction.
When all the cats were clean and fed, they made their way back through the veterinary clinic and into the oldest part of the cottage. Kicking off her shoes by the kitchen door, Mandy waited for Adam to finish washing his hands before she took his place at the sink.
There was a pan bubbling on the stove. Emily was stirring it with a wooden spoon, her cheeks flushed with the warmth from the hob.
‘Hungry?’ Emily asked, looking up with a smile.
‘Fairly,’ Mandy replied. Even if she wasn’t, she knew she had to eat something.
‘It’s penne Arrabiatta,’ Emily announced. ‘Everything’s ready.’
‘I’ll serve if you like,’ Adam said. ‘You two can sit down.’
‘I hear you’ve had a tough afternoon.’ Emily’s eyes were sympathetic as she took the chair beside Mandy.
Mandy sighed. ‘It wasn’t great,’ she admitted.
‘What happened?’
As Adam handed out bowls of pasta, Mandy told her parents everything, from Flame’s flying leap out of the orchard and her dash through the field to the horrible showdown in the Hemmings’ garden.
When she had finished, Adam reached over and rested his hand on top of hers. ‘Poor you,’ he said. ‘It sounds as if Flame will need a lot more work before she can go off lead again. We could think about raising the height of the fence too, if you like?’
Mandy managed to smile. ‘You read my mind,’ she said. The telephone rang in the hallway. ‘I’ll get it,’ said Mandy, pushing back her chair. She closed the kitchen door behind her and lifted the handset. ‘Animal Ark Veterinary Practice.’
‘Hello,’ said a brisk female voice. ‘This is PC Ellen Armstrong. Is it possible to speak to Amanda Hope, please?’
‘I’m Amanda Hope.’ Mandy felt her stomach lurch.
‘Hi, Amanda. We met up at Lamb’s Wood earlier this year, didn’t we? You were very helpful with Mr Grimshaw, I recall.’
Mandy pictured the friendly, freckle-faced police officer who had driven her up to Robbie’s farm. ‘Of course, PC Armstrong, I remember you,’ she said.
‘Call me Ellen, please. Look, I’m calling about a phone call we’ve had this evening. I understand a dog escaped from the veterinary clinic and was causing a nuisance. I need to ask you a few questions, I’m afraid.’
‘She didn’t escape from the clinic.’ Mandy tried to keep her voice steady. ‘It was from Hope Meadows Rescue Centre.’ She gave a potted summary of Flame’s adventure, emphasising that she had done everything she could to find and retrieve the lurcher. ‘As soon as it’s light tomorrow, I’ll increase the height of the gate that she jumped over,’ she promised. ‘And Flame will be kept on a leash until she’s had more training.’ Would that be enough? Mandy wanted to assure the officer that she was taking the problem seriously. Increasing the height of the gate wasn’t too difficult, but if she had to make all the fences higher, it would be expensive.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. Perhaps PC Armstrong was taking notes, Mandy thought. ‘Right.’ The policewoman’s voice was more sympathetic than she had dared to hope for. Mandy unclenched the fingers that were gripping the phone. ‘Well, so long as you do everything you can to keep Flame under control, I don’t think we need to take this any further,’ PC Armstrong went on. Mandy felt a surge of relief. ‘But you understand that the escape of a dog is fully the responsibility of the owner, don’t you? If there had been a road accident, you would have been liable.’
‘I do understand that.’ Mandy knew the law only too well, and the potential consequences. Back in Leeds, where she had worked for a year after qualifying, she had sometimes been called out to horrifically injured animals that were too badly hurt to be moved. The police had always been in attendance to oversee the legal issues.
‘Just one other thing,’ said Ellen.
What else could there possibly be, Mandy wondered. She stifled a sigh. Surely there was nothing else she could actually do, short of promising to keep Flame indoors all the time?
‘When Mr Hemmings made his complaint, he told me he wasn’t the only one who was concerned about your rescue centre.’
Mandy swallowed, feeling her palm grow clammy against the phone. Animal Ark had been in the village for years without anyone getting upset. Why would there be a problem with Hope Meadows?
‘He mentioned people had been talking in the Fox and Goose. They were annoyed about noise from the dogs, it seems?’ Again, PC Armstrong didn’t sound hostile, but Mandy’s heart sank. The question of barking had always been a potential issue. An occasional patient would bark in the clinic overnight, but it was inevitable that with several healthy dogs in the same building it could become more of a problem.
‘The dogs do bark sometimes,’ Mandy admitted. ‘I work hard to train them to be quiet, but it’s never going to be perfect.’ Although she kept her voice calm, her mind was in turmoil. Who on earth would be complaining in the Fox and Goose? Their nearest neighbours, the ones who would be most affected, had been enthusiastic about Hope Meadows from the start. Mandy spoke to them often. As far as she had known, there had been no ill-feeling whatsoever.
‘It’s only something Mr Hemmings mentioned.’ Ellen’s voice sounded reassuring. ‘I thought I should give you a heads-up. Just in case.’
‘Thank you.’ Mandy was still worried. Why didn’t people get in touch directly if they had a problem? Hope Meadows was supposed to be a benefit for the local community. The last thing she wanted was for her centre to cause problems.
‘Try not to worry about it.’ PC Armstrong was speaking again. ‘People often mutter to each other. They’re much less likely to actually do anything.’
‘I just wish they would mutter to me instead.’ Mandy closed her eyes and leaned her weight against the wall.
‘I’ve only had one complaint,’ Ellen pointed out. ‘The Fox and Goose thing is uncorroborated. Please don’t take it too much to heart.’
That was part of the problem, Mandy thought. The rescue centre was at the heart of everything that was important to her. ‘Thanks for letting me know,’ she said, trying not to sound too despondent.
‘Thank you for your time, Amanda. I’ll let you know if anything else comes up.’
Thank goodness PC Armstrong was so nice, Mandy thought. She knew that conversation could have been much worse. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she walked back into the kitchen.
‘Police?’ Adam asked.
Mandy nodded.
‘What’d they say?’
‘Not a lot.’ Mandy sat down and fiddled with her fork. ‘I told them I’d check everything and be more careful. That I’d make the gate higher. PC Armstrong agreed that would do for now.’
‘Not much else you can do,’ Adam replied.
‘That’s good at least,’ Emily put in. ‘That they aren’t taking it further.’
Mandy was about to mention the barking, but when she looked at her mum, she was struck by how exhausted she looked. Ever since her return to Welford, Mandy had tried not to be alarmed that her mum seemed so worn out and pale all the time. But on the odd occasion she had asked, Emily had always denied there was anything wrong.
‘Tired?’ Mandy asked, studying the dark rings around her mother’s eyes.
‘Oh.’ Emily looked almost guilty for a moment. ‘Yes, I am actually.’
‘Why don’t you go up and have a bath?’ Mandy suggested. ‘Dad and I can clear up. One of us can bring you a cup of hot chocolate later, if you’d like.’ Despite her own awful day, she still felt better than her mum looked.
Emily smiled. ‘How good you are,’ she said. ‘Thank you. I will.’ Pushing herself upright with an effort, she stood still for a moment, then trailed across, opened the door and disappeared. Mandy listened as the slow footsteps dragged up the stairs.
‘Dad?’
Adam, who was ploughing through his second plate of spicy pasta, looked up.
‘Is there something wrong with Mum? She seems so tired all the time.’
Adam frowned. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘Sometimes I wish she would take things a bit easier. I should have run out and bought a takeaway so she didn’t have to cook tonight. I didn’t even think about it.’ He ran one hand through his hair, making it stick up.
‘But do you think there’s something actually wrong?’ Mandy didn’t like to persist, but she was worried enough about Emily to push on.
Adam shook his head. ‘No, your mum’s as fit as the proverbial butcher’s dog! It’s not surprising if she feels more tired these days. It’s always been a tough job and we’re not getting any younger. I’m slowing down myself, to be honest.’
Mandy felt a slight sense of shock at his words. Somehow, her parents had always seemed ageless. They barely seemed to have changed with the passing of the years.
‘Your mum’s an adult,’ Adam went on. ‘If she needs help, she’ll ask for it.’
Mandy knew he was right. She had to trust her mum to take care of herself. But meanwhile, she could do more around the house so that Emily could rest properly when she wasn’t working. Standing up, she stacked the used plates, opened the door of the dishwasher and started to fill it.